Despite increasing worldwide harmonization of intellectual property, driven by US patent reform and numerous EU Directives, the common law and civil law traditions still exert powerful and divergent influences on certain features of national IP systems.

Drawing together the views and experiences of scholars and lawyers from the United States, Europe and Asia, this book examines how different characteristics embedded in national IP systems stem from differences in the fundamental legal principles of the two traditions. It questions whether these elements are destined to remain diverged, and tries to identify common ground that might facilitate a form of harmonization.

Containing the most current and up-to-date IP issues from a global perspective, this book will be a valuable resource for IP and comparative law academics, law students, policy makers, as well as lawyers and in-house counsels.

Contributors include: M. Adelman, T. Bodewig, G.E. Evans, M. Franzosi, S. Ghosh, S.J Jong, J. Krauß, M. LaFrance, A.L. Landers, S. Mehra, S.H. Naeve, F. Pollaud-Dulian, C. Rademacher, Y. Reboul, B. Sherman, J. Straus, M.T. Sundara Rajan, T. Takenaka, M. Trimble