A book of substantial gravity ...

Let no-one assert that the IPKat's reading preferences are so blinkered that he's only interested in books that deal purely with intellectual property. He also sometimes takes a look at books that only partly deal with intellectual property. One such title is The WTO, Intellectual Property, E-Commerce And The Internet, edited by Rohan Kariyawasam (Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University, Wales). This is the sort of publication you buy if (i) you can't afford your own library but (ii) you have a pressing need to keep a large selection of multidisclinary WTO/IT/Competition/IP literature at your fingertips.

Concerning this book the publishers (the increasingly excellent Edward Elgar Publishing) say:

"In the face of an increasing threat from separate bilateral trade negotiations the World Trade Organization (WTO), more than any other international institution, is set to have a significant impact on the trade in technology in the decade ahead [Whether bilateral IP treaties are a threat to WTO's activities or actually complement it is a good subject for debate]. Alert to this potential, Rohan Kariyawasam brings together articles on international economic law and policy that touch on issues as diverse as telecommunications, e-commerce, information technology and technology transfer ['Diverse' depends on your perspective. 'Diffuse', perhaps? Or 'diverting' ...?]. This two-volume set navigates an innovative discussion of these sectors, their effect on international trade and the role of the WTO in promoting the worldwide trade of electronic goods and services. The papers will have relevance for regulators, lawyers advising both in private practice and in-house, academics, students and those in the NGO sector with an interest in trade and technology [not to mention weight-lifters]".

The selection of chapters is guaranteed to provide not just a multi-dimensional view of the WTO's real and perceived roles, and the aspirations which many people held for it, but also an historical view, with chapters going back to the mid-to-late 1990s (the WTO's mediaeval period, one might say). The cast of contributors is stellar, and more than a few of the "usual suspects" will be found between the covers: Keith Maskus, Eleanor Fox, Carlos Correa (can readers guess his perspective on ‘Implications of Intellectual Property Rights for the Access to and Use of Information Technologies in Developing Countries’?) and Peter Drahos are among them. Four chapters are provided by the editor himself, and they are not out of place. Well done, says the IPKat!

Bibliographic data: published 2009. Two hardback volumes. ISBN 978 1 84376 619 3. Price £295 (with online discount from the publisher's website £265.50). Rupture factor: severe. Book's web page here.