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Estelle Derclaye

Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Faculty of Social Sciences

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Biography

Estelle Derclaye holds degrees in law from the University of Liège (Licence en droit; Diplome d'Etudes Specialisées en droit), The George Washington University (LLM) and London (PhD). She was awarded a Fulbright grant as well as Rotary and Baker & McKenzie scholarships to study for her LLM in the USA. She joined the University of Nottingham as a lecturer in 2006, became Associate Professor and Reader in Intellectual Property Law in 2009 and Professor of Intellectual Property Law in 2012. Before joining Nottingham, she practiced intellectual property in an international law firm in Brussels and prior to that, she was a lecturer at the Universities of Leicester and London (Queen Mary). Thanks to several Max-Planck Institute bursaries, she spent time at the Max-Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law (Munich) in 2002 and 2004 to work on her PhD.

Professor Derclaye's main interest is intellectual property law, in particular copyright and designs law, IP overlaps and empirical legal research in intellectual property law. She was the president (May 2021- May 2022) of the European Copyright Society, a group of European academics aiming to influence policy-making and has been a member of the society's since 2014. From 2008 to 2010, she was a member of the Copyright Expert Panel of the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy, which advised the UK Intellectual Property Office. In 2014, she was appointed as a member of the unregistered rights expert advisory group advising the UK Intellectual Property Office which is now the UKIPO's research expert advisory group. She is also a member of the University of Nottingham's Commercial Law Centre. Since 2023, she is a member of the Executive Committee of ATRIP and in 2024 she became its President-Elect.

Professor Derclaye was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley (2010) and at the University of Melbourne (2013) and a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore (2015). In 2012, as part of the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy (CREATe), she was awarded funding to hire researchers to carry out research on copyright and open academic publishing and hold a stakeholders' workshop.

Professor Derclaye regularly gives lectures on copyright and design law in other law schools abroad. She has given guest lectures at the Jagellonian University, British Law Centre (Cambridge) in Warsaw, Kings College London, Sciences Po, and at the universities of Maastricht, Turin, Paris 2, Lyon 2 Lumière, Strasbourg, Lille, Paris-Sud, Montpellier, Liège, Katholiek Universiteit van Brussel, Kozminski, San Diego (Cal.), Santa Clara (Cal.), Toledo (Oh.), and Aarhus.

She has done expert work for national and foreign law firms, the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Commission (in 2017, she co-wrote a study supporting the evaluation of the Database Directive for DG CNECT), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and international organisations and welcomes requests for expert work from both the public and private sector. She also welcomes proposals for postgraduate research in all fields of intellectual property law and has supervised several PhD students to completion (see research students tab).

Professor Derclaye is the author of The Legal Protection of Databases, A Comparative Analysis (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2008), editor of Research Handbook on the Future of EU Copyright (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009) Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010), The Copyright/Design Interface: Past, Present and Future (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and Research Handbook on Empirical Studies in Intellectual Property Law (Elgar, 2023), co-author with A. Strowel of Droit d'auteur et numérique: logiciels, bases de données et multimédia - Droit belge, européen et comparé (Bruylant, 2001) and with M. Leistner of IP Overlaps: A European Perspective (Hart Publishing, 2011). Since 2010, she updates the European Union chapter in B. Ong (eds) International Copyright Law and Practice, Lexis Nexis. She is also the consultant editor for Halsbury's Laws vol 23: Copyright (latest edition 2023).

Her latest monograph (with G. Stupfler) "EU copyright law harmonisation - An empirical analysis of national courts case law" is forthcoming in 2025 with Hart Publishing/Bloomsbury and results from research grants awarded to Prof Derclaye and Prof Stupfler by the British Academy, the ESRC Impact Accelerator Account and Google Ireland.

Her work has been cited with approval by the UK High court in Football Dataco v Sportradar [2012] EWHC 1185 (Ch), the Swedish Court of Appeal (Stockholm) (ATG v Unibet 2011), Advocate General Bot (cases C-393/09 and C‑128/11, BSA and Usedsoft), Advocate General Szpunar in Cofemel and CV Online Latvia (cases C-683/17 and C-762/19) and D.W.F. Verkade in opinion of 12 July 2013 (ECLI:NL:PHR:2013:115) before the Dutch Supreme court, case of 17 January 2015 ECLI:NL:HR:2014:88 (Ryanair v. PR Aviation), and Advocate General l B.J. Drijber in opinion of 16 March 2018 (ECLI:NL:PHR:2018:254) before the Dutch Supreme Court case of 8 June 2018, ECLI:NL:HR:2018:856 (Pearson).

She gave her inaugural lecture on "Happy IP" 11 September 2014.

Her publications are also available on http://ssrn.com/author=721913 and https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Estelle_Derclaye

European Copyright Society opinions all available at www.europeancopyrightsociety.org

Prospective PhD students

Enquiries from prospective students are welcome.

Information about the School of Law PhD programme and how to apply can be found here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/postgraduate-research/index.aspx.

Information about scholarships can be found here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/postgraduate-research/funding.aspx.

Information about the University of Nottingham Commercial Law Centre can be found here: http://nottingham.ac.uk/clc.

Expertise Summary

Full list of publications

Books

  1. Research Handbook on Empirical Studies in Intellectual Property Law, Elgar, 2023.
  2. The Copyright/Design Interface: Past, Present and Future (ed.), Cambridge University Press. 2018, book reviews by C. Smith in (2018) 13(4) JIPLP 339-340; N. Kapyrina (2018) IIC 756; R. Arnold (2018) EIPR 482.
  3. Intellectual Property Overlaps: A European Perspective, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2011, 333 p. (with M. Leistner). Book reviews: A. Kur [2012] Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil, 61(1), 102-103; http://ipkitten.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/intellectual-property-overlaps-two-books.html and D. Gangjee, [2012] MLR, issue 5.
  4. Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World, (ed.) Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2010, 241 p. + xvii. Book reviews: Rosati [2011] Journal of IP law and practice; [2014] 22(2) European Review of Private Law 321; [2011] 16(2) Comms. L. 88.
  5. Research Handbook on the Future of EU Copyright, (ed.) Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2009, 643 p. Book reviews: [2009] EIPR 489-490; [2009] 6:3 SCRIPTed 751-756.
  6. The legal protection of databases, A comparative analysis, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2008, 362 p. + xxviii. Book reviews: [2008] EIPR 306; http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2008/08/recent-books-reviewed.html; [2008] Ent LR 70; [2009] (1) ZGE p. 258ff.
  7. Droit d'auteur et numérique: logiciels, bases de données et multimédia, droit belge, européen et comparé, Bruylant, Bruxelles, 2001, 488 p. (with A. Strowel).

Articles and book chapters (most recent)

  1. "Opening Up Big Data for Sustainability: What Role for Database Rights in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?". In: OLE-ANDREAS ROGNSTAD, TAINA PIHLAJARINNE AND JUKKA MÄHÖNEN, ed., Promoting Sustainable Innovation and the Circular Economy: Legal and Economic Aspects, 2024, Routledge. (In Press.) (with NOTO LA DIEGA, G.)

  2. The Parody Exception in EU Design Law: A Catalyst for Creative Evolution, Innovation and Cultural Discourse (2024) EIPR. 285-298 (with Jacques, S.)

  3. Is Copyright Harmonisation in the EU Achieved in Practice and If Not, What Can We Do About It? (2024) 7 GRUR International. 1-2

  4. The status of three-dimensional functional works post-Cofemel. An empirical analysis of the Member States' case law. In: Geiger, Jaeger, Peukert, Thouvenin, ed., Creation Innovation Markets: Festschrift Reto M. Hilty, Springer, 2024, 121-138

  5. Droit européen des dessins et modèles: En transition vers la cohérence? Quinze ans de jurisprudence nationale. In: Kahn, A. E. and Mouncif-Moungache , M., eds., Le règlement sur les dessins et modèles communautaires 20 ans après: Bilan et perspectives Larcier/Intersentia, 2024, p. 53-66.

  6. To What Extent is the Parody Exception Truly Harmonised?: An Empirical Analysis of the Member States' Case Law Post-Deckmyn (2023) Intellectual Property Quarterly. 59-81

  7. Halsbury's copyright Sweet & Maxwell (2023), consultant editor.

    8. Sui Generis Database Protection 2.0: Judicial and Legislative Reforms: because of an IT glitch, publications between 2013 and 2017 are not showing, see my profile for complete list (2022) EIPR. 44(6), 325-333 (with M. Husovec)

    9.Why the Sui Generis Database Clause in the Data Act Is Counter-Productive and How to Improve It?: (Policy brief) (2022) SSRN. (with M. Husovec)

  8. Case note under case C-762/19, CV Online Latvia, (2022) Auteurs et Media. 1, 466-469 (with M. Husovec)

  9. "The multifaceted influence of the Advocates-General on the Court of Justice's copyright case law: Legal secretaries, literature and language" in E. Rosati (ed.), Routledge Handbook of European Copyright Law, Routledge, 2021, 443-471.
  10. "Design litigation in the EU Member States: Are overlaps with other intellectual property rights and unfair competition problematic and are SMEs benefitting from the EU design legal framework?" (2021) European Law Review 37-60 (with O. Church and G. Stupfler), + addendum 264, available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3675732
  11. "The Database Directive", in P. Torremans and I. Stamatoudi (eds.), Copyright in the European Union, 2nd edn, Elgar Publishing, 2021, 216-254.
  12. "Intellectual Property Rights and Well-Being: A Methodological Approach", in I. Calboli and L. Montagnani (eds), Handbook on Intellectual Property Research: Lenses, Methods, and Perspectives, OUP, 2021 (with T. Taylor).
  13. "The CJEU decision in Brompton Bicycle - A welcome double rejection of the multiplicity of shapes and causality theories in copyright law", Kluwer Copyright Law Blog, 25 June 2020, available at http://copyrightblog.kluweriplaw.com/2020/06/25/the-cjeu-decision-in-brompton-bicycle-a-welcome-double-rejection-of-the-multiplicity-of-shapes-and-causality-theories-in-copyright-law
  14. "AG Campos Sanchez-Bordona's opinion in Brompton Bicycle - The good, the bad and the contradictory - Part I & II", Kluwer Copyright Law Blog, 13 February 2020, available at http://copyrightblog.kluweriplaw.com/2020/02/13/ag-campos-sanchez-bordonas-opinion-in-brompton-bicycle-the-good-the-bad-and-the-contradictory-part-i
  15. "AbraCoDoBro! Doceram, Cofemel and Brompton: How does the current and future CJEU case law affect digital designs?" in B. Pasa (ed.), Design, technological and digital innovation. Interdisciplinary proposals for reshaping legal protections, ESI Press, Naples, 2021.
  16. "Member States can no longer require a higher level of originality for works of applied art/designs, says AG Szupnar in Cofemel", Kluwer Copyright Law Blog, 3 May 2019, available at http://copyrightblog.kluweriplaw.com/2019/05/03/member-states-can-no-longer-require-a-higher-level-of-originality-for-works-of-applied-artdesigns-says-ag-szpunar-in-cofemel/
  17. "An Empirical Analysis of the Design Case Law of the EU Member States" (2019) IIC 685-719 (with O. Church and G. Stupfler), available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40319-019-00813-0.
  18. "EU Design Law: Transitioning Towards Coherence? 15 Years of National Case Law", in N. Bruun, G. Dinwoodie, M. Levin and A. Ohly (eds.), Transition and Coherence in Intellectual Property Law, Cambridge University Press, 2020, 56-67 available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3355353.
  19. "Relationship between Trademark Law and Copyright/Design Law: Trademark Protection for Ornamental Shapes?" In J. Ginsburg & I. Calboli (eds.), Handbook on International and Comparative and Trade Mark Law, Cambridge University Press, 2019 (with. W. Ng-Loy).
  20. "Non-Original Databases and Works of Applied Art as Non-Harmonized Matter in International Copyright Law: What lessons Can Be Learned?" in T. Synodinou, Pluralism or Universalism in International Copyright Law, Kluwer, forthcoming 2019 (submitted, under review, 5,900 words).
  21. "Right and wrong analogies. The CJEU's use of trade mark concepts in copyright and design law" (2020) EIPR, forthcoming.
  22. "Copyright does not protect the taste of cheese", The Conversation, 11 December 2018 -available at http://theconversation.com/Copyright-does-not-protect-the-taste-of-cheese-108356
  23. "Copyright does not protect the taste of cheese", Copyright Licensing Agency Higher Education Blog, 3 December 2018, available at http://cla.co.uk/blog/higher-education/copyright-cheese
  24. Opinion of the European Copyright Society in the pending Cofemel case C-683/17, available on www.europeancopyrightsociety.org, October 2018 (main author) (3,250 words).
  25. "Protection of Designs on the Basis of Use" in H. Bodewig (ed), Research Handbook on Design Law, Elgar Publishing, forthcoming, 2019 (in press), pre-print available on ssrn.com.
  26. Study in Support of the Evaluation of the Database Directive: Study for the European Commission, DG Connect, 2018 (with R. Fischer, J. Chicot, A. Domini, M. Misojcic, G. Bodea, K. Karanikolova, A. Radauer, M. Calatrava Moreno, A. Gkogka, L. Bently).
  27. "CUDR and CRDR post-Brexit from a UK and EU perspective - Will all unregistered design rights become history?" (2018) 13(4) JIPLP, p. 325-331.
  28. "Introduction", in E. Derclaye (ed.), The Copyright/Design Interface: Past, Present and Future, CUP, 2018, p. 1-6.
  29. "A Model Copyright/Design Interface: Not an Impossible and Undesirable Task?", in E. Derclaye (ed.), The Copyright/Design Interface: Past, Present and Future, CUP, 2018, 421-458.
  30. "Italy", in E. Derclaye (ed.), The Copyright/Design Interface: Past, Present and Future, CUP, 2018, p. 269-296.
  31. "Overlapping Rights", in J. Pila and R. Dreyfuss (eds.), Oxford Handbook of Intellectual Property Law, OUP, 2018.
  32. "IP Law post-Brexit" (2017) 101(2) Judicature, p. 64-71, Duke University Press (with L. Bently, G. Dinwoodie and R. Arnold), available on www.ssrn.com
  33. "The Internet, Facebook, Smart Phones and Intellectual Property Rights: A Happy Combination?", in S. Frankel and D. Gervais (eds.), The Internet and Intellectual Property: The Nexus with Human and Economic Development, Victoria University Press, 2017, p. 170-192.
  34. "Un Exemple d'articulation de Normes: Le Projet de Règlement sur la Portabilité Transfrontalière des Services de Contenu en Ligne" in A. Bensamoun (ed.), La réforme du droit d'auteur dans la société de l'information, 2018, Mare et Martin, p. 147-161 (with S. Jacques).
  35. "Editorial: Today's utopia is tomorrow's reality" [2017] 48(1) IIC 1-3.
  36. "European Copyright Society's comment on the request for an advisory opinion of the EFTA Court in Case E-05/16 - Norwegian Board of Appeal for Industrial Property Rights - appeal from the municipality of Oslo, Trade mark protection of public domain works", 2016 (co-written with members of the ECS), available on www.europeancopyrightsociety.org and EIPR issue 9 (August) 2017.
  37. "Chapter 7, Protection criteria", in T. Cook (ed.), Sterling's World Copyright Law, Sweet & Maxwell, 2015.
  38. "Preface" in Chinese translation of Derclaye (ed.), Research Handbook on the Future of EU Copyright, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2015.
  39. "Happy IP - Replacing the Law and Economics justification for intellectual property rights with a well-being approach" [2015] EIPR 197-209 (with T. Taylor).
  40. "Happy IP - Aligning intellectual property rights with well-being" [2015] 1 IPQ 1-15 (with T. Taylor).
  41. « The right of communication to the public in the cloud: An EU perspective" Proceedings of ALAI 2012 Conference, Copyright and Related Rights in the Cloud Environment, ALAI Japan, 2014 p.164-189.
  42. "The Court of Justice Copyright Case Law: Quo Vadis"? [2014] EIPR 716-723.
  43. "Assessing the impact of the CJEU case law on UK copyright law: What does the future hold?" [2014] 240 RIDA 5-117.
  44. « The role of copyright in the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change: is the current copyright system adequate? » in J. Sarnoff (ed.), Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Climate Change, Elgar, forthcoming 2015; [2014] 5(2) WIPO Journal p. 152-162.
  45. Frosio, G (under the supervision of Derclaye, E), 2014. Open Access Publishing: A Literature Review: CREATe Working Paper 2014/1.
  46. "The Database Directive", in P. Torremans and I. Stamatoudi (eds.), Copyright in the European Union, Elgar Publishing, 2014, p. 298-354.
  47. "Do intellectual property rights foster happiness in developed countries? An empirical analysis" [2014] 1(4) International Journal of Happiness and Development 357-368.
  48. "La Lettre d'Angleterre" [2013] 49 Propriétés Intellectuelles 474-483 (with P. Torremans).
  49. "What can intellectual property law learn from happiness research?" in G. Dinwoodie (ed.), Methods and Perspectives in Intellectual Property, ATRIP proceedings, Elgar, 2013, 177-200.
  50. "L'évolution récente en droit de la propriété intellectuelle au Royaume-Uni: La lettre d'Angleterre 2011-2013 » [2013] 47 RJTUM 359 (Revue Juridique Thémis) (with P. Torremans).
  51. "A decade of registered and unregistered design rights decisions in the UK: What conclusions can we draw for the future of both types of rights?" [2013] IP Theory, Issue 2, article 6.
  52. "Debunking some of UK copyright law's longstanding myths and misunderstandings" [2013] 1 IPQ 1-17.
  53. "Le droit d'auteur et le droit sui generis sur les bases de données quinze ans plus tard: succès ou échec?" [2012] 4 Cahiers de la Documentation 25-31, available on
  54. "Eudemonic Intellectual Property: Patents and Related Rights as Engines of Happiness, Peace and Sustainability" (2012) 14(3) Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law 495-543.
  55. "An EU Copyright Code: what and how, if ever?" [2011] 3 Intellectual Property Quarterly 259-269 (with T. Cook).
  56. « L'arrêt Softwarová: une révolution en droit d'auteur ou une « erreur de jugement »? [2011] 43 Revue du Droit des Technologies de l'Information 57-62.
  57. "Introduction", in Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2010, p. viii-.xvii.
  58. "Conclusion", in Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2010, p. 233-241.
  59. "The relationship between copyright and contract law - Literature review", June 2010, available at http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipresearch-relation-201007.pdf, 182 p. (with M. Kretschmer, M. Favale and R. Watt), republished in 18(1) Georgia J. Intell. Prop. Law 67-140.
  60. "La Lettre d'Angleterre", [2010] 36 Propriétés Intellectuelles 907-913 (with P. Torremans).
  61. "The European Union", in P. Geller, D. Nimmer and L. Bently (eds), International Copyright Law and Practice, Lexis Nexis, since 2010, ca. 180 p. updated every year.
  62. « Les réponses graduées française et britannique : des coups d'épée dans l'eau ou des modèles pour le Canada? » [2010] 22 (3) Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle 571-592.
  63. "La Lettre d'Angleterre", [2010] 44(2) R.J.T. 149-168 (Revue Juridique Thémis) (with P. Torremans).
  64. "Wonderful or worrisome? The impact of the ECJ ruling in Infopaq on UK copyright law" [2010] 32(5) EIPR 247-251.
  65. "Not only innovation but also collaboration, funding, goodwill and commitment: which role for patent laws in post-Copenhagen climate change action" [2010] 9(3) John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law 657-673.
  66. "Copyright, researchers and teachers - fit for purpose?", in British Library (ed), Driving UK Research. Is copyright a help or a hindrance? A perspective from the research Community, British Library, July 2010.
  67. "Are fashion designers better protected in continental Europe than in the United Kingdom? A comparative analysis of the recent case law in France, Italy and the United Kingdom" [2010] 13(3) Journal of World Intellectual Property 315-365.
  68. "A historical journey of the linguistic influences in Belgian copyright law: from united to lost in translation?", in Y. Gendreau & A. Drassinower (eds.), Language and Copyright, Cowansville: Y. Blais, 2009, p. 123-147.
  69. « La Belgique : un pays de cocagne pour les créateurs de dessins et modèles ? » [2009] 2 IRDI 97-106.
  70. "Blocking Repair and Recycle through End User Licence Agreements and Technological Protection Measures", in A. Kamperman Sanders & C. Heath, "Intellectual Property Law: Repairs, Interconnections and Consumer Welfare", The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2009, p. 21-56.
  71. "Patent law's role in the protection of the environment: Re-assessing patent law and its justifications in the 21st century" [2009] 3 IIC 249-273.
  72. "Should patent law help cool the planet? An inquiry from the point of view of environmental law" [2009] EIPR 168-184; 227-235 (parts I and II); republished on request by the editor of the International Energy Law Review (IELR) 2009, issues 5 and 6, p. 185-200, 229-237. Republished upon request as "A lei de patentes deveria ajudar a resfriar o planeta? Um questionamento do ponto de vista da lei ambiental" in M. Marinho and R. De Assis Calsing (eds.), Propriedade intelectual e Meio Ambiente Dreams Gráfica e Editora, Brasília DF, 2012, 61-122.
  73. "Introduction" in E. Derclaye (ed.), Research handbook on The Future of EU Copyright, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2009, p. 1-11.
  74. "By way of conclusion: what next?" in E. Derclaye (ed.), Research handbook on The future of EU Copyright, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2009, p. 614-624.
  75. « Appropriation et exploitation des bases de données: le droit sui generis, les mesures techniques de protection et les mesures anti-contournement peuvent-elles entraîner la monopolisation de l'information? », in S. Lacour (ed.), La sécurité de l'individu numérisé, L'Harmattan, 2008, p. 183-226.
  76. "Does the Directive on the re-use of public sector information affect the State's database sui generis right?" In: J. Gaster, E. Schweighofer & P. Sint (eds.), Knowledge rights - legal, societal and related technological aspects, Austrian Computer Society, 2008, pp. 137-169.
  77. "Intellectual property rights and human rights: coinciding and cooperating", in P. Torremans (ed.), Intellectual Property Rights and Human Rights, Wolters Kluwer, 2008, p. 133-160.
  78. "Intellectual property rights and global warming" [2008] 12(2) Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review, 264-297.
  79. "La Lettre d'Angleterre", [2008] 39 R.J.T. (Revue Juridique Thémis) [2008] 42(3) 455-479 (with P. Torremans).
  80. "Flashing Badge v Groves: a step forward in the clarification of the copyright/design interface", [2008] EIPR 251-254.
  81. "French Supreme Court rules fashion shows protected by copyright - what about the UK?" [2008] JIPLP, Vol 3, N. 5, p. 286-287, doi: 10.1093/jiplp/jpn045 http://jiplp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/jpn045?ijkey=trP1FiC6VgSc8ob&keytype=ref
  82. "Of maps, Crown copyright, research and the environment" [2008] EIPR 162-164.
  83. "Compulsory access to Intellectual Property and Network Facilities" [2007] L'Ingénieur-Conseil, 657-672.
  84. "La Lettre d'Angleterre" (with P. Torremans), Propriétés Intellectuelles, n. 25, October 2007, 503-509.
  85. "Can and should misappropriation also protect databases? A comparative approach", in P. Torremans (ed), Research handbook on copyright law, Edward Elgar, 2007, 83-108.
  86. "Exploitation of Databases, Intellectual Property, Competition Law and the Sport Industry: A Missed Goal?", in B. Bogusz, A. Cygan & E. Szyszczak (eds), The Regulation of Sport in the European Union, Edward Elgar, 2007, 206-225.
  87. "Database sui generis right: the need to take the public's right to information and freedom of expression into account", in F. Macmillan (ed.), New directions in copyright law, Volume V, Edward Elgar, 2007, 3-23.
  88. "IPR on information and market power: Comparing the European and American protections of databases" [2007] IIC, Issue 3, 275-298.
  89. "Droits de propriété sur l'information et pouvoir de marché: comparaison entre les protections européenne et américaine des bases de données", Propriétés Intellectuelles, n. 22, January 2007, 19-32.
  90. "Une analyse économique de la protection contractuelle des bases de données", Reflets et Perspectives de la vie économique, 2006/4 Tome XLV, 49-73.
  91. "Copyright contracts, public policy and competition: Can adhesion contracts override copyright limits? The answer lies within copyright law itself", in C. Heath and K. Liu (eds.), Copyright Law and the Information Society in Asia, IIC studies, Hart Publishing, 2006, 167-211.
  92. "ECJ clarifies collecting societies' rights in relation to the cable retransmission right but leaves some questions unanswered" [2006] JIPLP, Vol. 1, N. 12, 755-756 (with A. Strowel).
  93. "An economic analysis of the contractual protection of databases", U. Ill. Journal of Law, Technology and Policy, Issue 2, Fall 2005, 247-271.
  94. The list continues on the publications tab, see on top of this webpage

Research Summary

Copyright and related rights, including the database sui generis right

Design rights

Empirical legal research in intellectual property

Intellectual property overlaps

IP and happiness / well-being

IP and the environment / climate change

Selected Publications

  • DERCLAYE, E., 2012. Eudemonic intellectual property: patents and related rights as engines of happiness, peace, and sustainability Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law. 14(3), 495-543
  • DERCLAYE, E. and LEISTNER, M., 2011. Intellectual property overlaps: a European perspective Hart.
  • DERCLAYE, E., 2009. Patent's role in the protection of the environment: re-assessing patent law and its justifications in the 21st century International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law. 40(3), 249-273
  • DERCLAYE, E., 2008. The legal protection of databases: a comparative analysis Edward Elgar Publishing.

PhD supervision

I am interested in supervising students who want to work on the following, non-exhaustive, areas:

  • trademarks, designs, copyright, patents, and related IP rights including unfair competition
  • empirical and/or historical approaches to any intellectual property right topic

Information about the School of Law PhD programme and how to apply can be found here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/postgraduate-research/index.aspx.

Information about scholarships can be found here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/postgraduate-research/funding.aspx

Current students,

Ashley Galant, Radical Art Practice: Copyright and the future of Public Collections (co-supervised by Mark Rawlison and Nicholas Alfrey)

Ezgi Turan, The Metaverse, NFTs and copyright (co-supervised with N. Gervassis and A. Tosato)

Former PhD students:

Park, Jae Il: Non-Producing Entities (NPEs) and an Injunctive Reliefs in Patent Infringement Lawsuits (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) - completed 2012

Radonjanin, Andrea: IP Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions and Traditional Knowledge of the Modern Communities (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) - completed 2014

Leepuengtham, Tosaporn: The Protection of the Intellectual Property Rights in Outer Space Activities (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) - completed 2014

Aluko, Ola: Implementing the WIPO Development Agenda Country Specific Recommendation: A Comprehensive Approach (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) - completed 2015

Alghanim, Bashayer: The scope of Copyright law protection of computer programs study on Private international Law: Kuwait and England (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) - completed 2015

Jacques, Sabine, The right to parody? A Comparative Analysis (partly sponsored by by the Music Publishers Association (MPA), PRS for Music and the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), and co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) completed 2016

Garstka, Krzysztof: Infringement of intellectual property rights, privacy and freedom of speech on the Internet: Striking a balance between all stakeholders and finding a pan-European solution (partly sponsored by Google and co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) completed 2016

Thattaporn Lekhawatthanapong: The Public Interest Defence in the UK Copyright Law and International Copyright system (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) completed 2017

Chave, Lynne: In Good Shape? A comparative evaluation of the registration of 3D product forms as designs and trade marks under EU and US Law (co-supervised with A. Tosato) completed 2018

Wilson, Kenneth: Open Access and the Academy: An analysis of some salient Copyright and Related Legal Interfaces (co-supervised with P. Torremans) MPhil, completed 2019

Ioanna Lapatoura, Could Blockchain Technology be an Alternative Method in Combating Intellectual Property Infringement? A Case Study of the Fashion Business Model (co-supervised with Professor Paul Torremans) completed 2024

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