Law Commons^™

Right To Counsel Denied: Confusing The Roles Of Lawyers And Guardians, 43 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 833 (2012), Alberto Bernabe

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Copy Game For High Score: The First Video Game Lawsuit, 20 J. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2012), William K. Ford

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Commentators and industry historians generally agree that the multi-billion dollar video game industry began forty years ago in November 1972 with Atari's release of Pong. Pong is among the simplest of video games: a version of ping pong or tennis requiring little more to play than a ball, two paddles, a scoring indicator, and a couple of memorable sounds. While it was not the first video game, Pong was the first video game hit. With unauthorized copying of a successful product occurring, it is not surprising that a lawsuit resulted in the fall of 1973, one that predates the more …

Book Review, Cruel & Unusual: The American Death Penalty And The Founders’ Eighth Amendment By John D. Bessler, 104 Law Libr. J. 581 (2012), Ramsey Donnell

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Law And The Argumentative Theory, 90 Or. L. Rev. 837 (2012), Timothy P. O'Neill

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Like many law professors, I have coached my share of moot court teams. As you probably know, in most competitions students either choose or are assigned one side of the case to brief. But for the oral argument segment of the competition, students must argue both sides of the case, “on-brief” and “off-brief,” often in alternate rounds.

At the end of a competition, with their heads still swimming with arguments and counterarguments, students will sometimes ask, “OK, so can you tell us which is the correct side?” I always say, “Of course I can. . . . The correct side …

New Law, Old Cases, Fair Outcomes: Why The Illinois Supreme Court Must Overrule People V Flowers, 43 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 727 (2012), Timothy P. O'Neill

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Does A Broad Free Exercise Right Require A Narrow Definition Of Religion, 39 Hastings Const. L.Q. 357 (2012), Donald L. Beschle

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

In the 1990 case of Employment Division v. Smith, a sharply divided Supreme Court abandoned the routine application of strict scrutiny when considering Free Exercise Clause claims seeking exemption from generally applicable legal duties or prohibitions. The Court returned to an older view of the Free Exercise Clause as protecting believers only from government acts that were aimed specifically at beliefs, and that grew out of hostility to the religion rather than a desire to further legitimate secular goals.

Reaction to Smith was largely negative, and legislative and state court responses followed, seeking to restore strict scrutiny as the appropriate …

The Framers' Federalism And The Affordable Care Act, 44 Conn. L. Rev. 1071 (2012), Steven D. Schwinn

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Federalism challenges to the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") are inspired by the relatively recent resurgence in federalism concerns in the Supreme Court's jurisprudence. Thus, ACA opponents seek to leverage the Court-created distinction between encouragement and compulsion (in opposition to Medicaid expansion), and the Court-created federalism concern when Congress regulates in a way that could destroy the distinction between what is national and what is local (in opposition to universal coverage).

But outside the jurisprudence, the text and history of constitutional federalism tell another story. The text and history suggest that the Constitution created a powerful federal government, of the people …

Human Trafficking Victim Identification: Should Consent Matter, 45 Ind. L. Rev. 483 (2012), Samuel Vincent Jones

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

It is widely accepted that human trafficking is a global phenomenon that poses a significant problem within the United States. Despite its wealth and sophisticated law enforcement paradigms, the United States is the third largest destination country for human trafficking victims. In fact, human trafficking in the United States is increasing. Scholars have advanced a myriad of reasons to explain this problem. For example, some have pronounced the conscious neglect of men and boys in the investigation, reporting, and publicity of human trafficking a serious impediment to progress in combating trafficking. The ease with which corporations avoid prosecution under the …

Chinese Patents As Copyrights, 34 Campbell L. Rev. 685 (2012), Benjamin Liu

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Although harmonization efforts such as the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the Patent Corporation Treaty regime have brought national patent systems closer, differences among them remain a continuing challenge to innovators in an interconnected global marketplace. The recent development of the Chinese patent system is of particular interest because China is the factory of the world, the most populous market, the home of the patent office that handles the most patent application filings, and the number one source of imports that violate intellectual property rights (IPR). Its patent system affects every company whose supply chain, …

Legal Writing, The Remix: Plagiarism And Hip Hop Ethics, 63 Mercer L. Rev. 597 (2012), Kim D. Chanbonpin

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

In this Article, I focus on hip hop music and culture as an access point to teach first-year law students about the academic and professional pitfalls of plagiarism. Hip hop provides a good model for comparison because most entering students are immersed in a popular culture that is saturated with allusions to hip hop. As a point of reference for incoming law students, hip hop possesses a valuable currency as it represents something real, experienced, and relatable.

Significant parallels exist between the cultures of United States legal writing and hip hop, although attempting direct analogies would be absurd. Chief among …

Teaching For Lifelong Learning: Improving The Metacognitive Skills Of Law Students Through More Effective Formative Assessment Techniques, 40 Cap. U. L. Rev. 149 (2012), Anthony Niedwiecki

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

With the widespread criticism of legal education and the proposed changes to the American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation standards, law schools are looking for ways that they can better teach students to be lawyers. In fact, law schools may be facing a perfect storm for significant changes in legal education with the recent release of two high-profile reports criticizing legal education, the major restructuring of law firms and practice because of the weakening economy, and the push to change the ABA's accreditation standards.

These events highlight the need to prepare law students to be practice-ready and to help make them …

Abusive Tax Practices: The 100-Year Onslaught On The Tax Code, 17 Barry L. Rev. 179 (2012), Arthur Acevedo

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

This article explores the actions taken by tax protesters and aggressive tax planners, and the response by Congress. It also examines whether Congress has taken sufficient action to curb abusive taxpayer practices. The thesis of the article is that Congress's faint-hearted responses to abusive taxpayer conduct are untimely, inefficient, and ineffective. Congress's weak responses since the inception of the Code have contributed to a culture of income tax avoidance and a growing sense of taxpayer frustration with income tax laws. Part II examines the culture of tax avoidance in the U.S. and how this attitude has manifested itself in our …

Responsible Profitability - Not On My Balance Sheet, 61 Cath. U. L. Rev. 651 (2012), Arthur Acevedo

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Many free-market capitalists believe in the syllogism that if a free market results in progress, and if progress is good, then by definition a free market must be good. Two hundred years of economic development support this proposition. The capitalist model, which is premised on free-market ideology, is credited with producing many of the riches enjoyed by society as a whole. Indeed, the pursuit of economic freedom ranks among the primary motivations for the founding of the United States. The corporation has enabled that pursuit and can be credited with greatly contributing to the advancement of free-market capitalism.

Proponents of …

Which The Deader Hand - A Counter To The American Law Institute's Proposed Revival Of Dying Perpetuities Rules, 86 Tul. L. Rev. 559 (2012), Scott Andrew Shepard

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

Encouraged primarily by a fluke in federal estate and gift law, more than half of the states have either effectively or entirely abolished their rules against perpetuities in the past two decades. The American Law Institute, deeply troubled by this development has adopted for its Third Restatement a proposed rule against perpetuities that would essentially prohibit conditional gifts to continue for the benefit of parties born more than two generations after the transferor.

The ALI's efforts are misguided. The rule against perpetuities was the product of a legal, political, and social age very different than our own. It was designed …

A Social Psychology Model Of The Perceived Legitimacy Of International Criminal Courts: Implications For The Success Of Transitional Justice Mechanisms, 45 Vand. J. Transnat'l L. 405 (2012), Stuart K. Ford

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

There is a large body of literature arguing that positive perceived legitimacy is a critical factor in the success of international criminal courts, and that courts can be engineered in such a way that they will be positively perceived by adjusting factors such as their institutional structure and outreach efforts. But in many situations the perceived legitimacy of international criminal courts has almost nothing to do with these factors. This Article takes the latest research in social psychology and applies it to survey data about perceptions of international criminal courts in order to understand how affected populations form attitudes about …

Fostering Web 2.0 Innovation: The Role Of The Judicial Interpretation Of The Dmca Safe Harbor, Secondary Liability And Fair Use, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 70 (2012), Susanna Monseau

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Web 2.0 has generated a surplus of creativity, encouraging innovation of new technologies and further creative expansion of the internet. Social media platforms have demonstrated a significant growth during this time and have been used to create and disseminate a wealth of information and cultural material. While it is important that copyright owners receive legal protection of the content they create, it is necessary not to simultaneously stifle the creativity of end-users. Copyright owners have more power in bargaining for their rights, and their rights are well established through statutory protections. However, internet innovators and end-users, who may have a …

The Ownership And Exploitation Of Personal Identity In The New Media Age, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2012), Thomas Hemnes

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) has never been more valuable. In today’s networked world, seemingly trivial facts can be collected, molded into a marketable economic profile, and transferred in the blink of an eye. To be sure, the commodification of PII allows for provision of dramatically more efficient and effective services. Yet the potential for privacy abuses is substantial. What interest does one have in the constellation of facts that defines one’s identity? Is it something one can own, like their right of publicity? Or are others free to use what they learn about a person? This article surveys current privacy …

What Trademark Law Could Learn From Employment Law, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. Rev. 118 (2012), Robert A. Kearney

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Trademark litigation is as unpredictable as it is expensive. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) considers as many as thirteen different factors when evaluating whether a trademark causes a “likelihood of confusion.” Federal courts use many of the same factors, though which factors are chosen differ by jurisdiction, and, do not necessarily overlap with the Board. Further, a party can litigate for a time before the Board, then in federal court, and then back before the Board. And, if this were not enough, the Board’s decisions have little if any preclusive effect on the court, and, a court’s decision …

Are Royalties Reasonable In Patent Infringment Suits? Using Hindsight At The Hypothetical Negotiating Table, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 241 (2012), Michael J. Carrozza

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Reasonable royalties have become the primary form of relief in patent infringement lawsuits. Once a patent is found valid and infringed, royalties are calculated based on a hypothetical license negotiation between the patent owner and infringer said to take place at the moment infringement began. The calculations seek to arrive at a royalty amount the parties would have agreed upon had an actual license been negotiated. But there is disagreement among courts as to what information should inform the royalty amount. Some take the hypothetical negotiation literally and disallow post-infringement information from entering the calculations because such information would have …

Patent Claim Construction As A Form Of Legal Interpretation, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 40 (2012), Christian E. Mammen

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., courts have employed a textualist approach when construing patent claims. Claim construction has been held to be purely a matter of law, which leaves no room for deference when the construction is reconsidered on appellate review. But as argued in this article, patent claims are a unique type of legal text, and cannot simply be analogized to statutes or contracts, which courts and scholars occasionally attempt to do. Taking lessons from the general legal theory of interpretation, the textualist approach should only be a starting point for the …

Hotfile, Megaupload, And The Future Of Copyright On The Internet: What Can Cyberlockers Tell Us About Dmca Reform?, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 205 (2012), Ross Drath

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

More than a decade ago, Napster brought the issue of copyright infringement by file-sharing to the center of the public stage. How would a body of copyright law built to regulate tangible objects apply in the digital realm? The safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, intended as a compromise between the interests of copyright owners and webhosts, have instead introduced legal uncertainty and allocated the costs of online enforcement both inefficiently and disproportionately. While Napster and several other major peer-to-peer services have been shuttered in the intervening period, the scope of online copyright infringement continues to grow …

Taking, Tort, Or Crown Right?: The Confused Early History Of Government Patent Policy, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 145 (2012), Sean M. O'Connor

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

From the early days of the Republic, Congress and the federal courts grappled with the government’s rights to own or use patents it issued. Courts rejected the British “Crown Rights” rule that allowed the sovereign to practice whatever patents it issued. Instead, the federal government was conceptualized as a legal person on par with any other persons with regard to issued patents. But, this simple rule presented challenges as complexities arose in three intertwined patent rights scenarios. The first involved inventions by government employees. The second revolved around government and government contractor use of patents held by private citizens. And …

You Say, “普拉达” I Say "Counterfeit": The Perils Of Civil Litigation As A Trademark Protection Strategy In China, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 261 (2012), Tricia M. Brauer

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Over the past century, China has been depicted as being solely to blame for the world’s most serious commercial piracy problem. But this characterization is not entirely China’s fault. Multinational corporations and international brand owners in China have adopted a flawed approach to combating trademark infringement that is actually making the problem worse within Chinese walls. Companies and brand owners have primarily implemented one dimensional, enforcement only approaches that rely specifically on litigation as a means to curb counterfeiting and trademark infringement. Since 2001, China has made substantial strides in the laws governing trademarks and has trended toward positive treatment …

Managing Peer-To-Peer Traffic In Mainland China And Hong Kong, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 548 (2012), Ke Steven Wan

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

For over a decade, copyright infringement using peer-to-peer ("P2P") file sharing has plagued the content industries. Response came in the form of massive lawsuits against file sharers and the use of technologies including digital rights management and technical protection measures. However, illegal P2P file sharing is still rampant. Increasingly, internet service providers ("ISPs") have begun to monitor network traffic with deep packet inspection. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"), ISPs are usually only responsible for their own direct copyright infringing acts. To mitigate potential liability, some ISPs have agreed to partner with copyright owners to serve warnings to subscribers …

A Need For Clearer Language About Patent Law, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 457 (2012), Paul M. Janicke

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

This article addresses the manner by which the principles and rules of United States ("U.S.") patent law are addressed, especially those that are not controversial. We often seem driven to use labels that are misleading to external observers, making the subject seem more complex than it is. The principal misstatements addressed in this article are: (1) saying that under American Invents Act, the U.S. is moving to a first-to-file system; (2) reciting that U.S. patent law has no extraterritorial reach; (3) characterizing the term of a U.S. patent as twenty years from filing; (4) purporting in patent licenses to grant …

Extraterritorial Protection Of Trade Secret Rights In China: Do Section 337 Actions At The Itc Really Prevent Trade Secret Theft Abroad?, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 523 (2012), Steven E. Feldman, Sherry L. Rollo

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

With an ever increasing number of United States ("U.S.") companies conducting business abroad or conducting business with foreign entities there is more need than ever for the U.S. companies to consider how they can protect their intellectual property assets. The Federal Circuit‘s recent TianRui Grp.Co. v. Int’l Trade Comm’n and Amsted Indus. decision highlights the potential of section 337 of the U.S. Patent Act as a tool to prevent the exploitation of misappropriated trade secrets embodied in products that are imported into the United States. This article explores the potential impact of the TianRui decision on business practices abroad, particularly …

Chinese Patent Quality: Running The Numbers And Possible Remedies, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 478 (2012), Mark Liang

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In an effort to improve its economic and technological prowess, China in recent years has promulgated measures that encourage patenting activity. These measures have had their intended effect. Over a million patent applications were filed at China’s State Intellectual Property Office ("SIPO") in 2010, making it the busiest patent office in the world—by comparison, a mere 600,000 were filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, placing it a distant second. The disparity and trend is expected to grow in the coming years. But looking behind the headline numbers raises doubts about the quality of China’s patents and the …

Cloud Computing And The Doctrine Of Joint Infringement: ‘Current Impact’ And Future Possibilities, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 673 (2012), Nicole D. Galli, Edward Gecovich

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The computing landscape is changing in that businesses – and individuals – are increasingly turning to “the cloud” for computing solutions. In an attempt to maintain patent portfolios that keep pace with the changing computing landscape, an increasing number of corporations are filing for patent protection on cloud computing related technologies. Cloud computing patents, however, may be difficult to enforce in light of current Federal Circuit case law relating to the Joint Infringement Doctrine. Two cases, Akamai Technologies, Inc. v. Limelight Networks, Inc. and McKesson Technologies, Inc. v. Epic Systems Corp., decided by the Federal Circuit in 2010 and in …

Comparison Of Chinese And U.S. Patent Reform Legislation: Which, If Either, Got It Right?, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 567 (2012), Wayne C. Jaeschke, Zhun Lu, Paul Crawford

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Chinese patent law has a short history whereas the United States ("U.S.") system has a more robust history. This article chronicles important remaining differences between Chinese and U.S. patent laws including the utility model successfully employed at State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China ("SIPO") and in the Chinese courts, but not available under U.S. law. Some differences are discussed in regard of patent appeals, reexaminations for invalidity, China’s lack of a reissue process to correct major errors, China’s inventors remuneration process and compulsory licensing of patents, and China’s unique requirement of post termination compensation to support …

The Paradox That Wasn't: Federal Preemption Of State-Law Voice Misappropriation Claims, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 694 (2012), Zachary M. Vaughan

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

There exists in the law of copyright preemption what some have identified as a paradox: that in certain cases involving claims for voice misappropriation in which a plaintiff’s voice has merely been imitated, claims have been allowed to proceed, while other cases that involve actual uses of a plaintiff’s voice—that is, samples from sound recordings—have been held to be preempted by the federal Copyright Act. This article argues that this apparent paradox is actually no conflict at all. After a brief background section, this article collects and explains cases, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of one possible harmonization of the …