Law Commons^™

Proposed Changes To Japanese And United States Patent Law Enforcement Systems, Marvin Mostenbocker

Washington International Law Journal

Recent changes made to Japanese and American patent procedural laws have not addressed the contentious issue of patent enforcement. Purely technical decisions concerning patent rights and their enforcement need to be consistent between jurisdictions of each country. Courts of both countries are second guessing purely technical decisions of their patent offices and interfering with the smooth and predictable development of new technology and its associated rights. This particularly hurts noncitizen patentees who are unfamiliar with the particular legal customs of the other country. It is proposed that technical patent scope determination during Japanese patent infringement litigation be delegated to the …

Contracts, Copyright And Preemption In A Digital World, I Trotter Hardy

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Copyright is designed to provide some form of protection against unauthorized use of original informational materials. The rapid shift of information production and distribution to electronic form, with its corresponding ease of copying, naturally makes copyright-dependent industries nervous. Much talk in the news and on the "net" these days is about the future of copyright law, a law developed in an age of print and now perhaps too tied to that medium to have ready application to today's information technology.

Letter From The Editor, Richard P. Klau

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Over the last eight months, several people have asked why we decided to publish The Journal exclusively online. These concerns are not insignificant -- any embrace of a new technology should be made without blinders on. We were excited by the possibilities of publishing online, but the fears that we would not be taken seriously were very real. These fears have, however, been overcome by the enthusiasm which has greeted The Journal.

Overreaching Provisions In Software License Agreements, Michael Liberman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Historically, software license agreements emerged as the most popular means of protection of proprietary rights in computer software. As a common form of contract and trade secret protection, software licenses coexist with other forms of intellectual property rights such as patent and copyright. The importance of these forms of protection has recently increased. Where the licensor fails to consider the implications of the relation between these forms of protection, the licensor's attempts to maximize contractual protection while restricting the licensee's activities regarding the licensed software may result in overreaching. Under these circumstances, a court may invalidate the license agreement in …

Apple V. Microsoft: Virtual Identity In The Gui Wars, Joseph Myers

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The company that controls the interface of the next major operating system will have the ability to set the standards for application software. It was not surprising that Apple Corporation began its fight to stop Windows from being that major operating system after Microsoft Corporation introduced the various versions of its Windows software and announced plans for this program to replace the already widely selling DOS operating system. Unfortunately, Apple chose to conduct this war on the complex and often confusing battleground of copyright law, which ultimately proved to be its downfall.

Baseball's Antitrust Exemption, Michael H. Juarez

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Major League Baseball (Baseball) traditionally has enjoyed an exemption from antitrust laws even though Baseball is a business that clearly engages in interstate commerce. This antitrust immunity has allowed owners to restrict franchise expansion and relocation as well as to shackle players to a given team by using the reserve system. 1993 congressional hearings indicate that Congress has maintained the exemption in exchange for Baseball acting in the best interests of the American public. However, incidents over the past few years point to Baseball's repeated disregard of the public interest. This Note contrasts the relevant case law and congressional response …

Emerging Antitrust Issues Affecting The Computer Industry, Kelly A. O'Connor

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Computer industry marketing practices have been subject to frequent challenge under U.S. antitrust laws since the early 1980s. These challenges have principally been based on tying arrangement analysis under section 1 of the Sherman Act and section 3 of the Clayton Act, or monopolization under section 2 of the Sherman Act. This article discusses the background of the Supreme Court's treatment of computer industry marketing practices under U.S. antitrust law, establishes qualifications for acceptable marketing practices by reviewing the recent Supreme Court decisions Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services and Data General Corp. v. Grumman System Support Corp., and …

The Know-How Gap In The Trips Agreement: Why Software Fared Badly, And What Are The Solutions, J. H. Reichman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The TRIPS Agreement establishes universal minimum standards of intellectual property protection that will enable software producers to repress the wholesale duplication of their products in the global marketplace. These standards, however, will not effectively require World Trade Organization member states to issue software patents or to provide copyright protection for the functionally determined components of computer programs that account for most of their commercial value. Nor does this Agreement prevent the reverse engineering of technical ideas by honest means if competitors express their analytical results in independently created programs.

This Article discusses the impact of the TRIPS provisions governing patents, …

American Geophysical Union V. Texaco: Is The Second Circuit Playing Fair With The Fair Use Doctrine, Shannon S. Wagoner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In American Geophysical Union v. Texaco, the Second Circuit held that a corporate employee's unauthorized photocopying of eight journal articles for personal research and reference is not a fair use under the Copyright Act. This decision tested the legal parameters of photocopying by for-profit institutions, and established that traditional copying practices will now expose many private organizations to infringement liability. This Note examines the Texaco case, the Copyright Act, and the Copyright Clearance Center, an organization which played a pivotal role in the Second Circuit's decision. The author contends that the Texaco decision is contrary to the original purpose of …

Swifties, Shifties, And That E-Biz Jazz: The Ethical Roles Of Attorney/Literary Agents, Bruce S. Stuart

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

It is no secret that attorney authors are making their mark on the book publishing industry as books by and about lawyers occupy more than a fair share of both THE NEW YoRK TIMES and PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY bestseller lists. But what about the lawyers behind the scenes-those who broker those bestseller deals? From the late literary agent extraordinaire Swifty Lazar to power literary deal maker Morton Janklow, this Article will examine how the attorney literary agent evolved and the ethical considerations incumbent upon attorneys who also don the hat of author representative.

This article will demonstrate through the use of …

A Proposed Defamation Standard For Commercial Information Systems, Frank P. Darr

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The computer bulletin board presents a difficult legal problem when defamation is at issue. Because defamation standards vary with the role of the publisher in the distribution process, the legal responsibility of the bulletin board's sponsor is uncertain.

This Article criticizes the current analogical approach used by the courts. It also rejects the negligence and strict liability rules. Instead, the Article proposes a "reason to know and reasonable time to remove standard," which comports with constitutional requirements, practical limits to preventing defamation, and the countervailing need to prevent injury.

Facilitating Telemedicine: Reconciling National Access With State Licensing Laws, Stacey Swatek Huie

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Telemedicine is a growing phenomenon which is being promoted by the states, the federal government, and private groups. Telemedicine offers many benefits not available through traditional forms of medical practice. As certain practices involved in telemedicine conflict with state licensing laws, a solution balancing the needs of telemedicine against the states' interest in preserving the health and safety of their citizens is needed if telemedicine is to prosper. This Note outlines the benefits and problems associated with telemedicine, discusses the current state licensing laws and the dangers those laws seek to prevent, and proposes solutions reconciling the two.

Berne, Cfta, Nafta & (And) Gatt: The Implications Of Copyright Droit Moral And Cultural Exemptions In International Trade Law, Stephen Fraser

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Beginning with the United States' accession to the Berne Union in 1988-89, through the negotiations for the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the latest round of the General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade (GAIT), copyright law and its attendant industries have become important foci in the area of international trade. Although the United States may be the world leader in the dissemination of movies, television programs, music, and books and even though through Berne, CFTA, NAFTA, and GATT the United States has managed to obtain increased protection for copyrighted content, it …

Telecommunications In The United Kingdom: A Prototype For Deregulation Or A Flash In The Pan, Sean P. Farrell

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The United Kingdom maintains the world's most extensively deregulated telecommunications market. This Note examines the United Kingdom's history of telecommunications deregulation, the principal components of its deregulatory efforts, and the results obtained thus far. With respect to the principal components of deregulation, this Note's analysis focuses upon the United Kingdom's regulatory policy decisions, the efficacy of the British regulatory agency, and the adaptability of the British regulatory framework. In addition to drawing certain conclusions regarding the United Kingdom's deregulatory success, this Note also offers some general comparisons regarding proposed regulatory reforms within the United States.

Now That The Future Has Arrived, Maybe The Law Should Take A Look: Multimedia Technology And Its Interaction With The Fair Use Doctrine, Jonathan Evan Goldberg

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

New Rules For Old Problems: Defining The Contours Of The Best Mode Requirement In Patent Law A Review Of Recent Decisions Of The United States Court Of Appeals For The Federal Court , Roy E. Hofer, L. Ann Fitzgerald

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Using Section 337 Of The Tariff Act Of 1930 To Block Materially Different Gray Market Goods In The Common Control Context: Are Reports Of Its Death Greatly Exaggerated?, Margo A. Bagley

Faculty Articles

This Comment examines the primary reasons for trademark owners within the common control exception to revisit section 337 when faced with materially different gray market goods. Part One discusses the issues in and history of the gray market goods controversy, and the common control exception. Part Two focuses on section 337: how it works, its use in gray market goods cases, and how it has changed as a result of amendments in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 and in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994. Part Three traces the changes in the gray market landscape favorable …

Commentary: Copyright From Stone Age Caves To The Celestial Jukebox, Nicholas W. Allard

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

On December 18, 1994, a group of exquisite and incredibly well-preserved Stone Age paintings were discovered in the mountains of southern France. Because the presence of visitors would hasten the artwork's deterioration, the public will likely not be allowed to view the paintings. Fortunately, a mere month after their discovery, images of the prehistoric art appeared on the Internet and have been transmitted around the world on commercial and noncommercial systems. The author utilizes this archeological cache as both an example of the uses of advanced information technology and a colorful fact pattern to explore many of the challenges facing …

The Benefits Of Alternative Dispute Resolution In Intellectual Property Disputes, Miriam R. Arfin

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

There are numerous reasons for avoiding traditional litigation in intellectual property disputes. Given the often complex nature of intellectual property cases, litigation may not always offer the best method of resolution. By contrast, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes can offer distinct advantages over litigation. Consequently, ADR should play a greater role in these intellectual property disputes. This Article illustrates the advantages of ADR in intellectual property disputes through a case study, and explores various options within the ADR process. The Article focuses on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and provides a method for choosing, …

Deference, Defiance, And Useful Arts, Craig Allen Nard

Faculty Publications

My objective in this Article is to demonstrate that the PTO's patentability determinations are questions of policy and, therefore, the Federal Circuit's standards of review, as applied to these determinations, are unsound. With respect to the Commissioner's statutory interpretations, I intend to demonstrate that the court's “traditional factors of statutory construction,” which are used in such a way as to avoid deferring to the PTO, result in irrational decisions, or at the very least, an alternative theory of interpretation no more convincing than that put forth by the PTO. My principle assertion, grounded in both doctrine and policy, is that …

The Data Transfer Industry: Communications Regulation For The Next Century, Robert S. Tanner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Technology and competition are pushing a trend of convergence in the separate communications industries. In particular, telephone and cable companies are rapidly developing or acquiring the capacity to compete in each other's businesses. The evolution of this trend will be a larger unified marketplace where companies compete broadly in many forms of communications or data transfer. Companies in the data transfer industry will need to be able to make the most efficient use of their infrastructure to provide an array of services to the consumer.

Convergence has strained the fabric of existing communications law in the United States, and it …

Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold: Songwriter-Music Publisher Agreements And Disagreements, Don E. Tomlinson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The standard-form long-term exclusive songwriter-music publisher "agreement" may be as good an example of a classic adhesion contract as any in American business life.. Music publishers have tremendous bargaining power; songwriters, at least in their early professional years, have little or none. It is no surprise, then, that such contracts heavily favor the music publisher and almost always are offered to beginning professional songwriters on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. While English courts have begun to recognize the "unconscionability" issue in these contracts-especially in relation to music publishers having no contractual obligation to "exploit" the copyrights received from songwriters under such agreements-American …

Nafta: The Latest Gun In The Fight To Protect International Intellectual Property Rights, Karen Kontje Waller

Penn State International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Computers, Copyright And Substantial Similarity: The Test Reconsidered, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 47 (1995), Jeffrey D. Coulter

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Courts focus on the Substantial Similarity test to determine copyright infringement. They also use testimony from experts and lay people. As a result, there is a tension between preserving artist’s rights and preserving a competitive market. This tension is especially problematic in the context of copyright protection of computer software. Nonetheless, copyright law does protect computer software. Resulting amendments in the Copyright Act defined "computer program" and ensured that copyright protection was extended to all computer programs. The Substantial Similarity test applied to computer programs creates several concerns. Lack of access to expert testimony in the crucial second phase of …

Revising The Copyright Law For Electronic Publishing, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (1995), David J. Loundy

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The Copyright Act has historically been amended to address technological changes. The Act has been shaped to apply to new situations not previously considered by the original authors. Rather than pass a new Copyright Act to address computer programs and technology, the current Act should be repaired. The changes made to the Copyright Act as a result of the CONTU report provide some necessary updating to the Act, but the increasing use of computer technology is demanding additional refinements to the Copyright Act. In order to amend the Copyright Act with the least amount of disruption, the definition of a …

A Lawyer's Roadmap Of The Information Superhighway, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 177 (1995), Mark L. Gordon, Diana J.P. Mckenzie

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article provides an interesting historical look at the early days of the Internet. Giving the article more of the feel of a business journal article than a legal analysis, it introduces the uninitiated to the legal framework surrounding the development of the Internet. The authors begin with a brief overview of the Internet's creation, from a decentralized military and scholarly network to the commercial entity it is today. Moving into a description of who is fueling the growth of the Internet as a commercial endeavor, the authors describe how several large telecommunications companies, including cable television and cellular telephone …

Reinventing The Examination Process For Patent Applications Covering Software-Related Inventions, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 231 (1995), Alan P. Klein

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article examines the issues inherent in patenting software-related inventions, particularly where mathematical algorithms are concerned. Software-related inventions are difficult to patent because they often contain mathematical algorithms, and mathematical algorithms are not patentable subject matter. The PTO recognizes that this approach -- simply identifying the algorithm-containing software as non-patentable -- precludes the need to address the more difficult test of whether software-related inventions are new or not obvious over prior art. The author proposes an improved examination procedure to replace the PTO's current three-step test. The existing PTO examination procedure entails determining whether the claim merely recites a mathematical …

Computer Software: Intellectual Property Protection In The United States And Japan, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 245 (1995), Jack M. Haynes

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Software, and not hardware, forms the interface between computer users and the machines those users operate, thus allowing the users to accomplish their tasks. These software programs, no less than hardware, are in need of intellectual property (IP) protection. The process of creating new programs occurs only through extensive software development, which is often costly and time consuming. Therefore, the need for software IP protection is apparent. This comment helps readers to fully understand the ramifications of the presence or absence of software IP protection, by first examining the overall structure of a computer and the interplay between its various …

The Rodney King Beating: Beyond Fair Use: A Broadcaster's Right To Air Copyrighted Videotape As Part Of A Newscast, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 269 (1995), Leslie Ann Reis

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article discusses the copyright implications of news broadcasters using videotape and other images in their newscasts. News broadcasters obtain audio and video materials for use in their broadcasts, and on most occasions they obtain these materials from a variety of sources. The broadcaster cannot infringe on the copyright of the news source unless given permission by the source or decide to use it under the Fair Use Doctrine. However, a newscaster may also use the copyrighted material under a possible exception created by the First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The law that provides a creator with …

Don't Get Caught In The Net: An Intellectual Property Practitioner's Guide To Using The Internet, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 373 (1995), Mark A. Kassel, Joanne Keane Kassel

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The 'Net, AKA the Internet, has quickly become one of the most efficient and prevalent forms of communication. By linking through a common protocol, the Internet connects computer networks worldwide and provide seamless access to information. In this introductory guide to the Internet, the author takes readers -- IP practitioners, general legal practitioners, etc. -- on a tour of the Internet. The Internet began as part of the Defense Department's networking research in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. In a program called ARPANET, the military attempted to design a interlinking computer networks that provides widespread connectivity without the …