Ownership problems of overlaps in European intellectual property

Intellectual Property rights are expanding and, thus, overlapping more than ever before. This poses challenges to a system devised as comprising a set of isolated compartments, each with its defined purpose.

I The legal framework of ownership and overlaps -- A. Introduction: the problem -- 1. The phenomenon of overlaps -- 2. Why are split ownerships a problem? -- 3. Methodology -- 4. Sequence -- B. The ownership of copyright -- 1. Author's rights vs. copyright -- 2. Special cases of ownership -- a) Employee's creations -- 1. Work for hire -- 2. Presumed assignment or licence -- b) Several authors -- 1. Joint Works -- 2. Connected works -- 3. Collective works -- 4. Copyright in cinematographic works -- II Cases of ownership problems of overlaps -- A. The case of trade marks & designs -- Prior design -- Prior trade mark -- B. The case of trade marks & copyright -- C. The case of registered designs & copyright -- D. The case of databases: sui generis right & copyright -- E. The case of software and computer implemented inventions -- III Possible solutions to the problem -- A. The extent of the problem -- B. A general solution? -- 1. Avoiding the problem -- a) Avoiding overlaps? -- b) Avoiding differences in ownership? -- 2. Prevalence -- 3. Contractual or quasi-contractual solutions -- a) Implied licence -- b) Abuse of rights -- 4. Expanding copyright-internal solutions by analogy -- a) On Analogy -- b) Connected works -- c) Joint works -- IV Conclusion -- Annex -- Annex I: The interface of designs and copyright under Russian law -- Annex II: Selected Legislative Provisions -- UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 -- The Copyright (Industrial Process and Excluded Articles) (No. 2) Order 1989 -- Ireland Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 -- Austrian Copyright Act -- German Copyright Act -- French Intellectual Property Code -- Italian Copyright Act -- Portuguese Copyright Act -- Greek Copyright Act -- Dutch Copyright Act -- First Proposal for a Council Directive on the legal protection of databases COM (92) 24 final, 13 May 1992 -- European Copyright Code -- Bibliography -- Books -- Articles and Contributions to edited books -- Research papers. -- Official documents and other materials -- Cases.