This article examines the current state of Ukrainian trademark law to enhance further Ukrainian integration into the European and global intellectual property law systems. Ukraine must be seen as a jurisdiction with a high level of trademark protection, as the momentum has swung in favor of Ukraine's admission to the European Union (EU). It also serves as a case study of a country transitioning from an older, obsolete trademark system to a modern one. The article explores the facets of trademark law, both substantive and procedural, that make up a modern, progressive trademark protection law system. The article uses United States (US) and EU trademark laws as benchmarks to compare the development of Ukraine's law on the subject. It explores recent legislative reforms and existing proposals to enhance trademark protection. Particular attention is paid to the 2020 and 2023 Amendments that recognize trademark dilution as a separate cause of action and provide a more precise delineation of the fair use of a trademark, as well as the modernization of the registration process and actions related to trademark opposition and infringement. Additionally, issues related to the revocation, invalidity, and enforcement of trademarks are analyzed. The article concludes that, when fully implemented, the existing intellectual property reform legislation will improve the efficiency of trademark protection in Ukraine.

The world is witnessing an increase in cross-border data transfers and breaches orchestrated by State and non-State actors. Cross-border data transfers may lead to friction among States to localize or globalize data and to provide regulatory frameworks. “Data warfare” or information-war operations are often not covered under conventional rules; however, they are categorized as acts of espionage and subject to domestic regulations. As such, the operations are used to achieve a variety of objectives, including stealing sensitive information, spreading propaganda, and causing economic damage. Notable instances of the theft of sensitive information include the recent Bangladesh government website breach, exposing 50 million records, and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) website hack.

Regulating the “data war” under the existing principles of international law may be unsuccessful in creating robust international legal frameworks to address the associated challenges. These developments further accentuate the global divide between data-rich regions in the Global North, with strong data protection mechanisms (such as the GDPR and the California Privacy Rights Act), and regions in the Global South, where there is a lack of comprehensive data protection laws and regulatory regimes. This disparity underscores the urgent need for global cooperation for substantial international regulatory mechanisms.

This article examines the complexities surrounding data warfare; it highlights the imperative need for establishing a robust global legal framework for data protection, delving into the concept of data war. It also acknowledges the growing influence of advanced technologies like data computing and mining and their ongoing threats to the fundamental rights of individuals associated with exposed personal data. The authors address the deficiencies in international legal provisions and advocate for a global regulatory approach to data protection as a critical means of safeguarding personal freedoms and countering the escalating threats in the digital age.

This paper provides some personal reflections on my experiences as a project leader in four cooperative projects with colleagues from the Global South involving higher education institutions (HEIs) in seven countries—namely, Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia, Colombia, Palestine, Bulgaria, and Kosovo. The aim is to try to assess advantages and shortcomings of some of these funding programs in terms of their framing, structuring, and (limited) funding, and to provide some suggestions for ensuring better coordination of what constitutes an institutionally fragmented field. The focus of my reflections is on three related broad themes—that is, how to enhance international academic cooperation, improve academic mobility, and ensure better access to teaching and research materials for Global South HEIs. The paper first analyzes the issue of funding for North-South cooperation, then moves on to the enhancement of international academic cooperation, international mobility, and finally, the provision of better access to teaching and research materials.

The annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) was held June 27–July 2, 2024, in San Diego, California. This year's opening session, which began the afternoon of June 28, 2024, featured an introduction by current ALA President, Emily Drabinski. She reviewed the progress of the association and commented on the number of international participants attending this year's conference. She noted that there were 340 participants from 51 different countries represented at the meeting.

This article discusses European copyright law as applied to the development and training of generative AI and natural language processing in public interest research institutions and libraries. The article focuses on the scope of the new exceptions from copyright law for text and data mining (TDM) for research purposes and discusses them from the perspective of research ethics and principles of open science in publicly financed research. The public interest mission of research institutions and libraries includes the open dissemination of research results but the exceptions from copyright are focused only on the training phase in AI development. Regulation on data transparency is fragmented. The article finds that while new exceptions open for developing language models under research institutions and libraries’ public interest mission to preserve national languages, the regulation is not adapted to principles of research ethics and open science, and legal uncertainty remains.

Marriage is an institution that varies from religion to religion. For Hindus, it is an indissoluble union; for Muslims, a civil contract; and for Christians, a holy union. However, individual autonomy has entered the forefront through the Indian Constitution and the revolution in Indian family law.

The Constitution of India specifies that the people can decide who they should marry, who they should not, and with whom they want and don't want to continue their marital bond. The remedy of the restitution of conjugal rights (RCR), available under personal law, applies to those who are legally married but withdraw from marital ties without a reasonable excuse.

This study found that RCR is one-sided and used against the other spouse's will. However, the Supreme Court of India has decided that individual autonomy is needed to protect individual liberty and promote national interest, but it has also upheld the validity of RCR, creating a genuine controversy. The object of this paper is twofold—to analyze the individual autonomy enshrined under article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which is contrary to the right to RCR, and to explore this topic through a comparative law technique.

This paper comprises a brief study of a law firm library in Malaysia, which has utilized an automated library system to organize its collection. The paper aims to demonstrate how the automated library system was implemented and to identify the statistics that can be generated through that system. The particular software used is the Applied Library System (ALS).

Librarianship is a profession guided by ethical principles that prioritize access to information and the protection of intellectual freedom. These principles can provide a framework for understanding how society should respond to legal judgments, particularly those that result in societal division. One such example is the 1973 landmark judgment in the United States, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. Despite multiple attempts to repeal it, a successful attempt in 2022 resulted in another landmark decision to overturn the ruling, prompting a political outcry from the Left.

However, it is crucial for all parties involved to adhere to ethical standards in responding to such divisive issues. This paper argues that librarianship can serve as a model for navigating divisive legal judgments. If society can adopt principles such as access to information and protection of intellectual freedom, it can move towards a more inclusive and respectful discourse. The adoption of these principles can enable all parties, including judges, citizens, and lawmakers, to better respond to divisive legal judgments. Librarianship emphasizes the importance of respectful and informed discourse, and its ethical principles can be used as a guide for creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding.

This article aims to analyze the characteristics of individuals who commit military property theft while their country is at war. For nearly two years, Ukraine has been at war, and for nearly nine years, the country has been living under the regime of an antiterrorist operation, later transitioning to the operation of combined forces. However, some citizens’ attitudes towards military property and its preservation have not changed.

This article examines key issues in characterizing the individual who commits military property theft and bears responsibility for their actions. Emphasis is placed on applied cognition methods and the Ukrainian researchers’ attitudes towards analyzing the typical characteristics of an individual who appropriates military property during wartime. Additionally, the normative-legal framework regulating the actions of subjects (perpetrators) of military theft crime is explored.

It is argued that the specific norm under Ukraine's criminal responsibility law is applied based on the type of crime for which the person will subsequently be held accountable. According to the general rule, only a person who has reached the age of 18 can be considered a military ‘entity’; however, the article challenges this position and suggests alternative possibilities for holding a person accountable based on age. The article also examines holding foreign military personnel accountable, which is particularly relevant for a country in a state of war.

The age and social status of individuals committing military property theft are examined using statistical indicators from the Office of the Prosecutor General from 2018 to 2021, which allowed the tracking of changes in the commissions of specific types of military property theft. These trends are also represented visually in diagrams. The article specifically delves into those individuals who commit administrative offenses involving the misappropriation or unlawful use of military property, which is the subject of special administrative liability under article 172-13 of Ukraine's Administrative Offenses Code. Following that, we present data from our survey of 1,273 respondents. Along with these aspects, the article discusses the matter of complicity between military personnel and civilians and provides court decisions as examples. Finally, the authors recommend expanding the accountability of individuals who misappropriate military property.

The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that, despite the high standards established by Ukraine's criminal justice policy for the activities of law enforcement agencies, the situation in the field of criminal proceedings has several negative phenomena. Comparative legal analysis allows for the assessment of national criminal legislation development by comparing the norms of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the criminal codes of other countries. Particularly, an examination of current legislation in post-Soviet and foreign countries leads to the conclusion that the institution of criminal responsibility is regulated differently in different countries and in different legal systems. The findings of this study could aid in the development of appropriate models for improving the national legal system and developing a systematic approach to the theory and practice of applying these norms.

In the past decade, the provision of open access to legal information has experienced unprecedented improvement. One of the recent additions to the open-access regime is the introduction of Legal Information Institutes (LIIs) that provide access to important information contained in government gazettes, reports, judicial decisions, and statutory instruments. As important as LIIs are for enhancing legal research, a perusal of the relevant literature reveals that there is generally a dearth about LIIs.

Against this background, this article examines the LIIs’ contribution to legal information to determine how to strengthen LIIs in terms of their content and viability.

Established in 2015 by Royal Charter, the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law) opened to students in 2017 and is Bhutan’s only law school. This article describes the author’s journey in establishing JSW Law’s library. From earning an MLIS to finalizing construction plans and purchasing materials, the author’s journey was complex and challenging. However, the JSW Law Library is now open and provides faculty and students with a modern space for research and study.

This article describes and examines six decades of the study of Asian laws around the world to construct a global map of the field. It demonstrates that Asian legal studies have been increasingly institutionalized, as evident in the global proliferation of centers, programs, associations, book series, journals, and courses. Substantively, Asian laws scholarship has grown into a sophisticated system of varied learning, including jurisprudence, legal history, comparative law, law and society, law and economics, and international law.

The institutional and substantive development of Asian legal studies follows a few common patterns corresponding to legal, social, and economic developments in the region. These include the formation of Asian legal studies during the post-World War II and post-colonial period between the 1950s and 1970s; its transition during the post-Cold War period between the 1980s and 1990s; and the transformation of the field in the context of globalization in the 21st century, projected as the “Asian century.”

Global studies in Asian laws are driven by both a deontological search for new knowledge and the instrumental necessity for a wide range of international, national, and individual actors. Instrumentalism, however, tends to play a stronger role in shaping Asian legal studies, and this pushes the focus toward large and developed jurisdictions and emphasis on contemporary legal issues.

As a consequence, Asian legal studies as a discipline displays two opposite trends: integration and differentiation. On the one hand, various specific areas of Asian laws deal with common cross-cutting themes, including religion, colonialism, pluralism, authoritarianism, and development, which renders them integral parts of the larger system. On the other hand, as the scholarship has grown to a greater level of complexity, disciplinary balkanization has become discernible. Different areas of Asian laws have different institutional, theoretical, and methodological underpinnings.

The future development of Asian legal studies requires the inclusive study of different areas of the laws of different Asian peoples. This inclusivity is premised on a balance of the considerations of necessity and the intrinsic pursuit of knowledge of Asian laws.

This paper examines the historical development and contemporary landscape of Islamic financial law in Central Asia. Rooted in Sharia principles such as avoiding riba (usury), gharar (uncertainty), and maysir (gambling), Islamic finance has evolved into a sophisticated framework that promotes equity, transparency, and social welfare. In Central Asia, a predominantly Muslim region shaped by diverse cultural influences, Islamic financial jurisprudence reflects a unique blend of traditional practices and modern regulations. The growth of Islamic finance in this region is driven by increasing awareness, regulatory support, and integration with global markets. Key principles like the prohibition of interest, risk-sharing, and asset-backed financing underpin the operations of Islamic financial institutions.

Case studies from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan illustrate successful implementation strategies. The paper concludes by emphasizing the potential for Islamic finance to drive sustainable economic development in Central Asia and the need for ongoing research, collaboration, and policy support to navigate the complex dynamics of this evolving field.

The global healthcare landscape faces mounting challenges, from resource constraints and rural healthcare access in Uzbekistan, to aging populations and rising chronic disease rates in Europe. Amidst these, the digital transformation in healthcare and the study of international legal aspects governing telemedicine services have emerged as crucial priorities. This article examines the international legal framework for telemedicine, analyzing key documents of the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and various regional bodies. It highlights the absence of a universal agreement that comprehensively addresses telemedicine regulation and data protection issues. The article explores national regulatory efforts and identifies gaps in the current fragmented approach. Recommendations include establishing a dedicated subsidiary body under the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) to oversee telemedicine-related matters and codifying scattered norms into a coherent framework. Strengthening the international legal basis for telemedicine can help expand access to vital healthcare services and improve global health outcomes.

The online registration of sex offenders and the maintenance of these databases is a subject of concern. Although it is imperative to track sex offenders and maintain their records as a measure to deter crime, this process can affect or even prevent the offenders' reformation and violate their right to privacy. Further, according to some, inclusion in these databases leads to a lifetime branding of offenders. India took the initiative in 2018 to reduce sex offender recidivism and now tracks offenders through a registry that is not open to the public. In contrast, in the United States, online sex offender registration databases have been available to the public for many years. The purpose of this paper is to compare the purposes and legal frameworks of sex offender registries in India and the United States, focusing on the impacts of these registries on the offenders and their potential for rehabilitation. Emphasis is placed on the United States, as its registration requirements have been in place substantially longer than in India. The author concludes that, although these offender registries are designed to serve as a mode of crime prevention, they are not necessarily yielding optimal results.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its seamless integration with today's defense technologies and equipment raise concerns about how this may impact the application of international legal norms related to the direct and public incitement of genocide. This work elaborates on the potential difficulties resulting from the rise of AI vis-à-vis the enforcement of the Rome Statute, specifically focusing on Article 25(3)(e) and interconnected soft law instruments such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Genocide Convention. The work concentrates on how the Rome Statute, which was designed during (and catered to) a pre-digital era, falls short in addressing the complex challenges posed by AI-driven portals. These types of portals can be utilized to plan and amplify calls for genocide in a manner that is not fully protected by the existing legal framework.

By looking at case law and engaging in theoretical and speculative analysis, this work delves into the various ways in which AI and virtual private networks (VPNs) can influence the dissemination of genocidal speech—specifically, by prioritizing user engagement over truthfulness or accuracy, necessitating a relook at what constitutes “direct and public incitement” under international law. The work also raises the question of attribution and how the atrocities committed due to such incitements might be prosecuted. Lastly, the work focuses on proposed amendments to the Rome Statute that could answer these new legal challenges while safeguarding freedom of expression.