Copyright and Free Speech: Comparative and International Analyses

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Jonathan Griffiths, Uma Suthersanen
Oxford University Press, 2005 - Law - 426 pages
The essays in this book are concerned with the complex relationship between copyright law and the right to freedom of speech. Copyright protection has been described as the 'engine of free speech', allowing creators sufficient independence to express themselves without restraint. However, copyright interests can also function as instruments of censorship. In this volume, this paradox is examined from a variety of different perspectives and in the context of a number of different jurisdictions. The relationship between intellectual property and free speech has recently become the focus of considerable academic and judicial interest. Some have argued that legislative responses to new communication technologies, resulting in the strengthening of the rights of copyright owners, have unjustifiably threatened free-speech interests. In a number of cases, such as Eldred v Ashcroft in the United States and Ashdown v Telegraph Group Ltd in the United Kingdom, these arguments have been advanced in high-profile legal proceedings. This book addresses the copyright / free speech relationship within a comparative and international legal framework. Moreover, the key questions regarding access to information and the digital challenges are addressed from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

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Contents

List of Contributors
xxi
Tables of Cases
xxvii
Tables of National Primary and Secondary Legislation
xxxvii
Copyright

32 other sections not shown

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