Digital Commons Network^™

Size Matters (Or Should) In Copyright Law, Justin Hughes

Articles

American copyright law has a widely recognized prohibition against the copyrighting of titles, short phrases, and single words. Despite this bar, effective advocacy has often pushed courts into recognizing independent copyright protection for smaller and smaller pieces of expression, particularly in recent cases involving valuation and taxonomy systems. Copyright case law is rife with dicta suggesting protection of short phrases and single words.

This instability in copyright law is rooted in the fiction that we deny copyright protection to short phrases and single words because they lack originality. In fact, there are many short phrases that cross copyright's low threshold …

Is There A Need To Debate The Role Of Higher Education And The Public Good?, Sandra Fisher

Articles

Calls for sustaining and increasing investment in higher education are often made on the basis that higher education is a `public good'. The idea of higher education as a public good is frequently conceptualized in terms of its contribution to economic development. If more people participate in higher education then society as a whole will benefit. Outside of the economic benefits of higher education there is less debate as to what is meant by `public good' in the context of higher education. This paper explores higher education as a public good and its role in realizing the public good (Jonathan …

Ira Arms Are Likely Stockpiled, Ready For Destruction, Tom Clonan

Articles

The Provisional IRA in its statement yesterday pledges to ‘verifiably put its arms beyond use in a way which will further enhance public confidence and to conclude this as quickly as possible’. Given the size and dispersed nature of the IRA’s arsenal, this task will likely prove a logistical challenge that will take at least several weeks to complete. Over the last four decades, the IRA has taken delivery of a considerable number of consignments of weapons for its armed campaign. The main sources of IRA armament have traditionally been from republican sympathisers in the US and from other anti-establishment …

The Custodial Remand System For Juveniles In Ireland: The Empirical Evidence, Gay Graham, Sarah Anderson

Articles

This paper documents the present system of custodial remands for children under sixteen years in Ireland. The research includes the entire population of children remanded into custody during the summer of 2000 (N=117). A flow chart model illustrates these young people’s experiences, and the paper highlights issues such as the number of non-offending children who are in custody (21%); the cycle of repeated remands and court appearances (up to 22 repeats); excessive periods of time spent in secure detention (up to 351 days); and the use of remand facilities for those awaiting a suitable residential placement (57%). It provides an …