Website reviews

www.intellectual-property.gov.uk

The Government gets in on the act with this packed site containing loads of information geared mostly to UK law. Great site for beginners (Question 1: “What is IP”) and non-lawyers, though there is plenty to interest lawyers too, especially the good set of links including trade mark resources, patent resources and copyright resources. There is also a very up-to-date news section. Without doubt, the best set of links to UK resources in IP anywhere on the net, although many of them are only tangentially related to IP. For specialist resources, one of the sites listed below may be better.

Subjective Rating (where 5 is excellent and 1 is poor and no rating indicate that that category has not been assessed)

Site design 4/5

Updating frequency 5/5

www.kuesterlaw.com

This American site is reputed to be the most comprehensive site on intellectual property law in relation to technology law on the Internet and seems to have gathered more stars from various awards than this column has available for a month. It contains a modest collection of American caselaw on IP issues especially in connection with information technology. There is a long list of links to those claiming to be “technology lawyers” including some in London, England: but none in Scotland, UK. The best part of the site is the lengthy list of links in the Resources section which are conveniently divided into patent, trademark and domain name, copyright and journals. The links are to a mixture of other sites, articles and case commentaries You could do a lot worse than start at this section for your research on IP issues. This column is less generous than others with its valuable stars though…

Usefulness 3/5

Site design 3/5

Updating frequency 3/5

www.gtlaw.com.au

The website of Gilbert and Tobin, a Sydney-based law firm, is a gem. These are people who really know how to give it away. And so tastefully as well. The core of the site is its publications section comprising loads of articles on IP and ICT issues: mostly legal, but some technological. Some are focused on Australian matters but are still of interest especially in Internet law which is most heavily influenced than other areas of law perhaps by  international developments. There are maybe three or four per month and the archive goes back to 1996. Although not further categorised into subsections there is a search engine. The firm is hot on telecommunications issues as well with a similar bank of articles. Maybe all of this is to be expected from a firm that while specialising in various commercial issues also maintains a pro bono unit employing two lawyers full-time to work in the “community”: and that in a state with a well-developed legal aid system.

Usefulness 4/5

Site design 4/5

Updating frequency 4/5

www.derwent.com/intellectualproperty/index.html

Derwent Information claims to be the world’s leading patent information provider. It supplies a huge range of services concerned with patents world-wide including patent searches, very up-to-date information on patent litigation (mainly US), defensive publication, user group networking areas, patent watch and patent delivery services. Mostly for a fee, naturally. There are various specialist databases which are also available through a number of its partners such as Westlaw and Axiom.

Usefulness 3/5

Site design 3/5

Updating frequency 4/5

www.icann.org

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) co-ordinates  the assignment of Internet domain names and Internet Protocol IP address numbers among other things. Its comprehensive site provides lots of information about how all this works. One section provides detailed information about how the domain name dispute policy works together with searchable databases on disputes resolved and those that are ongoing, a list of approved dispute resolution service providers and the rules. There is also up-to-date news on technical issues and developments.

Usefulness 3/5

Site design 4/5

Updating frequency 4/5

www.phillipsnizer.com/internetlib.htm

This part of the site published by the eponymous American firm is their Internet Library. It is a trove of indexed and summarised court decisions of most aspects of IP as they link with the Internet. As the authors say “just the law ma’am, and nothing but the law.”

Usefulness 5/5

Site design 4/5

Updating frequency 4/5