The 1996 Directive on the legal protection of databases (Database Directive) aims at supporting the development of the European database industry. It created a sui generis right protecting investments of database makers, regardless of the originality of databases, and harmonised copyright law applicable to the original databases. This study investigates whether the Database Directive fulfils its objectives, especially in the current context of the fast-growing data economy, and whether, and if so how, it should be revised that it has the expected positive impacts on businesses and database availability. The study was executed by a consortium consisting of Cambridge University, University of Nottingham, JIIP and Technopolis Group, in which Technopolis Group participated in the legal analysis and led the preparation for the economic analysis.

María del Carmen Calatrava Moreno
Associate Consultant

Alfred Radauer