Law Commons^™

Cloud Control: Copyright, Global Memes And Privacy, Daniel J. Gervais, Daniel J. Hyndman

Daniel J Gervais

This paper examines the shift from the Internet connection paradigm to an amalgamation paradigm. Ultimately, almost all personal and commercial content will be stored or backed up in the computing Cloud. This is likely to change the way in which copyright is enforced and users' privacy is protected.

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 …

The Creativity Effect (With C. Sprigman), Christopher J. Buccafusco

Christopher J. Buccafusco

No abstract provided.

Copyright As Tort, Assaf Jacob, Avihay Dorfman

Avihay Dorfman

In these pages we seek to integrate two claims. First, we argue that, taken to their logical conclusions, the considerations that support a strict form of protection for tangible property rights do not call for a similar form of protection when applied to the case of copyright. More dramatically, these considerations demand, on pain of glaring inconsistency, a substantially weaker protection for copyright. In pursuing this claim, we show that the form of protecting property rights (including rights in tangibles) is, to an important extent, a feature of certain normal, though contingent, facts about the human world. Second, the normative …

The Changing Nature Of Books And The Uneasy Case For Copyright, Niva Elkin-Koren

Niva Elkin-Koren

Digital technology penetrated the publishing industry decades ago, but it was only in the past two years, that the digital revolution finally reached the book industry, as eBooks became a viable alternative to printed books.

eBooks are not simply a fancy package for buying and selling books. They are transforming print culture. They are changing the nature of books as we know them, giving rise to new social practices of writing and reading. eBooks and digital libraries are also transforming the publishing and bookselling industries, enabling new methods of production and distribution, shaking the boundaries between the traditional players, and …

Digital Exhaustion, Aaron K. Perzanowski, Jason M. Schultz

Aaron K. Perzanowski

As digital networks emerge as the dominant means of distributing copyrighted works, the first sale doctrine is increasingly marginalized. The limitations first sale places on the exclusive right of distribution are of little importance when the alienation and use of copies entails their reproduction. This fact of the modern copyright marketplace has led to calls for statutory clarification of digital first sale rights. Acknowledging the obstacles to legislative intervention, this Article argues that courts are equipped today to limit copyright exclusivity in order to enable copy owners to make traditionally lawful uses of their copies, including resale through secondary markets. …

(Re)Introducing Formalities In Copyright : Towards More Open Content?, Severine Dusollier

Severine Dusollier

Many voices have been recently heard in favor of the reintroduction of formalities in copyright law, in order to counteract the rapid expansion of copyright protection and the ensuing diminishing of the public domain. Formalities have been considered as a way to limit the automatic granting of copyright, to shorten its duration or to make its enforcement less easy. This paper examines the relevance of a possible reintroduction of formalities for the enhancement and safeguarding of the public domain. It first considers the formalities the introduction of which (or reintroduction in some countries) has been proposed, under two lenses: their …

Warranting Rightful Claims, Karen E. Sandrik

Karen E. Sandrik

Damage awards for patent infringement have sky-rocketed and sparked significant debate in recent years. A part of this patent damages debate focuses on non-practicing entities, or so-called “patent trolls.” A patent troll is a patent owner that demands a royalty based on patented technology, yet does not actually make use of the technology to provide an end product or service. Patent trolls are known for their aggressive and opportunistic behavior. Their strategy is simple: create nuisance and inflict fear. Increasingly, buyers of goods using patented technology are availing themselves of the “warranty against infringement” (“WAI”) provided by the Uniform Commercial …

Insights From Psychology For Copyright's Originality Doctrine, Cameron J. Hutchison

Cameron J Hutchison

The discipline of psychology has much to offer the law of copyright. For example, determining whether or not a work is original in a legal sense implicates, and may be enriched by, the psychology of creativity. This paper is a foray into the linkage between psychological understandings of creativity and the legal standard of originality. While the methodologies and approaches to the psychological sub-discipline of creativity are many, certain frameworks are chosen which seem most relevant and probative to the task: psychoanalysis (specifically, Jungian psychoanalysis), experimental psychology (specifically, the cognitive science of creativity or “cognitive creativity”), and social psychology (specifically, …

The Evolution Of The Us Drm Debate, 1987-2006, Bill D. Herman

Bill D. Herman

Scholars who discuss copyright often observe that the voices for stronger copyright have more financial and political capital than their opponents and thus tend to win in Congress. While the playing field is still quite slanted toward stronger copyright, the politics around the issue are much messier and less predictable. This study, a detailed political and legislative history of the major proposals regarding copyright and digital rights management from 1987 to 2006, illustrates how this policy dynamic has changed so drastically. In 1987, there was no organized opposition to copyright’s expansion. By 2006, however, there was a substantial coalition of …

The Creativity Effect, Christopher Sprigman, Christopher Buccafusco

Christopher Sprigman

This paper reports the first experiment to demonstrate the existence of a valuation anomaly associated with the creation of new works. To date, a wealth of social science research has shown that substantial valuation asymmetries exist between owners of goods and potential purchasers of them. The least amount of money that owners are willing to accept to part with their possessions is often far greater than the amount that purchasers would be willing to pay to obtain them. This phenomenon, known as the endowment effect, may create substantial inefficiencies in many markets. Our experiment demonstrates the existence of a related …

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 …

Applying Copyright Theory To Secondary Markets: An Analysis Of The Future Of 17 Usc § 109(A) Pursuant To Costco Wholesale Corp. V. Omega S.A., Mark Jansen

Mark Jansen

The U.S. Copyright Act grants copyright owners the exclusive right to distribute their copyrighted works. The first sale doctrine, codified in § 109(a) of the Copyright Act, curtails these distribution rights by exhausting the owner’s exclusive right after the copyrighted item is placed in the stream of commerce. However, it is not clear whether the language used in the Act, “copies made under this title,” is inclusive of copies manufactured aboard or limited to copies manufactured in the United States. Section 109(a) recently came up for interpretation by the Supreme Court in Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Omega S.A.; yet, the …

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

Renee Hobbs

No abstract provided.

Creativity, Improvisation, And Risk: Copyright And Musical Innovation, Olufunmilayo B. Arewa

Olufunmilayo B. Arewa

The goals and beneficiaries of copyright frameworks have long been contested in varied contexts. Copyright is often treated as a policy tool that gives creators incentives to create new works. Incentive theories of copyright often emphasize appropriability, which enables copyright owners to ensure that they profit from their copyrighted works by exercising control over uses of, and access to, such works. Although copyright clearly imposes costs in the form of restrictions on access to copyright-protected works and inefficiencies in the form of deadweight loss, the benefits of copyright are thought by many to outweigh the costs. Copyright discussions may at …

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

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

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

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.