What is the future of copyright and authors’ rights in the light of what is being called “the digital information society?”

It is generally recognised that the law responds to a given situation: if the legal fraternity doesn't take the time to observe and understand what is actually happening, it will be almost impossible to ascertain where and what the problems are. Only by careful observation can the lawmakers suggest possible solutions and appreciate their value.

Austria joined the European Union (EU) on 1 January 1995. This full integration into Europe has been the goal of Austrian foreign policy since 1948. The dramatic change of the political situation in 1989 with the fall of the “Iron Curtain” facilitated this process. The accession required enormous harmonization efforts in the legal, political and informational area. The approximation of the Austrian law was accelerated by previous autonomous implementation of EC law and the EEA Agreement. The integration into the decision-making process of the EU was an important reason for joining the EC. The information infrastructure concerning EU law has been much improved although some gaps remain.

When I met Ivan Sipkov for the first time at a conference of the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL), he used to speak very fondly about the time in the early forties when he served in Berlin as a member of the diplomatic corps of Bulgaria. So, in his honor, I decided to describe the Berlin scenery as he knew it, and today fifty years later: the streets in the center of Berlin (e.g. Unter den Linden); the university campus of the old Friedrich Wilhelm University known today as the Humboldt University; the Potsdam Square, with the new Staatsbibliothek; and the nice Dahlem campus of the Free University.

The Treaty Section of the United Nations has embarked on a major project to disseminate its vast collection of treaties, both bilateral and multilateral, using the electronic medium, including the Internet. In parallel, as an essential complementary measure, it is also proposed to bring the backlog in the publication of the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS) up to date. Both these objectives present a range of challenges, not the least of which is, securing the requisite financial resources in the current financial climate.

This study highlights some factors that have influenced the development of academic law libraries in Nigeria. Inadequacy of local production of legal texts, exorbitant cost of the available texts, and scarcity of foreign exchange, were identified as major constraints. On the other hand, factors which have promoted the development of academic law libraries in Nigeria include the existence and use of published standards for law libraries, accreditation requirement for law faculties, book gifts and loans. Moreover, Nigeria's typical history of political instability and proliferation of states has paradoxically not been a hindrance but a catalyst for the emergence of numerous social and educational institutions including universities and academic law libraries.

The compilation below constitutes a piece of personal history of law librarianship in the German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. No progress in law libraries has been achieved by chance, but rather through the endeavours of individuals. After having published several German law library directories, the author has in recent years concentrated on compiling data also about the lives of the law librarians who have been and are active in, or originate from, the German-speaking region in Europe. A directory in German of these colleagues who were still alive and active in December 1996 – together with a detailed introduction – has just been published as a Special Issue 1997 of Recht, Bibliothek, Dokumentation (RBD), the official publication of AjBD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für juristisches Bibliotheks- und Dokumentationswesen), the law library association in the German-speaking countries.

Since 1990, countless scientific books and articles have been published on the topic of the unification of Germany. I did not mean to add another learned contribution to a subject where everything that could have possibly been said and written has been said and written. I rather intended to familiarize the audience with a rather complex and multidimensional process within the limited space of time of a conference. This, alas!, compelled undue simplification from me. In order not to further complicate a difficult enough subject I felt, above all, constrained to concentrate on the intra-German aspects of unification. As a result, I deliberately had to leave the many international and external problems and developments out of account. This is particularly true for the Treaty on the Final Settlement with respect to Germany (Two-plus-four Treaty) of September 12, 1990, and the Polish-German Border Treaty of November 14, 1990, as well as the termination of international treaties to which the former German Democratic Republic was a party, and Germany's membership in the European Union and NATO after the unification.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) pursues a concept of co-operative security which encompasses commitments by participating States in the areas of military security, political co-operation, human rights, economy, culture and the environment. Its priorities are to consolidate common values and build civil societies, prevent local conflicts, restore stability and bring peace to war-torn areas, overcome real and perceived security deficits and avoid the creation of new divisions by promoting a co-operative system of security. The OSCE is the primary instrument for early warning, conflict management and crisis management in the OSCE region, i.e. Europe, Central Asia and North America. Its basic feature is the strict equality of all 55 participating States, which is well reflected in its decision-making process. With a few exceptions, decision-making at meetings within the framework of the OSCE is only possible by consensus, which is considered to be achieved if no State has expressed an objection. States are, however, allowed to make reservations or interpretative statements.

The main research responsibility of the Law Library of Congress is to serve as the research arm of the United States Congress for the study of the legal systems of other countries. The studies, reports, and briefings its specialists prepare provide a worldwide perspective to the Congress on particular legal issues. This type of work can generally be described as comparative law research.

One of the major weaknesses of libraries in developing countries is their scarcity of foreign and international legal collections. In desperate need for reliable and up-to-date foreign jurisdiction resources, these libraries try to fill the gap with ad-hoc solutions. New York University's experiences in offering assistance to some of them clearly show that obtaining out-of-date books from “generous donations”, importing short-term visiting “brains” or buying computers (which are used as furniture covered with elegant red velvet) doesn't solve the problem. On the contrary, these stop-gaps feed frustration.

On January 1, 1988, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the Convention) became effective in the United States. In general, the Convention (also referred to as the “Vienna Sales Convention,” the “Sales Convention,” the “CISG,” or the “UN Convention”) applies to contracts for the sale of goods between enterprises having their places of business in different countries, provided these countries have adopted the Convention. Freedom of contract, however, is a fundamental principle of the Convention, and the parties may opt out or modify the effects of its provisions.

The significance of cultural property as “a basic element of civilization and national culture” and its interchange among countries for scientific, cultural and educational purposes has been acknowledged in a number of legal instruments prepared under the aegis of UNESCO, an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of the world's cultural heritage. As the Preamble of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property asserts: “… [the interchange] increases the knowledge of the civilization of man, enriches the cultural life of all peoples and inspires mutual respect and appreciation among nations.” Moreover, the 1995 adopted UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects further attests to the: “…fundamental importance of the protection of cultural heritage and of cultural exchanges for promoting understanding between peoples, and the dissemination of culture for the well-being of humanity and the progress of civilization.”

Czechoslovakia was established on October 28, 1918. For a better understanding of its legal history, allow me to mention first a few historical events that influenced the creation of Czechoslovakia and, in later years its legal development.