Law Commons^™

Intellectual Property, John C. Yates, Michael W. Mattox

Mercer Law Review

This Article is divided in the following sections: (1) Recent History of Intellectual Property Developments; (2) Trade Secrets; (3) Trademarks and Unfair Competition; (4) Restrictive Covenants and Employment Issues; (5) Copyright and Fine Art; (6) Computer Crime; and, (7) Future Trends. Driven by the explosive growth of technology, the protection of intellectual property in the 1990s will undoubtedly prove to be one of the most dynamic and controversial areas of the law. The state legislature and the United States Congress are considering numerous bills which will affect intellectual property. This area of the law, therefore, requires careful monitoring of legislative …

Copyright, Computer Software, And Work Made For Hire, Matthew R. Harris

Michigan Law Review

Prior to the Supreme Court's 1989 decision in Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, the Circuits had disagreed over the question of whether independent contractors could qualify as "employees" under the doctrine. The Fifth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits defined "employee" narrowly, thereby excluding the majority of commissioned works from potential work for hire status. Applying a much broader definition of the term, the Second and Seventh Circuits included virtually all commissioned works as work for hire. The disagreement was not surprising, since the copyright statute does not include a definition of the term, and the legislative history fails to …

"Autocephalous Greek-Orthodox Church Of Cyprus V. Goldberg & Feldman Fine Arts, Inc".: Entrenchment Of The Due Diligence Requirement In Replevin Actions For Stolen Art, Stephen L. Foutty

Vanderbilt Law Review

Art prices are reaching spectacular heights. Current estimates place annual worldwide retail sales between ten billion and forty billion dollars;' each auction season, bidders smash previous price records. For example, at a May 9, 1989 Sotheby's auction, a buyer paid 47.9 million dollars for Picasso's self-portrait "Yo-Picasso"; Gaugin's "Mata Mau (In Olden Times)" sold for 24.2 million dollars. The next day at Christie's, an investor purchased a Monet for 14.3 million dollars, twice it's estimated value.' The inflated prices have inspired people without a prior interest in art to conceive a sudden passion for collecting by any available means. As …

Realizing The European Community Common Market By Unifying Intellectual Property Law: Deadline 1992, Victor Vandebeek

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Stranger In Parodies: Weird Al And The Law Of Musical Satire, Charles J. Sanders, Steven R. Gordon

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Federal Preemption Of The Right Of Publicity In Sing-Alike Cases, Leonard A. Wohl

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Antitrust & Professional Sports' Eligibility Rules: The Past, The Present, And The Future, Cathy E. Shore

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Fordham University Sesquicentennial 1841-1991 And Dedication, Editorial Board

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Willful Copyright Infringement: In Search Of A Standard, Jeffrey M. Thomas

Washington Law Review

The Copyright Act of 1976 provides for an increase in statutory damages where copyright infringement is willful. Because it is undefined in the Act, the meaning of willfulness is left to judicial interpretation. Courts have disagreed on the proper definition of willfulness and adopted tests that are vague and sometimes inconsistent with the Act's statutory damages provision. This Comment proposes an alternative to the present definitions and tests, and suggests that courts adapt a two-part willfulness test from the patent law test, which requires knowledge and an affirmative duty to investigate.

The Free Press-Fair Trial Conflict–What's A Lawyer To Say?, C. Evan Stewart

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Copyright Wrong: The United States' Failure To Provide Copyright Protection For Works Of Architecture

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

What's The Big Idea Behind The Idea-Expression Dichotomy? -- Modern Ramifications Of The Tree Of Porphyry In Copyright Law, Amaury Cruz

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Thomas G. Field Jr.

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Reviews of the following books prepared by Thomas G. Field, Jr., Editor-in-Chief of Risk:

Stephen D. Sugarman, Doing Away with Personal Injury Law, (1989).

Chet Fleming, If We can Keep a Severed Head Alive, (1988).

The Truth May Not Set You Free, Robert M. O'Neil

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

In The Aftermath Of Johnson And Eichman: The Constitution Need Not Be Mutilated To Preserve The Government's Speech And Property Interests In The Flag, Douglas W. Kmiec

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Territorial Scope Of Trademark Rights, William Jay Gross

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Idea, Process, Or Protected Expression?: Determining The Scope Of Copyright Protection Of The Structure Of Computer Programs, Steven R. Englund

Michigan Law Review

Courts considering the alleged copying of the structure, rather than literal copying of the text, of a computer program have usually concerned themselves with whether protected expression or an unprotected idea was copied. Courts have seldom suggested that it might be an unprotected process that was copied. However, this Note concludes that the legislative history of the 1976 Act indicates that that legislation's drafters envisioned a far more prominent role for the process-expression dichotomy than it has played to date. The process inquiry is at least as important as the idea inquiry in striking the proper balance between promoting progress …

California Lawyers For The Arts, Alma Robinson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

What Is Art - Toward A Legal Definition, Leonard D. Duboff

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

A great number of unresolved issues arise in the relatively new field of art law. The author considers several areas of the law, including copyright, customs, state and federal moral and economic rights statutes, and state consignment statutes in order to develop a legal definition of "art." This Article concludes that this definition depends on who does the defining; however, common threads exist. Some sort of originality on the part of the work is required. Additionally, legislators faced with defining art are consistently concerned with the scope of the definition. The author believes a definition that attempts to include more …

State Art And Artifacts Indemnity: A Solution Without A Problem, Nan Morris

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Prices for art works have risen enormously in recent years. For a museum to bring a major exhibition to the public often depends on the costs involved in insuring it. The Federal Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act provides some relief from these expenses. Additionally, three states, Florida, Iowa, and Texas, have enacted similar statutes to aid their museums in hosting exhibitions not covered by the federal act. Do these state statutes really fill a need, and, if so, why do so few museums seem interested in them? The author concludes that state indemnity will help exhibitors and that disinterest on …

Emma Bovary, Nathan Marx And The Writer's Art, Vivian Deborah Wilson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In this Essay, the author addresses censorship by examining public reaction to two literary works: Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Roth's Defender of the Faith. She presents the dangers of silencing writers to prevent readers from finding in these writings "confirmation for their own fully-developed intolerance, bigotry, hatred and violence."

Welcome To The Nineties, Bindrim V. Mitchell: Now Drop Dead, Robert Asa Crook

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Ten years ago Bindrim v. Mitchell roared like a lion, extending an author's potential to defame through fiction. Today, it appears that the lion may be a mouse. Courts are generally applying a higher degree of scrutiny in an effort to curb the "chilling effect" Bindrim could potentially wreak upon the artistic community. Artists and agents, however, should be wary of certain types of fiction which have no standardized protection. This Note suggests a standard which could protect all authors from nuisance suits brought by readers who assert that the fictional work is "of and concerning" them.

Preface To Jens B. Koepke's The University Of California Hate Speech Policy: A Good Heart In Ill-Fitting Garb, Edward M. Chen

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

The University Of California Hate Speech Policy: A Good Heart In Ill-Fitting Garb, Jens B. Koepke

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

A rising tide of racism and hate speech is rushing over American university and college campuses. Minority students are alienated and harmed by racist attacks inside and outside the classroom setting. The University of California has addressed the problem of hate speech by developing regulations barring students from using such speech on school grounds. This Note argues that the University of California policy sweeps too broadly and that its application of the "fighting words" doctrine is inappropriate in this context. The Note suggests an alternative policy recognizing the importance of protecting hate speech victims and legitimate speech.

My Life, My Story, Right - Fashioning Life Story Rights In The Motion Picture Industry, Michelle E. Lentzner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In 1956, Twentieth Century-Fox contracted with Christine Costner Sizemore for rights to her life story. At the time, Sizemore was suffering from a multiple personality disorder, which the resulting movie The Three Faces of Eve dramatized. Sizemore has since recovered. In 1989, she tried to sell option rights for a movie based on her third biography. Twentieth Century-Fox sought an injunction, claiming it exclusively owned the movie rights to her life story. The author explores the parameters necessary for drafting life story contracts, as well as the recourse available to a subject whose life story is appropriated for a movie …

Proposed Prior Art Legislation For Computer Program Patent Applications: Creating A Potential For Coexisting Patents, Reed R. Heimbecher

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Although both copyright and patent law can be used to protect computer programs, this Note suggests that sui generis protection should be established for software. The author provides background information, including a description of various computer related terms, a discussion of the patentability of algorithms, and a discussion of the United States Supreme Court's decision in Diamond v. Diehr. This Note then proposes that pending software patents, even if eventually granted, should not constitute prior art for computer program patents.

The Law Of Ideas: New York And California Are More Than 3,000 Miles Apart, Peter Swarth

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The 1989 Los Angeles County Bar Association Entertainment Law Writing Competition First Prize Winner.

Over the years, New York and California courts have moved in opposite directions on the question of protection for the purveyor of ideas. While California courts have expanded the rights of idea sellers to almost equal those found under copyright law, New York courts virtually deny any rights to the "idea man." Recent decisions by the Second and the Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals demonstrate just how far apart our two great centers of creativity have become.

Alternatives To Copyright Law Protection Of Graphic Characters: The Lanham Act And Antidilution Statutes, Robert E. Anderson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In an "information age" dominated by mass media entertainment, graphic characters have become increasingly valuable commodities. Federal trademark law and state antidilution statutes provide alternatives to copyright law protection of such hot properties as the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." This Essay explores how courts determine the existence of secondary meaning in characters, as well as which aspects of a character, such as a costume or nickname, may receive protection. The Essay concludes with an examination of new trends introduced by the entertainment industry and the law of unfair competition.

From Satirical To Satyrical: When Is A Joke Actionable, Sandra Davidson Scott

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article explores the often sexy landscape of satire and parody, asking the question, Has the law gone too far in denying plaintiffs recovery for satire that cannot be taken as literally true? The case of Pring v. Penthouse International provides the touchstone. The author addresses topics including Jerry Falwell's unsuccessful suit against Hustler magazine, the public figure/private person distinction, commercial appropriation of name and likeness, and the opinion/fact distinction. The Article concludes that courts show more sensitivity to commercial than personal injury and fail to appreciate that satire can damage reputations by raising suspicions that statements are based on …

Scarcity Of The Airwaves: Allocating And Assigning The Spectrum For High Definition Television (Hdtv), Janine S. Natter

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

High Definition Television (HDTV) promises a dramatic technological advancement in the quality of video and audio television. This Note asserts that local broadcast television networks must be allocated additional space on the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit the improved signals required for a competitive HDTV system in the United States. Unless additional spectrum frequencies are allocated for broadcast television, the spectrum presently allocated may be insufficient to satisfy all applicants. Therefore, a scheme must be developed to determine which applicants will be granted the right to use any additional frequencies. The author discusses various methods of assigning the spectrum and proposes …