The Legal Protection of Databases

1. Introduction: why databases have become an important issue; The structure of the book; 2. Some basic principles; Basic copyright principles concerning databases; Principles of unfair competition; Contract law and databases; Competition law; 3. Protection of databases in the EU; The history of the directive; 4. Transposition of the directive; Belgium; France; Germany; Italy; Ireland; Netherlands; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom; Transposition of directive 96/9/EC in member states of the EU; 5. Protection of databases in the United States of America; The nature and history of the American tort of misappropriation; The legislative proposals for sui generis protection; The summary of the American position; 6. International aspects of protection of databases; International agreements concerning copyright protection of databases; 7. The appropriate model for the legal protection of databases; The argument in favour of sui generis protection; The non-economic roles of information; Some suggestions for protection of databases.