Limitations and exceptions are pivotal in copyright law, balancing the exclusive rights of creators with the interests of the users and public in general in accessing to protected works. While these provisions have long been recognized, they remain a source of national and international contention. To address the challenges of the digital era, the European Union introduced Directive 2001/29/EC on harmonization of certain aspects of copyright & related rights in the information society (InfoSoc Directive), which entered into force on June 22, 2001. The Directive aimed to harmonize copyright laws and limitations and exceptions across member states, but provided only one mandatory limitation among a list of 21, leaving significant discretion to individual member states. This approach hindered the Directive’s harmonization objectives, raising questions about how member states implemented these provisions and the resulting differences. This study examines the implementation of the InfoSoc Directive’s limitations and exceptions provisions in Germany and the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2008. Additionally, it reflects on recent developments in Turkish copyright law concerning its harmo
nization with EU standards. The limitations and exceptions analysed in this study are determined based on their impact on the information society. Within this context, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Horst-Peter Götting, for his invaluable guidance and to the Chair of Civil Law, Industrial Property Protection and Copyright Law at the Law Faculty of TU Dresden for their insightful advice, constructive criticism and continuous encouragement throughout my research. My heartfelt thanks go to Prof. J.A.L. Sterling and all my professors at the Queen Mary University of London, Intellectual Property Chair, where I completed the first semester of my LL.M. studies. I appreciate their academic support, thoughtful suggestions and the trust they placed in me. This thesis and my LL.M. program were generously supported by the Jean Monnet Scholarship Program, for which I am truly grateful. I am also thankful to my friends and colleagues, both past and present, at Queen Mary and TU Dresden, for their unwavering support, encouragement, and guidance throughout my academic journey. Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my family and close friends for their boundless trust, love and support in every aspect of my life. My heartfelt thanks go to Serhat Koç, whose unwavering support and encouragement made this journey possible.