Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Rethinking Copyright Harmonization, Clark Asay

Indiana Law Journal

For nearly half a century, the United States has been one of the main proponents of harmonizing the world’s copyright laws. To that end, the U.S. government has worked diligently to persuade (and, in some cases, bully) most of the world’s countries to adopt copyright standards that resemble those found in the United States. The primary reason for this push to harmonize the world’s copyright laws is simple: the United States has long been a net exporter of copyrighted works, and so the U.S. government has sought to ensure that other countries provide U.S. authors with the same economic rights …

Hybrid Ip Rights For Software, Apis, And Guis: Understanding Copyright's Paradigm Shift, Howard Skaist

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

The non-literal scope of protection for software is intricate legally and is intricate technical. Thus, despite literally decades of court decisions and a mountain of legal scholar written on the subject in that time, it appears that there is still no consistent agreement about it, as evidenced by the Google v. Oracle which has percolated in the courts for nearly a decade and is now being heard by the US Supreme Court (oral argument was on October 7, 2020). However, the thesis of this article that a legal construct is capable of being formulated that is analytically consistent and that …

The Sword Of Damocles: How The Fair Use Defense Application Affects The Computer Programming Area, Ziyi Gao

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Privacy In Gaming, N. Cameron Russell, Joel R. Reidenberg, Sumyung Moon

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Video game platforms and business models are increasingly built on collection, use, and sharing of personal information for purposes of both functionality and revenue. This paper examines privacy issues and explores data practices, technical specifications, and policy statements of the most popular games and gaming platforms to provide an overview of the current privacy legal landscape for mobile gaming, console gaming, and virtual reality devices. The research observes how modern gaming aligns with information privacy notions and norms and how data practices and technologies specific to gaming may affect users and, in particular, child gamers.

After objectively selecting and analyzing …

Face Off: An Examination Of State Biometric Privacy Statutes & Data Harm Remedies, Maya E. Rivera

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

As biometric authentication becomes an increasingly popular method of security among consumers, only three states currently have statutes detailing how such data may be collected, used, retained, and released. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is the only statute of the three that enshrines a private right of action for those who fail to properly handle biometric data. Both the Texas Capture or Use Biometric Identifier Act Information Act and the Washington Biometric Privacy Act allow for state Attorneys General to bring suit on behalf of aggrieved consumers. This Note examines these three statutes in the context of data security …

Data-Generating Patents, Brenda M. Simon, Ted Sichelman

Northwestern University Law Review

Patents and trade secrets are often considered economic substitutes. Under this view, inventors can decide either to maintain an invention as a trade secret or to seek a patent and disclose to the public the details of the invention. However, a handful of scholars have recognized that because the patent disclosure requirements are not always rigorous, inventors may sometimes be able to keep certain aspects of an invention secret, yet still receive a patent to the invention as a whole. Here, we provide further insight into how trade secrets and patents may act as complements. Specifically, we introduce the concept …

The Right To Be Forgotten, Lisa Owings

Akron Intellectual Property Journal

This Article advocates a new test for balancing free speech and privacy interests online. There should be a three-prong test for whether, and under what circumstances, a user may request deletion of online data under the right to be forgotten. First, if the information is the publication of a private fact that is offensive to a reasonable person and not newsworthy, it should never be published unless the individual chooses to do so. Second, if individuals posted the information about themselves or as an expression of their opinion, they should have the right to remove it. This should apply not …

Using Copyright To Remove Content: An Analysis Of Garcia V. Google, Elizabeth Martin

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note will investigate how individuals attempt to use copyright law, instead of seeking damages for emotional distress or privacy, by using Garcia I and Garcia II as examples. Part I will provide background on Garcia I and Garcia II, the facts leading up to the lawsuit, the first decision and the criticism surrounding it, and the second decision. Part II will discuss what other legal methods Garcia may have used to achieve the same result and potentially obtain the same relief if she decided not to sue for copyright infringement. Part III will look beyond Garcia I and Garcia …

You(Tube), Me, And Content Id: Paving The Way For Compulsory Synchronization Licensing On User-Generated Content Platforms, Nicholas Thomas Delisa

Brooklyn Law Review

The changing landscape of digital media technology makes it increasingly difficult for owners of copyrighted music to monitor how their works are being exploited across the Internet. This is especially true of user-generated content (UGC) platforms—websites and applications such as Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, where content is created or uploaded predominantly by users. These services pose a special problem to copyright owners because, instead of content being uploaded from a single source that is easily sued and has deep pockets, content is uploaded by users. Users are a troublesome group because they are innumerable, sometimes anonymous, and mostly click on …

Fashion Forward: The Need For A Proactive Approach To The Counterfeit Epidemic, Casey Tripoli

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

In the last two decades, the overall activity of the counterfeit market has expanded and risen 10,000 percent. This dramatic shift corresponds to growth of the Internet, which has unified the fascination of obtaining cheap, illegitimate goods with the efficiency of a mouse click. With the expected continued inflation of the counterfeit market comes a host of new concerns, namely, how to determine who is responsible for the distribution of these knockoffs, and who should be ordained to limit them in the marketplace. In both the United States and the European Union, however, outdated laws produce a mélange of inadequate …

Oracle America, Inc. V. Google, Inc.,750 F.3d 1339 (Fed. Cir. 2014), Cert. Denied: Ideas, Methods, And Expression - Whose Innovation Is Protected?, Christopher J. Geissler

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Aereo, In-Line Linking, And A New Approach To Copyright Infringement For Emerging Technologies, Shannon Mcgovern

Catholic University Law Review

In an ever-changing technological landscape, strictly adhering to the language and definitions of the Copyright Act in cases involving emerging technologies may contravene the purpose and intent of copyright law. However, the Supreme Court’s 2014 opinion in American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo Inc. puts forth a commercial interest rationale that suggests copyright infringers may no longer be able to avoid liability based on perceived technological loopholes that have typically absolved online infringers of infringement liability. This Note argues that Aereo’s commercial interest rationale paves the way for a new approach to technologically complex copyright cases, particularly where in-line linking …

Beyond Technophobia: Lawyers’ Ethical And Legal Obligations To Monitor Evolving Technology And Security Risks, Timothy J. Toohey

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Lawyers and technology have an uneasy relationship. Although some lawyers are early adapters, others take pride in ignoring technology because they believe it is alien to the practice of law. As Jody R. Westby observed, lawyers confronted with technology and security issues tend to have their “eyes glaze over” and “want to call in their ‘IT guy’ and go back to work.” But this technophobic attitude may no longer just be harmless conservatism. In the world of growing security risks, ignorance of technology may lead to violations of lawyers’ fundamental ethical duties of competence and confidentiality.

Tollbooths And Newsstands On The Information Superhighway, Brad A. Greenberg

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

Countering the perception that speech limitations affecting distribution necessarily reduce access to information, this Essay proffers that copyright expansions actually can increase access and thereby serve important copyright and First Amendment values. In doing so, this discussion contributes to the growing literature and two recent Supreme Court opinions discussing whether copyright law and First Amendment interests can coexist.

A Dual Track Approach To Challenging Chinese Censorship In The Wto: The (Future) Case Of Google And Facebook, Anonymous

Michigan Journal of International Law

As economic and trade policies continue to affect more facets of society, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) impact on government policy and citizens’ lives has grown. Since its creation on January 1, 1995, the WTO has fostered trade liberalization negotiations and served as a forum where member countries can discuss economic concerns with one another. The WTO is perhaps best known for its dispute settlement mechanism. When countries cannot reach a mutual resolution to a conflict governed by a trade agreement, they can initiate formal legal proceedings against one another by asking for a panel to be appointed. The panel …

Building Universal Digital Libraries: An Agenda For Copyright Reform, Hannibal Travis

Pepperdine Law Review

This article proposes a series of copyright reforms to pave the way for digital library projects like Project Gutenberg, the Internet Archive, and Google Print, which promise to make much of the world's knowledge easily searchable and accessible from anywhere. Existing law frustrates digital library growth and development by granting overlapping, overbroad, and near-perpetual copyrights in books, art, audiovisual works, and digital content. Digital libraries would benefit from an expanded public domain, revitalized fair use doctrine and originality requirement, rationalized systems for copyright registration and transfer, and a new framework for compensating copyright owners for online infringement without imposing derivative …

Orphan Works At The Dawn Of Digitalization, Kelu L. Sullivan

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The past two decades have witnessed breathtaking increases in computing power, as well as equally impressive strides in manufacturing efficiency and technological innovation. Powerful, cheap, and interconnected, modern personal computers, smart phones, and e-readers are rapidly sculpting a landscape of ubiquitous computing. From shopping online to streaming movies, from social networking to online dating, and from paying bills to reading digitized books, the average American now expects the convenient digitization of historically analogue practices and media. In the workplace, this trend has expressed itself through a strong push toward paperless practices. In the music and movie industries, this trend has …

Liability For Trademark Infringement For Internet Service Providers, Katja Weckström

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

In the wake of the millennium and the rise of the internet, legislative action was taken to shelter internet service providers (ISPs) from various forms of legal action. In the turmoil of chartering new and unregulated territory, such a safe harbor was deemed necessary to protect startup businesses. Today, these internet actors (e.g. Google, Amazon, and eBay) have grown strong and powerful. Thus, intellectual property holders have started to challenge this privilege in court. Increasingly, owners of famous marks seek liability and damages for direct and indirect trademark infringement in courts around the globe. This Article will focus on liability …

A ‘Pinteresting’ Question: Is Pinterest Here To Stay? A Study In How Ip Can Help Pinterest Lead A Revolution, Stephanie Chau

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Bulletin boards and pushpins are archaic. Yet, each day represents a new paradigm for the technologically savvy. Innovators pair old concepts with new functionalities and technology, often achieving groundbreaking results. Digital counterparts for Post-It notes emerged for computers and other wireless devices. Other examples abound. Thus, it is no surprise that pins and boards also have new meaning in the digital age. Credit is due to the founders of Pinterest, a nascent social networking site with a devoted following, for modernizing the pin. As a newer social networking site, Pinterest has experienced unparalleled growth after its inception only a few …

Smartphone, Dumb Regulations: Mixed Signals In Mobile Privacy, Christian Levis

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

The smartphone has turned a user’s location into valuable information. Users of smart devices can use location-based mobile services to get driving directions, check into social networks, or even see which of their friends are around. But the use of this technology, and the new type of data created by it, raises privacy concerns as to who has access to one's location-based information. Because the only legislation covering this technology, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, is more than twenty-five years old, courts encounter problems when trying to use it to resolve these privacy issues, often reaching illogical results. This Note …

Continued Doj Oversight Of The Google Book Search Settlement: Defending Our Public Values And Protecting Competition, Christopher A. Suarez

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Why In Diy Book Scanning, Daniel Reetz

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Media-Rich Input Application Liability, David R. Krohn, Pekarek

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

Until recently, media-rich online interactions were mostly unidirectional: multimedia content was delivered by the service provider to the user. Input from the user came almost exclusively in the form of text. Even when searching the Internet for images or audio, a user typically entered text into a search engine. In addition, search engines indexed multimedia content by analyzing not the content itself but the text surrounding it. This is rapidly changing. With the rise of multimedia-capable smartphones and wireless broadband, applications that allow users to search using non-textual inputs are quickly becoming popular. These applications go much further than simply …

Digital “Library” Htmlcomics Shut Down By Fbi, Doj And Publishers, Mark Tratos

Intellectual Property Brief

No abstract provided.

Settling For Less? An Analysis Of The Possibility Of Positive Legal Precedent On The Internet If The Google Book Search Litigation Had Not Reached A Settlement, Brooke Ericson

Intellectual Property Brief

No abstract provided.

Settling For Less? An Analysis Of The Possibility Of Positive Legal Precedent On The Internet If The Google Book Search Litigation Had Not Reached A Settlement, Brooke Ericson

Intellectual Property Brief

No abstract provided.

Digital + Library: Mass Book Digitization As Collective Inquiry, Mary Murrell

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Youtube—The Next Generation Of Infringing On Creative Works: What Can Be Done To Protect The Screenwriters?, Ashlee M. Knuckey

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Intellectual Property And Americana, Or Why Ip Gets The Blues, Michael J. Madison

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Social Networking Web Sites And The Dmca: A Safe-Harbor From Copyright Infringement Liability Or The Perfect Storm?, Jonathan J. Darrow, Gerald R. Ferrera

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.