Internettjänsten The Pirate Bay fälldes av Svea hovrätt den 26 november 2010 för medhjälp till brott mot URL med motiveringen att denna tjänst främjat fildelning av upphovsrättsligt skyddat material utan upphovsmännens samtycke. Bestämmelsen i 23 kap 4 § 2 st. BrB lyder, ”ansvar som i denna balk är föreskrivet för viss gärning skall ådömas inte bara den som utfört gärningen utan även annan som främjat denna med råd eller dåd. Detsamma skall gälla beträffande i annan lag eller författning straffbelagd gärning, för vilken fängelse är föreskrivet.” I dagsläget finns ett flertal tjänster av liknande karaktär såsom söktjänsten Google och videotjänsten Youtube. Dessa har inte prövats av svensk rätt men åtnjuter skydd av E-handelslagen trots att de i praktiken kan anses fungera som The Pirate Bay. Skillnaden är att dessa aktivt handlar för att förebygga förekomsten av upphovsrättsligt skyddat material utan upphovsmännens samtycke. Trots detta förekommer en betydande mängd upphovsrättsligt skyddat material som med stor sannolikhet inte gjorts tillgängligt för allmänheten med upphovsmännens samtycke. Dessa aktörer kan teoretiskt sätt upprätta en policy mot spridning av olovligt material som är tillräcklig för att väga upp den skadan som tillförs upphovsmännen, på så sätt åtnjuter de titeln informationssamhällets tjänst, de vill säga samhällsnyttan väger över den tillförda skadan enligt E-handelslagen. Hovrättens deldom i Pirate Bay-målet är nu en milstolpe för dessa aktörer avseende tolkningen av medhjälpsbegreppet i BrB, men det är ändock av vikt att HD samt EU-domstolen klargör den diffusa gränsen mellan definitionen informationssamhällets tjänst och tolkningen av ordalydelsen i 23 kap 4 § 2 st. BrB (medhjälpsbegreppet). / The Pirate Bay was convicted by the Svea Court of Appeals in November 26, 2010 for aiding in crime against Swedish Copyright Law on the grounds that this service promoted the sharing of copyright material without the authors’ consent. The wording in chapter 23, paragraph 4, part 2 of the Swedish Criminal Code reads, "responsibilities in this section are prescribed for a specific act, it shall be imposed not only on those who carried out the deed, but also the one that facilitated this by giving advice or carrying out deeds. The same shall apply in relation to another law or constitutional criminal offense for which imprisonment is prescribed." Nowadays there are several services of similar nature such as the search engine Google and the video streaming service Youtube. These services have not been tested by Swedish law, since they are protected by the Swedish E-Commerce Law. Google and Youtube actively take actions to prevent the occurrence of copyrighted material without the authors' consent. However, there is a considerable amount of copyright material, which most probably has been made available to the public without the authors' consent. These companies can in theory establish a policy against the proliferation of unauthorized materials in an amount sufficient to offset the damage which affects the copyright owners, but still enjoy the title of information society services in the E-Commerce Law, since the social benefits are larger than the caused injury. The Swedish Court of Appeal's judgement is now a landmark for similar services when it comes to the interpretation of aiding crime against the Swedish copyright law. It is nevertheless important that the Supreme Court of Sweden and the EU-court defines the cloudy boundary between the definition information society services and the interpretation of the wording in the 23 chapter 4 § 2 part, Swedish penal code.

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to explore what software evaluation methods are currently available that can assist organizations and companies in procuring a software solution for some particular task or purpose for a specific type of business. The thesis is based on a real-world scenario where a company, Volvo Technology Corporation (VTEC), is in the process of selecting a new intellectual property management system for their patent department. For them to make an informed decision as to which system to choose, an evaluation of market alternatives needs to be done. First, a set of software evaluation methods and techniques are chosen for further evaluation. An organizational study, by means of interviews where questions are based on the ISO 9126-1 Software quality model, is then conducted, eliciting user opinions about the current system and what improvements a future system should have. The candidate methods are then evaluated based on the results from the organizational study and other pertinent factors in order to reach a conclusion as to which method is best suited for this selection problem. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is deemed the best choice.</p>

<p>In the search for companies to distinguish themselves from the mass, so called non-traditional trade marks have become increasingly popular, and in particular colour marks. It is now clear that abstract colour marks can be registered as trade marks, and the number of registered colour marks has increased considerably in recent years. However, it remains a lot more uncertain, mainly due to lack of case law, what the extent of colour marks’ scope of protection is. Are colours actually worth protecting? The purpose of this thesis is to examine the scope of protection of registered abstract colour marks from an EU perspective. Through this examination it will also be established whether colours are worth protecting.</p><p>The essential function of trade marks is to indicate the origin of products. Signs that are capable of being represented graphically and capable of distinguishing goods and services from one undertaking from those of other undertakings can be registered as trade marks. Colours can fulfil these criteria in certain circumstances, however, colours can practically never have distinctive character per se. Instead, they must have acquired distinctive character through use. Since it is quite difficult to register colour marks, a colour mark proprietor should be prepared to have the validity of his trade mark challenged if he issues proceedings for infringement.</p><p>There are a few national cases from EU Member States that have concerned infringement of colour marks, and in all of these the plaintiff was successful in claiming infringement. Through the decisions in these cases, general legal principles and statements made in literature, the scope of protection of colour marks has been examined. Infringement of a colour mark occurs in three different situations: where there is likelihood of confusion, where there is double identity and where there is dilution of a trade mark with a reputation.</p><p>Some of the most important findings are that confusingly similar colours include adjacent shades, but in order to prove likelihood of confusion, the infringing colour must probably be perceived by the public as an indication of origin and other signs that appear together with the colour must probably be taken into account, which limits the scope of protection to some extent. However, since colour marks must almost always have acquired distinctive character through use, consumers are used to perceiving that colour as a trade mark in relation to those types of goods/services, and are therefore more likely to do so also when the colour is used by the third party. Furthermore, there have to be an individual assessment in each case in order to determine whether surrounding signs exclude a likelihood of confusion, where all factors should be considered, including the distinctiveness of the colour mark and how clear and prominent the other signs are.</p><p>In situations of double identity, the infringing sign does not have to be used as a trade mark, which is advantageous for colour mark owners. Furthermore, identical colours can possibly include other shades if they are so similar that the difference is barely perceptible in a direct comparison.</p><p>Colour marks can often qualify as trade marks with a reputation, since the assessment of whether trade marks have a reputation is similar to the assessment of whether trade marks have acquired distinctive character through use. Trade marks with a reputation has an extended protection meaning that if a third party uses a sign that is identical or similar to a trade mark with a reputation, and that use without due cause takes unfair advantage of, or is detrimental to, the distinctive character or repute of the trade mark, then that use constitutes infringement. This applies both in relation to identical, similar and dissimilar products, however, it will probably only apply in relation to identical or similar products when it comes to colour marks, due to the extensive use of colours in the market. The extended protection could be relevant in particular in situations where likelihood of confusion cannot be proven, because the public does not perceive the infringing sign as a trade mark or because of surrounding prominent signs.</p><p>This examination shows that the scope of protection of colour marks is not great, it has some weaknesses. However, it is definitely not worthless either, which clearly shows in the fact that the plaintiffs were successful in claiming infringement in all of the infringement cases. By registering a colour as a trade mark, a company can to some extent stop others from using the same or similar colour, and it will also most likely have a discouraging effect. However, some carefulness should still be applied in relation to colour marks, since this is still a very new phenomenon and additional case law can take another direction. But considering how the situation looks today, colours are worth protecting as trade marks.</p>

<p>In this study we investigate how the attitude and behaviour concerning illegal file shar-ing have changed among the young population in Sweden. The study will analyze the impact of the IPRED law that was introduced in April 2008 and new digital media ser-vices that have emerged in the last couple of years. It is also evaluated which of these have had the most impact on the attitude and behaviour of the selected population.</p><p>The main part of our research consists of a quantitative survey handed out to a sample population among high school students (ages 16-20) in Jönköping, Sweden. This pri-mary data is later compared to secondary data from a similar study that was done on the same demographics two years prior to this research in order to measure the change in behaviour and attitude. The previous study was conducted prior to the IPRED law im-plementation by one of the authors. We also used prior research within this subject and related fields to further understand and interpret our data.</p><p>What we have discovered through our research is that there has been a decrease in ille-gal file sharing, especially when considering music, however this decrease is much more an effect of the adopting of new media services then it can be attributed to the IPRED law. Furthermore, the attitudes towards file sharing have remained unchanged and a large number of young adults do not feel that file sharing should be illegal.</p><p>It is also concluded that good legal alternatives to file sharing have a large market po-tential if these services can fulfil consumers demand on availability and price. Addition-ally we have found that good legal alternatives are important if the public is to refrain from returning to their old file sharing habits once the initial scare from new legislation has worn off.</p>

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.

Le droit des brevets a pour but premier de favoriser les développements technologiques et industriels. Cependant, à l’heure actuelle, ce domaine voit son rôle confronté à une forme de crise, à cause plus précisément des avancées constatées dans le secteur des biotechnologies. De difficiles questions fondamentales se posent à différents niveaux, que ce soit socialement, moralement et légalement. Au vu de ces observations, la question est de savoir, dans le cadre de cette étude, si la régulation devrait être plus signifiante en tenant compte des considérations morales et éthiques dans le processus de brevetabilité. Cette étude a donc pour but de comparer et d’évaluer les diverses solutions proposées en Europe, aux États-Unis et au Canada, afin de déterminer quelle serait la voie envisageable vers la résolution de cette problématique. Par exemple, dans ce contexte, on peut pointer l’approche européenne, où la CBE et la Directive du Parlement européen relative à la protection des inventions biotechnologiques (98/44/CE) semblent introduire des notions éthiques dans leurs textes juridiques. Un tel procédé apporte des notions qui peuvent être considérées comme vagues et évolutives dans un processus qui se veut apparemment technique. Alors que si l’on prend l’approche nord-américaine, celle-ci se fonde sur des critères de brevetabilité dénués de toutes considérations morales. Par l’analyse de ces éléments, une voie possible pourrait être décrite vers un système des brevets qui répondrait mieux aux exigences actuelles. / Patent law has for primary goals to promote new tehnological and industrial developments. However, patent law has been currently confronted to some questioning about its role raised particulary by the new advancement made in biotechnologies. Difficult fondamental questions must be addressed at different levels: socialy, moraly and legaly. Following these obersvations, the question to answer, in this study, is whether regulation should be more significant by taking into account some moral and ethical considerations in the process of patentability. The goal of this study is to compare and estimate the various solutions provided by Europe, the USA and Canada, to determine what could be the answer of that problematic. For exemple, in this context, we can point out the European approach, where the EPC and the Directive of the European Parliamment on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions (98/44/CE) seem to introduce ethical notions in their legislation. Such approach brings elements which can be discribed as indistinct and progressive in a process apparently defined as technical. But if we take the North American approach, its patentability critea are not based on any moral consideration. So by analysing these elements, an approach could be defined to a more appropriate patent legislation fitting the actual necessities.

This study explains the rise and fall of the Innovations Foundation, the University of Toronto's first office dedicated to the transfer of university-developed technologies to industry. Drawing on extensive archival research, ten interviews with key informants, and other sources, the case study traces the evolution of the Foundation from its launch in 1980 to its closure in 2006. The study delineates three distinct business models under which the Foundation operated from 1980 to 1990, 1990 to 1999, and 1999 to 2006. The reasons for the adoption and failure of each model are explored and a historically grounded, context-sensitive explanation of the university's decision to dismantle the Foundation in 2006 is provided. This explanation emphasizes the importance of managing unrealistic expectations for Canadian university technology transfer, and adds weight to a growing consensus on the importance of historical path-dependence as a conceptual tool for understanding the persistence of differentials in technology transfer performance among universities.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Library and Information Studies)-Durban University of Technology, 2006. xii, 210 leaves. / This study was aimed at investigating the digital scanning of photographs in archival collections with a view to highlighting some of the key issues in the provision of a digital imaging service.

Depuis le début de son histoire, l’être humain cherche, pour de nombreuses raisons à s’associer et développer le milieu où il vit. Ces caractéristiques culminèrent dans les phénomènes de mondialisation et de révolution technologique responsables de la diminution des distances physiques et temporelles du monde contemporain. Ces facteurs ont stimulé les processus d’intégration régionaux, lesquels ont pour but le renforcement de ses adhérents face à la nouvelle réalité mondiale. Parmi ces processus, on note le Mercosur qui vise à la création d’un marché commun entre l’Argentine, le Brésil, le Paraguay et l’Uruguay. Fondé sur l’intergouvernabilité et avec une structure organisationnelle définie, ce bloc économique possède un cadre normatif en évolution, cherchant constamment la sécurité juridique dans divers secteurs. Quant à la protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle, on constate une ancienne préoccupation de la région sur le thème. Toutefois, le peu de normes existantes au sein du bloc confèrent des droits subjectifs minimaux et la plupart d’entre eux ne sont pas intégrés dans les législations nationales, lesquelles sont alignées sur les traités internationaux. Dans ses relations internationales, le Mercosur a une longue histoire de négociations avec l’Union Européenne et une histoire plus modeste avec le Canada, dans lesquelles l’attention portée aux droits de propriété intellectuelle n’est pas uniforme. De plus, sa participation dans les organismes internationaux responsables de ces droits est faible. Dans ce contexte, même avec un futur incertain le Mercosur présente de grandes expectatives. Toutefois, la préoccupation à protéger les droits de propriété intellectuelle est présente et réelle et commence à prendre de l’ampleur dans ses relations internes et externes. / Since the beginning of its history, the human being seeks, for many reasons, to join and develop the environment where he lives. These features, culminating in the phenomena of globalization and technological revolution, were responsible for the decrease in physical and temporal distances of the contemporary world. These factors have stimulated the regional integration processes, which are intended to strengthen its members to deal with a new global reality. Among these processes, we note the Mercosur aimed at creating a common market between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Based on its inter-governability and with a defined organizational structure, the economic bloc has an evolving normative framework, constantly seeking legal security in various sectors. As for the protection of intellectual property rights, there is an old concern of the region on the subject. However, few standards exist within the block granting minimum individual rights and most of them are not integrated in the national laws, which are aligned with international treaties. In its international relations, Mercosur has a long history of negotiations with the European Union and a timid story with Canada, in which attention to intellectual property rights is not uniform. Moreover, its participation in international organizations responsible for these rights is weak. Thus, even with an uncertain future Mercosur has great expectations. However, the concern to protect intellectual property rights is present and real and starts to grow in its internal and external relationships.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal