A work in progress, works cited under development.
This article takes a brief overview of the various legislation implemented around the world to protect and to benefit rights holders and to hold accountable rights infringers of intellectual property. The legislation presented is non-exhaustive, but provides an overview of existing legislation and some of their key differences.
International
TRIPS
WIPO Treaties
Patent Law Treaty
ACTA
Regional
Directive 2001/29/EC
Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, SI 2002/2013
European Community Trademark Act
European Patent Convention
National
United Kingdom – Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989, Trade Marks Act of 1994, Patents Act 1977
United States – Copyright Act of 1976, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Lanham Act, Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2006, Patent Act of 1952, American Inventors Protection Act
China – Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China, Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China, Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China
A key harmonizing factor in all of the legislation regarding intellectual property is the implementation of various international treaties and accession to various international and intergovernmental organizations. This factor makes the protection and infringement of intellectual property rights streamlined, efficient, and possible to deal with worldwide, though such protection and infringement handling does not come without a hefty cost.