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Full-Text Articles in Law
Framing The Issue: Avoiding A Substantial Similarity Finding In Reproduced Visual Art, Rachael Wallace
Framing The Issue: Avoiding A Substantial Similarity Finding In Reproduced Visual Art, Rachael Wallace
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Copyright issues are litigated in the United States every day. Yet attorneys representing visual artists settle suits more often when those suits involve the potential of a copyright infringement, partly because of the relatively few decisions on the matter. In Harney v. Sony Pictures, Inc., the First Circuit found that a copyrighted photograph could be copied to look nearly the same as the original because the copied elements were each unprotectable under the copyright. The copyright protected only those elements of the photo that were the result of the photographer’s choices in depicting the subject. The court held that …
Getting Beyond Abstract Confusion: How The United Kingdom's Jurisprudence Can Aid In Developing An Analytic Framework For Patent-Eligibility In Light Of Alice V. Cls Bank, Brendon Beheshti
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
This Article advocates consideration of the United Kingdom’s jurisprudence as persuasive authority for implementation of a new framework for analysis of subject matter eligibility of computer-implemented inventions in light of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. The U.K.’s patent jurisprudence provides a more developed and clear analytic framework that conforms to the policy objectives of Alice, while also avoiding the conceptual problem of determining what is “abstract.” The result is a more useful and concrete analytic framework that also reduces conflicts of laws, and thus can help spur innovation across the …
Hologram Images And The Entertainment Industry: New Legal Territory?, Stephen Anson
Hologram Images And The Entertainment Industry: New Legal Territory?, Stephen Anson
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Modern technology allows for the holographic reproduction of a dead artist’s likeness, with the ability to perform past classic works or new original artistic works. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival performance by the “holographic” Tupac Shakur in April 2012 dazzled an excited crowd and made the idea of bringing back deceased musical celebrities or other public personalities a reality. The use of such holographic performances is in its infancy, but the potential for possible intellectual property infringement is real and concerns the areas of copyright, trademark, and–most importantly–the right of publicity, which protects a celebrity’s name, likeness, voice …
Fixed Perspectives: The Evolving Contours Of The Fixation Requirement In Copyright Law, Evan Brown
Fixed Perspectives: The Evolving Contours Of The Fixation Requirement In Copyright Law, Evan Brown
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
To qualify for copyright protection under the current Copyright Act, a work must, inter alia, be fixed in a tangible medium of expression. This requirement is easily met when a work is embodied in a historical medium of mass expression like a printed book, photograph, or audio recording. However, when an author departs from such established media of fixation, the requirement can create a more significant barrier to copyrightability. Three decades ago, digital media provided one such challenge. Today, authors and lawyers alike are pushing the conceptual boundaries of communicative media, and this has led to some controversial recent …
Discovering The Undiscoverable: Patent Eligibility Of Dna And The Future Of Biotechnical Patent Claims Post-Myriad, Alex Boguniewicz
Discovering The Undiscoverable: Patent Eligibility Of Dna And The Future Of Biotechnical Patent Claims Post-Myriad, Alex Boguniewicz
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
In June 2013 the Supreme Court held that naturally occurring human DNA cannot be patented, but synthetically created DNA is patent-eligible. Though a major victory for patients’ rights, the holding of Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics appears to be the latest in a series of restrictions on patents and the human body, much to the annoyance of biotechnology companies. However, this case should not be viewed as the final word in patenting “natural phenomena.” Patent claims of genetic material are still viable when the claim details a new and useful improvement on the naturally occurring product or an …
Pacific Nortwest Perspective: The Impact Of The America Invents Act On Nonprofit Global Health Organizations, John Morgan, Veronica Sandoval
Pacific Nortwest Perspective: The Impact Of The America Invents Act On Nonprofit Global Health Organizations, John Morgan, Veronica Sandoval
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA) makes fundamental changes to the legislative landscape governing patent law in the United States and will bring about corresponding changes in the manner in which inventors and attorneys address patent issues. While the law is newly implemented, inventors in all sectors of the economy are eager to formulate reactions to it. In this Article, we explore the effects of the AIA on nonprofit research organizations dedicated to global health and life sciences. We report the perspectives of counsel representing such organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. We also consider the patent system, and …
Aereo And Cablevision: How Courts Are Struggling To Harmonize The Public Performance Right With Online Retransmission Of Broadcast Television, Sam Méndez
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Americans increasingly turn to the computer instead of the television to gain access to their favorite shows. With this in mind, Aereo allows its subscribers to stream broadcast television content to their computers, but does not compensate the broadcasters for these retransmissions. The broadcasters argue this violates their public performance right under the Copyright Act’s Transmit Clause, but because of Aereo’s curious technology platform, in which thousands of tiny antennas are each assigned to a unique subscriber, infringement is uncertain. The Supreme Court will soon hear American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc., arising out of the Second Circuit, …