to 1999

1969 Michel Foucault's What Is an Author?

1969 Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd (PPCA) founded

1970 international Patent Co-operation Treaty

1971 Geneva Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms

1971 US NBC network granted trademark for sequence of notes identifying broadcasting service

1973 Franki Committee on industrial property

1974 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) becomes UN specialised agency

1974 Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite

1974 Williams & Wilkins v US decision by US Supreme Court sanctions photocopying for interlibrary loan

1974 Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) founded in Australia

1975 UNSW v Moorhouse case

1976 Copyright Law Committee on Reprographic Reproduction (Franki Report)

1976 US National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU)

1975 US Patent Office renamed Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO)

1976 Tunis Model Law on Copyright for Developing Countries

1977 Coca-Cola bottle registered as a three dimensional mark

1977 Interstate Parcel Express v Time-Life case in Australia

1978 European Patent Office opened

1980 Industrial Property Advisory Committee in Australia

1980 Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited (AMCOS) replaces ANZ Music Copyright Agency

1980 in Diamond v Chakrabarty US Supreme Court upholds patenting of living organism

1981 Australian Patent Office report on The Economic Implications Of Patents In Australia

1982 UNESCO-WIPO Model Provisions for National Laws on the Protection of Expressions of Folklore Against Illicit Exploitation & Other Prejudicial Actions

1983 Copyright Law Review Committee (CLRC) established in Australia

1984 US revises Trade Act to include IP in Section 301 process

1984 Sony Corp of America v Universal City Studios (Betamax case) in US

1984 US Trademark Clarification Act

1984 Richard Stallman founds Free Software Foundation

1984 US Trademark Counterfeiting Act

1984 Advance Australia Logo Protection Act

1985 Kalamazoo v Compact Business Systems case

1985 SW Hart v Edwards Hot Water Systems case

1985 revision of 1957 French copyright law

1985 Copyright Act 1985 in Canada

1985 CAL v Department of Education case in Australia

1985 Harper & Row Publishers v Nation Enterprises in US

1986 Computer Edge v Apple Computer case in Australia

1986 US federal Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report on Intellectual Property Rights in an Age of Electronics & Information

1987 Salinger v Random House in US

1987 Plant Variety Rights Act 1987 in Australia

1987 Olympic Insignia Protection Act in Australia

1988 US becomes signatory to Berne Convention

1988 CLRC Moral Rights report in Australia

1988 CANCOPY formed in Canada

1988 Midler v Ford Motor in US is landmark in rights of publicity law

1989 Bulun Bulun v Neljam case

1989 international Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits

1989 Circuit Layouts Act in Australia

1989 United States finally becomes party to Berne Convention

1990 Audio-Visual Copyright Society Ltd (AVCS, later Screenrights) formed in Australia

1990 De Garis v Neville Jeffress Pidler case in Australia

1990 Autodesk v Cheung case in Australia

1990 Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act in US

1991 United Nations Draft Declaration of the Rights of the World's Indigenous Peoples

1991 Yumbulul v Reserve Bank ('Banknote') case in Australia

1991 Feist v Rural Telephone ruling in US on database/directory protection

1991 Basic Books v Kinko's ruling in US removes course packs from fair use

1991 US court rules for 2 Live Crew in Pretty Woman parody case

1992 Autodesk v Dyason ruling in Australia on software protection

1992 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reverses Pretty Woman decision, ruling that use of the song is too commercial for protection as fair use

1992 American Geophysical Union v Texaco case in US

1992 Australian Broadcasting Services Act 1992

1993 UN report on the Study of the Protection of the Cultural & Intellectual Property of Indigenous Peoples

1993 Playboy v Frena in US

1993 The Role of Intellectual Property in Innovation report by Prime Minister's Science & Engineering Council

1993 Mana Tangata Mataatua Declaration in New Zealand

1993 Julayinbul Statement on Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights

1993 US Supreme Court agrees to hear Pretty Woman appeal (Campbell v Acuff-Rose)

1994 Copyright Act in New Zealand

1994 Stopping the Ripoffs: Intellectual Property Protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Commonwealth government issues paper

1994 CLRC Journalists' Copyright report

1994 Highways to Change: Copyright in the New Communications Environment report by Commonwealth Copyright Convergence Group

1994 Agreement On Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS)

1994 John Perry Barlow proclaims death of copyright

1994 US Conference on Fair Use (CONFU)

1995 Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) comes into effect

1995 Australian Law Reform Commission report on Designs

1995 Religious Technology Center v Netcom case in US

1995 US approves Final Act of Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade (GATT)

1995 report of the US Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights

1995 Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS)

1995 CLRC Computer Software Protection report

1995 UN Final Report on the Protection of the Heritage of Indigenous People

1995 Performers' Rights: Options for Reform Commonwealth government report

1995 Simpson Review of Australian Collecting Societies

1995 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in US

1995 US Federal Trademark & Dilution Act

1996 US Anti-Counterfeiting Consumer Protection Act

1996 Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA or Sonny Bono Act) in US

1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT)

1996 WIPO Performances & Phonograms Treaty (WPPT)

1996 Nationwide News v Copyright Agency Ltd case in Australia

1996 Schott Music v Colossal Records case in Australia

1996 US Telecommunications Act of 1996

1997 US Supreme Court declines to consider appeal by Michigan Document Service

1997 US Senate considers 20-year extension of current copyright to 'harmonise' US and EU law

1997 Performers' Intellectual Property Rights Commonwealth government discussion paper

1997 No Electronic Theft Act in US

1997 Galaxy Electronics v Sega case in Australia

1997 Telstra v APRA (Music On Hold) case in Australia

1998 CLRC Simplification of the Copyright Act report 1

1998 Protecting Indigenous Intellectual Property Australian Copyright Council discussion paper

1998 Our Culture Our Future report on Australian Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights (Janke report)

1998 US Court of Appeals ruling in State Street Bank v Signature Financial supports business method patents

1999 Copyright Amendment (Computer Programs) Act 1999

1999 Copyright Agency Ltd v Uni of Adelaide

1999 CLRC Simplification of the Copyright Act report 2

1999 ICANN Board accepts WIPO proposal and establishes UDRP

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