Law Commons^™

The Recording Artist Agreement: Does It Empower Or Enslave, Lynn Morrow

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

In June 2000, Courtney Love, the controversial lead singer of the rock group Hole, lambasts, among other things, record company profits. In an essay entitled "Courtney Love Does the Math," she maintains that a recording artist agreement is itself a form of music piracy. She tells a compelling story about a band and a record company. As a result of a bidding war between the major labels, the band was given what is considered a huge deal-a twenty percent artist royalty and a million dollar advance. Providing a breakdown of how the million dollars was spent, Ms. Love calculates that, …

Trademark Law, Functional Design Features, And The Trouble With Traffix, Harold R. Weinberg

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This article concerns trademark law's functionality doctrine and the Supreme Court's troublesome opinion concerning it in TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. The doctrine provides that if a producer's useful or aesthetic design feature is "functional," then competitors can lawfully copy it even if the feature otherwise would be protected against copying by trademark principles. In order to introduce the functionality doctrine and the trouble with TrafFix, it is helpful to describe the nature of design features, the simultaneous roles they may play as source-identifying trade symbols and as useful or aesthetic product elements, and trademark law's place …

Introduction: From Sheet Music To Mp3 Files—A Brief Perspective On Napster, Harold R. Weinberg

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The Napster case is the current cause celebre of the digital age. The story has color. It involves music-sharing technology invented by an eighteen-year-old college dropout whose high school classmates nicknamed him "The Napster" on account of his perpetually kinky hair. The story has drama. Depending on your perspective, it pits rapacious big music companies against poor and hardworking students who just want to enjoy some tunes; or it pits creative and industrious music companies seeking a fair return on their invested effort, time, and money against greedy and irreverent music thieves. And the case has importance. Music maybe intellectual …

The Roulette Of Suffering, Ed Morgan, Rachael Turkienicz

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article explores the intersection of law, religion, and human suffering, drawing parallels between the unpredictability of legal outcomes in Holocaust-related litigation and the theological themes of the Book of Job. It argues that the legal system, like the biblical narrative, grapples with the challenge of assigning meaning to seemingly random events, particularly in cases involving state sovereignty and human rights. The analysis highlights the tension between the doctrine of state immunity and the pursuit of justice for victims of persecution, ultimately suggesting that legal outcomes often appear arbitrary, much like the suffering depicted in the Book of Job.

Intent To Use: A Failed Experiment?, Amy B. Cohen

Faculty Scholarship

When Congress enacted the Trademark Law Revision Act of 1988 ("TLRA"), it made the first truly radical change in trademark law since the passage of the Lanham Act in 1946. By adding Section 1(b) to the Lanham Act allowing applications for federal trademark registration to be based on an intent to use the mark, Congress for the first time provided a way to apply for federal trademark registration before actual use of a trademark. Congress made this change to bring United States law into closer conformity with the practice elsewhere in the world where use is not a prerequisite to …

Transmissions Of Music On The Internet, Daniel J. Gervais

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article examines the status of copyright laws in several countries as they pertain to transmissions of music on the Internet. Because the exact legal ramifications of music transmissions over the Internet are currently unclear, the Author compares copyright laws of six major markets and examines the potential application of the copyright laws and other rights that may apply. The Article also discusses rules concerning which transborder transmissions are likely to be covered by a country's national laws, as well as specific rules applying to the liability of intermediaries. Next, the Article summarizes the comparative findings and discusses the relevant …

Protecting The Performers: Setting A New Standard For Character Copyrightability, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

Copyright law protects expressions of ideas, but not the idea itself. Legal disputes over characters arise in the continuum between an idea for a character that has not been expressed at all, and an idea that has been given complete form and shape. The inconsistent common law tests developed to assess character copyrightability demonstrate the difficulty in pinpointing where the dividing line between an undeveloped idea and a sufficiently expressed character should be set. This Article offers a new paradigm for determining character copyrightability, particularly in the case of characters shaped through live performance, that tracks the Hegelian concept of …

Ucita: Still Crazy After All These Years, And Still Not Ready For Prime Time, James S. Heller

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Uncertain Future Of Fair Use In A Global Information Marketplace, Marshall Leaffer

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The author of this article forecasts an increasingly troubled future, if not the demise of the doctrine of fair use in copyright law. Legal developments, both at home and abroad, driven by technological change, and the push toward the international harmonization of legal norms, threaten the very survival of fair use. Given these realities the doctrine will, of necessity, be reconceptualized Although fair use values will always be inscribed in copyright law, these values will have their practical manifestation in decentralized form, and effectuated, in large part, through industry agreement. They will exist in conjunction with certain bright line exceptions …

Reconsidering The Federal Journalist's Privilege For Non-Confidential Information: Gonzales V. Nbc, Anthony L. Fargo

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Vertical Integration And Self-Dealing In The Television Industry: Should Profit Participants Be Owed A Fiduciary Duty?, Marc Simon

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Marriage Of Intellectual Property And Insurance Law: An Introduction, Leo P. Martinez

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Invading The "Homes" Of The Homeless: Is Existing Right-Of-Privacy/Publicity Legislation Adequate?, Laurel Kallen

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Digital Broadcasting: The Cost Of Copyright, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Music copyright issues pervade the Internet these days, but few have roots as far back as 1915. Since that time, radio broadcasters and copyright owners have found themselves embroiled in a conflict over the extent to which copyright law should and can dictate the terms and cost of broadcasting music. Advances in dig- ital transmission technology, followed closely by the introduction of two important legislative enactments, have kept the debate fresh in recent years. Now, an inter- pretative ruling by the Copyright Office as to the applicability of the latter to the former threatens to extend the dispute well into …

Fair Use And The Digital Distribution Of Music - Recording Industry Association Of America V. Napster, Inc. (A Comparative Analysis Of A Restraint On Copyright In The United States Of America And Trinidad And Tobago), Michelle Lisa Alexander

LLM Theses and Essays

The purpose of this thesis is to undertake a critical analysis of the Napster judgment and its treatment of the doctrine of fair use, to determine whether the doctrine can retain its integrity in the internet age. It is proposed that as technology advances, U.S. policymakers are moving away from the constitutional objectives of U.S. copyright law and are equating copyright interests with property rights, to the detriment of noncommercial users of copyrighted works. Further, it is suggested that the decision in the Napster litigation is important for the evolving landscape of U.S. copyright law, as it signals the difficulty …

Legalize It? -Osp And Peer-To-Peer Network Liability For Online Music Copyright Infringements In The United States And Germany, Christian Nils Jochen Engelhardt

LLM Theses and Essays

It may be useful to explain why a comparative approach was chosen. It is easy and comfortable to get caught up in one's own legal system and not look abroad. It is often difficult enough to understand and apply one’s own laws accurately and the study of a foreign legal system may seem an effort too great. Yet, this reluctance to look beyond the familiar is fatal to legal development and improvement since entirely new ideas are rare in the field of law and the main source of change and new approaches is borrowing from another legal system. If one …

Have Moral Rights Come Of Age, Jane C. Ginsburg

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Time To Say Good-Bye To Madonna's American Pie: Why Mechanical Compulsory Licensing Should Be Put To Rest, Theresa M. Bevilacqua

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

E-Commerce, Business Method Patents, And The Uspto: An Old Debate For A New Economy, Q. Todd Dickinson

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Does Ethics Make Good Law? A Case Study, Jeff Storey

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Preserving The Collaborative Spirit Of American Theater: The Need For A "Joint Authorship Default Rule" In Light Of The Rent Decision's Unanswered Question, Paulette S. Fox

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Allchin’S Folly: Exploring Some Myths About Open Source Software, Joe Miller

Scholarly Works

The twists and turns in the government’s antitrust case against Microsoft – from the D.C. Circuit’s stormy questioning at the two day oral argument in late February 2001 to its affirmance of the lion’s share of the government’s case in June 2001, and then from the settlement between the United States and Microsoft to the continuing battle by nine states for tougher sanctions – have garnered their share of press attention. But the high-profile antitrust case has not been the only Microsoft-centered controversy during the past year. Another involves the open source software movement about which Microsoft has professed grave …

Post Markman: Claim Construction Trends In The Federal Circuit, Daniel J. Melman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The strength of a patent as a legal instrument to protect an invention rests primarily on the drafting quality of its claims. The claims of a patent recite the invention "that is deemed by [the] applicant to be operable and patentable." Furthermore, the claims define the legal metes and bounds of an invention so that a patent owner can prevent others from making, using, and selling a patented product in the United States for a period of twenty years from the filing of the patent application. The Supreme Court has long held that a patent's claim, more so than any …

Letter From The Editor, Paul A. Fritzinger

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Over the last few years, the problems attendant to software licensing regulation have occupied an important position in the minds of legislators at the federal, state and local levels. In the early nineties, the National Conference of Commissioners for Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) recognized the potential for licensing problems presented by the use of computer software in the national arena as well as on the Internet and saw a clear need for regulations that would transcend state boundaries. In 1999, as a result of years of planning and careful drafting, NCCUSL promulgated the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) in …

Internet Service Provider's Liability For Copyright Infringement- How To Clear The Misty Indian Perspective, V.K. Unni

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Only a fool would question the role and relevance of Internet Service Providers in promoting the Internet. But, unfortunately, Internet Service Providers ("ISPs") are at the receiving end of many disputes involving Intellectual Property violations. The difficulty in pinpointing the real culprit has resulted in a piquant situation where the Internet Service Provider is often taken to court. United States' courts and courts of other advanced countries have confronted this issue since 1993 and have finally enacted specific legislation to solve this mind-boggling issue. The Indian Information Technology Act 2000 ("The Act"), enacted with much hype, is almost silent on …

International Protection Of The United States Trademarks: A Survey Of Major International Treaties, E. Brooke Brinkerhoff

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

Globalization of the world has forced the evolution of international norms. Never before has the world been able to communicate so quickly across borders. Instantaneous global communication-the ability to send and receive not just e-mail messages, but documents, videos, and software-enables this instant communication.

Information Technology And Non-Legal Sanctions In Financing Transactions, Ronald J. Mann

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay investigates the effect of advances in information technology on the private institutions that businesses use to resolve information asymmetries in financing transactions. The first part of the Essay discusses how information technology can permit direct verification of the information, obviating the problem entirely; the Essay discusses the example of the substitution of the debit card for the check, which provides an immediate payment that obviates the need for the merchant to consider whether payment will be forthcoming when the check is presented to the bank on which it is drawn.

The second part of the Essay discusses how …

Function, Nonfunction, And Monumental Works Of Architecture: An Interpretive Lens In Copyright Law, Melissa M. Mathis

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Japanese Intellectual Property Law In Translation: Representative Cases And Commentary, Kenneth L. Port

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Like much of Japanese law, Japanese intellectual property law is often criticized as being inaccessible. This inaccessibility has contributed to the misperception that Japanese case law regarding intellectual property does not exist. Even if it exists, the perception goes, it takes forever to track down and it is nearly irrelevant.

This Commentary, in a very modest way, is aimed at debunking the myth that Japanese case law regarding intellectual property is either non-existent or less meaningful than its U.S. counterpart. This Commentary consists of five translations of recent, significant intellectual property cases, as well as commentary regarding the relevance and …

Peer-To-Peer Sharing On The Internet: An Analysis Of How Gnutella Networks Are Used To Distribute Pornographic Material, Michael D. Mehta, Don Best, Nancy Poon

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

By our very nature, humans are creatures that communicate and network. Over the past several decades much of this communicating and networking has been facilitated by developments in information and communication technology. The social and economic transformations resulting from developments on the Internet have created several challenges for policymakers, lawmakers, courts and a wide range of other kinds of institutions. Some of these challenges are associated with the technologies and applications themselves. Other challenges result from content made available on the Internet and how users exchange data. Recent developments in peer-to-peer data exchange bring these two sets of challenges together.