2018 Conference

COPYRIGHT LICENSING AND REGULATION

IN THE ASIAN-PACIFIC

26-28 October 2018 

School of Law, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China


This year’s theme provides ample scope for scholars in diverse areas of copyright law. Copyright licensing and copyright regulation are of course common to all countries in the region, but there are likely to be many practical and conceptual differences in their underlying policies and application throughout the Asian Pacific. 

For instance, most countries of the region will be familiar with the concepts of collective licences and compulsory licences. However, there are likely to be different perspectives of the merits of these licences within the region. For instance, are compulsory licences administered in a way that is fair to the creators in a particular country? Is the number of collective licensing bodies sufficient to ensure competitive behaviours?

Open licensing of copyright works has its advantages and disadvantages. Yet many governments and creators have adopted open licensing regimes for their copyright works, without necessarily considering the debates around these regimes.

It is well-established that copyright licensing has assumed great importance in relation to digital products. International trading in consumer products has been facilitated by the online environment, but frequently the concept of ‘sale’ has been replaced by a copyright licence. Some countries will question whether and how this change aligns with copyright’s first sale doctrine, or with their parallel importing regulations.

Similarly, in this digital age, the expectations of students and teachers in regard to educational materials have changed, while the signing of the Marrakesh Treaty has expanded the ability of member states to provide accessible materials to their sight-impaired citizens.  Has appropriate domestic regulation been put in place to achieve these new developments? How might cultural and indigenous works be included in copyright regulation?

Border control of copyright works is another important area pertaining to regulation, as is the increasing significance of private ordering.

Finally, an evolving and topical area within the legal academy is that of artificial intelligence and intellectual property. Is the protection of artificial intelligence appropriately confined to the patent system? Or does copyright also have a role to play? If so, how might copyright regulation be expanded to address this new area?

ORGANISING COMMITTEE: 

Susan Corbett, Associate Professor, Victoria Business School, Victoria University of Wellington

Jessica C. Lai, Senior Lecturer, Victoria Business School, Victoria University of Wellington

Luo, Li, Associate Professor, School of Law, Renmin University of China

Natalie Stoianoff, Professor, University of Technology Sydney

The Asian Pacific Copyright Association in conjunction with the Intellectual Property Academy of Renmin University of China the School of Accounting and Commercial Law, Victoria University of Wellington

and with the support of

The Beijing Sunshine Intellectual Property and Legal Development Foundation 

This Foundation is sponsored by Prof Liu Chuntian of RUC. The Foundation’s mission is to promote the development of education and research, help the poor, promote the development of intellectual property and law, primarily with funding programs in intellectual property and legal fields that are beneficial to the development of the discipline, including education, research, personnel training, cooperation and scholarships.