FIU IP Subject Guides:
Other FIU IP Guides
Guide Author
Carlos Espinosa
Subjects: Attorney General Opinions, Bankruptcy Law, Biographies, Clinics and Externships, Criminal Law & Procedure, Environmental Law, Federal Administrative Materials, Federal Cases, Federal Court Filings, Florida Law, Florida Legal History, Florida Local Government Law, Florida Statutes & Legislation, Law Reviews & Journals, Newspapers & News, Pleadings & Court Filings, Research Tools, Treatises
Welcome
In this guide we'd like to:
Provide a recommended path to begin your research on International IP law.
Present links and information you can follow to locate and track laws, regulations and cases in this field.
Highlight sources you can use as research starting points.
List news and current awareness resources that keep you abreast of developments and emerging issues in this topic.
Please note that some of the resources listed here require a law school log-in and are available only to the FIU College of Law community.
Guides & Overviews
• American Society of International Law (ASIL), International Intellectual Property Law e-RG (electronic resource guide), by Jonathan Franklin, 27 pages. 
• Global Overview, from Bloomberg Law's introduction to Getting the Deal Through country surveys. Reached via the Bloomberg Int'l IP Page. 
• Resource Guide for Researching Intellectual Property Law in an International Context, from Columbia University Law School, 2008.
• A very basic IP explanation under TRIPS from the World Trade Organization.
General Treatises
Topic specific treatises are set out in each of the four IP area pages.
Selected treatises dealing with the subject in general are set out in the Secondary Sources guide page
Research Source Progression
The number of authority levels, i.e. a multinational treaty, a regional authority if it exists, national laws, regulations, and conflicts of laws, add layers of complexity to any International IP research project. Due to that probable complexity, it is recommended that you first obtain a firm grasp on how the system affecting your research question functions.
As always, secondary sources should be consulted early in the process. A suggested progression is set out below:
| Research Order: | Purpose: | |
| Overviews | If available for the IP area or organization concerning your question, to obtain general background knowledge | |
| Research guides | The more specific the better, for further background and to identify secondary sources | |
| Secondary sources: treatises, sites and articles |
To gain a deeper understanding of the issues and variables. These sources are important in international research, where actual 'reading for comprehension' is usually required | |
| Primary sources & documents | In IP most are freely available online | |
| Specialized sources for analysis and statistical data | Unless thoroughly covered previously | |
| Return to prior steps as necessary |