Law Commons^™

Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Patented Monkey: Patentability Of Cloned Organisms, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 971 (1998), Timothy G. Hofmeyer

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The advent of patent protection for genetically engineered inventions occurred in 1980 with the landmark Supreme Court decision in Diamond v. Chakrabarty. Following the lead of the Supreme Court, the Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO"), in 1987, issued a new regulatory ruling that expanded the PTO's statutory interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 101 patentable subject matter to include devices based upon nonnatural occurring manufacture or composition of matter resulting from some level of human intervention in the modification of nonhuman organisms. One year following the PTO proclamation, the first patent for a transgenic animal issue to Professors Leder and Stewart …

Lost In Cyberspace: The Digital Demise Of The First-Sale Doctrine, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 825 (1998), Keith Kupferschmid

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The Internet offers a means to create, copy and distribute copyrighted works of a quality and in a volume that was simply unknown before the World Wide Web was developed. A single Web page can be viewed by any of the millions of people with Internet access anywhere around the world, and "viewed" in terms of the Internet necessarily means "copied." This presents a problem when considered in the light of the First-Sale doctrine, which is part and parcel of § 109 of the Copyright Act. The doctrine allows a person to make a single copy of a copyrighted work …

Determining The Scope Of A Copyright Owner's Right To Bar Imports: L'Anza Research International, Inc. V. Quality King Distributors, Maureen M. Cyr

Washington Law Review

In L'Anza Research International, Inc. v. Quality King Distributors, the Ninth Circuit held that a copyright owner's right to bar imports is not limited by the first sale doctrine, which ordinarily prohibits a copyright owner from controlling the further distribution of copies after the copyright owner has consented to their sale. This Note examines the importation right in light of the purposes of the Copyright Act's distribution and first sale provisions, congressional intent behind the importation right, and the underlying purposes of copyright law. The Note argues that the first sale doctrine properly limits a copyright owner's right to …

Procd, Inc. V. Zeidenberg And Article 2b: Finally, The Validation Of Shrink-Wrap Licenses, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 439 (1998), Joseph C. Wang

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg, the Seventh Circuit validated a licensor's shrink-wrap license. This court was one of the first courts to validate such licenses. The case involved a graduate student, Zeidenberg, who purchased ProCD's telephone directory software program which contained the shrink-wrap license at issue. After Zeidenberg took the software home, he downloaded the information in the software into his computer and put the information onto a website, despite the language on the computer screen prohibiting such dissemination of the software's contents. Then, Zeidenberg allowed Internet users to use his website to access the directory originally located on the …

Who Owns The Web Site?: The Ultimate Question When A Hiring Party Has A Falling-Out With The Web Site Designer, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 857 (1998), Rinaldo Del Gallo Iii

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The question is "Who owns your web site?" This question is difficult to answer absent a copyright assignment clause since no one knows who the owner of the web site is under current law. There are several problems that occur when a web designer is placed in a position against the hiring party in determining ownership rights to a web site. It is important to distinguish ownership rights to a web site, since most contractual agreements between a web site designer and a hiring party do not address this issue. Every day, hundreds of new web sites are appearing and …

Foreword: "Article Of Manufacture" Patent Claims For Computer Instruction, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (1998), Allen B. Wagner

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Patenting Computer Science: Are Computer Instruction Writings Patentable?, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 5 (1998), Allen B. Wagner

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This paper opposes the IBM/PTO proposal to patent (as an article of manufacture) computer instruction fixed on computer readable media (so called media or Beauregard claims). The juridical issue raised is whether patents are limited to the utilitarian embodiment of inventions (the instructed machine) or may be extended to include mere symbolic expression (the machine instruction) fixed in a tangible medium. In Part I, the author argues (a) patenting symbolic expression breaches the intellectual property premise prohibiting property interests in mere abstract ideas, by avoiding both copyright merger and patent preemption doctrines, and (b) contrary to the PTO analysis, patents …

The Relative Roles Of Patent And Copyright In The Protection Of Computer Programs, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 41 (1998), Dennis S. Karjala

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The author approaches the problem of software patents from the perspective of copyright, where the debate over the appropriate scope of protection for computer programs continues to rage. This debate has largely followed the copyright tradition of considering copyright as a stand-alone statute, capable of resolving all of its problems with very little reference to other legal regimes and, in particular, with very little reference to patent law. It appears to the author that patent law has also gone about its business relating to software, from Benson to Beauregard, as if patent law were essentially the only relevant player. The …

A New Frontier In Patents: Patent Claims To Propagated Signals, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 75 (1998), Jeffrey R. Kuester, Scott A. Horstemeyer, Daniel J. Santos

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

If you thought "Beauregard" claims were a slippery slope to an uncertain end, you were right! The new frontier after In re Beauregard is the "propagated signal" claim -- a claim directed to a manufactured transient phenomenon, such as an electrical, optical, or acoustical signal, that could further revolutionize the way communications and software companies protect their intellectual property. It can make procuring patents less expensive and result in more extensive coverage, while challenging the limits of conventional wisdom. This new claim type will be viewed by some as a threat, and by others, as yet another step in the …

Patentability Of Computer Software Instruction As An "Article Of Manufacture": Software As Such As The Right Stuff, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 89 (1998), Vincent Chiappetta

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The last five years have witnessed a dramatic shift in the approach taken by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("CAFC") and, under the CAFC's stern if somewhat incomplete guidance, the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") to the seemingly intractable problem of determining whether software inventions qualify as patentable subject matter under the United States patent laws. Beginning with a series of CAFC decisions in 1994 and culminating with the PTO's issuance of its Final Examination Guidelines for Computer-Related Inventions (the "Guidelines") in 1996, the paradigm shifted from a "mathematical algorithm" based analytic structure to an …

Of Text, Technique, And The Tangible: Drafting Patent Claims Around Patent Rules, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 219 (1998), John R. Thomas

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Courts have long recognized and policed attempts to contract around the patent code. Settled law establishes that the proprietor of a patent which enjoys market power cannot extend that patent beyond its statutory term or restrain competition in an unpatented product via contract. Yet today a far more subtle and fundamental mechanism for drafting around the statute has materialized: the humble patent instrument itself. Patent drafters have only partially realized the remarkable set of tools they now possess for expanding the scope of patent-eligible subject matter, augmenting the market power of issued patents, and avoiding core precepts of the patent …

Statutory Subject Matter And Hybrid Claiming, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 277 (1998), R. Carl Moy

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The statutory subject matter provision of the United States patent code is one of that law's murkiest provisions. It has been the subject of repeated cases before the United States Supreme Court. Despite this, confusion and disagreement among the lower courts remains substantial. Much of the literature agrees that the law is in disarray. This paper isolates and treats one such problem: that of dealing with so-called "hybrid" inventions. Hybrid inventions are those that consist of both statutory and non-statutory elements grouped together. As such, their basic nature presents a classification problem. Hybrid inventions are mongrels, neither purely statutory nor …

The New World Of International Trademark Law, Marshall A. Leaffer

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Professor Leaffer discusses how the globalization process has forced evolution of international norms and favorably changed the face of trademark law. Professor Leaffer reviews the new developments in major treaties, the Madrid Protocol and the Trademark Law Treaty, and regional treaties, such as the new Community Trademark, and how they continue to build upon the progress of the Paris Convention toward harmonization in the world of international trademark law. Professor Leaffer explains that the benefits from the trend toward harmonization will be enjoyed not only by trademark owners, but also by consumers whose welfare will be enhanced by harmonization.

Trademark Harmonization: Norms, Names & Nonsense, Kenneth L. Port

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Professor Port provides a comment on Marshall A. Leaffer's article that offers another viewpoint on the important issue of the globalization process and trademark law. Rather than seeking ideals of international trademark laws through harmonization, Professor Port suggests that a better objective is internationalization. Professor Port explains that harmonization of international trademark law will be impossible as long as world communities adhere to territorial justifications for sovereignty and jurisdiction. Because goods flow in the reality of an international market, Professor Port reasons that initiatives to avoid inefficiencies and uncertainties of global trademark laws should be directed toward internationalization.

Trade Secrets And The New Realities Of The Internet Age, Ari B. Good

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

The author discusses the risks of industrial espionage and the misappropriation of trade secrets in view of the explosive growth of the internet. Good examines the legal challenges facing the evolution of trade secret law and proposes measures that will promote continued protection of proprietary information.

The Smell Of Success: Trade Dress Protection For Scent Marks, Faye M. Hammersley

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

The author discusses the implications of the United States Patent and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision In re Clarke, where the Patent and Trademark Office first issued trademark registration for a fragrance. Hammersley discusses expanding trade dress protection to include scents, the positive aspects of scent protection, and the potential of registering scents under current legal standards.

No Protection, No Progress For Graphical User Interfaces, Jane M. Rolling

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

The Author examines the courts' reluctance to grant intellectual property protection to graphic user interfaces, the visual elements of computer software. Rolling suggests that software manufacturers should seek trade dress protection of graphic user interfaces.

Table Of Contents

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

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"Gathering His Beames With A Christall Glass": The Intellectual Property Jurisprudence Of Stephen G. Breyer, Gordon R. Shea

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Focusing on Qualitex v. Jacobs Products, an opinion authored by Supreme Court Justice Breyer that extends trademark protection to colors, the Author examines Justice Breyer's attitude toward intellectual property law, how Justice Breyer's views were extended in Qualitex, and how Justice Breyer's views may affect intellectual property law in the future.

Acts Of Parliament: Privatisation, Promulgation And Crown Copyright – Is There A Need For A Royal Royalty?, Mark Perry

Law Publications

The road of privatisation of government assets is littered with the debris of mishaps and oversights. One clear illustration is the history and effect of the sale of the Government Printing Office (GPO) in 1990. Within the sale process there was a failure to ensure adequate consideration of the policy implications from an important perspective, namely the effect of privatising the means of promulgation of the normative materials of the State. Furthermore, there was no enquiry into the dubious assumptions made as to Crown Copyright in legislation.

Intellectual property rights in primary legal materials create a dilemma for policy makers. …

Interpreting The Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act Of 1994: The Justice Department Versus The Telecommunications Industry & (And) Privacy Rights Advocates, Hildegarde A. Senseney

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Note examines what began as a very common-sense idea: law enforcement's surveillance capabilities needed to be protected in the face of new, high technology communications devices that were making law enforcement's task much more difficult, if not impossible. This was the primary motivation behind the passage of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

As the compliance date fot the Act draws nearer, many issues are still open to fierce debate between the Federal Bureau Of Investigation, the telecommunications industry and privacy rights advocates. The telecommunications industry claims that the FBI is demanding capacity and technological standards …

Regulating Cyberspace: Metaphor, Rhetoric, Reality, And The Framing Of Legal Options, Clay Calvert

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article argues that the "information superhighway" metaphor is a strategically chosen rhetorical device used to frame debate about Internet and telecommunications regulation, to implicitly suggest the particular legal choices are more viable-and valid-than others, and to guide the future of law in cyberspace. In particular, the metaphor embraces a commerce-based, marketplace model of regulation that emphasizes speed and quantity of information as a product or good rather than the content or quality of communication and its ability to sustain extant communities and cultures. Along the way, the Article traces the development of the "information superhighway" metaphor and explores some …

Coscarart V. Major League Baseball: No Field Of Dreams, Ronald P. Wargo

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note explores a less glamorous aspect of baseball's "golden" past: the sport's forgotten and financially neglected players. Due to the structure of Major League Baseball's retirement compensation system, a certain group of former players--some of whom were stars in their day--were entitled to no retirement benefits at all from the sports which they helped make great. Focusing on an action brought by one of these former players against Major League Baseball (MLB), the note explores both the statutory and common law right of publicity claims that these ex-players may have against MLB for the uncompensated exploitation of the players' …

Down In Front: Entertainment Facilities And Disabled Access Under The Americans With Disabilities Act, Katherine C. Carlson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note deals with the problem of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in sports and entertainment venues. The beginning of the note briefly describes the scope of the ADA and the meaning of the provisions which are relevant to the problem of public entertainment facilities. It also discusses the remedies that the ADA offers in such accommodation situations. After this overview of the ADA's theoretical application, the note then looks at the ADA in actual practice and whether it has actually caused sports and entertainment facilities to adequately accommodate disabled patrons. An examination of some prominent cases …

A Proposal To Shore Up The Foundations Of Patent Law That The Underwater Line Eroded, A, Edwin H. Taylor, Glenn E. Von Tersch

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article examines the trend of modern patent jurisprudence in the United States, focusing on the development of the law since the landmark Federal Circuit decision of Underwater Devices Inc. v. Morrison Knudsen Co. Inc. in 1983. Specifically, the authors contend that Underwater and its progeny have skewed the proper interpretation and use of the rule against willful infringement, causing litigants to overuse (or even abuse) the willful infringement doctrine and, more importantly, inhibiting one of the twin goals of the patent laws, disclosure of useful inventions. To address this negative trend, the authors propose a change in the standard …

A Brief Return To The Digital Sampling Debate, Matthew G. Passmore

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note revisits the problem of digital sampling by musicians and the copyright law issues that arise from it. After briefly surveying the historical and technical aspects of digital sampling, the note asks the question: "are transformative digital samples art?" and answers in the affirmative. The note then looks at the goals and doctrine of copyright law, and how they are implicated by the digital sampling problem. Finally, the note advocates an expanded interpretation of the fair use copyright defense in digital sampling cases, arguing that such an expansion would both effectuate the goal of copyright enforcement and recognize the …

Bowie Bonds: A Key To Unlocking, The Wealth Of Intellectual Property, Nicole Chu

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Before David Bowie broke a new frontier in financing by selling $55 million in bonds backed by future music royalty payments and copyrights, music royalties and copyrights had never previously been securitized due to the uncertainty in predicting future cash flows. The concept of intellectual property securitization resolves the dilemma of inexpensively raising a large amount of money, while still retaining ownership in the underlying intellectual property. Asset securitization of intellectual property touches upon copyright, bankruptcy, tax, and securities law, as well as being impacted by the Uniform Commercial Code. This Note provides a brief overview of the securitization structure, …

Copyright, Culture & (And) Black Music: A Legacy Of Unequal Protection, K. J. Greene

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article explores how African-American music artists, as a group, were routinely deprived of legal protection for creative works under the copyright regime. The issue of copyright deprivation and Black artists is highly significant, given the enormous cultural contribution of Black music to American society, the importance of the music to Black culture, and the tremendous economic benefits at stake. As new issues develop in copyright law, it will be important to people of color, and to an egalitarian society as a whole, that the new copyright regime not duplicate the inequalities of the old. An underlying assumption of race-neutrality …

Signal Bleed: Congress Attacks When It Sounds Like Sex, Josh C. Grushkin

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Section 505 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 attempts to eliminate the phenomenon of signal bleed from sexually explicit adult channels. This Note argues that section 505 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 should ultimately be found unconstitutional, and that Congress address the phenomenon of signal bleed of sexually explicit programming through other alternatives which are less constitutionally offensive.

Toxic Television, Editorial Discretion, & (And) The Public Interest: A Rocky Mountain Low, Clay Calvert

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In the modem world of newsmedia, the lines between informative news and gratuitous entertainment have been blurred by a increase in "infotainment" broadcasting and by news shows which often use violence or other entertainment devices to increase audiences. This trend has given rise to concerns that the current regulatory scheme is not properly categorizing this type of "news" and is not sufficiently warning or protecting viewers. In this article, Professor Calvert examines the questions surrounding this controversy. To illustrate some of these issues, this article looks at a recent challenge brought by a Colorado group to the renewal of the …