Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age

I'm very happy with this casebook. It's well written, generally well edited by some of the most notable IP mavens in the US (there's a good share of international law covered, but since my class glossed over it, so did I).

The authors are luminaries of Boalt, UC Berkeley. The book is for students, and therefore concentrates on precedents. For European lawyers, better versed in commentaries and systematic works, this always is a problem. As such the work is the best, talking of high tech and intellectual property law. Do not forget "Software and Internet Law" by the same authors + Pam Samuelson.In Europe the paramoutn work is The Modern Law of Copyright and Designs I-III by Mr. Justice Laddie et al. (£ 500 is a stiff price). In German there is Schricker, in French nothing really comparable.

This book is an excellent text dealing with multiple aspects of American intellectual property law. As a Canadian law student I found its approach of using first principles to introduce readers to the basics of intellectual property law very useful. From the first principles of copywright, trademark and patent law the book proceeds to give an insightful exposition of the developments of each of these areas of law in response to recent developments in the sciences. While some attention is paid to biotechnology in the patent section of the book, most of the work focusses on the impact of developments in intellectual property law as a result of information technology. Not only is this book timely but it also gives a very in depth analysis of these timely issues that I have not come across in other texts on the subject. I have just completed my LL.B at an excellent Canadian Law school. I specialised almost entirely in intellectual property law and found this to be my favourite text. Not just amongst my IP courses but amongst all the courses that it was my pleasure to take. If you are interested in IP and you want an understanding of it based Utilitarian first principles this book is an excellent resourse.