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From Kafka To Kafta: Intellectual Property, And The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Matthew Rimmer
From Kafka To Kafta: Intellectual Property, And The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Matthew Rimmer
Matthew Rimmer
The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement 2014 (KAFTA) is a Kafkaesque agreement – with its secret texts, speculative claims, and shadowy tribunals. Australia and South Korea have signed a new free trade agreement - the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement2014 (KAFTA). Is it a fair trade fairytale? Or is it a dirty deal done dirt cheap? Or somewhere in between? It is hard to tell, given the initial secrecy of the negotiations, and the complexity of the texts of the agreement. There has been much debate in the Australian Parliament over the transparency of the trade agreement; the scope of market access …
Trademark Law And The Prickly Ambivalence Of Post-Parodies, Charles E. Colman
Trademark Law And The Prickly Ambivalence Of Post-Parodies, Charles E. Colman
Charles E. Colman
This Essay examines what I call "post-parodies" in apparel. This emerging genre of do-it-yourself fashion is characterized by the appropriation and modification of third-party trademarks — not for the sake of dismissively mocking or zealously glorifying luxury fashion, but rather to engage in more complex forms of expression. I examine the cultural circumstances and psychological factors giving rise to post-parodic fashion, and conclude that the sensibility causing its proliferation is one grounded in ambivalence. Unfortunately, current doctrine governing trademark parodies cannot begin to make sense of post-parodic goods; among other shortcomings, that doctrine suffers from crude analytical tools and a …
Friend Or Faux: The Trademark Counterfeiting Act's Inability To Stop The Sale Of Counterfeit Sporting Goods, Jennifer Riso
Friend Or Faux: The Trademark Counterfeiting Act's Inability To Stop The Sale Of Counterfeit Sporting Goods, Jennifer Riso
Jennifer Riso
The demand for counterfeit sporting goods, such as jerseys and other apparel, is on the rise as the prices of authentic goods continue to increase. The Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984 criminalizes the import and sale of counterfeit goods, but is ineffective at addressing the demand side of counterfeit goods. This paper analyzes the history behind the Act and recommends ways to ensure that the act will stay relevant as technology makes it easier to purchase counterfeit goods.
The Anti-Economy Of Fashion: An Openwork Approach To Intellectual Property Protection, Amy L. Landers
The Anti-Economy Of Fashion: An Openwork Approach To Intellectual Property Protection, Amy L. Landers
Amy L Landers
Fashion’s cultural connections provide the groundwork for a theory to resolve the critical questions of protection for works that draw strongly on exogenous inputs. This article proposes that narrow protection for fashion is both economically justified, theoretically sound, and beneficial to the field because it facilitates spillovers in a manner that allows others to create the endless variations that are the lifeblood of this vibrant industry. Such protection relies on a theory of openworks, which applies to designs that have a high level of input from outside of the creator’s realm of activity. In fashion, inspiration that derives from the …
Aesthetic Functionality And Genericism, Charles E. Colman
Aesthetic Functionality And Genericism, Charles E. Colman
Charles E. Colman
This presentation, the basis for a working article, begins by positing that U.S. trademark law's denial of exclusive rights in "generic" words and phrases is, in essence, a proxy for what might be called "linguistic functionality." In other words, the doctrine of genericism is simply one iteration of trademark law's general principle that no one may claim exclusive rights where recognition of such rights would produce anticompetitive results. Unfortunately, when it comes to non-word marks -- and perhaps most notably, product-design "trade dress" -- courts have neglected to establish a uniform, coherent, and fully theorized test for evaluating "genericism." The …
Pruning The European Intellectual Property Tree - In Search Of Common Principles And Roots, Severine Dusollier
Pruning The European Intellectual Property Tree - In Search Of Common Principles And Roots, Severine Dusollier
Severine Dusollier
The European Union knows a multiplicity of IP rights, from classical ones (copyright, patent, trademark or design) to more marginal ones, in terms of economic sectors concerned (rights in database, in plant varieties, in semiconductors, in geographical indications). This paper aims at identifying and assessing the existing similarities or common principles in the intellectual property rights in the European Union. Despite their apparent diverging functions, subject matter and scope of protection, copyright, trademark, patent and the other intellectual property rights share at least the fact that they belong to a set of rules granting some exclusive rights in intangible assets, …
Stolen Valor And The First Amendment: Does Trademark Infringement Law Leave Congress An Opening?, Susan Richey, John M. Greabe
Stolen Valor And The First Amendment: Does Trademark Infringement Law Leave Congress An Opening?, Susan Richey, John M. Greabe
John M Greabe
This paper elaborates an argument the authors presented in an amicus brief filed in United States v. Alvarez, the "Stolen Valor" case. The paper contends that Congress could constitutionally protect the Congressional Medal of Honor as a collective membership mark by means of trademark infringement legislation.
Toward A Limited Right Of Publicity: An Argument For The Convergence Of The Right Of Publicity, Unfair Competition & Trademark Law, Andrew Beckerman Rodau
Toward A Limited Right Of Publicity: An Argument For The Convergence Of The Right Of Publicity, Unfair Competition & Trademark Law, Andrew Beckerman Rodau
Andrew Beckerman Rodau
The right of publicity, the newest type of intellectual property, allows a person to control commercial use of his or her identity. The scope of the right has expanded significantly because many courts and commentators have misinterpreted it by viewing it as a pure property right justified by a labor or unjust enrichment theory. It should be evaluated in light of the utilitarian justification for intellectual property law. Rewarding people by allowing them to monetize their public persona is not the goal. The goal is to incentivize individuals to engage in creative endeavors for the benefit of the public. An …
A Question Of Deference: Contrasting The Patent And Trademark Jurisdiction Of The Federal Circuit, Brian Dean Abramson
A Question Of Deference: Contrasting The Patent And Trademark Jurisdiction Of The Federal Circuit, Brian Dean Abramson
Brian Dean Abramson Esq.
This article details the various routes by which a patent or trademark matter may fall within the purview of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the divergent jurisdictional approach taken by the Federal Circuit to these different areas of law. This article was a top five finalist out of 125 submissions to the Federal Circuit Bar Association’s 2009 George Hutchinson Writing Competition.
Internet Infoglut And Invisible Ink: Spamdexing Search Engines With Meta Tags, Ira Nathenson
Internet Infoglut And Invisible Ink: Spamdexing Search Engines With Meta Tags, Ira Nathenson
Ira Steven Nathenson
This Article addresses 'spamdexing,' namely, the practice of stuffing invisible keywords into webpages in order to try to get more favorable listings with search engines. For instance, some website owners will stuff the trademarks of competitors into a webpage’s code, particularly by using 'meta tags,' indexing keywords that can be hidden in a webpage’s source code. Although meta tags are not typically viewed by users, the code can be read by search engines, with the result that webpages may be improperly boosted in search engine rankings. Such practices can confuse the public and have also spurred trademark lawsuits. But the …
Showdown At The Domain Name Corral: Property Rights And Personal Jurisdiction Over Squatters, Poachers And Other Parasites, Ira Nathenson
Showdown At The Domain Name Corral: Property Rights And Personal Jurisdiction Over Squatters, Poachers And Other Parasites, Ira Nathenson
Ira Steven Nathenson
This paper on domain names disputes has two main goals. The first is to analyze the principal points of litigation in domain name disputes, namely, personal jurisdiction and trademark liability. The second is to propose an analytic framework to better help resolve matters of jurisdiction and liability. Regarding personal jurisdiction, domain names are problematic because an internet site can be viewed almost anywhere, potentially subjecting the domain name owner to suit everywhere. For example, should a Florida domain name owner automatically be subject to suit in Alaska where the site can be viewed? If not, then where? Regarding liability, trademark …