Dr Poorna Mysoor, our Fellow in Law and Director of Studies has published her second book called ‘Copyright as Personal Property’ with Oxford University Press.
Despite having a history of over three hundred years, copyright’s true nature is still up for debate. The dominant view is that copyright is no more than a right, just like intangible assets such as money in a bank account or company stocks and shares. Dr Mysoor’s book argues that copyright is a lot closer to land and chattels in that one can conceptualise an intangible thing separately from the rights, just like land or a car can be understood as a thing separate from ownership rights in them. The book argues that conceptualising an intangible thing in relation to copyright opens the doors to a different approach to copyright law and helps address many of the contemporary challenges facing copyright.
Speaking on the occasion of the publication of the book Dr Mysoor said: “Years of thinking has gone into developing the arguments in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it even if it meant that writing had to continue alongside hectic teaching commitments. I’m very grateful for all the support the College and the Cambridge Law Faculty has given me.”
The book is available both in hardback and e-version. A sample chapter can also be accessed via this link.