The Copyright Law of Spatial Data

This book provides a thorough comparative analysis of copyright protection of spatial data across Australia, the United States of America (USA), and the European Union.

With the emergence of terrestrial scanners, drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI), the acquisition of data has recently reshaped the landscape of the survey industry, highlighting the importance of protecting the intellectual rights of surveyors. This book investigates the distinct approaches taken by each jurisdiction in protecting copyrights in spatial data and explores commonalities and disparities between these jurisdictions, highlighting best practices. The book also explores the alternative means of protecting spatial data and provides final recommendations aimed at policymakers, with the overarching objective of nurturing a balanced copyright system.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of copyright law and spatial data.

Kanchana Kariyawasam is an Associate Professor at the Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Australia. She holds a PhD in IP Law (Griffith University), a Master of Laws in IP Law (Advanced) (University of Queensland) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) (University of Colombo). She specialises in the field of intellectual property (IP) law and has widely published in the IP field.

Rangika Palliyaarachchi is a Lecturer at the School of Law, Western Sydney University. She completed her Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at the University of Colombo and holds a PhD in Law from Monash University. Over the past four years, her research interests have focused mainly on understanding the construction of content and meaning of laws in the area of commercial law, focusing more particularly on corporate law, consumer protection law and intellectual property law. Her recent work includes articles published in the International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, Competition & Consumer Law Journal, and Australian Bar Review.

Glenn Campbell is an Associate Professor in Surveying and Land Information at the University of Southern Queensland. He obtained a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics from the University of Queensland in 1988 and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Surveying) in 1993. He has been registered as a cadastral surveyor since 1998 and a member of the Surveyors Board of Queensland since 2005. After fifteen years in private practice, he commenced work as an academic and he completed his PhD in the remote sensing of water quality at the University of Queensland in 2011.