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 (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.
Caroline Sutton’s annual visit to Japan in late October was, as always, a productive journey marked by a full agenda of strategic meetings, collaborations and community engagement. At-a-glance: a packed itinerary Caroline’s itinerary included high-level external meetings with key government bodies like the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology…
Amidst the ongoing issues of research integrity and paper mills, image integrity is a growing concern. The rise of generative AI poses significant additional risks, as it allows for the generation of images and other types of data that are very hard — if not impossible — to detect with current technologies. For this reason,…
We are proud to join forces with leading voices from industry, academia, and think tanks in calling for transformative EU policies that empower inventors and creators. Our joint statement emphasizes the urgent need to make Europe the premier destination for innovation, with intellectual property rights serving as the cornerstone of sustainable growth. We believe that…
We’re excited to share the release of A Third Transformation? Generative AI and Scholarly Publishing, a new report from Ithaka S+R that builds on earlier insights into the second digital transformation of scholarly publishing. Supported by STM Solutions and STM members — specifically American Chemical Society, IEEE, Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis Group and…