'This is an exceptional collection of scholarly contemporary thoughts on the future directions of copyright law. . . The contributors to this volume come from many jurisdictions and bring with them their respective rich backgrounds and experiences in copyright law. The result is an enlightening collection of papers.' - Yee Fen Lim, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice

Bold in its attempt to be original, this book should be read by anyone interested in the future of copyright, regardless of discipline, and in intellectual property more generally.

Design and deliver traditional reference services in new and innovative ways Librarians work in an environment of constant change created by new technology, budget restraints, inflationary costs, and rising user expectations. New Directions in Reference examines how they can use new and innovative methods to design and deliver traditional reference services in a wide range of settings. The book’s contributors relate first-hand experiences in libraries large and small, public and academic, and urban and rural dealing with a variety of changes, including virtual reference, music reference, self-service interlibrary loan, e-mail reference, and copyright law. Change isn’t new to libraries but the accelerated pace of change is. Traditional lines that have existed between library departments have been erased and traditional notions about general and specialized reference services have been reconsidered. New Directions in Reference documents how librarians are re-thinking their roles and responsibilities to keep pace with the ongoing process of evolution that borders on revolution. New Directions in Reference examines: the skills needed to manage and evaluate virtual reference services the basics of modern copyright law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) the changes in users, sources, and modes of access in music reference services the use of interlibrary loan management software that allows patrons to request, track, and renew borrowed materials online the “Ask-A-Librarian” e-mail reference service the Government Printing Office and government information online and much more! New Directions in Reference also includes case studies involving the new Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose, California, and the impact of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in providing references services for medical libraries. This important book is an essential professional resource for public, academic, and special librarians, especially those providing reference services.

This in-depth book explores the changing role of comparative law in an era of Europeanisation and globalisation. It explains how national law coexists and interacts with supranational and international law and how legal rules are produced by a variety of institutions alongside and beyond the nation-state. The book combines both theoretical and practically oriented contributions in the areas of law and development, comparative constitutional law, as well as comparative private and economic law. It offers a plurality of perspectives on the theory and methods of comparative law as a legal discipline, but also on comparative law when concretely applied in projects of legal aid, harmonisation of law and legal reform. Offering a multi-disciplinary perspective, this book will appeal to researchers and policymakers in international organisations. It will also serve as a valuable resource for advanced level courses on comparative law, and on law reform and legal aid.

This book is a very significant contribution to the question of protecting traditional cultural expressions. . . It is filled with fascinating ideas and perspectives that challenge the reader to rethink the law once again. Jamil Ammar, European Intellectual Property Review Legal protection for traditional cultural expressions is an area of contemporary policy making characterized by widespread concern and considerable controversy. Intellectual property scholars have a dire need for informed perspectives on the history of this subject area and the lucid commentary on its social and political implications that the authors of these cogent interdisciplinary essays provide. This impressive volume promises to be quickly acknowledged as an indispensable guide to the issues in this field. Rosemary J. Coombe, York University, Canada The first wave of scholarship on cultural appropriation was often better at denunciation than at grappling with the complexities of cultural heritage and its protection. Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions in a Digital Environment launches a second wave: nuanced, interdisciplinary, looking past accusation toward flexible solutions. For all that, it is no less committed to social justice. By bringing together leading-edge scholarship from law, the arts, communications, anthropology, history, and philosophy, the editors have taken research on heritage protection to the next level of sophistication. Michael F. Brown, Williams College, US and author of Who Owns Native Culture? In the face of increasing globalisation, and a collision between global communication systems and local traditions, this book offers innovative trans-disciplinary analyses of the value of traditional cultural expressions (TCE) and suggests appropriate protection mechanisms for them. It combines approaches from history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology and law, and charts previously untravelled paths for developing new policy tools and legal designs that go beyond conventional copyright models. Its authors extend their reflections to a consideration of the specific features of the digital environment, which, despite enhancing the risks of misappropriation of traditional knowledge and creativity, may equally offer new opportunities for revitalising indigenous peoples values and provide for the sustainability of TCE. This book will appeal to scholars interested in multidisciplinary analyses of the fragmentation of international law in the field of intellectual property and traditional cultural expressions. It will also be valuable reading for those working on broader governance and human rights issues.

Addressing the most exciting and challenging areas in the profession, this text will be invaluable to any professional looking ahead to the future of special collections and related cultural heritage work. Special collections today—from rare books and other specialized book collections to audio recordings and visual images—offer librarians limitless opportunities to showcase their skills in curating, preserving, and offering access to these resources to patrons. Drawing on innovative practices and enduring values to address challenges and opportunities in the broad realm of special collections librarianship, this book updates the notion of special collections to the wide range of materials, institutions, and contexts where they exist today. The contributed essays describe the various kinds of innovative projects and practices that are sought by IMLS and other funding agencies today and serve to illustrate how going beyond a traditionally limited idea of special collections opens doors to far more engaging opportunities. Spanning the converging worlds of academic and special libraries, rare book collections, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions, this book will be useful to newcomers and seasoned professionals alike. The essays address the recurring themes of managing and welcoming change and the impact of digital technologies throughout the book, whether regarding new approaches to outreach and instruction, the acquisition and curation of non-traditional collections, new structures for discovery and access in a digital world, or the nature of special collections work now. Both experienced professionals and recent graduates from one of the booming archival studies programs will find this text invaluable in creating a successful career in special collections or cultural heritage curation today and in the near future.

This book brings together leading scholars and practitioners, to explore contemporary challenges in the field of European private law, identify problems, and propose solutions. The first section reassesses the existing theoretical framework and traditional legal scholarship on which European private law has developed. The book then goes on to examine important and practical topics of geo-blocking and standardisation in the context of recent legislative developments and the CJEU case law. The third section assesses the challenging subject of adequate regulation of online platforms and sharing economy that has been continuously addressed in the recent years by European private law. A fourth section deals with the regulatory challenges brought by an increasing development of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology and the question of liability. The final section examines recent European legislative developments in the area of digital goods and digital content and identifies potential future policy directions in which the European private law may develop in the future.

Automatic biometrics recognition techniques are increasingly important in corporate and public security systems and have increased in methods due to rapid field development. This book discusses classic behavioral biometrics as well as collects the latest advances in techniques, theoretical approaches, and dynamic applications. This future-looking book is an important reference tool for researchers, practitioners, academicians, and technologists. While there are existing books that focus on physiological biometrics or algorithmic approaches deployed in biometrics, this book addresses a gap in the existing literature for a text that is solely dedicated to the topic of behavioral biometrics.

Communications policy as been a fertile area for testing theories of regulation, subsidy and incentives, free speech, political participation, and the public interest. The capacities of new communications technology have changed markedly since much of the governing legislation in the communications field was written. Such a change is likely to continue and have considerable impact on specific communications sectors and in communications policy. This two volume set of analyses undertakes a review of telecommunications policy in transition--of actions taken and not taken, of goals pursued or ignored, of the adequacy of policy vehicles and their strengths and weaknesses. The authors evaluate three categories of policy problems: those of concept, scope, and judgment in communications policy; those specific to media industries and forces affecting them; and those concerning wider public policy concerns intersecting with communication.