Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Law

Patently Unconstitutional: The Geographical Limitation On Prior Art In A Small World, Margo A. Bagley Jan 2003

Patently Unconstitutional: The Geographical Limitation On Prior Art In A Small World, Margo A. Bagley

Faculty Articles

Part I of this Article provides an overview of § 102 of the Patent Act, the role of prior art in the patentability analysis, and the origin of the limitation on relevant non-patent, nonpublished art to that existing "in this country." Part II then analyzes the constitutional deficiency of the limitation in light of the express and implied purposes of the Intellectual Property Clause as informed by judicial decisions, technological changes, global contraction, and expanded notions of inventive research sources. Policy concerns are the focus of Part III, which discusses how § 102's geographical limitation facilitates forms of "biopiracy," conflicts …


University Technology Transfer And Economic Development: Proposed Cooperative Economic Development Agreements Under The Bayh Dole Act, Clovia Hamilton Jan 2003

University Technology Transfer And Economic Development: Proposed Cooperative Economic Development Agreements Under The Bayh Dole Act, Clovia Hamilton

Winthrop Faculty and Staff Publications

Technology transfer enables private industry and academia to make practical use of advanced research, development, and technical expertise. Indeed, universities are a rich source of science and technology that can support local government and business development as well as economic growth. Thus, it is essential for research universities to transfer their wisdom to the public for its use and benefit. Today, universities operate in an economic climate that requires both capital and knowledge; takes advantage of government technology initiatives (namely the Bayh- Dole Act);' and serves as a catalyst for the creation of a large number of new, incubated companies. …


Brief Of Law Professors As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Respondent, Thomas G. Field Jr, William O. Hennessey, Craig S. Jepson, Karl F. Jorda Jan 2003

Brief Of Law Professors As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Respondent, Thomas G. Field Jr, William O. Hennessey, Craig S. Jepson, Karl F. Jorda

Law Faculty Scholarship

Inventors lacking assurance of a market, or even the right to practice patented inventions, face considerable risk. Those who qualify for patents, in return for disclosure, receive only the assistance of the courts in excluding others from economic exploitation of their inventions. Already subject to many legislative and judicial limitations, patents should not be further subject to the functional equivalent of private inverse condemnation without congressional action.


Reconstructing The Software License, Michael J. Madison Jan 2003

Reconstructing The Software License, Michael J. Madison

Articles

This article analyzes the legitimacy of the software license as a institution of governance for computer programs. The question of the open source license is used as a starting point. Having conducted a broader inquiry into the several possible bases for the legitimacy of software licensing in general, the article argues that none of the grounds on which software licensing in general rests are sound. With respect to open source software in particular, the article concludes that achieving a legitimate institutional form for the goals that open source proponents have set for themselves may require looking beyond licensing as such.


Information Wants To Be Free: Intellectual Property And The Mythologies Of Control, R. Polk Wagner Jan 2003

Information Wants To Be Free: Intellectual Property And The Mythologies Of Control, R. Polk Wagner

All Faculty Scholarship

This article challenges a central tenet of the recent criticism of intellectual property rights: the suggestion that the control conferred by such rights is detrimental to the continued flourishing of a public domain of ideas and information. I argue that such theories understate the significance of the intangible nature of information, and thus overlook the contribution that even perfectly controlled intellectual creations make to the public domain. In addition, I show that perfect control of propertized information - an animating assumption in much of the contemporary criticism - is both counterfactual and likely to remain so. These findings suggest that …