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The Denial Of A General Performance Right In Sound Recordings: A Policy That Facilitates Our Democratic Civil Society?, Shourin W. Sen Jan 2007

The Denial Of A General Performance Right In Sound Recordings: A Policy That Facilitates Our Democratic Civil Society?, Shourin W. Sen

Shourin W Sen

John Coltrane, as a musical performer, is not granted the right to exclude others from performing his recording of ‘My Favorite Things’ on the radio, television, or at a public setting such as a restaurant or hotel. Under the Copyright Act, only Rogers and Hammerstein, the composers of ‘My Favorite Things,’ are granted the right to authorize the analog public performance of the composition. But musical performers can claim the same royalties granted to composers by simply writing their own songs. Congress and legal scholars have failed to realize that, over the last six decades, performers have responded to the …


Texts, Lies, And Changed Positions, Judith D. Fischer Jan 2007

Texts, Lies, And Changed Positions, Judith D. Fischer

Judith D. Fischer

This review of Judge Richard Posner's Little Book of Plagiarism concludes that the book adds to the discussion of plagiarism by noting the topic’s gray areas and proposing criteria for identifying plagiarism. Posner states that plagiarism occurs when a writer who copies another's language or ideas both conceals the copying and induces readers' reliance. By discussing plagiarism in different settings, including novels, court opinions, professors' work, and student work, the book shows why analysis of the offense and its consequences must be nuanced. Professors should be warned that in places Posner seems to minimize the gravity of student copying, especially …


On Virtual Worlds: Copyright And Contract At The Dawn Of The Virtual Age, Erez Reuveni Jan 2007

On Virtual Worlds: Copyright And Contract At The Dawn Of The Virtual Age, Erez Reuveni

Erez Reuveni

This Article argues that copyright law can and should apply to artistic and literary creations occurring entirely in virtual worlds. First, the Article introduces the concept of virtual worlds as places millions of people visit not only for entertainment but also for life and work. Second, the Article reviews the philosophical justifications for copyright, examines objections to applying copyright to virtual, rather than real, creative works, and concludes that neither precludes copyright for virtual creations. Third, the Article articulates how copyright law would function within virtual spaces and reviews copyrightable creations from the perspective of both game developers and players. …


Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz Jan 2007

Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment surveys the contemporary status of copyright law regarding a creator-assignee's standing to sue for infringement and the bases for allowing a creator-assignee to bring an infringement action. Part II begins the discussion with a review of the general principles of copyright law, including its constitutional and statutory frameworks, its underlying policies, and the moral rights doctrine. Part III continues with an overview of the general constitutional standing principles and real party in interest prerequisites. It then outlines the statutory and judicial limits on standing to sue under copyright law. Part IV discusses the issue of assignee standing in …


Authorship In The Age Of The Conducer, Erez Reuveni Dec 2006

Authorship In The Age Of The Conducer, Erez Reuveni

Erez Reuveni

The age of centralized information production is over. Today, countless creative enterprises involve decentralized collaboration by hundreds of end-users. Yet, the Copyright Act's last major revision occurred over thirty years ago, when a centralized, corporate model of production was the primary means of delivering information products on a mass-market scale. This Article contends that several features of the Copyright Act, remnants of this earlier corporate-driven era, are outmoded and fail to offer optimal incentives for the decentralized, non-profit-driven model of creative production utilized by many in the software and information-production fields. Specifically, the Copyright Act assumes creativity stems from the …