Intellectual Property Law in Common Law and Civil Law

摘要

Toshiko Takenaka, a well-known scholar of intellectual property at the University of Washington, has been publishing comparative law analyses for many years, in particular with regard to US and Japanese patent law. In this very remarkable book, she has gathered experienced scholars from all over the world to publish comparative law articles. The publication of the book is a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of a databank of IP decisions in Europe and Asia, all translated into English, to which the authors contributed.' The databank is a joint project of RCLIP (Research Center for the Legal System of Intellectual Property of the Waseda University) and CASRIP (Center for Advanced Study and Research on Intellectual Property) of the University of Washington headed by Takenaka. The special value of this book is a comparative law perspective on actual topics in the field of patents, copyright, trade marks, unfair competition and enforcement. The comparative analysis of common law and civil law, which are rarely seen together in one book, offers scholars and practitioners valuable background information that can be taken as a basis and starting point for further studies. The book also provides an incentive to work on more harmonisation in substantive IP law where appropriate, since the challenges globally active right holders have to face became very obvious.