JOINIntellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
IP is protected in law by patent, copyright, and trademark law. These laws enable people to earn recognition and/or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
The IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish by striking a balance between the interests of creators and the public.
Copyright law
Copyright law (sometimes referred to as authors’ rights in continental legal regimes) is a legal discipline that describes the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.
Works covered by copyright range from books, journals, articles, music, paintings, sculpture, and films, to computer programs, maps, and technical drawings. The selection and arrangement of data may also be eligible for copyright protection.
Copyright law is the mechanism through which publishing houses are able to manage the content they own and license, and the bundle of rights can be divvied to achieve an appropriate balance of protection (e.g., so that publishers can recover their investment), openness (e.g., for public access), and responsible stewardship of the scientific record (e.g., by enabling right holders to pursue legal remedies for pirated and compromised content.
The Latest from STM
Research4Life turns 25
When six publishers and the World Health Organization signed a three-year agreement in July 2001, one journalist predicted its significance would only become clear “in the long run – say, 25 years from now.” That moment has arrived. Research4Life is now a partnership of more than 200 publishers providing access to more than 250,000 journals,…
STM joins the research community in defense of independent scholarly communication and merit review
STM has submitted comments to the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) opposing proposed changes to federal grant regulations that would undermine independent expert review, scholarly communication, and the dissemination of research findings. It joins a broad coalition of universities, scientific societies, publishers, libraries, and research organisations that have expressed concern that the…
Community Perspectives Celebrate Digital Preservation of the Scholarly Record: Second Honoree of The Rosenblum Award For Scholarly Publishing Impact
A new documentary video released by The Rosenblum Award for Scholarly Publishing Impact celebrates the digital preservation of the scholarly record, the invisible infrastructure that keeps research reliable, accessible and secure for generations to come. Featuring leaders from CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, Portico, Lyrasis, the ISSN International Centre, the Digital Preservation Coalition, the Training Centre in Communication…
EU COM group on generative AI use in science
STM participates in a working group that the EU COM runs on AI in science, which last month published the third version of ‘Living guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research’. Further thematic working groups have now been set up to consider updates on the use of AI in evaluation of proposals,…