Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 30 of 31
Full-Text Articles in Computer Law
Regulating The Media's Coverage Of Terrorist Activities, 8 Computer L.J. 227 (1988), Karin Anderson Moffitt
Regulating The Media's Coverage Of Terrorist Activities, 8 Computer L.J. 227 (1988), Karin Anderson Moffitt
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
Regulation Of Music Videos: Should The Fcc "Beat It?", 8 Computer L.J. 287 (1988), Aloma H. Park
Regulation Of Music Videos: Should The Fcc "Beat It?", 8 Computer L.J. 287 (1988), Aloma H. Park
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
Challenging Cable Televison Exclusive Franchise Agreements: Has "State Action" Immunity Gone Too Far?, 8 Computer L.J. 311 (1988), Mark T. Kawa
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
Cable Tv Users Taxes: A First Amendment Challenge, 8 Computer L.J. 257 (1988), Carlos Victor Yguico
Cable Tv Users Taxes: A First Amendment Challenge, 8 Computer L.J. 257 (1988), Carlos Victor Yguico
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
An Attempt To Rationalize Floppy Disc Claims, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 183 (1998), Richard H. Stern
An Attempt To Rationalize Floppy Disc Claims, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 183 (1998), Richard H. Stern
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
It is now more than four years since the Federal Circuit's en banc decision in In re Alappat. It is now at least two years since the intertwined events of the Federal Circuit's curious decisions to remand in In re Beauregard and In re Trovato, and the publication by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) of its Guidelines on the examination of software-related patent applications. Despite that passage of time, the clarity of the legal status of software-related patents, and particularly those written in article of manufacture format (so-called floppy disk patents), has not improved. Nonetheless, use of such claims …
Are Beauregard's Claims Really Valid?, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 347 (1998), Jeffrey S. Draeger
Are Beauregard's Claims Really Valid?, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 347 (1998), Jeffrey S. Draeger
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Computer hardware, software, and networking equipment together have fueled the onset of the Information Age, an age where a seemingly endless stream of ones and zeroes often is an extremely valuable commodity. Undeniably, computer software has been a crucial building block in this Information Age. However, intellectual property law has been slow to embrace software inventions as patentable subject matter on par with computer hardware and networking equipment. This Comment concludes that claims for computer instruction embodied in a computer readable medium do constitute statutory subject matter. As proper statutory subject matter, such claims should be evaluated "as a whole," …
The Article 2b Symposium: A Foreword, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 205 (1998), Ann Lousin
The Article 2b Symposium: A Foreword, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 205 (1998), Ann Lousin
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
Article 2b: An Introduction, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 211 (1998), Raymond T. Nimmer
Article 2b: An Introduction, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 211 (1998), Raymond T. Nimmer
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The United States was once the major producer of goods in the world. Today, the United States is the major consumer of goods. In addition, the United States is now the major developer and distributor of information such as software, content, news and entertainment. As a result of this new emphasis in information and services in the United States, Article 2B of the U.C.C. deals with transactions and subject matter that have never been covered by a U.C.C. There are many issues reflecting modern commerce. It is important for everyone to understand why an economy and commerce based on information …
Treatment Of Consumers Under Proposed U.C.C. Article 2b Licenses, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 315 (1998), Mary Jo Howard Dively, Donald A. Cohn
Treatment Of Consumers Under Proposed U.C.C. Article 2b Licenses, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 315 (1998), Mary Jo Howard Dively, Donald A. Cohn
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Various provisions in proposed U.C.C. Article 2B seek to increase the protection that is currently afforded to consumers. Generally, consumer law is made up of a series of default rules which operate in commercial settings. The default rules function in such a way as to free commercial entities from having to contract for every minor detail. However, default rules often function to the detriment of consumers because the consumer is not is a position to negotiate the provisions nor can they appreciate the ramifications of the default provisions. The purpose of the U.C.C. has been to provide default rules while …
The Implied Warranty Of Merchantability In Software Contracts: A Warranty No One Dares To Give And How To Change That, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 393 (1998), Robert W. Gomulkiewicz
The Implied Warranty Of Merchantability In Software Contracts: A Warranty No One Dares To Give And How To Change That, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 393 (1998), Robert W. Gomulkiewicz
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Software publishers disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability because the repercussions of recognizing such warranties are unknown. The purpose underlying implied warranties of merchantability is to ensure that the consumer is receiving a product that meets a minimal standard of consumer expectation; however, this threshold is difficult to measure when attempting to measure consumer expectation of computer software. The proposed U.C.C. Article 2B seeks to remedy this problem by removing some of the ambiguity. The implied warranty of merchantability had its genesis in the English commodities markets. As an action in tort, the implied warranty of merchantability protected a buyer …
The Perpetuation Of Litigation Within The Commercial Industry: Soon Brought To A Screeching Halt, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 421 (1998), Rhonda Salleé
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Prior to the drafting of Article 2B of the Uniform Commercial Code ("U.C.C."), courts applied Article 2: Sales, by analogy, to transactions that involved licensing of software agreements. The courts used the "predominant feature test" to reach these decisions. This resulted in varying decisions among the states which is contrary to the need for uniformity within the software industry. Pursuant to Article 2B, a license is a "contract that expressly authorizes, prohibits or controls access to or use of information, limits the scope of the rights granted, or affirmatively grants less than all rights in the information, whether or not …
Commercial Law Infrastructure For The Age Of Information, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 255 (1998), Michael L. Rustad
Commercial Law Infrastructure For The Age Of Information, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 255 (1998), Michael L. Rustad
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The Uniform Commercial Code is a product of business practices and social change. During the last two decades, the United States has transformed from an agrarian economy into an industrial power. Recently, the United States has transformed again into a post-industrial society predicated upon the copyright industries. Article 2 of the U.C.C. was drafted more than fifty years ago before the rise of the software industry and the Internet. The proposed Article 2B of the U.C.C. will recognize the new copyright industries and provide a commercial law tailored for the transfer of data, text and other forms of information. The …
Express Warranties And Published Information Content Under Article 2b: Does The Shoe Fit?, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 337 (1998), Joel R. Wolfson
Express Warranties And Published Information Content Under Article 2b: Does The Shoe Fit?, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 337 (1998), Joel R. Wolfson
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Buyers and Sellers of goods make all kinds of statements to each other about the nature of the contract between them. They make promises and state conditions that relate to price, quantity, means of delivery, remedies, repairs and maintenance, and a whole host of other terms. Interestingly, Section 2-313 of Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code ("U.C.C.") takes one kind of statement, express warranties, and treats it in a very special manner. This article will examine the reason for this different treatment and ask whether such different treatment should be extended into the draft of Section 2B-402, Express Warranties, …
Procd, Inc. V. Zeidenberg And Article 2b: Finally, The Validation Of Shrink-Wrap Licenses, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 439 (1998), Joseph C. Wang
Procd, Inc. V. Zeidenberg And Article 2b: Finally, The Validation Of Shrink-Wrap Licenses, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 439 (1998), Joseph C. Wang
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
In ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg, the Seventh Circuit validated a licensor's shrink-wrap license. This court was one of the first courts to validate such licenses. The case involved a graduate student, Zeidenberg, who purchased ProCD's telephone directory software program which contained the shrink-wrap license at issue. After Zeidenberg took the software home, he downloaded the information in the software into his computer and put the information onto a website, despite the language on the computer screen prohibiting such dissemination of the software's contents. Then, Zeidenberg allowed Internet users to use his website to access the directory originally located on the …
Eminent Domain Names: The Struggle To Gain Control Of The Internet Domain Name System, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 781 (1998), G. Peter Albert Jr.
Eminent Domain Names: The Struggle To Gain Control Of The Internet Domain Name System, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 781 (1998), G. Peter Albert Jr.
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The increasing use of the Internet as a marketplace has invariably resulted in a race for recognition among market forces. The use of slogans and trade names, which in the "real world" are the centerpiece for competition, has followed onto the Internet. These "domain names" are the lifeblood of businesses competing for the almighty dollar from consumers. As the billion dollar a year Internet business place has developed, the fight over domain names began. Today as a result of the lack of domains available, lawsuits and disputes have resulted. The inability or unwillingness of Internic and the government to find …
The Dynamics Of Computer And Information Technology Law In Conjunction With The Global Information Infrastructure: A Foreword, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 777 (1998), Steven A. Mcauley
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
One of the primary purposes of The John Marshall Journal of Computer Information Law is to focus on recent developments, on an international basis, in computer and information technology law. The themes that are developed in each issue of Volume Sixteen, present problems in computer and information technology law, and hopefully help answer questions in this dynamic field of law. The first issue of Volume Sixteen is a perspective issue on cyberspace governance, standards, and control. The lead articles of this issue discusses the challenge to develop international trademark law with regard to the Internet, Internet regulatory zoning of obscene …
Free Speech On The Information Superhighway: European Perspectives, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 905 (1998), Caroline Uyttendaele, Joseph Dumortier
Free Speech On The Information Superhighway: European Perspectives, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 905 (1998), Caroline Uyttendaele, Joseph Dumortier
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
This article focuses on the need for free speech legislation on the information superhighway. Two issues are addressed in this article. First, whether additional measures are needed for protecting free speech on the Internet. Second, whether the existing restrictions on free speech are relevant. The information superhighway in the United States is referred as a growing economic interest in information. In contract, the emphasis in Europe lies more on the "information society." In both instances, the government recognizes that the Internet has become a powerful medium of expression. Additionally, the Internet is a true testing ground for regulating the information …
Who Owns The Web Site?: The Ultimate Question When A Hiring Party Has A Falling-Out With The Web Site Designer, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 857 (1998), Rinaldo Del Gallo Iii
Who Owns The Web Site?: The Ultimate Question When A Hiring Party Has A Falling-Out With The Web Site Designer, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 857 (1998), Rinaldo Del Gallo Iii
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The question is "Who owns your web site?" This question is difficult to answer absent a copyright assignment clause since no one knows who the owner of the web site is under current law. There are several problems that occur when a web designer is placed in a position against the hiring party in determining ownership rights to a web site. It is important to distinguish ownership rights to a web site, since most contractual agreements between a web site designer and a hiring party do not address this issue. Every day, hundreds of new web sites are appearing and …
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Patented Monkey: Patentability Of Cloned Organisms, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 971 (1998), Timothy G. Hofmeyer
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Patented Monkey: Patentability Of Cloned Organisms, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 971 (1998), Timothy G. Hofmeyer
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The advent of patent protection for genetically engineered inventions occurred in 1980 with the landmark Supreme Court decision in Diamond v. Chakrabarty. Following the lead of the Supreme Court, the Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO"), in 1987, issued a new regulatory ruling that expanded the PTO's statutory interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 101 patentable subject matter to include devices based upon nonnatural occurring manufacture or composition of matter resulting from some level of human intervention in the modification of nonhuman organisms. One year following the PTO proclamation, the first patent for a transgenic animal issue to Professors Leder and Stewart …
Tracking Stolen Artworks On The Internet: A New Standard For Due Diligence, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 937 (1998), Laura Mcfarland-Taylor
Tracking Stolen Artworks On The Internet: A New Standard For Due Diligence, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 937 (1998), Laura Mcfarland-Taylor
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
This comment proposes adopting an internationally recognized standard of due diligence in reporting lost or stolen artworks utilizing the Internet. To insure that the proposed standard of due diligence is acceptable internationally, this Comment proposes the creation of a readily accessible database in which the theft of artworks is tracked utilizing the Internet. First this Comment briefly discusses the history of stolen artworks. Second, this Comment discusses the various legal standards the courts use in analyzing stolen art cases: statute of limitations, due diligence and adverse possession. To analyze the standards now used, four cases are discussed: O'Keeffe v. Snyder, …
Lost In Cyberspace: The Digital Demise Of The First-Sale Doctrine, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 825 (1998), Keith Kupferschmid
Lost In Cyberspace: The Digital Demise Of The First-Sale Doctrine, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 825 (1998), Keith Kupferschmid
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The Internet offers a means to create, copy and distribute copyrighted works of a quality and in a volume that was simply unknown before the World Wide Web was developed. A single Web page can be viewed by any of the millions of people with Internet access anywhere around the world, and "viewed" in terms of the Internet necessarily means "copied." This presents a problem when considered in the light of the First-Sale doctrine, which is part and parcel of § 109 of the Copyright Act. The doctrine allows a person to make a single copy of a copyrighted work …
International Internet Regulation: A Multinational Approach, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 997 (1998), Steven M. Hanley
International Internet Regulation: A Multinational Approach, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 997 (1998), Steven M. Hanley
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
A multinational approach should be applied to Internet regulation. Many countries are concerned about the information that their citizens are exposed to over the Internet. Proponents of international regulation of the Internet claim that two problems must be confronted. First, each country has a different standard of tolerance to egregious information making international regulation difficult. Second, the nature of the Internet does not lend itself to the application of conventional methods of jurisdiction over violators. Certain countries are focusing on regulating Internet information. However, these countries use different methods of Internet regulation. As a result of these differences, Internet regulation …
Decloaking Development Contracts, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 403 (1998), Micalyn S. Harris
Decloaking Development Contracts, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 403 (1998), Micalyn S. Harris
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Proposed Article 2B seeks to minimize the conflict between the software developer and a client as to whether the contract is for goods or services. If the contract is for goods, then the client would receive the protection of a buyer under Article 2 of the U.C.C. If the contract is for services, then Article 2 does not apply and the relationship is governed by contract and common law principles. Proposed Article 2B will resolve this conflict by recognizing that development contracts are a mixture of goods and services and will also seek to provide default rules. Section 2B-617(b) of …
Foreword: "Article Of Manufacture" Patent Claims For Computer Instruction, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (1998), Allen B. Wagner
Foreword: "Article Of Manufacture" Patent Claims For Computer Instruction, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (1998), Allen B. Wagner
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
No abstract provided.
Patenting Computer Science: Are Computer Instruction Writings Patentable?, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 5 (1998), Allen B. Wagner
Patenting Computer Science: Are Computer Instruction Writings Patentable?, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 5 (1998), Allen B. Wagner
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
This paper opposes the IBM/PTO proposal to patent (as an article of manufacture) computer instruction fixed on computer readable media (so called media or Beauregard claims). The juridical issue raised is whether patents are limited to the utilitarian embodiment of inventions (the instructed machine) or may be extended to include mere symbolic expression (the machine instruction) fixed in a tangible medium. In Part I, the author argues (a) patenting symbolic expression breaches the intellectual property premise prohibiting property interests in mere abstract ideas, by avoiding both copyright merger and patent preemption doctrines, and (b) contrary to the PTO analysis, patents …
The Relative Roles Of Patent And Copyright In The Protection Of Computer Programs, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 41 (1998), Dennis S. Karjala
The Relative Roles Of Patent And Copyright In The Protection Of Computer Programs, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 41 (1998), Dennis S. Karjala
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The author approaches the problem of software patents from the perspective of copyright, where the debate over the appropriate scope of protection for computer programs continues to rage. This debate has largely followed the copyright tradition of considering copyright as a stand-alone statute, capable of resolving all of its problems with very little reference to other legal regimes and, in particular, with very little reference to patent law. It appears to the author that patent law has also gone about its business relating to software, from Benson to Beauregard, as if patent law were essentially the only relevant player. The …
A New Frontier In Patents: Patent Claims To Propagated Signals, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 75 (1998), Jeffrey R. Kuester, Scott A. Horstemeyer, Daniel J. Santos
A New Frontier In Patents: Patent Claims To Propagated Signals, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 75 (1998), Jeffrey R. Kuester, Scott A. Horstemeyer, Daniel J. Santos
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
If you thought "Beauregard" claims were a slippery slope to an uncertain end, you were right! The new frontier after In re Beauregard is the "propagated signal" claim -- a claim directed to a manufactured transient phenomenon, such as an electrical, optical, or acoustical signal, that could further revolutionize the way communications and software companies protect their intellectual property. It can make procuring patents less expensive and result in more extensive coverage, while challenging the limits of conventional wisdom. This new claim type will be viewed by some as a threat, and by others, as yet another step in the …
Patentability Of Computer Software Instruction As An "Article Of Manufacture": Software As Such As The Right Stuff, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 89 (1998), Vincent Chiappetta
Patentability Of Computer Software Instruction As An "Article Of Manufacture": Software As Such As The Right Stuff, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 89 (1998), Vincent Chiappetta
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The last five years have witnessed a dramatic shift in the approach taken by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("CAFC") and, under the CAFC's stern if somewhat incomplete guidance, the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") to the seemingly intractable problem of determining whether software inventions qualify as patentable subject matter under the United States patent laws. Beginning with a series of CAFC decisions in 1994 and culminating with the PTO's issuance of its Final Examination Guidelines for Computer-Related Inventions (the "Guidelines") in 1996, the paradigm shifted from a "mathematical algorithm" based analytic structure to an …
Of Text, Technique, And The Tangible: Drafting Patent Claims Around Patent Rules, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 219 (1998), John R. Thomas
Of Text, Technique, And The Tangible: Drafting Patent Claims Around Patent Rules, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 219 (1998), John R. Thomas
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
Courts have long recognized and policed attempts to contract around the patent code. Settled law establishes that the proprietor of a patent which enjoys market power cannot extend that patent beyond its statutory term or restrain competition in an unpatented product via contract. Yet today a far more subtle and fundamental mechanism for drafting around the statute has materialized: the humble patent instrument itself. Patent drafters have only partially realized the remarkable set of tools they now possess for expanding the scope of patent-eligible subject matter, augmenting the market power of issued patents, and avoiding core precepts of the patent …
Statutory Subject Matter And Hybrid Claiming, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 277 (1998), R. Carl Moy
Statutory Subject Matter And Hybrid Claiming, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 277 (1998), R. Carl Moy
UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law
The statutory subject matter provision of the United States patent code is one of that law's murkiest provisions. It has been the subject of repeated cases before the United States Supreme Court. Despite this, confusion and disagreement among the lower courts remains substantial. Much of the literature agrees that the law is in disarray. This paper isolates and treats one such problem: that of dealing with so-called "hybrid" inventions. Hybrid inventions are those that consist of both statutory and non-statutory elements grouped together. As such, their basic nature presents a classification problem. Hybrid inventions are mongrels, neither purely statutory nor …