INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY • SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT • COMPETITION
The 3rd edition of what is now widely referred to as Laddie, Prescott & Vitoria was published in November 2000. It states the law of copyright, designs and related rights as at July 2000 and is the most up to date text-book on the subject. This edition builds on the strength of the 2nd edition, which recently received the accolade of being cited with approval by the House of Lords in Designers Guild v Russell Williams. The original authors are very pleased to have been joined by Adrian Speck and Lindsay Lane who bring a fresh enthusiasm and approach. As ever, the pace of legislative change since the last edition (1995) has accelerated and new rights such as database right, publication right and the performer’s property rights are some of the new areas covered by this edition. Perhaps the most controversial aspect is the treatment of subordinate legislation such as the Duration Regulations, the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations and the Database Regulations where the authors suggest that much of this legislation is ultra vires and void. The discussion is certainly thought-provoking and iconoclastic.
Laddie, Prescott & Vitoria deals in detail with copyright and performers’ rights as they apply to all kinds of works – literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, film, sound recordings, broadcasts, typographical arrangements, databases and the Internet – covering all aspects, including duration of copyright, ownership, transmission of title, licences and claiming remuneration.
It also includes substantial new material on infringement of copyright, including secondary infringements and the rights of the public, and looks at remedies for infringement and customs seizure.
Designs are also comprehensively covered, including both registered designs – including issues of novelty, term and restoration, interest in registered designs and Design Registry procedure – and unregistered designs – including what designs are protected, interest in design rights, semiconductor topographies and industrially-applied designs. Infringement, proceedings for infringement and European proposals on design rights are also dealt with.