This article expands on whether copyright protection may be available for certain new and non-conventional works as diverse as graffiti, sports movements, DJ sets, culinary presentations, jokes, magic tricks, works created by artificial intelligence and engineered DNA. The potential expansion of copyright in a knowledge-based society is a relevant and topical subject at the moment also in light of the current scholarly and policy debates on the modernisation of copyright rules in many countries, including the EU and US. The issue of whether copyright can protect certain new and non-traditional products of human ingenuity is here addressed by carrying out a specific-work-related analysis of core tenets of copyright laws, including copyrightable subject-matter, originality, fixation and authorship requirements, the functionality exception as well as morality and public policy provisions.

During the last decade, the genomics revolution has created powerful instruments for genetic manipulation of living organisms. In addition, new biotechnological tools allow to modify organisms in order to perform specific tasks. In particular, synthetic biology is an emerging trans-disciplinary field that uses engineering principles to design and assemble novel biological components. For example, within the area of industrial microbiology, synthetic biology has contributed to build from scratch or re-engineer new microorganisms or chemical compounds. However, all these scientific and biotechnological innovations present a substantial challenge also for the law and especially for intellectual property rights. Considering this multifaceted scenario, this chapter discuss the current challenges and opportunities at the intersection of synthetic biology, microbiology and intellectual property also proposing alternative form of protection for genetically engineered works created by using synthetic biology.

The chapter explores whether pornographic works – intended as creative works consisting of the depiction of women and/or men as sexual beings – can be protected by copyright. After commenting on cases from various jurisdictions including US, UK and France, the authors discuss the critical arguments made both in support and against copyright protection for this controversial subject matter (which is considered by many as morally unacceptable). The chapter concludes that the overriding need to protect free speech makes the argument supporting the copyrightability of this category of works more persuasive and convincing.

The chapter focus on copyright as a possible an additional form of intellectual property protection for engineered DNA sequences. Considering the evolving conception of copyright subject matter, the current narrowed patent-eligible protection over living organisms and the advance of emerging technosciences like synthetic biology, the chapter looks with a renewed interest to copyright law as an additional potential form of protection for engineered biological creations. In particular, the contribution of this chapter is to reveal that copyright seems not only flexible enough to handle contemporary technologies producing living organisms, but also socially preferable to patent protection for accessing and using essential public knowledge assets in the life sciences.

The article focuses on copyright as a possible andadditional form of intellectual property protection forengineered DNA sequences. In particular, recent progress in synthetic biology and bioengineering have triggered a resurgence of the debate on genetic copyright. Considering the evolving conception of copyright subject-matter, the current narrow patent-eligible protection over living organisms and the advance of emerging technosciences such as synthetic biology, the article looks with renewed interest at the debate on copyright law as an additional potential form of protection for engineered biological creations. The contribution of this investigation is to reveal that copyright seems not only flexible enough to handle contemporary technologies producing living organisms, but also socially preferable to patent protection for accessing and using essential public knowledge assets in the life sciences.

The book draws a picture of possible new spaces for copyright. It expands on whether modern copyright law should be more flexible as to whether new or unconventional forms of expression - including graffiti, tattoos, land art, conceptual art and bio art, engineered DNA, sport movements, jokes, magic tricks, dj-sets, perfume making, typefaces, illegal and immoral works - deserve protection. The contributors offer authoritative, coherent and well-argued essays focusing on whether copyright can subsist in these unconventional subject matters.

The Internet has arguably become the most crucial infrastructure in contemporary society, yet its governance remains somewhat obscure. Governments, companies, engineers, activists and researchers come together to develop principles, norms, rules, procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and operation of the Internet. What does this Internet governance mean for human rights, for example, in relation to privacy, online freedoms and various accessibility-related issues? This conference brings leading scholars and practitioners to the University of Gothenburg to share their knowledge and debate the issues.

The chapter aims to draw a picture of current possible new spaces for copyright protection. In particular, it expands on whether modern copyright law should be more flexible as to whether new and unconventional works - including graffiti, tattoos, land art, culinary works, sport movements, yoga, jokes, magic tricks, DJ-sets, perfume making, TV formats, typefaces, news snippets, illegal and immoral works - deserve protection. This could be secured, for example, by interpreting the rules on protectable subject matter more broadly as well as relaxing the requirements to obtain protection. The chapter focuses on those forms of expression which have recently attracted attention amongst copyright scholars. In particular, the subjects have been selected with the mere purpose of identifying trends and highlighting possible commonalities and differences in the progressive expansion of the protectable subject matter. 

The paper considers the global impacts of digital communication technologies and how they can influence media pluralism and media freedom as well as the ways in which legal systems aim to support and protect them within the context of ongoing technological developments. In particular, it suggests that although new media may potentially help pluralism, there are also significant challenges to achieving effective freedom and pluralism through new media. The paper concludes by proposing recommendations on how the current legislation could be used, adapted or modified in order to encourage media freedom and pluralism also in the digital context.