Copyright and Multimedia Products: A Comparative Analysis (Cambridge Intellectual Property and Information Law, Series Number 3)

Multimedia products have become highly successful. Yet they are often inadequately protected by existing national and international copyright schemes. This study is one of the first comprehensive, comparative analyses of multimedia works and copyright protection. Stamatoudi considers the nature of the multimedia work, and existing legislation, as well as collections and compilations, databases, audiovisual works and computer programs. Finally, she offers a model for a European legislative solution. Her work will interest academics and students, as well as lawyers and copyright policy makers. ISBN-13: 9780521808194 Contents 10 Acknowledgments 12 List of abbreviations 14 Introduction 18 1 Placing multimedia products within the scope of copyright 20 1.1 General introductory comments 20 1.2 History of copyright and redefinition of the term 23 1.3 The choice between patent and copyright protection 27 1.4 Notions relating to multimedia 31 2 The scope of multimedia works 33 2.1 Definition of multimedia works 33 2.2 Layers of protection 43 2.3 Project participants in the creation of a multimedia product 49 2.4 The difference between multimedia products and existing copyright works 53 3 Traditional literary works 59 3.1 Literary works as works of language 59 3.2 Depurification of copyright 62 3.3 Fixation of literary works 80 3.4 Multimedia products and traditional literary works 81 4 Collections and compilations 88 4.1 Traditional approaches to collections and compilations 88 4.2 The notion of works as components of a compilation 96 4.3 The bond between literary works, compilations and multimedia works 97 5 Databases 105 5.1 The database framework 105 5.2 Beyond copyright 111 5.3 Multimedia products as databases 113 6 Audiovisual works 121 6.1 'Audiovisual works' as a generic term 121 6.2 Composite characteristics of audiovisual works 128 6.3 A comparison between audiovisual works and literary works, compilation, databases and computer programs 133 6.4 Distinctive features of the regime of protection of audiovisual works 136 6.5 Multimedia works as audiovisual works 143 6.6 Multimedia products and the regime of protection of audiovisual works 163 7 Computer programs 169 7.1 A multimedia work as a computer program 169 7.2 Multimedia works and the regime of protection for computer programs 174 7.3 Summing up 181 8 Video games as a test case 183 8.1 Video games as multimedia works 183 8.2 The case-law on video games 184 8.3 Video games as a model for other multimedia works 196 8.4 Conclusions 201 9 Multimedia products and existing categories of copyright works 203 9.1 Originality and qualification for copyright protection 203 9.2 Qualification of multimedia works according to the type of co-operation of the contributors (the French paradigm) 213 9.3 Qualification of multimedia works according to their nature 220 9.4 A hybrid product in need of a sui generis copyright classification 223 10 A regime of protection for multimedia products 228 10.1 A copyright regime for multimedia products 228 10.2 A 'database-style' sui generis regime of protection for multimedia products 266 10.3 Collective administration and unfair competition law 273 11 Conclusions 287 11.1 A regime of protection for multimedia products: a mixture of the regime for films and the sui generis right for databases 288 11.2 Wider implications for copyright 293 Postscript 299 Bibliography 300 Index 332 A 332 B 332 C 332 D 333 E 333 F 333 I 333 L 333 M 333 O 334 P 334 Q 334 R 334 S 334 T 334 U 334 W 334 Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 List of abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 1.1 General introductory comments......Page 20 1.2 History of copyright and redefinition of the term......Page 23 1.3 The choice between patent and copyright protection......Page 27 1.4 Notions relating to multimedia......Page 31 2.1 Definition of multimedia works......Page 33 2.2 Layers of protection......Page 43 2.3 Project participants in the creation of a multimedia product......Page 49 2.4 The difference between multimedia products and existing copyright works......Page 53 3.1 Literary works as works of language......Page 59 3.2 Depurification of copyright......Page 62 3.3 Fixation of literary works......Page 80 3.4 Multimedia products and traditional literary works......Page 81 4.1 Traditional approaches to collections and compilations......Page 88 4.2 The notion of works as components of a compilation......Page 96 4.3 The bond between literary works, compilations and multimedia works......Page 97 5.1 The database framework......Page 105 5.2 Beyond copyright......Page 111 5.3 Multimedia products as databases......Page 113 6.1 'Audiovisual works' as a generic term......Page 121 6.2 Composite characteristics of audiovisual works......Page 128 6.3 A comparison between audiovisual works and literary works, compilation, databases and computer programs......Page 133 6.4 Distinctive features of the regime of protection of audiovisual works......Page 136 6.5 Multimedia works as audiovisual works......Page 143 6.6 Multimedia products and the regime of protection of audiovisual works......Page 163 7.1 A multimedia work as a computer program......Page 169 7.2 Multimedia works and the regime of protection for computer programs......Page 174 7.3 Summing up......Page 181 8.1 Video games as multimedia works......Page 183 8.2 The case-law on video games......Page 184 8.3 Video games as a model for other multimedia works......Page 196 8.4 Conclusions......Page 201 9.1 Originality and qualification for copyright protection......Page 203 9.2 Qualification of multimedia works according to the type of co-operation of the contributors (the French paradigm)......Page 213 9.3 Qualification of multimedia works according to their nature......Page 220 9.4 A hybrid product in need of a sui generis copyright classification......Page 223 10.1 A copyright regime for multimedia products......Page 228 10.2 A 'database-style' sui generis regime of protection for multimedia products......Page 266 10.3 Collective administration and unfair competition law......Page 273 11 Conclusions......Page 287 11.1 A regime of protection for multimedia products: a mixture of the regime for films and the sui generis right for databases......Page 288 11.2 Wider implications for copyright......Page 293 Postscript......Page 299 Bibliography......Page 300 C......Page 332 M......Page 333 W......Page 334 Multimedia products have experienced tremendous market success. Yet too often they are given inadequate protection under existing national and international copyright schemes. Irini Stamatoudi provides a comprehensive, comparative treatment of multimedia works and copyright protection in this clear and concise volume. A detailed introduction outlines the nature of the multimedia work, as well as the scope of existing legislation; separate chapters consider collections and compilations, databases, audiovisual works and computer programs (video games are here treated as a'test case'). Stamatoudi then analyses issues of qualification, regime of protection, and offers a model for a European legislative solution. Copyright and Multimedia Products will interest academics and students, as well as practitioners and copyright policy makers. Multimedia products have experienced tremendous market success. Yet too often they are given inadequate protection under existing national and international copyright schemes. Irini Stamatoudi provides a comprehensive, comparative treatment of multimedia works and copyright protection in this clear and concise volume. A detailed introduction outlines the nature of the multimedia work, as well as the scope of existing legislation; separate chapters consider collections and compilations, databases, audiovisual works and computer programs (video games are here treated as a 'test case'). Stamatoudi then analyses issues of qualification, regime of protection, and offers a model for a European legislative solution. Copyright and Multimedia Products will interest academics and students, as well as practitioners and copyright policy makers