Contesting Copyright: A History of Intellectual Property in East Central Europe and the Balkans

Augusta Dimou's study explores the historical development of copyright regimes in three East Central European countries, examining their role in shaping modern culture and the interface between nationalization and globalization processes. It provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of copyright in the region, with a focus on the first half of the 20th century and a final chapter summarizing its history under communism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 460 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2025
Publisher: Central European University Press

The creative sector, encompassing the cultural industry, plays a vital role in today's economy. Copyright holds immense power in shaping the roles and responsibilities of actors involved and directing the flow of financial resources within this sector. A comprehensive understanding of the evolution of copyright is essential for effectively regulating and commercializing creative labor.
Augusta Dimou's meticulously researched, interdisciplinary, and comparative study delves into the historical development of copyright regimes in three countries: Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria. She examines the pivotal role of copyright in the institutionalization, growth, and regulation of modern culture in East Central Europe and the Balkans during the diverse political regimes of the modern era, as well as at the intersection of nationalization and globalization processes in the 20th century. The majority of the exposition focuses on the first half of the 20th century, with a concluding chapter providing a comprehensive history of copyright under communism.
Dimou presents the development of copyright in East Central Europe within the broader context of European and global intellectual property history and the creative industries. The study explores the expansion of copyright in various social, economic, political, cultural, technological, ideological, and legal contexts, which contributed to its rise and development.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633866146