University of Macau / Faculty of Law

The dissertation analyses criminal liability for illegal reproduction of literary, scientific, artistic work or object of related rights, distribution, transportation or storage of illegal copies thereof. Conception and attributes of intellectual property, evolution of laws of intellectual property in the world and in Lithuania and legal sources which provides criminal liability for illegal reproduction of literary, scientific or artistic work or object of neighboring rights, distribution, transportation or storage of illegal copies thereof are examined in the dissertation. The dissertation also discusses the elements of crimes prohibited in Article 192 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, examines interpretation and application of Article 192 of the Criminal Code and distinguishes crimes prohibited in Article 192 from administrative offences. Furthermore, the dissertation discusses criminal legal consequences threatening the offender who commits crimes prohibited in Article 192 of the Criminal Code: sanctions according to Article 192 of the Criminal Code and confiscation of property. At the end of the dissertation a new wording of Article 192 and a new Article 1921 of the Criminal Code is proposed. / Disertacijoje analizuojama baudžiamoji atsakomybė už literatūros, mokslo, meno kūrinio ar gretutinių teisių objekto neteisėtą atgaminimą, neteisėtų kopijų platinimą, gabenimą ar laikymą. Disertacijoje aptariami intelektinės nuosavybės samprata ir požymiai, įstatymų, reglamentuojančių intelektinės nuosavybės apsaugą, raida pasaulyje ir Lietuvoje bei teisiniai šaltiniai, numatantys baudžiamąją atsakomybę už literatūros, mokslo, meno kūrinio ar gretutinių teisių objekto neteisėtą atgaminimą, neteisėtų kopijų platinimą, gabenimą ar laikymą, ir jų ypatumai. Disertacijoje atskleidžiami BK 192 straipsnyje numatytų nusikaltimų objektas ir dalykas, nusikaltimų objektyvioji pusė, subjektas ir nusikaltimų subjektyvioji pusė, be to, aptariamas BK 192 straipsnio interpretavimas ir taikymas bei BK 192 straipsnyje numatytų nusikaltimų atribojimas nuo administracinių teisės pažeidimų. Taip pat disertacijoje aptariami baudžiamieji teisiniai padariniai, gresiantys asmeniui, padariusiam BK 192 straipsnyje numatytus nusikaltimus, – bausmės pagal BK 192 straipsnį ir turto konfiskavimas. Disertacijos pabaigoje pateikiamas pasiūlymas dėl naujos BK 192 straipsnio redakcijos ir naujo BK 1921 straipsnio.

Disertacijoje analizuojama baudžiamoji atsakomybė už literatūros, mokslo, meno kūrinio ar gretutinių teisių objekto neteisėtą atgaminimą, neteisėtų kopijų platinimą, gabenimą ar laikymą. Disertacijoje aptariami intelektinės nuosavybės samprata ir požymiai, įstatymų, reglamentuojančių intelektinės nuosavybės apsaugą, raida pasaulyje ir Lietuvoje bei teisiniai šaltiniai, numatantys baudžiamąją atsakomybę už literatūros, mokslo, meno kūrinio ar gretutinių teisių objekto neteisėtą atgaminimą, neteisėtų kopijų platinimą, gabenimą ar laikymą, ir jų ypatumai. Disertacijoje atskleidžiami BK 192 straipsnyje numatytų nusikaltimų objektas ir dalykas, nusikaltimų objektyvioji pusė, subjektas ir nusikaltimų subjektyvioji pusė, be to, aptariamas BK 192 straipsnio interpretavimas ir taikymas bei BK 192 straipsnyje numatytų nusikaltimų atribojimas nuo administracinių teisės pažeidimų. Taip pat disertacijoje aptariami baudžiamieji teisiniai padariniai, gresiantys asmeniui, padariusiam BK 192 straipsnyje numatytus nusikaltimus, – bausmės pagal BK 192 straipsnį ir turto konfiskavimas. Disertacijos pabaigoje pateikiamas pasiūlymas dėl naujos BK 192 straipsnio redakcijos ir naujo BK 1921 straipsnio. / The dissertation analyses criminal liability for illegal reproduction of literary, scientific, artistic work or object of related rights, distribution, transportation or storage of illegal copies thereof. Conception and attributes of intellectual property, evolution of laws of intellectual property in the world and in Lithuania and legal sources which provides criminal liability for illegal reproduction of literary, scientific or artistic work or object of neighboring rights, distribution, transportation or storage of illegal copies thereof are examined in the dissertation. The dissertation also discusses the elements of crimes prohibited in Article 192 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, examines interpretation and application of Article 192 of the Criminal Code and distinguishes crimes prohibited in Article 192 from administrative offences. Furthermore, the dissertation discusses criminal legal consequences threatening the offender who commits crimes prohibited in Article 192 of the Criminal Code: sanctions according to Article 192 of the Criminal Code and confiscation of property. At the end of the dissertation a new wording of Article 192 and a new Article 1921 of the Criminal Code is proposed.

Originality is the most basic requirement for the copyrighting of a work and may be viewed as the mirror image of copyright infringement. In terms of section 2(3) of the Copyright Act, a work remains eligible for copyright even if the making thereof involved an infringement of copyright in some other work. However, a certain aspect or a feature of a work (relating to the “substantial part” requirement for copyright infringement; “substantial part” being understood from a hypertext rather than a linear point of view) cannot be infringing and original. In this thesis, the South African legal understanding of the originality concept is determined from case law. Specific attention is given to the meaning of “skill” and “labour”; the protection afforded to mere labour in South Africa and certain selected other jurisdictions; how the subjective nature of the originality test is affected by the “meritorious distinctiveness” requirement; and the degree of own skill and/or labour required for a work to be original and consequently protected. The present literary concept of originality is derived from literary discussions that appeared in newspapers and other publications in the wake of six “plagiarism scandals” which each caused a furore in Afrikaans literary circles. Even though the terminology used by littérateurs differs from that used in legal circles, originality essentially means the same for littérateurs and lawyers. Skill and/or labour as required by law is reflected in the literary “crucial distance” concept. The fact that a sufficient degree of skill and/or labour is required is reflected in the fact that the literary standard of a work is determined on the basis of how “tightly woven” a work is. Although a general protection of original ideas would negatively influence the free flow of information, measures for the protection of ideas are developing, particularly in the United States of America, where ideas (especially in the film industry) are a very valuable commodity. As Swarth proposes, applying the “novelty” and “concreteness” criteria in inverse ratio to each other could help to create an environment where idea purveyors and prospective buyers felt more free to negotiate and enter into agreements over original ideas. Postmodernism, a contemporary interpretative strategy that reaches into nearly every aspect of modern society, is discussed with specific reference to its interaction with originality. The influences of two phenomena of postmodernism on the originality concept, namely hypertext and Chaos theory, are investigated. Recommendations are made regarding measures aimed at the retention of talented authors and the original content of works in the wake of plagiarism scandals, while still holding the wrongdoer responsible for his actions. Certain suggestions are also made regarding the accessibility of courts and the supplementation of the few available precedents regarding originality in creative literary works. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Private Law / unrestricted

The significant part of the diploma thesis is oriented on the aspects of audiovisual content copyright law and the illegal usage in two countries, such as Czech Republic and Russia. The main task is to concentrate on pros and cons of their copyright law protection against content rights infringing, i.e. piracy. For deeper analysis, Czech and Russian laws investigation in details is to be made in relation to the law enforcement to the audiovisual content. Then the comparison of the punishments for the copyright law infringement is to be provided and the results of antipiracy activities within appropriate organizations in mentioned countries is to be considered. Subsequently the theoretical part is to be applied in concrete cases of court practices and finally the conclusion of the whole work is to be made. The value of the diploma thesis lies in the attempt of answering the questions, why piracy still exists in the chosen countries. This question is connected to antipiracy actions and their possible obstructions.

Angesichts der zunehmenden Häufigkeit von Rechtsstreiten über musikalische Urheberrechtverletzungen, bei denen es um Millionenbeträge geht, scheinen Musiktheoretiker*innen gute Voraussetzungen mitzubringen, ihre esoterische Ausbildung für einen ausgesprochen praktischen Zweck einsetzen zu können, nämlich in Form sachlicher Expertise innerhalb einer “forensischen Musikforschung”, die “grundlegende Ähnlichkeiten” (substantial similarities, so der juristische Terminus) zwischen musikalischen Werken einschätzt. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit einem kürzlichen derartigen Fall, “Skidmore v. Zeppelin et al.”, der aus dem Vorwurf entstand, dass der Beginn von Led Zeppelins Stairway to Heaven (1971) auf jenem von Taurus (1968) der Band Spirit beruhe. Die “grundlegende Ähnlichkeit” hierbei umfasst die absteigende Harmoniefolge der eröffnenden akustischen Gitarre, ein Ausschnitt aus einer Lamentobassfigur von der Tonika A fallend bis zum F (die Dominante E erscheint in einer oberen Stimme), eine Variante des Drooping-Modells im Rock. Nach einer Diskussion relevanter Details des Rechtsstreits, stelle ich kurz einen Abschnitt aus der Geschichte der Drooping-Figur im Rock vor, als Querschnitt berühmter Aufnahmen in den Jahren unmittelbar vor Led Zeppelins Platte. Mein Ziel ist es dabei nicht, den Rechtsstreit “Skidmore v. Zeppelin et al.” zu lösen, sondern vielmehr die entscheidenden Aspekte dieses Falls zu erhellen und die Rolle, die Musikologen in ihrer Bestimmung eingenommen haben. Abschließend argumentiere ich dafür, dass Musiktheoretiker_innen verstärkte Anstrengungen unternehmen sollten, um sich im Bereich der forensischen Musikforschung einzubringen, zum Wohle nicht nur der Gerichtsverfahren, sondern auch der Musiktheorie selbst, einer akademischen Disziplin, die in historischer Sicht selbst von ihren engsten Geschwisterfächern isoliert war, von der allgemeinen Öffentlichkeit gar nicht zu reden. / In light of the growing prevalence of multimillion-dollar musical copyright infringement litigation, music theorists seem positioned to use their esoteric training for a decidedly practical purpose: as an informed presence within “forensic musicology,” the practice of evaluating “substantial similarities” (the legal term) between musical works. This article examines a recent example of such litigation, “Skidmore v. Zeppelin et al.”, involving the accusation that the opening of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (1971) is based on Taurus (1968) by the band Spirit. The “substantial similarity” in question involves the opening acoustic-guitar descents, a partial lamento bass figure sinking from tonic A down to F (the dominant E appearing in an upper voice), a version of rock’s “drooping” schema. After discussing relevant details of the case, I briefly outline some of the history of rock’s drooping figure across multiple prominent recordings in the years immediately before Led Zeppelin’s record. My aim is not to solve the issues of “Skidmore v. Zeppelin et al.” but rather to shed light on what the issues in fact are in this particular case, and what role music scholars have played in their determination. In the end, I advocate that music theorists make a concerted effort to involve themselves in forensic musicology, to the benefit not only of the lawsuits but also of the profession of music theory itself, an academic discipline historically isolated from even its closest musicological siblings, let alone the general public.

This thesis examines the on-going anti-piracy and anti-file sharing measures taken by media conglomerates and big content as misguided attempts at addressing changing consumer expectations and social and technological norms. These measures include legislation such as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), and Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA); and litigation against both extremes of the spectrum: from the world's largest file sharing search engines like The Pirate Bay, and cyberlockers like MegaUpload, to private citizens who illegally downloaded a few movies or a few songs. The manner in which the entertainment industry's largest, most expensive, and highest-profile anti-piracy measures in the recent years have been received by groups from IT corporations to human rights organizations, researchers, politicians, legal and internet experts, and millions of citizens worldwide are of focus; and how this translates into an unpopular public image is explored. Piracy is underlined as a service and distribution problem, and various international studies are presented in exploring the relationship between illegal downloading and legal purchases.

MAAS / Department of Music

MAAS / Department of of Music

A study is done on the protection of sound recordings in the decentralized peer-to-peer (DP2P) file sharing in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. This study reveals that because sound recordings have unique features different from other copyright works, the illegal sharing of sound recordings can ordinarily be filtered, identified, and detected by the Internet service providers (ISPs) before granting access to users and without infringing the users‟ right to privacy. However, the ISPs have failed in this regard, hence, they are strictly held liable under the contributory, vicarious and inducing infringements notwithstanding the statutory law which prohibits ISPs from monitoring, and intercepting their networks. In fact and law, the terms filtering, identifying and detecting on the one hand and monitoring and intercepting on the other hand are different in relation to sound recordings and as such ISPs are not prohibited from filtering, identifying and detecting illegal sound recordings on their networks, thus, ISPs are not protected under the limitation law as it is generally believed. However, several recommendations are made for reform, inter alia: a review of the limitation law to include the terms filtering, identifying and detecting in pursuance of the terms monitoring, and intercepting, if the intention of the legislators was meant to include the latter terms; protection of access right in digital sound recordings, protection of the neighbouring rights of ISPs in the digital world, imposing levies on all recording equipment, the insurability of sound recordings and ISPs‟ signals, and bandwidth. / Mercentile Law / LL. M. (Mercantile Law)