Foreword

• Author: David Vaver
• Pages: 23-25

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FOR E WOR D

In a world which trades on brand reputat ion, cultural products and

high technology, intellectu al property has increasingly become a sub-

ject of greater n ational and international importance. More than ever

before, fortunes are made through products of intellect, whether it be

in art, science, or business. Indeed, in 1997, the year the f‌irst edition of

David Vaver’s Intellectual Property Law was published, two university

students had just chosen a new name for t heir internet search engine:

Google. In this world, intellectual property has become vastly more

important, not only for law yers, but for consumers, businesses, and

countries, and this growth shows no signs of slowing.

The i ncreasing importance of intellectual property i s readily ap-

parent when examining the potential scope of protection under each of

the three intellect ual property regi mes. By challengi ng the boundarie s

of what is protected, litigants are questioning what ex actly intellectual

property i s. In the second edition of Intellectual Property Law, Profe s-

sor Vaver addresses these new questions which challenge every facet

of intellectual property and legal imagin ation: Can a sound be a trade-

mark? Ca n a smell? Are e-mails protected by copyright? What about

text messages or “tweets”? Is wrapping the Reichstag in fabric a work of

art? Is a house design? Is a life form patentable? Is a business process?

As always, the answer to these questions is, “it depends.” But Professor

Vaver’s discussion of existing boundar ies, and the bases on which new

boundaries may be dr awn stand s to serve as a va luable guide in grap-

pling with these diff‌icult issues.