Law Commons^™

How The Other Half Lives (Revisited): Twenty Years Since Midler V. Ford - A Global Perspective On The Right Of Publicity, Alain Lapter

ExpressO

For celebrities, name and image are, arguably, two of their most valuable assets. From headlining a movie, to starring in a commercial, to endorsing a product, a celebrity’s persona is potentially worth thousands to millions of dollars. However, this intangible commodity’s worth is often siphoned off by those who appropriate a celebrity’s name or image without authorization or remuneration, thus potentially decreasing the property’s value. In order to stifle this unjust enrichment, celebrities greatly desire the absolute right to control the commercial exploitation of their name and likeness.

In this article, I examine the current state of the right of …

Thieves In Cyberspace: Examining Music Piracy And Copyright Law Deficiencies In Russia As It Enters The Digital Age, Michael Mertens

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Evaluate Patentability Of Your Invention, Umakant Mishra

Umakant Mishra

The patent system is designed to encourage inventions that are useful to society by granting inventors absolute right to make profit from their inventions. While disclosing the invention benefits the society, protecting the invention benefits the inventor. But patents cannot protect each and every person who conceives an invention. While there are some common criteria of accepting an invention for patenting, the laws of patenting differ from country to country to some extent. The concept of patentability is also very vague in some instances of the legal system. Hence it is important to check the patentability of your invention in …

Global Copyright, Local Speech, Michael Dan Birnhack

ExpressO

Copyright is no longer a matter of "promoting the progress of science" in the words of the U.S. Constitution. It is now more than ever before a matter of trade. Furthermore, under the WTO's TRIPS Agreement, we now have a global copyright (G©) regime.

The globalization of copyright law destabilized previous balances. The shift to a trade environment requires us to reevaluate the previous balance. The concern explored in this article is that the old foundations will collapse under the heavy weight of global forces. The concern is that local culture, access to information, research and free speech in general, …