Copyright, Limitations and the Three-Step Test

The three-step test - by which limitations on exclusive copyrights are confined to 'certain special cases' which do not conflict with a 'normal exploitation of the work' and do not 'unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the author' - is among the most enduring of standards affecting limitations on intellectual property rights. Its field of application is the delicate balance between exclusive rights and sufficient breathing space for the free flow of ideas and information. However, the emerging information society has thrown numerous unforeseen obstacles in the once-clear path of its implementation. Can the traditional balance between grants and reservations of copyright law be recalibrated along the lines of the three-step test in order to meet current and future needs? Controversies over this crucial question - in Europe, the U.S., Australia, and elsewhere, as well as in two significant WTO panels in 2002 - have brought the three-step test into focus, the essential principle governing copyright limitations in the information society. Investigating the development, structure, and function of the three-step test in international copyright law with thoroughness and prec