Law Commons^™

Puntos De Contacto Entre La Economía Del Comportamiento Y El Derecho De La Propiedad Intelectual: Resultados De Algunas Investigaciones Iniciales, Maximiliano Marzetti

Maximiliano Marzetti

En el presente artículo se describe una nueva escuela económica, la economía conductual y se analiza someramente su potencial aplicación al ámbito del derecho de la propiedad intelectual. A modo ejemplificativo, se reseñan investigaciones de economía conductual que han estudiado la efectividad de los incentivos externos sobre las actividades creativas e innovadoras, el efecto rebote de las acciones civiles contra usuarios que descargan ilegalmente de Internet contenidos protegidos por el derecho de autor y el efecto creatividad que puede distorsionar el funcionamiento de mercado de propiedad intelectual para obras creativas. Finalmente, se destaca el rol de la evidencia empírica para …

Usando La Camiseta De Indecopi En El Poder Judicial: Trazos Sobre El Proceso De Modificación De Denominación O Razón Social Por Conflicto Con Signos Distintivos, Javier André Murillo Chávez

Javier André Murillo Chávez

No abstract provided.

Propuestas Para Ampliar El Acceso A Los Bienes Públicos En Argentina Estableciendo El Necesario Balance Entre Derechos De Propiedad Intelectual Y Dominio Público, Maximiliano Marzetti

Maximiliano Marzetti

Aplicamos un sistema de propiedad intelectual nacido en los albores de la revolución industrial a una sociedad del conocimiento global. Un régimen de escasez artificial choca contra la abundancia digital. Es hora de reequilibrar el balance perdido entre medios y fines, a la altura de los tiempos digitales que corren.

Lo Que Siempre Quiso Saber Sobre... Nombres De Dominio Pero Nunca Se Atrevió A Preguntar, Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Iñiguez Esq.

Rodolfo C. Rivas

The authors provide a brief overview of the domain name system and its dispute resolution regulation. The authors then delve into the new gTLDs and tackle some of the questions brought forward by its imminent introduction. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Los autores ofrecen un panorama general del sistema de nombres de dominio y la regulación de sus procedimientos de solución de controversias. Posteriormente, los autores profundizan en los nuevos gTLDs y tratan de responder a algunas de las preguntas presentadas por su inminente introducción.

The Origins Of American Design Patent Protection, Jason John Du Mont, Mark D. Janis

Jason John Du Mont

Many firms invest heavily in the way their products look, and they rely on a handful of intellectual property regimes to stop rivals from producing look-alikes. Two of these regimes—copyright and trademark—have been closely scrutinized in intellectual property scholarship. A third, the design patent, remains little understood except among specialists. In particular, there has been virtually no analysis of the design patent system’s core assumption: that the rules governing patents for inventions should be incorporated en masse for designs. One reason why the design patent system has remained largely unexplored in the literature is that scholars have never explained how …

Functionality In Design Protection Systems, Mark D. Janis, Jason J. Du Mont

Jason John Du Mont

In comparison to functionality doctrine in trade dress cases, scholars have paid relatively little attention to the role of functionality doctrine in design protection systems such as the U.S. design patent system and the EU Community Design regime. Yet functionality considerations potentially affect many validity and scope determinations in the design protection area. In this Article, we critically evaluate judicial application of the functionality doctrine in design protection systems, focusing on the U.S. design patent and EU design protection regimes. We argue that the doctrine as applied in these settings is too often aimless and inconsistent. Some simple doctrinal refinements …

Overlapping Intellectual Property Doctrines: Election Of Rights Versus Selection Of Remedies, Laura A. Heymann

Faculty Publications

Overlaps exist across various doctrines in federal intellectual property law. Software can be protected under both copyright law and patent law; logos can be protected under both copyright law and trademark law. Design patents provide a particular opportunity to consider the issue of overlap, as an industrial design that qualifies for design patent protection might also, in particular circumstances, qualify for copyright protection as well as function as protectable trade dress.

When an overlap issue arises—that is, when an intellectual property rights holder asserts rights under more than one doctrine—the question then becomes how courts should respond. One response, of …

El Product Placement Al Descubierto. Los Actos De Competencia Desleal Y El Uso De Marca En El Guión O Secuencias De Películas, Series De Televisión Y Programas, Javier André Murillo Chávez

Javier André Murillo Chávez

No abstract provided.

Intellectual Property Policy, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

Banksy Got Back? Problems With Chains Of Unauthorized Derivative Works And Arrangement Rights In Cover Songs Under A Compulsory License, Matthew Adam Eller Esq.

Matthew Adam Eller

This note will analyze the scope of copyright ownership in relation to chains of unauthorized derivative works and chains of arrangement rights in “cover” versions of musical recordings. In particular, the analysis will focus on the gray area in the law where an unauthorized derivative work is created by (“D1”) and then another author creates a second derivative work (“D2”) based off of D1. In situations such as these does the creator of the original derivative work have any rights in their creation if their derivative work was unauthorized? Further, depending on what rights do exist for D1, can the …

An Empirical Study Of Certain Settlement-Related Motions For Vacatur In Patent Cases, Jeremy Bock

Indiana Law Journal

When parties jointly move to vacate otherwise proper rulings as part of a settlement agreement, district courts often oblige. While the general practice of vacating rulings to facilitate settlement has been criticized in the academic literature as depriving the public of the benefit of judicial precedents, there are hardly any empirical studies on the prevalence of this practice and its effects, particularly at the district court level where the efficiencies arising from settlement—and the resulting pressure on the court to grant vacatur—are much greater compared to the appellate level. This Article endeavors to add an empirical study to the literature …

Migración A La Nube: ¿Está Segura Nuestra Información?, Rodolfo C. Rivas Rea Esq., Marco A. Vargas Iñiguez Esq.

Rodolfo C. Rivas

The authors discuss the benefits and risks of moving your business data to the cloud through case studies and offer practical tips to protect business confidential information stored in the cloud. //////////////////////// Los autores estudian los beneficios y los riesgos de almacenar datos e información en la nube a través de casos de estudio y ofrecen consejos prácticos para proteger la información comercial confidencial almacenada en la nube.

Increased Market Power As A New Secondary Consideration In Patent Law, Andrew Blair-Stanek

Andrew Blair-Stanek

Courts have developed nine non-technical secondary considerations to help juries and judges in patent litigation decide whether a patent meets the crucial statutory requirement of being non-obvious. This article proposes a new, tenth secondary consideration: increased market power. If a patent measurably increases its holders’ market power, that should weigh in favor of finding the patent non-obvious. This new secondary consideration incorporates the predictive benefits of several existing secondary considerations, while increasing the accuracy and availability of evidence for fact-finders to determine whether a patent is non-obvious.

Profits As Commercial Success, Andrew Blair-Stanek

Andrew Blair-Stanek

Courts often use the extent of a patented invention’s commercial success as crucial nontechnical proof of the patent’s validity. Relying on misguided economic reasoning, most courts use revenue as the primary yardstick for commercial success. This Note argues that courts instead should use profits as the proper measure of an invention’s commercial success. Current jurisprudence’s use of revenue reflects the flawed premise that firms maximize revenues rather than maximizing profits. As a result, courts will often find commercial success when the financial data suggest otherwise and vice versa. This Note finds the accounting and economic issues involved to be insubstantial, …

Reexamining Two Pesos, Qualitex, & Wal-Mart: A Different Approach…Or Perhaps Just Old Abercrombie Wine In A New Bottle?, Russ Versteeg

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Samara Bros., Inc., 529 U.S. 205 (2000), the United States Supreme Court held that, in order for a product design to be protectable under § 43(a) of the Lanham Act, the product design must first acquire a secondary meaning. Writing for the Court, Justice Scalia, reasoned that consumers, as a rule, do not expect a product’s design to serve as an indicator of source. The Court stated that product designs, like colors, do not ordinarily operate as source indicators, and that is why the Court established its rule that a product design must acquire a …

Recognized Stature: Protecting Street Art As Cultural Property, Griffin M. Barnett

Griffin M. Barnett

This Article discusses the current legal regimes in the United States implicated by works of "street art." The Article suggests an amendment to the Visual Artists Rights Act that would protect certain works of street art as "cultural property" - thereby promoting the arts and the preserving important works of art that might otherwise be at the mercy of property owners or others who do not share the interests of artists and the members of communities enhanced by works of street art.

A Discourse On The Public Nature Of Research In Contemporary Life Science: A Law-Policy Proposal To Promote The Public Nature Of Science In An Era Of Academia-Industry Integration, Michael J. Malinowski

Michael J. Malinowski

This article addresses the impact of integration of academia, industry, and government on the public nature of research. The article concludes that, while the integration has benefited science immensely, regulatory measures should be taken to restore the public nature of research in an age of integration.

Selected Resources On Copyright Law, Leonard Klein

Research Guides

This research guide provides specialized primary and secondary sources on copyright law, including specialized reporters on copyright law, interactive tutorials, and websites.

The Incompatibility Of Droit De Suite With Common Law Theories Of Copyright, Alexander Bussey

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Although proponents have recently been attempting to strengthen droit de suite, or artists' resale royalty rights, throughout the world, all laws based on the right are flawed — so much so that further implementation would have almost none of the positive effects that its sponsors hope for. This is to say that droit de suite, which is meant to protect young artists, actually discourages the creation of art by young artists, and reduces the amount of money an artist can make from a sale. Furthermore, droit de suite conflicts with basic common law notions of copyright and property and is …

A Pragmatic Approach To Intellectual Property And Development: A Case Study Of The Jordanian Copyright Law In The Internet Age, Rami Olwan

Rami Olwan

On October 4, 2004, Brazil and Argentina requested that WIPO adopt a development-oriented approach to IP and to reconsider its work in relation to developing countries. In October, 2007, WIPO member States adopted a historic decision for the benefit of developing countries, to establish a WIPO Development Agenda. Although there have been several studies related to IP and development that call for IP laws in developing countries to be development-friendly, there is little research that attempts to provide developing countries with practical measures to achieve that goal. This article takes the copyright law in Jordan as a case study and …

Do Trademark Lawyers Matter?, Deborah R. Gerhardt

Deborah R Gerhardt

DO TRADEMARK LAWYERS MATTER? Deborah R. Gerhardt Jon P. McClanahan This Article empirically examines whether lawyers make a difference in prosecuting trademark applications, and if so, how much. Working from a wealth of data the USPTO released in 2012, we examine the twenty-five year period of 1985-2010 to determine how much legal counsel matters in various stages of the trademark application process. First, we show how trademark publication and registration rates changed. Against that background, we examine how these rates differ if the applicant had legal counsel. By illustrating these differences over time, we show whether the USPTO has become …

Desktop Piracy Factories: Will Existing Law Be Enough?, Andrew J. Daddono

Andrew J Daddono

A brief essay on how the disruptive technology found in 3D printing will affect the future of our existing legal regimes for intellectual property, what foreseeable problems there are, and possible ways that we may address them.

Cooling-Off And Secondary Markets: Consumer Choice In The Digital Domain, Michael Mattioli

Michael Mattioli

This article studies the law and economics of cooling-off periods and secondary markets for online media. The discussion is fueled by a current debate: In July 2009, the online retail juggernaut, Amazon.com, remotely deleted literary classics from consumers’ portable “Kindle” reading devices. The public outcry and class-action lawsuit that followed have reinvigorated an ongoing debate about how much control digital media distributors should wield. Pundits and plaintiffs argue that too often, digital distributors like Amazon impair consumer freedom by misusing Digital Rights Management (DRM) software systems. However, these same systems could also provide significant benefits that have largely gone ignored. …

Communities Of Innovation, Michael Mattioli

Michael Mattioli

This Article examines and evaluates the theory that patent holders privately self-correct the government’s excessive apportionment of patent rights by means of various cooperative efforts including patent pools, research consortia, and similar licensing collectives. According to some experts, these efforts are proof that market participants have the wisdom and the will to collectively disarm their patent arsenals in order to advance long-term innovation. But until now, this theory of market self-correction has not been evaluated through empirical study. Drawing on interviews and original research, this Article provides an ethnographic view of collective patent licensing episodes. Amidst these stories of success …

Opting Out: Procedural Fair Use, Michael Mattioli

Michael Mattioli

This article explores the advantages of opt-out plans, and identifies a critical shortcoming in Copyright's doctrine of Fair Use. The discussion is fueled by a current controversy: In December of 2004, Google, Inc. announced its plan to digitally scan thousands of copyrighted books as part of a massive new digital indexing service. Hedging against possible litigation, Google provided a free and easy opt-out procedure for authors who didn't want their books scanned. Despite this measure, two major authors' groups have sued Google, claiming the opt-out plan imposes an unfair burden. This article explores the fairness of established opt-outs in contract …

Partial Patents, Michael Mattioli, Gideon Parchomovsky

Michael Mattioli

In this Article, we propose a way to improve the workings of the patent system. Unlike most extant reform proposals that focus on the USPTO and the Federal Circuit and the procedures they employ, our proposal is conceptual in nature. We introduce two new intellectual property forms—“quasi-patents” and “semi-patents.” Quasi-patents, as we define them, would avail only against direct business competitors of the inventor, but not against anyone else. Semi-patents would have the same scope as traditional patents, but their grant would be conditioned on an applicant’s consent to publish all research information pertaining to the protected invention. These two …

The Impact Of Open Source On Preinvention Assignment Contracts, Michael Mattioli

Michael Mattioli

This comment studies the implications of open source on pre-invention assignment agreements. Part I analyzes the basis for past enforcement of these contracts, with an eye toward distinctions between open source projects and more traditional commercial endeavors. Part II briefly reviews the history of patents and explores constitutional and contract-based arguments against the pre-invention assignment. Part III begins with a discussion of open source and then explores how this new phenomenon perfectly fulfills the goals behind the Patent Act. With these addressed, the central inquiry of pre-invention assignment agreements, as they could conflict with open source inventions, will be addressed. …

Piracy And Video Games: Is There A Light At The End Of The Tunnel?, Maxim Tsotsorin

Maxim Tsotsorin

Over the past couple decades piracy has become a relatively low-cost business – available technology has made making a copy of a videogame as easy as ripping off a music CD on your personal laptop – with a click of a button. Digital color copiers make CD inserts that look better than originals, and printing technology allows printing on CDs without messy stickers. In the Internet universe, multitude of bit-torrents and peer-to-peer sharing platforms provide videogame pirates with an unlimited distribution market and low cost operations. The industry’s countermeasures, however, also has not stayed still. The game developers employ a …

Super-Intermediaries, Code, Human Rights, Ira Nathenson

Ira Steven Nathenson

We live in an age of intermediated network communications. Although the internet includes many intermediaries, some stand heads and shoulders above the rest. This article examines some of the responsibilities of “Super-Intermediaries” such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, intermediaries that have tremendous power over their users’ human rights. After considering the controversy arising from the incendiary YouTube video Innocence of Muslims, the article suggests that Super-Intermediaries face a difficult and likely impossible mission of fully servicing the broad tapestry of human rights contained in the International Bill of Human Rights. The article further considers how intermediary content-control procedures focus too …

Open Minds: Lessons On Intellectual Property, Innovation And Development From Nigeria, Chidi Oguamanam, Jeremy De Beer

Chidi Oguamanam

A more robust and nuanced understanding of the role IP really plays in society is, in turn, a prerequisite to creating IP systems that drive innovation, economic growth, and human freedom. A holistic appreciation of not just laws and policies, but also practices related to IP and innovation will help developing countries design appropriate, context-specific systems of knowledge governance. To this end, this chapter offers an analysis of WIPO’s key role in IP training and education in developing countries, a country-specific case study of the Nigerian experience, and some strategic recommendations for creating a more open-minded IP education system. It …