For the first time, this book provides an up-to-date history of product
design and product design law covering 17 countries -- Japan, Korea,
China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Nordic
countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), Russia, the
United States, Brazil and Australia -- selected for their innovative or
influential approach to design or design protection.
Each country is the subject of two chapters -- one on the history of
design and the other on the history of design law -- authored by experts
in design and intellectual property (IP) law. This unique
interdisciplinary approach explains why and how various national design
protection systems (that can include design, copyright, trade mark,
competition and civil laws) developed, making it an ideal book for
students, researchers and lawyers.
The book also serves as an international survey of different national
policy and legal responses to historical developments and specific
design and legal issues allowing readers to consider their advantages
and disadvantages -- and so is also recommended for policy and law
makers, as well as organizations that administer IP rights.
Topics include the subject matter of design protection; procedural and
substantive requirements; design registration; infringement; and the
overlap of design rights and other IP rights. The chapters on design
history provide further context to the historical development of these
legal concepts by considering major design movements, key designers and
iconic designs and the current state of design.
The chapters highlight the connected and often complementary
relationship between the two histories, not only for each country, but
at the regional and international level, often as a result of government
policies, trade, colonialism, immigration and globalisation.
Design and design practice continue to become more global and evolve
with developments in technology. At the same time, design laws are not
internationally harmonized and continue to develop at the national
level, with a number of significant changes occurring in recent years.
This timely book shows how the lessons of the past continue to inform
the future direction of design and the legal systems developed to
protect it.
