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Full-Text Articles in Law
Eldred's Aftermath: Tradition, The Copyright Clause, And The Constitutionalization Of Fair Use, Stephen M. Mcjohn
Eldred's Aftermath: Tradition, The Copyright Clause, And The Constitutionalization Of Fair Use, Stephen M. Mcjohn
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
Eldred v. Ashcroft offered the Supreme Court broad issues about the scope of Congress's constitutional power to legislate in the area of intellectual property. In 1998, Congress added twenty years to the term of all copyrights, both existing and future copyrights. But for this term extension, works created during the 1920s and 1930s would be entering the public domain. Now such works will remain under copyright until 2018 and beyond. Eldred v. Ashcroft rejected two challenges to the constitutionality of the copyright extension. The first challenge contended that Congress had exceeded its power to grant copyrights for "limited Times" in …
Arising Under Jurisdiction And Uniformity In Patent Law, Christopher A. Cotropia
Arising Under Jurisdiction And Uniformity In Patent Law, Christopher A. Cotropia
Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review
The law governing the Federal Circuit's appellate jurisdiction was brought into question in Holmes Group, Inc. v. Vornado Circulation Systems, Inc. The Federal Circuit's appellate jurisdiction over Vornado's appeal rested solely on Vornado's counterclaim alleging patent infringement by Holmes. Holmes's complaint sought a declaratory judgment of no trade dress infringement and did not include any patent law claims. While the Federal Circuit found appellate jurisdiction over Vornado's appeal based on the counterclaim of patent infringement, the Supreme Court disagreed. The Court focused on the language in 35 U.S.C. § 1338(a), which defines the Federal Circuit's appellate jurisdiction by the statute's …
Tailoring Patent Policy To Specific Industries, Dan L. Burk
Tailoring Patent Policy To Specific Industries, Dan L. Burk
Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review
Mr. Burk illustrates that federal courts have diverged along industry-specific paths when deciding patent cases. Burk highlights courts' disparate treatment of the biotechnology and computer software industries within the uniform patent statute. Due to industries' differing requirements for innovation and development, Professor Burk argues that the currently general patent statute and its incentive to innovate may be improved by tailoring it to specific industries. Burk creates a dialogue on what kinds of statutory schemes promote innovation. Citing the Supreme Court's statement in Diamond v. Chakrabarty that the patent statute is meant to cover anything under the sun made by man, …
High Court Takes Right Turn In Traffix, But Stops Short Of The Finish Line: An Economic Critique Of Trade Dress Protection For Product Configuration, Timothy M. Barber
High Court Takes Right Turn In Traffix, But Stops Short Of The Finish Line: An Economic Critique Of Trade Dress Protection For Product Configuration, Timothy M. Barber
Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review
Mr. Barber examines the Supreme Court's recent treatment of trade dress protection for product configuration, also referred to as product design. Although the Wal-Mart and TrafFix decisions have begun to limit product configuration protection under trademark law, the high court should have gone further and eliminated product configuration protection, due to its monopolistic and anti-competitive effects. The Comment explores the history and effectiveness of the functionality doctrine, which attempts to resolve the conflict between patent and trademark law over protecting useful product designs. Since what constitutes a functional feature is not easily discerned, the doctrine fails to prevent firms from …