Law Commons^™

Internationalizing Copyright: How Claims Of International, Extraterritorial Copyright Infringement May Be Brought In U.S. Courts, Elliot Cook

ExpressO

This Comment assesses the use of the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”) as a jurisdictional basis for claims of international copyright infringement occurring outside of the United States. Under the ATS, aliens may sue in United States district courts for torts that amount to violations of treaties or the law of nations.

Given that copyright infringement is a tort, an alien may only be able to establish ATS jurisdiction in a suit of extraterritorial infringement if the infringement violated a treaty or the law of nations. This comment argues that extraterritorial copyright infringement does indeed amount to a violation of the …

Design Patents: An Alternative When The Low Standards Of Copyright Are Too High?, Ryan G. Vacca

ExpressO

The standard for copyright protection is notoriously low – the work must be independently created and possess a minimal degree of creativity. Nonetheless, even with that generous standard, the courts and the Copyright Office recognize that certain works do not contain even that minimum level of creativity such that they are categorically refused copyright protection. Blank forms, and other forms that do not convey information, fall within this category. In contrast, and for good reason, the standard for design patent protection is much more burdensome. The field of design patents protects new, original, ornamental, and non-obvious designs. This more difficult …

The Legal Game Behind Fantasy Sports: Copyright Protection And The Right Of Publicity In Professional Performance Statistics, Brandon T. Moonier

Saint Louis University Public Law Review

No abstract provided.

On The Legal Consequences Of Sauces: Should Thomas Keller's Recipes Be Per Se Copyrightable?, Christopher J. Buccafusco

All Faculty Scholarship

The restaurant industry now takes in over $500 billion a year, but recent courts have been skeptical of the notion that one of its most valuable assets, original recipes, are subject to copyright protection. With more litigation looming and the contours of the debate insufficiently mapped out, this article establishes the appropriate groundwork for analyzing the copyrightability of recipes. I show that, contrary to recent appellate court opinions, recipes meet the statutory requirements for copyrightability. I argue, by analogizing to musical compositions, that written recipes work to satisfy the fixation requirement of copyright law just as musical notation does for …

Copyright In An Era Of Information Overload: Toward The Privileging Of Categorizers, Frank Pasquale

Faculty Scholarship

Environmental laws are designed to reduce negative externalities (such as pollution) that harm the natural environment. Copyright law should adjust the rights of content creators in order to compensate for the ways they reduce the usefulness of the information environment as a whole. Every new work created contributes to the store of expression, but also makes it more difficult to find whatever work one wants. Such search costs have been well-documented in information economics. Copyright law should take information overload externalities like search costs into account in its treatment of alleged copyright infringers whose work merely attempts to index, organize, …

Some Peer-To-Peer, Democratically And Voluntarily Produced Thoughts About 'The Wealth Of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets And Freedom,' By Yochai Benkler, Ann Bartow

Law Faculty Scholarship

In this review essay, Bartow concludes that The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom by Yochai Benkler is a book well worth reading, but that Benkler still has a bit more work to do before his Grand Unifying Theory of Life, The Internet, and Everything is satisfactorily complete. It isn't enough to concede that the Internet won't benefit everyone. He needs to more thoroughly consider the ways in which the lives of poor people actually worsen when previously accessible information, goods and services are rendered less convenient or completely unattainable by their migration online. Additionally, the …

F(R)Ee Expression: Reconciling Copyright & The First Amendment, Raymond Shih Ray Ku

Faculty Publications

This essay explores the relationship between copyright and free speech by critically evaluating the proposition that conflicts between the two can be eliminated because the Framers intended both to be engines for free expression. My purpose is not to set forth a comprehensive theory of copyright and free speech, but is more modest. This essay argues that while useful, reference to the Framers' intent only goes so far in avoiding conflicts between copyright and free speech, and when viewed outside of the facts presented by Harper & Row and Eldred, reliance upon the Framers' intent arguably increases such conflicts. Moreover, …

International Copyright Law And Litigation: A Mechanism For Improvement, Roberto Garza Barbosa

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

This article outlines the challenges of international copyright litigation and considers rights and remedies available under TRIPs and the laws of various national copyright statutes. To keep pace with new technology, the author proposes a mechanism for the enforcement of existing rights around the world, while counter the prevailing problems of the ease of infringement and expense of enforcement.

The Right Of Publicity: A Comparative Perspective, Marshall Leaffer

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

The Public's Right To Fair Use: Amending Section 107 To Avoid The "Fared Use" Fallacy, Wendy J. Gordon, Daniel Bahls

Faculty Scholarship

Under provocative titles like "Fared Use" and "The End of Friction," commentators argue about whether or not the copyright doctrine of fair use should exist in a world of instantaneous transactions. As collecting societies such as the Copyright Clearance Center have become more powerful, and technologies like cellular phones and the internet have made it possible to purchase digital copies by dialing a number or clicking a mouse, the suggestion is sometimes made that fair use could or should disappear. The Second and Sixth Circuits have flirted with foreclosing fair use if a licensing market is present or possible. The …

Independent Ink At The Crossroads Of Antitrust And Intellectual Property Law: The Court's Holding Regarding Market Power In Cases Involving Patents And Implications In Cases Involving Copyrights, Leonard J. Feldman, Rima J. Alaily, Chad D. Farrell

Seattle University Law Review

By eliminating the market power presumption for patent holders, Independent Ink calls into question the presumption's continued validity for tying arrangements involving copyrights. While the Court's holding directly applies only to patents, we present three reasons why, after Independent Ink, the presumption can no longer be viable in antitrust lawsuits challenging a tying arrangement involving a copyrighted product. First, the Court's rationale for eliminating the presumption including citations to extensive academic writings, agency guidelines, and legislative amendments precludes the presumption's continued application in any other context. Second, copyrights are significantly less likely than patents to confer market power because …

Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment surveys the contemporary status of copyright law regarding a creator-assignee's standing to sue for infringement and the bases for allowing a creator-assignee to bring an infringement action. Part II begins the discussion with a review of the general principles of copyright law, including its constitutional and statutory frameworks, its underlying policies, and the moral rights doctrine. Part III continues with an overview of the general constitutional standing principles and real party in interest prerequisites. It then outlines the statutory and judicial limits on standing to sue under copyright law. Part IV discusses the issue of assignee standing in …

Rethinking Patent Law’S Uniformity Principle, Craig Allen Nard, John F. Duffy

Faculty Publications

Modern law on expert testimony insists, as a condition of admissibility, that the asserted expertise be determined by the trial judge to be reliable. Reliability is usually characterized as a dichotomous attribute of evidence, as if expertise were either reliable or unreliable. This article argues that making progress in the development of meaningful and appropriate restrictions on the admissibility of expert testimony requires that we abandon this conceptualization and understand the implications of endorsing a gradational notion of reliability in which evidence can be more or less reliable and in which a comparative assessment of reliability is prominent. Consistent with …

Promoting Diverse Cultural Expression: Lessons From The U.S. Copyright Wars, Raymond Shih Ray Ku

Faculty Publications

In 2007, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression (CCD) with the goal of creating an environment that encourages individuals and social groups to create, distribute, and have access to diverse cultural expression from their own cultural and from cultures around the world. With regard to domestic and international efforts to implement the CCD and reconcile its goals with other international norms, the author argues that valuable lessons can be learned from current trends and issues in U.S. copyright law. Specifically, the author argues that the current debate over copyright's …

Design Patents: An Alternative When The Low Standards Of Copyright Are Too High, Ryan Vacca

Faculty Publications

The standard for copyright protection is notoriously low - the work must be independently created by the author and possess a minimal degree of creativity. Nonetheless, even with that generous standard, the courts and the Copyright Office recognize that certain works do not contain even that minimum level of creativity such that they are categorically refused copyright protection. Blank forms, and other forms that do not convey information, fall within this category.

In contrast, and for good reason, the standard for design patent protection is much more burdensome. Design patents protect new, original, ornamental, and non-obvious designs. This more difficult …

Reconciling Shareholder Limited Liability With Vicarious Copyright Liability: Holding Parent Corporations Liable For The Copyright Infringement Of Subsidiaries, Joshua M. Siegel

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Times May Have Changed, But The Song Is Still The Same: Why The Supreme Court Was Incorrect To Stray From Sony's Reasoning In Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. V. Grokster, Ltd., Julie A. Wooten

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

From Infringement To Innovation: Counterfeiting And Enforcement In The Brics, J. Benjamin Bai, Keith D. Lindenbaum, Yi Qian, Cynthia Ho

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Collateralizing Intellectual Property, Xuan-Thao Nguyen

Articles

This Article identifies and critiques the collateralization of intellectual property, revealing the complexity of intersecting secured transaction law, namely Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, and doctrinal intellectual property laws such as patent law, copyright law, and trademark law. The inquiry challenges the silence surrounding the pervasive use of intellectual property as collateral in secured financing and suggests changes to the existing framework on secured financing law.

The Article proceeds as follows: Part II discusses the normative intellectual property rights for patents, copyrights, and trademarks and how such rights are utilized as corporate assets. Part III describes different forms …

Overcoming The Achilles Heel Of Copyright Law, Haochen Sun

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

The Existing Legal Infrastructure Of Brics: Where Have We Been And Where Are We Going?, Robert B. Ahdieh, Zhu (Julie) Lee, Srividhya Ragavan, Kevin Noonan, Clinton W. Francis

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Should Fashion Design Be Copyrightable?, Brandon Scruggs

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Fostering Creativity In Virtual Worlds: Easing The Restrictiveness Of Copyright For User-Created Content, Todd David Marcus

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Book Review, Jennifer L. Behrens

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Microsoft Windows Vista: The Beginning Or The End Of End-User License Agreements As We Know Them Recent Development., Rebecca K. Lively

St. Mary's Law Journal

Microsoft Windows Vista’s widespread use and influence on the market represents an ideal case study on the enforceability, pitfalls, and future of the End-User License Agreement (EULA). Since the release of the Windows Vista operating system in early 2007, Microsoft consumers often do not realize they are entering into a contract with Microsoft when they install Windows Vista onto their computer. Microsoft consumers probably do not realize that they may be clicking away valuable rights. In analyzing the enforceability of the specific terms of the Windows Vista EULA, Washington law will be the primary source because the Windows Vista EULA …

America’S Bad Bet: How The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Of 2006 Will Hurt The House, Peterpaul Shaker J.D.

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

No abstract provided.

Using Innovative Technologies To Analyze For Similarity Between Musical Works In Copyright Infringement Disputes, Yvette Joy Liebesman

All Faculty Scholarship

Courts continue to struggle with discerning the level of substantial similarity between musical compositions in infringement analyses, which is related to their difficulty in determining the portion that is available for the public to use, and where that permission stops. This paper argues that, under the current policies regarding copyright protection and unauthorized copying, the current test is inadequate and a new infringement test should be considered. Two alternatives are proposed. The first test uses objective mapping of a song’s artistic elements. The second considers the link between wave motion theory of physics and music and proposes comparing the mathematical …

Media Policy And Free Speech: The First Amendment At War With Itself, Ellen P. Goodman

Hofstra Law Review

Two principal pillars of media policy are communications and copyright law. In each discipline, there are pluralists who seek greater public access to the means of communications (communications policy pluralists) and communicative content (copyright pluralists). Historically, communications policy pluralists have sought government interventions in the marketplace in order to increase access to mass communications. Copyright pluralists, by contrast, have fought against regulatory interventions they argue unduly strengthen the rights of copyright holders to deny access to content. In pursuing these strategies, the pluralists have used First Amendment arguments that are in tension with each other and ultimately unavailing in the …

Database Protection In The United States Is Alive And Well: Comments On Davison, Marshall A. Leaffer

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Design Patents: An Alternative When The Low Standards Of Copyright Are Too High?, Ryan G. Vacca

Akron Law Faculty Publications

The standard for copyright protection is notoriously low the work must be independently created by the author and possess a minimal degree of creativity. Even with this low standard, blank forms, and other forms which do not convey information, are categorically denied copyright protection. In contrast, the standard for design patent protection is much more burdensome. Design patents protect news, original, ornamental, and non-obvious designs. Even though there is a higher standard, the Patent and Trademark Office has issued design patents for blank forms.

This article explores the blank forms doctrine in copyright law, articulated in Baker v. Selden. Later …