Intellectual Property Books

Aside from its scholarship, this book is well-organized, well-indexed and down-to-earth. This isn't a blow-by-blow commentary on various treaties. The chapters are based on practical issues like subject matter of the various rights, choice of law, ownership, etc., making it relatively easy to find the answers a practitioner needs. It also helps you to cut to the chase when dealing with treaties, instead of wading every time through the Paris, Brussels, Rome, etc. iterations of diplomatic vagueness. And there are plenty of useful examples from domestic law, especially of European countries. For the price, this is a trove of information not easy to find elsewhere. I salute those who read it from cover to cover for sheer intellectual enjoyment; for me it's a valuable working book.

This is not a book for the average reader. Although anyone can appreciate the exquisite writing of Pr Goldstein, this book is tailored for lawyer who are interested in Copyright and international trade issues.

Starting with a brief history, the author asserts that international Copyright has brought the two existing systems of law (the Author's right and the Copyright) closer together. He then goes on with a detailed point-by-point analysis of the right and privileges granted by the numerous treaties. The second part of book is an analysis of the protection of foreign work in the US and the protection of US works abroad.

This book is truly a reference for anyone having to deal with the Berne Convention, WIPO Copyright treaty and TRIPS agreement. The appendix contains full text version of all those agreements, plus many more.

This is an indispensable one-volume reference for practitioners and scholars of international copyright. It is a unique synthesis of copyright practice and law, taking into account the Bern Convention of 1989, the TRIPs Agreement concluded five years later, and the advent of the Internet. National copyright rules on protectible subject matter, ownership, term, and rights are covered in detail and compared from country to country, as are topics on moral rights and neighboring rights. Separate sections cover such important topics as territoriality, national treatment and choice of law, as well as the treaty and trade arrangements that underlie substantive copyright norms.

"Paul Goldstein's book is an amazingly complete analysis of copyright worldwide. It covers exhaustively not only national laws but also international treaties and their application in practice. This impressive volume reflects the vast erudition of its author and will be of precious use not only to practitioners but also to researchers and students." --Arpad Bogsch, Former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization

"Professor Paul Goldstein's presentation and subtle analysis of all international conventions in the field of copyright and neighboring rights, including TRIPs and European directives, is a pioneering masterpiece. It is brilliantly written and thoroughly structured, and will soon become an indispensable research tool for the entire international community."--Gerhard Schricker, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright, and Competition Law

J. Tom Cooper (gktemugen@aol.com), a book reviewer for a radio network,

The author of this book shows how well she not only knows copyright law, but knows how to communicate with writers who don't have a legal background. The accompanying CD has a multitude of useful forms for contracts, copyright and trademarks. Authors and publishers alike will find this book essential in their business endeavors. The writing is clear, understandable, accurate and extremely helpful in explaining a complex subject in lay terms.

This book is a great addition to any library or office. I use it in my law practice for quick and easy reference. If you own the 2003 edition, this one has been updated and is much easier to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I think it does a wonderful job of describing the law and legal issues that an author should know about if they are going to take full advantage of their work product. Knowing the information contained in this book will most assuredly help a small business owner who creates publications to market her company and/or to provide herself with credibility. Definitely a must read for any infopreneur, too!

The book includes the following chapters:

1. From Writer to Literary Entrepreneur
2. Copyright
3. Copyright Registration of Online Works
4. Fair Use, Permissions, & Work Made for Hire
5. When Someone Violates Your Copyright
6. Other Legal Issues to Consider
7. Trademark
8. The Anatomy of a Trademark Application
9. Trademarks on the Internet
10. A Brief History of Intellectual Property Law
11. Pending Legislation Affecting Authors
12. Contracts Basics
13. The Publishing Agreement
14. Other Important Agreements

My favorite parts of the book were chapters 2, 4, 7, and 10. I'm glad chapters 3, 8, and 12-14 were included, too. I also enjoyed poking around the Net to learn a bit about the author. I only did this because of the way the author wrote her book. She included herself as part of the book's content. She is a somewhat young attorney who has an athletic background and clearly a drive to be a successful entrepreneur. The world would be a better place if there were more women like her.

I would have enjoyed the book more if it had not been ALL law. For example, while it is true that an author gets substantial protection from registering her copyright so she can sue and get damages. Most writings don't merit filing for such protection. I think it should have been pointed out that some writings don't really need the full range of protection, while others certainly do. If I write a 10-page ebook that helps me market my Web site. Do I really care if someone steals that from me? Probably not. But if I write a 170-page booklet that I sell at my seminars and workshops, then I better register my copyright because some real effort went into that publication and my seminars need it for credibility. I'd be at a loss if someone stole it. Things like this could have been included in the instant book being reviewed to make it better. 5 stars!

MATH YOU CAN'T USE: PATENTS, COPYRIGHT, AND SOFTWARE uses the author's experience as a programmer and an economist to describe why modern intellectual property rights are in a big mess - and how to fix the problem. MATH YOU CAN'T USE could also have been featured in our computer section, but is highlighted here for its wider-ranging interest to any college-level collection containing not only legal and computer books, but holdings considering intellectual property rights, issues, and development protection.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

MATH YOU CAN'T USE
by Ben Klemens
pp. 181, Brookings Institution Press, Washington D.C., 2005


It is the ideas of inventors that drive the continuous technological progress in our societies. It then becomes important to ask if these inventors are getting the right incentives to innovate. What rights should an inventor be allowed to have over his invention/idea? Is his idea his alone? or is the idea anyone's who understands it? What does it mean to own an idea? The question of whether the "fugitive fermentation of an individual brain*" is a public good or the justifiably exclusive property of the individual brain is clearly an urgent one given the value we place on technological progress.

The subtleties of what constitutes an intellectual's excludable property and what constitutes the general public's property are usually outside the grasp of the general non-specialist crowd. Even amongst specialists (economists, computer people and so on) the discussions on the subject remain constrained by disciplinary boundaries and jargon in the blind men and elephant sort of way. Economists shy away from conversations with computer scientists who generously return the favour. Stated differently, the problem is that few economists write video games and even fewer video game writers would like to be spotted reading economics texts. This is a pity because if economists and software writers could talk to each other what else but the market for intellectual property in computer software would they talk about? The good news is that Klemens is at least, an economist and as he points out several times, he did write a video game.

To adequately understand the dynamics of the regulation of the market for software innovation, one needs to be a jack of several trades like, economics, computer science, law and even mathematics. In 'Math You Can't Use' Klemens brings this scarce combination of skills to bear upon this debate. His training as an economist as well as his facility with the arcane world of software programming puts him at a unique vantage point to survey the world of software patents. Add to this a knack for gentle humor and brevity of language and what you get is an immensely readable book that lays bare the economics, the math, the code and the legalese that underlie the mess that the world of patenting intellectual property in the software market involves.

Judging the book by its cover I expected the book to be a collection of mathematical theorems based on some abstract models of the software patenting business. I assumed that the theorems represented math I could not use simply because it was based on models that relied on unrealistic assumptions. Hence I expected the book to be the author's labor of love to mathematical reasoning that was in the end quite use-less for solving real world problems.

I was way off the mark there. The book's central claim is that there is a lot of math out there (theorems, lemmas, propositions, algorithms and so on) that you can't use because someone else came up with that math before you and now insists that the said math is his and his alone to cherish, protect and profit from. The main theorem that drives the ideas in this book is the Church Turing Thesis which allows us to show that a lot of software code is actually just a bunch of mathematical statements. Klemens creatively uses this thesis to argue his main points in the book.

'Math You Can't Use' actually reads like a generously embellished academic article which is a good thing as far as the pace at which ideas are presented in the book is concerned. For people interested in the area of software patents, this book will serve as a self-contained, down and dirty introduction to this area. From how computers work (for instance, how does a keystroke translate to text on the screen) to reporting rigorous economic theory, Klemens does an elegant job of walking the tightrope between academic rigour and readability. This book will be useful to students of the economics of innovation, computer scientists who read and policy makers.

(C)2005 ViSa

Klemens has a knack for bringing humour and spirit to a subject most people might be inclined to regard as dull (i.e., software patent policy) - as well as explaining why addressing that subject is crucial. His background as a trained economist and practicing computer programmer gives him inside understanding of both the theoretical policy debate as well as its practical impact on the work of coding. The book is an invaluable resource - and you'll love the banana protective device diagram.

This book should be on every author's bookshelf. Clearly and concisely written, it explains, in plain English, the essential deal points contained in the standard author-publisher agreement. Read this book before you sign on the dotted line. -- Lloyd J. Jassin, Attorney at La

This is THE book to have on book contracts.

As a contracts attorney myself, I used it to analyze the contract submitted to me by a mainstream publisher, only to discover that they were trying to "fleece" me.

This book is indispensable for any author interested in getting a fair deal. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is well written, easily accessible and virtually timeless in content. Mark is very attuned to the industry and his advice amply demonstrates this.

From the author of 'People's Names':

I didn't know how much my library needed this. It may at first seem a relatively brief book, but you more than get your money's worth.

The prose is clear and simple, but the information is densely packed. No marshmallow padding to let your brain relax. Plan on reading no more than a chapter a night to absorb this, or you'll start getting foggy from information overload.

If you have not faced a contract, this will prepare you for most of what you are likely to be offered, and what you might ask for or change. If you have signed contracts, you may want to kick yourself for not reading this sooner. (I did. One or two light kicks, not bad.) The next contract I go over, with a new agent or not, is going to give me a lot more than the last one. It will also help me double-check my new agent.

O wishful beginners, agents are not only not omniscient, they are often looking out more for their interests than for yours. This means that some will try to keep the publishers real happy with them and not push anything you don't demand. If you don't know what to push for or adjust, the agent won't necessarily rock the boat by making suggestions. Some day I'll get one of those agents who is a writer's best friend, but until then this book helps me be my own best friend in the business.

clear and well written. cover all areas of the law and is very practical. the case digest volume is also very useful.

This text is well-written and authoritative. It is a concise and accurate summary of the law.

If your practicing patent law and you don't have this book, then you're not doing your job. This is an absolutely invaluable reference that must be consulted before answering any Office Action.

Law students now have free or inexpensive access to online services offering cases and supporting documents. Big 100+ dollar leather-bound casebooks might as well go extinct (though the old-timers would never allow it) unless they can add some actual teaching to their reprints of information that is easily available elsewhere. This particular book is one of the few dealing with the esoteric subject of telecommunications law and policy, and the price is almost worth it because the authors actually seem to care whether students learn the deeper nuances of the topic, rather than just expecting you analyze case after case after case with no in-depth education on legal reasoning or the latest trends in industry.

In this book the cases are actually fairly rare and are supplemented fully with government agency documents from which new rules and laws are formulated (crucial background info that is rare to nonexistent in standard casebooks) and law review articles by experts in the telecommunications field, giving the student a robust non-judicial understanding of the factors involved in recent court decisions and government regulatory strategies. The subject matter is also comprehensive and presented in an order that makes sense and efficiently uses the space available. The key to this book's success are the frequent notes and questions that appear after cases, helping the student actually think about the dry legalese they just got finished reading (though the rhetorical "what if?" questions do get out of hand at times). Overall, this is a law school casebook that actually synthesizes the information presented in a way that helps the student, and not just a publisher whose idea of education is to charge monstrous prices for a never-ending list of reprinted cases. [~doomsdayer520~]

This book introduces basic concepts about how the government regulates broadcast television, radio, cable, telephone, and Internet service. It includes easy-to-read discussions and also excerpts of important documents and cases.

The book was written for use in law school classes, but it would be valuable to practicing attorneys as well as to managers at major telecommunications firms, especially those working to understand the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

....

Benjamin, Lichtman, and Shelanski have written an excellent book on U.S. telecommunications law. The book provides a glimpse at the early history of U.S. radio telecommunications and brings the reader up to fairly recent developments. Explanations of the spectrum, arguments of why broadcast media have been regulated (children's tv, indecency, Fairness Doctrine, for example), selected court cases and FCC actions are provided. "Notes and questions" are provided at the end of segments within each chapter and help the reader anticipate issues addressed subsequently. The book is well written and the authors have an enjoyable sense of humor. While the book does give attention to the Internet, readers might want to supplement the book's coverage by reading Sharon Black's "Telecommunications Law in the Internet Age" published in 2002 by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

This book is an examination of the interplay between Nietzsche's Apollinian and Dionysian elements in The Birth of Tragedy. Sallis's book, an extension of his earlier article "Apollo's Mimesis", is one of the most detailed readings of Nietzsche's early and lesser-known book. His exploration of the concept of mimesis and the metaphysical aspects of the Apollinian and the Dionysian are particularly interesting and discuss an area of the book that others have too often overlooked.

A rare gem of a work of close reading that transcends the academic toward a repetition of Nietzsche's original achievement of disclosing the essence of Greek tragedy. Nietzsche's book is a seminal work despite its youthfulness. Sallis fills out its lacunae from Nietzsche's notes, lectures and other contemporaneous works. Especially impressive are his demonstrations of Nietzsche's differences with Schopenhauer and his assimilation of Nietzsche's Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks into his demonstrations. He is one of the few Heideggarians who does not seem as though he is walking in his father's over-big shoes.

As a lawyer, AUTM member, business professor and technology entrepreneur, I highly recommend this as one of the best books you'll find on the practical aspects of commercializing technology. The book contains a wealth of tips, models and business strategies that other books on technology transfer don't cover. (Just a few of the tools presented such as the Marioni Matrix and TRIZ are well worth the price of the book.) Especially valuable are the tools and tips for evaluating potential market applications, end users, channels, revenue potential and launch tactics.

Phyllis Speser's The Art and Science of Technology Transfer is a must read for innovators and managers of technology. There are several uncomfortable hurtles for entrepreneurs along the path to commercialization. This book pulls the curtain back with a style that is both educational as well as down right funny. My only regret is that I didnt have access to this book before I embarked on my effort to launch my technology.

"That's some catch, that Catch-22," Yossarian observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.

That is the famous line from Joseph Heller's 1961 novel, Catch 22.

Authoritas is the autobiography of Aaron Greenspan's adventures growing up in Shaker Heights, then attending Harvard, and then finding himself in Harvard's 21st-century version of Heller's Catch 22.

Authoritas is an interesting, fast paced and a times humorous read.

While at Harvard, Greenspan develops by all accounts the very first version of what is now the international website "Facebook."

Aaron Greenspan writes very well and really knows computing. With that combination I think we will be hearing a lot from Mr. Greenspan in the future.

Heller's John Yossarian would have loved reading Authoritas.

At some levels, the book is just an absolutely engaging story. At other levels, it shines a harsh light on uncaring, uncreative, and unimaginative people involved at administrative levels of education. At times, you'll be astounded at the depths educational administrators go to squash creativity, deny entrepreneurship, and cover themselves at the expense of providing service to education.

Aaron Greenspan graduated from Harvard. And although he is a successful CEO of his own company (Think Computer), his success came despite his Harvard education. In Authoritas you'll find Aaron struggle to avoid the crushing of the human spirit and the crushing of the innate desire to learn and his determination to provide compassionate assistance to his autistic brother.

Aaron's story is personal, engaging, and important.

I am finding "Biotechnology: Law, Business, andRegulation" to be a truly useful collection of information andreferences. This single book provides a comprehensive legal and business perspective to the development of medical products derived from biotechnology.

Topics covered include: academic research, patents, raising capital, alliance agreements, technology transfer, and government regulations. The book is well organized with a user-friendly and detailed table of contents, index and glossary. It is packed with a collection of practical information which I am finding to be extremely useful in winding through the complex collection of laws, regulations, guidelines and industry practices associated with this field.

Two of the many attractive features of the book are: 1) the update subscription service provided by the publisher and 2) the CD-ROM which includes copies of the book's appendices, approximately seventy documents in pdf format which can be viewed using AcrobatTM Reader, on Mac or PC computer systems.

The CD-ROM alone, with full text copies of references such as the FDA Modernization Act, the Bayh-Dole Act, the Belmont Report and lists of venture capital firms, universities and trade associations, is worth the price of the book.

"Biotechnology: Law, Business, and Regulation" is a valuable resource that will greatly assist those involved in the commercialization of new medical products. I would recommend this book to professionals in the business of developing new drug products whether traditional pharmaceuticals or biotechnology-based products.

This is an outstanding piece of scholarship that manages to bring together in a logical way the legal, business and regulatory aspects of this rapidly-advancing field. This encyclopedic work is an invaluable resource for academics, legal practitioners, regulators and students. It is the best guide to biotechnology law available worldwide. It is a model that will be replicated from other countries and regions of the world