Can international copyright be friendly? The answer is 'yes' (if you use this book)

Abstract

‘A book may be good for nothing; or there may be only one thing in it worth knowing; are we to read it all through?’ (Samuel Johnson) This section is dedicated to the review of ideas, articles, books, films and other media. It will include replies (and rejoinders) to articles, the evaluation of new ideas or proposals, and reviews of books and articles both directly and indirectly related to intellectual property law. This is the third edition of this popular textbook on international copyright. The authors, highly reputed and prolific copyright heavyweights Paul Goldstein and Bernt Hugenholtz, have produced once again a work that renders accessible a subject that, quite on the contrary, appears to have become increasingly stratified and complex. Over the past few years, there has been a significant shift in the production of copyright norms from individual states to international or regional organizations. At the international level, besides increasing adherence to the Berne Convention, the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the WIPO copyright treaties, new agreements have been concluded, the latest instance being the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. At the regional level, it is sufficient to recall that the European Union has adopted numerous directives that have harmonized various aspects of the copyright laws of EU Member States. At the end of 2012, the EU published its Directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works,1 and progress is currently being made to conclude the legislative iter that would eventually lead to the adoption of a directive on collective rights management and multi-territorial licensing for online uses of musical works.2