1st Edition
Internet Memes and Copyright Law Diving into the Meme Pool
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Introduction
1. The Dynamic Notions of Internet Meme Culture
2. The Memes Have Spoken: A New Social Practice
3. Copyright, Memetic Creativity, and the Meme Pool
4. Copyright Uncertainties and Enforcement Tensions
5. Copyright Should Facilitate Internet Meme Culture
6. Reconciling with Memetic Creativity
7. Non-Exclusive Rights of Underlying Work
8. User-Creators and Their Rights
9. A Delicate Dance with Intermediaries
10. Roads to Reconciliation
Conclusion
Index
Biography
Brian Chun Lok Leung is a legal academic and practitioner. He lectures in intellectual property law at University College London (UCL) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and has been elected as an associate fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He also works at international law firms in London, doing trade mark, customs, and online brand enforcement work. Alongside these roles, he has been a tutor for the EUIPO Pan-European Seal Programme, a researcher for Copinger and Skone James on Copyright (19th Edition), and the Editor-in-Chief for the Queen Mary Law Journal (QMLJ). Brian holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Birmingham; a Master of Laws in IP from UCL; and a Master of Science in Law, Business, and Management as part of vocational training to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. Brian earned his Doctor of Philosophy in IP law from QMUL.
A highly relevant monograph. The author masterfully guides readers through the intricate complexities surrounding the possible treatment of memes under copyright law. The book clearly demonstrates the need for recognising developing new communicative values and social practices as a chance for legal reform. A much needed and recommended intervention!
Guido Westkamp, Professor of Intellectual Property, Media and Comparative Law, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
Memes are ubiquitous but their cultural and speech value is sometimes overlooked. This work casts an interdisciplinary light on their importance. Brian Leung’s discussion of copyright’s application to memes is highly instructive in itself, and as a case study of key issues in copyright more generally.
Ilanah Fhima, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University College London (UCL)
