Let me tell you about my project. I am writing my doctoral dissertation on how the copyright regime in the digital age should be like (well, a very popular topic). I chose this topic because I am interested in, of course, but more importantly, because now the Koizumi Administration is pushing an intellectual property (IP) reform quite strongly.The Administration has started this reform in February 2002, and is aiming to finish major policy changes by 2005. The IP reform includes both patent and copyright issues. My focus is on the copyright issues. I have written about the copyright reform in more details here.
To simplify, the aim of the Japanese IP reform is to strengthen the competitive position of Japanese industries and thus improve its economy by “creating a pro-IP country.” It is strongly motivated and influenced by the US’ pro-IP policy since the 80s, and the proposals are very ambitious. However, I have a concern that the copyright proposal of this policy may not base on a thorough analysis and consideration of the nature of the digital copyright. Therefore, in my dissertation, based on what I am learning in the US, I want to argue that the Japanese IP reform should have deeper consideration on the balance that is required between copyright holders and users of the copyrighted work.