Law Commons^™

Phoenix Rising? On The Fall And Potential New Rise Of State Trademark Rights, Charles Mcmanis, Henry Biggs

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

This article addresses the historical interplay of federal, state and common law trademark rights as they relate to the scope of geographic protection. The article looks closely at the narrow context where federal trademark law may arguably provide for state trademark law to prevail. The article notes, however, that the specific state trademark language necessary for that state trademark right to prevail has slowly vanished from most state trademark statutes. Yet while the door has seemed to be closing in this area, a relatively recent case, National Ass'n for Healthcare Communications, Inc. v. Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging, Inc, …

Canada's Inadequate Legal Protection Against Industrial Espionage, Emir Crowne, Tasha De Freitas

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

Canadian law provides little protection for individuals and corporations against industrial espionage. Akin to the United States' Economic Espionage Act of 1996-with its broad definition of "trade secret" and accompanying protections and remedies-we propose that Canada enact legislation at the federal level to remedy many of the deficiencies that arise in bringing a claim under the usual breach of confidence action.

Next Generation Copyright Misuse, Rebecca Sundin

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

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

Indiana Law Journal

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 …

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

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

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.

"Justifying" The Public Interest In Patent Litigation, Scott A. Allen

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicial Fitness For Review Of Complex Biotechnology Issues In Patent Litigation: Technical Claim Interpretation, Megan E. Lyman

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

Protection Of Intellectual Property Rights In Computers And Computer Programs: Recent Developments , Alan C. Rose

Pepperdine Law Review

The following article examines the protection offered to computers and computer programs, under the various applicable patent, copyright and trade secret laws. Concerning patent protection; the author discusses the history and current status of the patent laws, and analyzes in detail the landmark case of Diamond v. Diehr. Discussed also is an analysis of copyright protection for computer programs, offered by the 1980 amendments to section 117 of the 1976 Copyright Act; which paved the way for the increased protection.

States Escape Liability For Copyright Infringement?, Michelle V. Francis

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Toward A Limited Right Of Publicity: An Argument For The Convergence Of The Right Of Publicity, Unfair Competition And Trademark Law, Andrew Beckerman-Rodau

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

The right of publicity — the most recently developed type of intellectual property — allows a person to control commercial use of his or her identity. The scope of the right has expanded significantly since its inception because many courts and commentators have misinterpreted it, viewing it as a pure property right justified by a labor or unjust enrichment theory. Rather, this article contends that 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 of the right of publicity. The goal …

Harmonizing All Around The World: Re-Evaluating The Copyright And Treaty Powers In The Post-Golan Era, Derrick Wang

Maryland Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Reverse Engineering Ip, Tonya M. Evans

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

With the advent of the Internet and digital technology, the twenty-first century has ushered in a quantum increase in the ways to create, disseminate, and commercially exploit creativity. Digital technology allows anyone to create perfect digital copies of protected works in the comfort of their homes and to distribute them to tens, hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people with the click of a hyperlink via a handheld device. Indeed, copyright touches more ordinary people in substantial ways in this age of information than at any other time in American copyright history. READ MORE, download the article.

The Immorality Of Strict Liability In Copyright, Steven Hetcher

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

I will argue for a fundamental reconceptualization of liability for copyright infringement. Specifically, I will argue that the essentially unchallenged orthodoxy that copyright infringement is a strict liability tort is false. From the Supreme Court on down, it does not even appear to be questioned that copyright infringement applies a strict liability standard. Upon reflection, this is peculiar, given that this is anything but an innocuous doctrine. It is just the opposite; it is a doctrine that strongly favors copyright owners who may more easily prevail in infringement suits, as it will always be easier to establish strict liability as …

The End Of Ownership?, Donald F. Jankowski Ii

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Imagine for a moment that you are in the market for a new car. You find a sports car that you like, talk with a salesperson and ultimately purchase a new automobile. This car is effectively the same as thousands of other cars. It is a copy. You were not under the impression that you were buying the rights to the design of the car or to reproduce the car to the exact specifications as your own copy. However, you believe that you can do with this car what you will. You can put bigger wheels on it, put stickers …

Free Fashion, Ashley M. Marshall

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Our current vision of fashion is viewed as a shared art form that may be enjoyed by all social classes. Fashion encourages a melting pot of collaboration from people that are influenced by creativity. At its core, fashion is innovative and it inspires people to foster that same self-expressive conduit. Traditionally, fashion was a privilege and greatly restricted from certain classes. Indeed, Georg Simmel has proposed that in an open class society, the high class seeks to distinguish itself by adorning distinctive forms of dress, and in turn, the middle class adopts this form of dress to identify with the …

Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew F. Popper

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Almost a century ago, the United States Supreme Court declared that the prohibition against unfair competition serves to protect fundamental values and important rights. “[T]he right to acquire property by honest labor or the conduct of a lawful business is as much entitled to protection as the right to guard property already acquired. It is this right that furnishes the basis of the jurisdiction . . . of unfair competition.” The idea is simple: it is unfair to competitors and inconsistent with basic notions of market competition to allow market actors to steal the work or property of another and …

The National Institutes Of Health, Patents, And The Public Interest: An Expanded Rationale Of Justice Breyer’S Dissent In Stanford V. Roche, Nida Shakir

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

In February 2010, the Alzheimer’s Institute of America (AIA) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Jackson Laboratory, the largest repository of research mice in the world. AIA sued Jackson Laboratory for infringing on AIA’s patent covering a DNA mutation linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Jackson Lab allegedly violated that patent by distributing mice especially bred for Alzheimer’s research. READ MORE, download the article.

Logic, Not Evidence, Supports A Change In Expert Testimony Standards: Why Evidentiary Standards Promulgated By The Supreme Court For Scientific Expert Testimony Are Inappropriate And Inefficient When Applied In Patent Infringement Suits, Claire R. Rollor

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Local Patent Rules On Rate And Timing Of Case Resolution Relative To Claim Construction: An Empirical Study Of The Past Decade, Pauline M. Pelletier

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Wipo And The American Constitution: Thoughts On A New Treaty Relating To Actors And Musicians, Hannibal Travis Professor Of Law

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is seeking to reform U.S. copyright law. The WIPO Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (AV Treaty) would restrict the communication of actors' and musicians' performances without authorization. The treaty would probably make it illegal to display or show clips of performances, or make a movie or YouTube video by transforming or adapting other actors' or musicians' performances, particularly when the original credits and copyright information are dropped. This Article analyzes key provisions of the AV Treaty to ascertain whether they change US law, or merely globalize existing US doctrines. This Article describes the threat posed …

Tax Incentives For Innovation In A Modern Ip Ecosystem, Joshua Chao

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Technological innovation is a long-recognized catalyst for economic growth in the United States, and its promotion is an important feature of national economic policy, as evidenced by the presence of various tax incentives for innovation in the US Internal Revenue Code. Tax incentives are an important means by which governments can deliver subsidies to promote such innovation. To be effective, however, any system of tax incentives must be tailored for current economic conditions and competitive landscapes. In the current ecosystem of innovation in the United States, this means that, at the very least, the incentives for innovation in the US …