book review: intellectual property law

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Euro Compliance Risks

Developers Association (BASDA).The first implication of this isthat the unprepared organizations will begin to suffer severeinconvenience and potential financial losses as the inability oftheir systems to deal with euro-based processing begins to bite.The second is that they will find the cost of rectifying the problem escalates rapidly in line with the length of their delay,as the available consulting and software development resourcesrequired to implement solutions to the problem become morescarce.

Will this then be another cash cow for the IT industry inthe same manner as Y2K? The potential is obviously there,and the larger consultancies will doubtlessly be happy forthe additional work to help fill emptier than usual orderbooks resulting from the recent economic downturn.However, just as with Y2K, such opportunities will not come without risk. Specifically, one can imagine claimsagainst IT suppliers resulting from failures to implementeuro-compliant systems by specified end dates (e.g. the dateon which the UK formally adopts the euro). IT suppliers willaccordingly need to proceed with caution, and be mindful

of unrealistic deadlines being proposed by the more desper-ate of their client base.

3. CONCLUSION

Business has clearly learned from Y2K; indeed, in many ways therelative lack of obvious problems at the millennium end could beviewed as a testament to the effort put into publicizing the Y2Kproblem and mobilizing the necessary resources to address it.However, whilst the more prudent organizations will have readthe writing on the wall and put in place the necessary changesto embrace the euro at the same time as our European brethren,the risk remains that many systems have yet to be made compli-ant, leaving their owners and operators exposed to as yetunquantifiable problems.Accordingly, regardless of whether oneloves the pound,one must also learn to love the euro.

KKiitt BBuurrddeenn, Report Correspondent, Partner Barlow, Lyde andGilbert IT & E-Commerce GroupEmail: kburden@blg.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW

Intellectual Property Law

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This work provides a lively and illuminating introduction to intellectual property law written by two authors whoexpress surprise at the integrated product of their work, given their different approaches to the law. They have neverthe-less succeeded in providing a sound and useful starting point to the law of intellectual property. The latest edition hasbeen updated to include all recent developments including those to the Copyright and Designs Patent Act 1988, theEuropean Patent Convention and Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Madrid Agreement, the Agreement on Trade RelatedAspects of Intellectual Property Rights and the WIPO Copyright Treaty and Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Thereare six sections and twenty eight chapters which, following an introduction and sections on inventions and copyright, goon to look at pseudo-copyright; rights and information;and some topics of current interest - which include problems withnew technology, protection of industrial designs and plant varieties, some issues of authorization and secondary infringe-ment of copyright, and intellectual property rights within the European Community and on the international stage.

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