'Intellectual Property rights have, throughout history, increased in Essay

'Intellectual Property rights have, throughout history, increased in scope and shifted towards greater protection for their owners'. Critically assess the main - Essay Example l property is very wide and includes literary and artistic works, films, computer programs, inventions, designs and marks used by traders for their goods or services.’1 The law makes sure that the owners of Intellectual Property creations are protected. However, the law in regards to IP rights is never stable since IP rights are many different types of rights developed at its own pace at a national and international level. IP rights are protected at a national level, but at the end of the 19th century International Intellectual Property started to develop at a more international level. Copyright means the right to make copies2. A work will not be protected unless it is original3, fixated.4 Copyright has developed extensively from the time before the printing machine to the modern luxuries of the modern world. The first copyright case dated back to 567 AD. The case of Finnian v Columba where Columba made a copy of his teachers Psalter. Following this the Statutes of the University of Paris in 1223 legalized the duplication of texts for the use within the university.5 Following this the first printer was developed, creating the first ‘bestseller’.6 The printing press brought on a period of piracy and chaos. The factor that brought everything to a comprehensive balance was when the statute of Anne was passed in 1709. If the author was alive when their right expired after 14 years, another 14 years was granted. A dispute arose on whether or not the author had a perpetual common law right to print or publish his work by assigning a perpetual publisher to do so. This dispute was settled in Donaldson v Beckett.7 The author died and his copyright was sold by his executors to Beckett. Who in return sued Donaldson for infringement of copyright. It was stated in this case that ‘the author did have a common law rights that were potentially perpetual (that is, the right of first printing and publishing), but once the work was published, this common law right