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Full-Text Articles in Law
Abandoning Copyright, Dave Fagundes, Aaron Perzanowski
Abandoning Copyright, Dave Fagundes, Aaron Perzanowski
William & Mary Law Review
For nearly two hundred years, U.S. copyright law has assumed that owners may voluntarily abandon their rights in a work. But scholars have largely ignored copyright abandonment, and case law on the subject is fragmented and inconsistent. As a result, abandonment remains poorly theorized, owners can avail themselves of no reliable mechanism to abandon their works, and the practice remains rare. This Article seeks to bring copyright abandonment out of the shadows, showing that it is a doctrine rich in conceptual, normative, and practical significance. Unlike abandonment of real and chattel property, which imposes significant public costs in exchange for …
Mod Money, Mod Problems: A Critique Of Copyright Restrictions On Video Game Modifications And An Evaluation Of Associated Monetization Regimes, Carl "Ott" Lindstrom
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 …