As technological progress marches on, so anxiety over the shape of the public domain is likely to continue if not increase. This collection helps to define the boundaries within which the debate over the shape of law and policy should take place.

Contents: Introduction: The Many Faces of the Public Domain Hector MacQueen and Charlotte Waelde 1. In Search of the Public Domain during the Prehistory of Copyright Law F. Willem Grosheide 2. Copyright’s Public Domain Ronan Deazley 3. The Public Domain: Right or Liberty? John Cahir 4. The Public Domain and International Intellectual Property Law Treaties Antony Taubman 5. The Public Interest in the Public Domain Gillian Davies 6. Altering the Contours of the Public Domain Fiona Macmillan 7. Creativity, Innovation and Intellectual Property: A New Approach for the 21st Century John Howkins 8. The Public Domain and the Librarian Toby Bainton 9. The Public Domain and the Creative Author Bill Thompson 10. The Public Domain and the Economist Manfredi M.A. La Manna 11. The Public Domain and Public Sector Information Richard Susskind OBE 12. Audiences in Tradition: Traditional Knowledge and the Public Domain Johanna Gibson 13. Scientific Research Agendas: Controlled and Shaped by the Scope of Patentability Helen Wallace and Sue Mayer 14. The Public Domain: Ideology vs. Interest Ann Bruce 15. A Rights-Free World – Is it Workable, and What is the Point? Graham Dutfield 16. The Priorities, the Values, the Public Charlotte Waelde Index

'. . . this book is well written, well organized, and easily accessible to readers from various backgrounds. It would be a useful text for anyone seeking to gain some understanding of the basic theoretical and policy issues related to the public debate about IP rights, and copyright in particular.'