Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Torts
The Restatement's Rejection Of The Misappropriation Tort, Gary Myers
The Restatement's Rejection Of The Misappropriation Tort, Gary Myers
Faculty Publications
Some legal theories, like the proverbial vampire, refuse to die. The common law tort of misappropriation is one such legal theory, and the recent Restatement (Third) of Unfair Competition (Restatement) may finally lead to the demise of this outdated cause of action. Misappropriation began advisedly enough as a means of protecting certain intellectual property rights from unjust usurpation, often by direct competitors employing improper means. Arising before comprehensive copyright, patent, and trademark laws were fully developed, the tort may have played an important role in protecting intangible proprietary interests.The tort's high water mark was the 1918 Supreme Court decision in …
Defectiveness Restated: Exploding The "Strict" Products Liability Myth, David G. Owen
Defectiveness Restated: Exploding The "Strict" Products Liability Myth, David G. Owen
Faculty Publications
Strict liability in tort has occupied the core of modern products liability doctrine ever since Dean Prosser first penned the most often cited Restatement section in history-section 402A of the Second Restatement of Torts. In the Third Restatement, the ALl has completely restructured the definition of product defectiveness. The inscrutable phrase that has confounded courts and commentators for so many years- "defective condition unreasonably dangerous"- is now trifurcated according to the separate types of product defects: manufacturing defects, design defects, and warnings defects. In this important article, Professor Owen explores the conceptual developments that led to the restated liability formulations …