PUBLIC INTEREST AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY*

Abstract

* Il lavoro è stato sottoposto ad una preventiva valutazione da parte di due referee anonimi.

Sommario

1. Private interests and public interests in the recent evolution of intellectual property law; 2. Alignment between the two major western models of Continental Europe authors’ rights and Anglo-American copyright; 3. Critical assessment of the legal concept of ‘intellectual property’; 3.1. Historical analysis arguments; 3.2. Arguments based on economic analysis of law; 3.3. Comparative law arguments; 4. Seeking a more equal balance of interests between the ownership interests and the right of the public to access knowledge in the legal protection of original works of authorship; 4.1. Anti-trust law enforcement and mandatory licences; 4.2. The resort to general theory of law and of abuse of rights; 4.3. Collective management of intellectual property rights; 4.4. Authors’ rights and copyright within the frame work of fundamental rights; 5. Conclusions.