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Intellectual Property Law

William & Mary Law School

2020

Copyright Infringement

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Mod Money, Mod Problems: A Critique Of Copyright Restrictions On Video Game Modifications And An Evaluation Of Associated Monetization Regimes, Carl "Ott" Lindstrom Jul 2020

Mod Money, Mod Problems: A Critique Of Copyright Restrictions On Video Game Modifications And An Evaluation Of Associated Monetization Regimes, Carl "Ott" Lindstrom

William & Mary Business Law Review

Video game modifications (mods) have had a tremendously positive impact on the game industry, both in terms of commercial success and evolution of the medium. But the present court doctrine, enabled by Micro Star v. Formgen and abetted by restrictive End User License Agreements, greatly underserves the mod community and undermines the principal tenet of copyright law: the fundamental right to reap the benefits of what one has created. This Note examines and critiques the current doctrine and its ethical pitfalls. It also explores the pros and cons of current methods of mod monetization, including remakes, developer partnerships, and donation …


Knowing How To Know: Secondary Liability For Speech In Copyright Law, Laura A. Heymann Jan 2020

Knowing How To Know: Secondary Liability For Speech In Copyright Law, Laura A. Heymann

Faculty Publications

Contributory copyright infringement has long been based on whether the defendant, "with knowledge of the infringing activity," induced, caused, or materially contributed to another's infringing conduct. But few court opinions or scholarly articles have given due consideration to what it means to "know" of someone else's infringing conduct, particularly when the unlawfulness at issue cannot truly exist until a legal judgment occurs. How can one "know," in other words, that a court or jury will deem a particular use infringement rather than de minimis or fair use? At best, contributory defendants engage in a predictive exercise--in some cases, a more …