Historical perspectives on IP protection for software in selected countries worldwide

Progress on the important issue of protection of software through intellectual property laws is examined in selected states outside the trilateral partners (US, European and Japanese Patent Offices). The states covered are Russia, China, Taiwan, India, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Ethiopia and South Africa. The extent to which their laws conform to international treaties and to domestic requirements, and the balance between software protection through patents and through copyright, are both explored. The effects of the current fragmentation of the law in some respects across these countries and the pressure for global conformity in a global marketplace are discussed. Forty-six references and notes.