The rising importance of technological development especially in Europe and the USA, which are the largest producers of databases, requires an internationally unified regulation for the protection of databases. The aim of this thesis is to present these issues and highlight the shortcomings of the current and proposed legislation in order to determine adequate legal protection of databases and how this can be achieved. The first chapter provides an overview of the definitions and the basic concepts. This includes the protection of databases by copyright and the sui generis right and a list of criteria in order to establish adequate legal protection. The second chapter outlines the legal protection of databases in the European Community, including the current legal system, its benefits and drawbacks and alternative protection to sui generis. Additionally the theories and current judicial practice are presented to further clarify the issue. The third chapter deals with the alternative legal protection to copyright of databases in the U.S. that in many ways differs from the European legislation. Similarly both copyright and database protection alternatives are presented in terms of legislation, case law and theories relevant to this area. The fourth and last chapter focuses on the international regulation of databases, and any potential changes in international regulation with regard to protecting databases. Moreover theories and rulings in this area are presented. Finally all the important points of this thesis are summarized and adequate legal measures for the protection of databases are suggested based on the advantages and disadvantages of the current forms of protection and judicial practice.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Magister Legum - LLM / A geographical indication (GI) is a sign by which a product is identified as having its origin in a particular territory and as having certain qualities, characteristics and a reputation, which are associated with that origin. There is currently no uniform international mechanism of protecting GIs, however, the framework for the protection of GIs is provided by Articles 22 to 24 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Article 23.1 provides a distinct advantage for the protection of wines and spirits as compared to the general protection of Article 22 for all other products. This thesis argues that a uniform system of protection for GIs should be established internationally, and that protection would be to the advantage of developing countries. The purpose of this study is to determine the best available method (i.e. trademark legislation or sui generis legislation) for protecting GIs for agricultural products of developing countries, through analysing the international legal framework governing the protection of GIs and the methods of national protection available as applied in Ethiopia, South Africa and India. The central argument advanced is that the use of trademarks should be a stepping stone, sui generis legislation is the ideal. Sui generis (separate) legislation should be drafted to fulfil the obligations of TRIPS and to ensure the extended protection, through national legislation, of all goods within other Member States. It is highly unlikely that the TRIPS Member States will agree to the extended protection of the Article 23. Therefore, the most suitable method to achieve such protection would be for Member States to extend their national protection through sui generis legislation.

Data har beskrivits som en av hörnstenarna i dagens ekonomi och Europeiska unionen har i flera decennier antagit rättsakter som syftat till att skapa en informationsmarknad i unionen. Men flera problem har tornat upp på den inre marknaden. Bland annat har data tenderat att inte användas i tillräckligt hög grad och det har varit svårt för datainnehavare att tillgängliggöra sin data samtidigt som de måste respektera unionens regler om dataskydd. I centrum finns därför två motstående intressen av värdeskapande användning av data och skydd av personuppgifter.  Det här examensarbetet undersöker om användningen av databasdirektivets sui generis-skydd och användningen av dataskyddsförordningens reglering om anonymisering kan vara en lämplig lösning på unionens problem. Den första halvan av examensarbetet undersöker dataskyddsförordningens centrala definitioner om vad som är en personuppgift och hur den kan anonymiseras för att undvika förordningens tillämpningsområde. Den andra halvan av examensarbetet behandlar hur man kan skydda de avidentifierade personuppgifterna efter anonymiseringen med en tillämpning av databasdirektivets sui generis-skydd.  Examensarbetets huvudslutsats är att det inte framstår som lämpligt att i nuläget förlita sig på anonymisering som ett rättsligt verktyg för att tillgängliggöra data för vidareanvändning i unionen. Delslutsatserna om anonymisering är för det första att identifieringsrekvisitet i personuppgiftsdefinitionen är relativt och inte absolut i dataskyddsförordningen. För det andra att det är tveksamt om Europeiska dataskyddsstyrelsens krav på att man inte ska kunna dra en slutsats om någon efter anonymisering täcks av rekvisiten i förordningen, och om det därför inte finns berättigade förväntningar att följa deras riktlinjer i den delen. Delslutsatserna om databasdirektivet är för det första att anonymiserade personuppgifter kan skyddas av sui generis och för det andra att en databasproducent kan använda sig av reglerna om normalt bruk och oberättigat kränker legitima intressen för att skydda anonymiseringen när databasen med anonymiserade personuppgifter har tillgängliggjorts.

Le référencement est la technique contractuelle d'approvisionnement majeure de "la grande distribution". Apparue dans les années 70, elle partage son nom avec une pratique du "e-commerce" avec laquelle elle n'a, pourtant, aucun rapport. C’est un mode de regroupement de la puissance d'achat, reconnu par un arrêt du Tribunal de Grande Instance de Strasbourg du 29 septembre 1983 comme une relation tripartite, dans laquelle la structure de regroupement (référenceur) en vertu d'un "contrat d'affiliation" ou "de groupement" négocie des conditions de ventes, dans un "contrat de référencement" avec les fournisseurs, dont ses membres (distributeurs) pourront directement se prévaloir pour conclure des contrats "d'achat/vente". Ces différentes phases sont liées, ce qui en fait un "contrat complexe" et "sui generis". Elle se révèle polymorphe, ce qui a donné lieu à de multiples hypothèses fonctionnelles : contrat unilatéral, mandat, contrat de commission, courtage, stipulation pour autrui, et ses effets peuvent impacter l'ordre public économique. A l’étude, règles contractuelles et règles de concurrences interagissent entre elles au détriment d'une nécessaire sécurité juridique, d'où la recherche d'éléments sur lesquels bâtir un régime stable. On les trouve dans la "globalisation des avantages", formant la cause du référencement, et la "commission de gestion", qui forme celle de l’intervention du référenceur. La confrontation de leurs conditions de validité aux hypothèses émises se révélant peu satisfaisante, nécessite de s'orienter vers une approche sociétaire du problème, seule à même de répondre, valablement, à la question de la nature du référencement et de son régime juridique. / Listing agreement is the major contractual supply technique used by mass retailing. It appeared in the 1970s, and shares its name with an e-commerce practice, with which it has no connection. It is a way to consolidate purchasing power, recognised by the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Strasbourg on 29th September 1983 as a tripartite relationship, in which the consolidating structure (index specialist) negotiates the terms and conditions with the suppliers in a indexing contract, using a registration contract or syndicate contract, which its members (distributors) can directly rely on to conclude purchase or sale contracts. These different phases are linked, which makes a “complex contract” and “sui generis”. This technique shows itself to be multipurpose, which gives rise to numerous functional situations such as unilateral contracts; agents; agency fees; brokerages; stipulations for a third party; and it can also have an impact on the public economic order. Through studies one realises that contractual and competition rules interact with each other to the detriment of a necessary judicial structure, thus leading to the research of elements on which a stable regime can be created. One can find these elements in the globalisation of advantages, which is the reason for indexing, and in agency fees, which is the reason for the index specialist’s involvement. The confrontation of conditions of validity with the various situations is unsatisfactory, which makes it necessary to turn towards an institutional approach, the only way to adequately respond to the question of indexing’s nature and legal regime.

Dans un contexte mondial marqué par l’essor d’une société de l’information, des savoirs partagés et de l’économie numérique, cette étude propose une évaluation de la protection des bases de données par le droit d’auteur, en privilégiant une approche comparative entre le droit français et le droit sénégalais. En mettant en exergue les éléments de convergence mais aussi de divergence qui ressortent de la confrontation des deux législations, cette analyse part de l’identification des forces et des faiblesses du droit d’auteur, en vue de proposer des orientations pour une amélioration du cadre juridique de la protection des bases de données. Le droit d’auteur étant le mécanisme de protection unanimement consacré pour les bases de données, il y a lieu, loin de s’en départir, d’identifier les meilleures options juridiques qui pourraient concourir à son renforcement. Dans cette optique, la prise en compte d’un équilibre parfait entre les divers intérêts en présence constitue un impératif pour le développement de la société de l’information. / In a global context marked by the rise of an information society, shared knowledge and digital economy, this study proposes an assessment of the protection of databases by Copyright (french meaning), privileging a comparative approach between French and Senegalese law. By highlighting the elements of convergence but also of divergence that emerge from the confrontation between the two legislations, this analysis starts from the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of copyright, to propose orientations aimed at improving the legal framework for the protection of databases. Copyright being the unanimously consecrated protection mechanism for databases, it is necessary, far from divesting it, to identify the best legal options that could contribute to its reinforcement. In this respect, it is imperative to take into account a perfect balance between the various interests for the development of the information society.

This study seeks to explore how Swedish textbooks in religion for upper secondary school presents East Asian teachings. The main focus will be on Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto. The aim is to explore how textbook authors relate to the Western concept of reli-gion when they describe the three East Asian teachings. Where do the authors choose to put the most emphasis when the coverage of the textbooks is limited? The study is done by qualitative text analysis as method. The theoretical perspective used is primarily critical religion theory. Five textbooks of religion for upper secondary school were studied and show in the results the different themes found in the texts regarding East Asian teachings. The analysis shows that Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto are presented in the textbooks as something different compared to the world religions. Occasionally the three teachings are portrayed as obsolete. By using a critical religion theory, it seems that the textbook authors were occasionally trying to fit in the teachings as sui generis religion. The authors seem to be aware that religious practice can be different in East Asia than it is generally done in the west. This study should be of help to Swedish religion studies teachers when educating in the subject. It is easy to fall into the trap of explaining foreign teachings through sui generis religion. By being critical before deciding to make use of Swedish textbooks in religion we can avoid reproducing unfair notations of East Asian teachings.

Sectional ownership has introduced several new concepts of property that differ significantly from prevailing as well as common-law concepts of property. The right of extension with regards to sectional titles is one such concept. The right entails a subtraction from the dominium of sectional owners and is widely regarded as a limited real right. It is submitted that the right cannot be categorised into any common-law category. The right is a statutory limited real right sui generis that has its own characteristics with regards to the way it is established, transferred, alienated, burdened or lapses. The right should also be recognised as constitutional property. The study concludes with an investigation into selected aspects relating to the right as an estate asset and points to problems relating to the valuation of the right for purposes of estate, capital gains and donation tax. / LLM (Estate Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The European Union (EU) increasingly participates in various arrangements at the international level in order to further the objectives of the Union. Yet, such participation poses challenges in terms of ensuring that the EU has an effective voice, whilst also ensuring certainty and clarity for other participants. This thesis focuses on the EU’s participation in the decision-making processes of multilateral fora in the field of maritime affairs in order to examine how these challenges can be met. The thesis explores the legal mechanisms in both EU law and international law that accommodate the ability of the EU to participate in international arrangements. It will consider whether these mechanisms ensure clarity and certainty to the key actors involved and whether consistency exists between the internal and external mechanisms. Through collecting, examining, and analysing historical and contemporary materials relating to the shaping and operating of the internal and external legal mechanisms, this thesis aims to explain and analyse how the legal mechanisms are established and how they can be adapted to meet the challenges facing the EU, its Member States, third States, and international institutions in a clearer and more consistent manner. The research diagnoses several key factors that have contributed to the possible ambiguity, uncertainty, and inconsistency of these mechanisms, including the evolving nature of shared competence and a heavy reliance on the Court of Justice in ascertaining and safeguarding the contours of the EU legal order and its interface with the international legal order. It then examines how the internal legal mechanisms have been projected externally, by using selected case studies of the participation of the EU in the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. This thesis illustrates that although various mechanisms have been adopted internally and externally to tackle the challenges facing the EU’s participation, several sets of asymmetries can be found across different legal mechanisms. The thesis evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of these mechanisms and it further suggests that adopting the mixed-participation mode for the EU and its Member States to participate in the multilateral fora may be preferable, or indeed necessary, even in areas where the EU enjoys an exclusive competence.

Sectional ownership has introduced several new concepts of property that differ significantly from prevailing as well as common-law concepts of property. The right of extension with regards to sectional titles is one such concept. The right entails a subtraction from the dominium of sectional owners and is widely regarded as a limited real right. It is submitted that the right cannot be categorised into any common-law category. The right is a statutory limited real right sui generis that has its own characteristics with regards to the way it is established, transferred, alienated, burdened or lapses. The right should also be recognised as constitutional property. The study concludes with an investigation into selected aspects relating to the right as an estate asset and points to problems relating to the valuation of the right for purposes of estate, capital gains and donation tax. / LLM (Estate Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014