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Full-Text Articles in Law

A State Law Approach To Preserving Fair Use In Academic Libraries, David R. Hansen Nov 2011

A State Law Approach To Preserving Fair Use In Academic Libraries, David R. Hansen

David R Hansen

Every year academic libraries spend millions of dollars to provide their users access to copyrighted works. Much of that money goes not toward purchasing physical copies of books or journals, but toward licensing electronic content from publishers. In those electronic license agreements, the default rules for how users interact with copyrighted content is often altered, and academic library users are deprived of basic rights — especially rights such as fair use — which are granted under federal copyright law. The literature is flush with discussion of the misuse of private contracts to alter the rights granted by Congress in copyright’s …


Why Full Open Access Matters, Michael W. Carroll Nov 2011

Why Full Open Access Matters, Michael W. Carroll

Michael W. Carroll

This Perspective argues that when authors or funders pay the full cost of publishing a scientific or scholarly journal article in an open access journal, the terms of reuse should require only attribution to some combination of the author(s), the original publisher, and the funder. Publications that charge authors and their financial backers the full cost of publication and then add other reuse restrictions are not fully open access publications.


First Amendment Based Copyright Misuse, David S. Olson Oct 2011

First Amendment Based Copyright Misuse, David S. Olson

David S. Olson

We are at a crossroads with respect to the underdeveloped equitable defense of copyright misuse. The defense may go the way of its sibling, antitrust-based patent misuse, which seems to be in a state of inevitable decline. Or—if judges accept the proposal of this Article—courts could reinvigorate the copyright misuse defense to better protect First Amendment speech that is guaranteed by statute, but that is often chilled by copyright holders misusing their copyrights to control others’ speech. The Copyright Act serves First Amendment interests by encouraging authors to create works. But copyright law can also discourage the creation of new …


Marca Corporal, Derecho De Propiedad Intelectual (Derecho De Tatuajes), Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Esq. Jun 2011

Marca Corporal, Derecho De Propiedad Intelectual (Derecho De Tatuajes), Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Esq.

Rodolfo C. Rivas

The authors go back to the origins of tattoos and trace its way into mainstream pop culture. In doing so, they analyze the legal implications of tattoos relating to IP through various brief case studies.////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Los autores se remontan a los orígenes de los tatuajes y trazan su camino dentro de la cultura pop. Paralelamente, analizan las implicaciones jurídicas de los tatuajes a través de diversos casos.


Protection Of Traditional Knowledge: Trade Barriers And The Public Domain, David R. Hansen May 2011

Protection Of Traditional Knowledge: Trade Barriers And The Public Domain, David R. Hansen

David R Hansen

In recent years, developing nations have pushed for international copyright and other intellectual property regimes to expand protection over the cultural heritage and collective knowledge of particular indigenous groups. These “traditional knowledge” protections have been justified by factors like economic protection, equity in intellectual property ownership, cultural protection, and economic development. These motivating factors are a far cry from the underpinnings of traditional Western intellectual property law - and in particular, U.S. copyright law - which focuses on incentivizing the creation of new content for the promotion of “the Progress of Science and useful Arts.” Because of these differing justifications, …


El "Product Placement" En El Cine, Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Iñiguez Esq. Apr 2011

El "Product Placement" En El Cine, Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Iñiguez Esq.

Rodolfo C. Rivas

The authors discuss briefly the history of product placement in film citing several examples. Then, they analyze the current state of regulation and look forward at what lies ahead, as product placement has become ingrained in the entertainment industry.///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Los autores analizan de una forma breve la historia del emplazamiento de productos o product placement en el cine, utilizando varios ejemplos. Después se adentran en el estado actual de la regulación y miran hacia el futuro de la industria.


Defining Criminal Liability For Primary Acts Of Copyright Infringement: The Singapore Experience, Cheng Lim Saw, Susanna Leong Apr 2011

Defining Criminal Liability For Primary Acts Of Copyright Infringement: The Singapore Experience, Cheng Lim Saw, Susanna Leong

Cheng L Saw

No abstract provided.


One For All: The Problem Of Uniformity Cost In Intellectual Property Law, Michael W. Carroll Jan 2011

One For All: The Problem Of Uniformity Cost In Intellectual Property Law, Michael W. Carroll

Michael W. Carroll

Intellectual property law protects the owner of each patented invention or copyrighted work of authorship with a largely uniform set of exclusive rights. In the modern context, it is clear that innovators' needs for intellectual property protection vary substantially across industries and among types of innovation. Applying a socially costly, uniform solution to problems of differing magnitudes means that the law necessarily imposes uniformity cost by underprotecting those who invest in certain costly innovations and overprotecting those with low innovation costs or access to alternative appropriability mechanisms. This Article argues that reducing uniformity cost is the central problem for intellectual …


Country Of Origin And Internet Publication: Applying The Berne Convention In The Digital Age, Sampsung Xiaoxiang Shi, Brian Fitzgerald, Cheryl Foong, Kylie Pappalardo Dec 2010

Country Of Origin And Internet Publication: Applying The Berne Convention In The Digital Age, Sampsung Xiaoxiang Shi, Brian Fitzgerald, Cheryl Foong, Kylie Pappalardo

Cheryl Foong

In this article, we argue that even if a work first published online can be considered to be simultaneously published all over the world it does not follow that any country can assert itself as the “country of origin” of the work for the purpose of imposing domestic copyright formalities. More specifically, we argue that the meaning of “United States work” under the U.S. Copyright Act should be interpreted in line with the presumption against extraterritorial application of domestic law to limit its application to only those works with a real and substantial connection to the United States. To be …


Towards A Pedagogy Of Fair Use For Multimedia Composition, Renee Hobbs, Katie E. Donnelly Dec 2010

Towards A Pedagogy Of Fair Use For Multimedia Composition, Renee Hobbs, Katie E. Donnelly

Renee Hobbs

No abstract provided.


The Problem With Intellectual Property Rights: Subject Matter Expansion, Andrew Beckerman Rodau Dec 2010

The Problem With Intellectual Property Rights: Subject Matter Expansion, Andrew Beckerman Rodau

Andrew Beckerman Rodau

This article examines the expansion of the subject matter that can be protected under intellectual property law. Intellectual property law has developed legal rules that carefully balance competing interests. The goal has long been to provide enough legal protection to maximize incentives to engage in creative and innovative activities while also providing rules and doctrines that minimize the effect on the commercial marketplace and minimize interference with the free flow of ideas generally. The expansive view of subject matter protectable via intellectual property law has erased the clear delineation between patent, copyright, and trademark law. This has led to overprotection …


Three Theories Of Copyright In Ratings, James Grimmelmann Dec 2010

Three Theories Of Copyright In Ratings, James Grimmelmann

James Grimmelmann

Are ratings copyrightable? The answer depends on what ratings are. As a history of copyright in ratings shows, some courts treat them as unoriginal facts, some treat them as creative opinions, and some treat them as troubling self-fulfilling prophecies. The push and pull among these three theories explains why ratings are such a difficult boundary case for copyright, both doctrinally and theoretically. The fact-opinion tension creates a perverse incentive for raters: the less useful a rating, the more copyrightable it looks. Self-fulfilling ratings are the most troubling of all: copyright’s usual balance between incentives and access becomes indeterminate when ratings …


Copyright In Standards: Open Or Shut Case, Tyrone Berger Dec 2010

Copyright In Standards: Open Or Shut Case, Tyrone Berger

Dr Tyrone Berger

This article investigates some key problems surrounding copyright in standards. It surveys two ex ante approaches, namely the management of the underlying intellectual property rights during a standard’s development stage, and creating an exemption that is incorporated in legislation, and that provides for a compulsory licence. I further suggest an ex post notice, or opt-in approach, for copyright owners, to resolve the uncertainty around when copyright permission should be sought by users.


Copyright, Collecting Societies And The Accc: Call For (New) Guidelines, Tyrone Berger Dec 2010

Copyright, Collecting Societies And The Accc: Call For (New) Guidelines, Tyrone Berger

Dr Tyrone Berger

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released draft guidelines on copyright licensing and collecting societies in November 2006 for public comment. The purpose of the guidelines was to provide general information to potential licensees and users of copyright material. After four years since the release of the draft guidelines, this author argues that it is time for a new set of guidelines to clarify and explain their purpose.