Copyright Law and the Promotion of Scientific Networks: Some Reflections on the Rules on Co-authorship in the EU

Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property, Vol. 9(2), 2019

16 Pages Posted: 13 May 2019 Last revised: 18 Jan 2020

Date Written: September 1, 2018

Abstract

In the digital era, the co-creation of content by several authors has become easier in a number of ways. Networks, the symbol of today’s information society, are reshaping and supporting our communication, education, creativity and professional development. Embracing the perspective of co-creators, the paper aims to provide a new insight into the on-going debate on the effectiveness of copyright rules in the European Union (EU). The focus lies in the scientific sector, which offers both empirical evidence of the co-production phenomenon and specific policy goals set by the EU legislator concerning the collaborative knowledge production.

The analysis shows how the EU copyright framework neither includes a comprehensive body of harmonized rules on co-authorship nor displays prospective plans to do so, while the related national regulations present highly diverging approaches. The paper highlights how the impact of this regulatory heterogeneity is increasingly at odds with the policy objective of a collaborative and high-profile European Research Area, thus calling for a more substantial harmonization under an inclusive definition of co-author and an enhanced valorization of joint endeavors in the networked system of production of knowledge.

Keywords: co-authorship, EU copyright law, network society, scientific sector

JEL Classification: K12, K19, D23

Suggested Citation

Priora, Giulia, Copyright Law and the Promotion of Scientific Networks: Some Reflections on the Rules on Co-authorship in the EU (September 1, 2018). Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property, Vol. 9(2), 2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3339199

Giulia Priora (Contact Author)

NOVA School of Law Lisbon ( email )

Campus de Campolide
Lisbon, 1099-032
Portugal

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