WIPO Hosts Highlevel IP Forum for LDCs

(This doesn't address Civil Law but my other interest, IP)

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presented a high-level forum on December 12, 2007 with the intent of exploring possibilities to enhancing capacity in the field of intellectual property (IP) as a strategic policy approach to utilizing the IP system for alleviating poverty and promoting wealth creation in least developed countries (LDCs). The forum provided an opportunity for ministers, senior policy-makers and Geneva-based diplomats from LDCs to exchange views and gain insights regarding IP capacity building measures for the use and management of the IP system... It also focused on exploring practical solutions to questions about how the IP system can be developed to serve as a policy tool for economic growth in LDCs.

Ministers from a number of LDCs held a special plenary session on the theme: “Building IP Capacity and a Knowledge Base for Wealth Creation, Social and Cultural Development”. The plenary session was followed by a series of presentations by international experts on a range of topics, including the use of the patent system for technology development and transfer; strengthening business identifiers to facilitate the commercialization of products and services generated by LDCs; the role of copyright and related rights and collective management societies as a contributor of economic growth; recent international developments in the area of IP and traditional knowledge, genetic resources and expressions of folklore; the role of higher education and research and development institutions in LDCs as catalysts of national innovation; and building capacity in all relevant areas of IP in accordance with national development plans. The program is available at: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/mdocs/en/wipo_ip_ldc_ge_07/wipo_ip_ldc_ge_07_inf_1_prov_3.doc

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Books 1 & 2 of the BGB

The German Ministry of Justice has reposted books 1 & 2 of the BGB in English to their site after almost a year from the withdrawl of the English translation. You can find the new translation of books 1 & 2 here.

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Legal Conference Blog

The Gallagher Law Library at the UW School of Law is sponsoring a blog tracking legal conferences throughout the world. This blog is an excellent place to keep track of upcoming conferences. Please, take a look at it: http://depts.washington.edu/lawref/confblog/

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Digitized Civil Law Materials

These are three collections of digitized legal and civil law original resources available on the web.

The Junta de Andalucia ,through their Cultural Chamber, has a virtual library (biblioteca virtual not the librería virtual, which is the virtual bookstore) with a collection of digitized original legal materials going back to the XVI cent.

The Universidad de Sevilla through their main library has a collection of digitized original materials which contains a several legal and civil law sources.

Finally, the Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Sevilla has the PixeLegis project which is dedicated to digitizing legal and civil law materials from the XIX cent.

These three different projects for digitized materials make access to original resources easier for the researcher. Enjoy your search!

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Lois Françaises en Anglais

Here's a great resource for French law in English. French-Law Net, http://french-law.net/, is edited by Nicolas Jondet, a lawyer and Ph.D. candidate in copyright law at the University of Edinburgh School of Law. This blog "provides news updates in English on recent developments in French Law, focusing on Intellectual Property, Technology and Medical Law."

With thanks to Mary Whisner, the official goddess of Reference, who tipped me off to this great resource. Check out her blogs at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/06780343632178750011

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Cornell Law School Collaborates with French Cour de Cassation

Cornell Law School is establishing a Center for Documentation on American Law at the French Cour de Cassation in Paris. The Cornell Law Library is shipping 13,000 volumes to the French Court, and offering electronic research assistance. The Center will be dedicated before an audience of the world's leading jurists at a groundbreaking international judicial conference set to take place in Paris July 17, 2007...
The venture, which has been supported by the Court's First President, Guy Canivet, (who was subsequently promoted to the Conseil Constitutionnel), will enable the French judiciary to better familiarize themselves with American law and will lead to enhanced dialogue between judges and academics of the two countries. Read the original annoucement of this venture at the Cornell Law School's webpage here.

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PBwiki Ad Free to Educators

This is not really Civil Law related, but PBwiki, http://www.pbwiki.com, is the tool that I use for the Civil Law Dictionary Project and the LSU Reference Manual. This is a very useful tool for legal reference, incredibly easy to use and set up and cleaner now that they have removed the ads from educational wikis. If you would like to know how to use this tool, please, feel free to contact me.

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