Date: 20 February 2016 | Time: 1pm to 2.45pm | Location: Neill Lecture Theatre, 2nd Floor, Trinity Long Room Hub.

Chair: Professor Giuseppe Mazziotti, Law School, Trinity College Dublin 

***

Patent Inequalities in Intellectual Property Rights: A Case for Reform

Ms Aisling Murray, Trinity College Dublin

In light of the growing implications of patent law for Irish society and for Europe more generally, this paper seeks to explore the inequalities embedded in the system of patent law. It will assess these inequalities in light of the intangible nature of the subject matter of these rights and the related indeterminacy of their scope. It will note the resultant uncertainty of litigation outcomes and the disproportionate effect this can have on under-resourced patent holders. Finally, it will assert that these problems may be alleviated by looking to alternative dispute measures to resolve patent disputes.

***

Involuntary Exposure: Exploring Copyright Solutions to Unauthorised Intimate Photos Online

Ms Elizabeth Farries, Trinity College Dublin

It is now common that women’s private and intimate digital photographs are uploaded online without their permission. Such images result in unwanted notoriety for the women, with accompanying psychological, professional, familial, and social harms. Legal recourse is sparse from a copyright perspective. However, untested copyright solutions have been proposed. I am conducting a comparative legal analysis of how copyright law frames and regulates the unauthorised distribution of women’s intimate photographs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. I argue that there are avenues to remedy this social problem in intellectual property courts.

***

Beheading the Hydra? Copyright Enforcement in Digital Ireland

Ms Aislinn O’Connell, University College London

Copyright Infringement in the digital age is simple, fast, and prolific. Peer to peer sharing and downloading of copyright content is ubiquitous, and an entrenched facet of the digital environment – from Napster to uTorrent, illegal downloading has never been more popular.

Three content enforcement mechanisms are in place to protect copyright material in Ireland – two graduated response systems, a notice and takedown system, and a blocking injunction system. Each of these is discussed in comparison with other global examples with the conclusion that education is as important as enforcement in digital copyright in 2016 and beyond.