Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents make up most of the area of law known as Intellectual Property. Intellectual Property’s importance in Electronic Commerce is difficult to overstate. The Internet has been defined as a global network of networks through which computers communicate by sending information in packets, and each network consists of computers connected by cables or wireless links. It is the Intellectual Property laws of Copyright, Trademark and Patents that are attempting to harmonize the effects that E-Commerce and the Internet have had on the individual’s ability to access and use this information. It should be remembered that most countries have their own systems for patents, copyrights and trademarks, but thanks to international coordination and agreement facilitated by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) these legal regimes are basically similar in structure and approach. This course will focus on the intellectual property laws of the United States, currently the single largest ecommerce marketplace, with supplemental references to other legal regimes where useful.
