Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Judicial Review Of Icann Domain Name Dispute Decisions, 18 Santa Clara Computer & High Tech. L.J. 35 (2001), David E. Sorkin

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Uncertain Future Of Fair Use In A Global Information Marketplace, Marshall Leaffer

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The author of this article forecasts an increasingly troubled future, if not the demise of the doctrine of fair use in copyright law. Legal developments, both at home and abroad, driven by technological change, and the push toward the international harmonization of legal norms, threaten the very survival of fair use. Given these realities the doctrine will, of necessity, be reconceptualized Although fair use values will always be inscribed in copyright law, these values will have their practical manifestation in decentralized form, and effectuated, in large part, through industry agreement. They will exist in conjunction with certain bright line exceptions …

Letter From The Editor, Paul A. Fritzinger

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Over the last few years, the problems attendant to software licensing regulation have occupied an important position in the minds of legislators at the federal, state and local levels. In the early nineties, the National Conference of Commissioners for Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) recognized the potential for licensing problems presented by the use of computer software in the national arena as well as on the Internet and saw a clear need for regulations that would transcend state boundaries. In 1999, as a result of years of planning and careful drafting, NCCUSL promulgated the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) in …

Peer-To-Peer Sharing On The Internet: An Analysis Of How Gnutella Networks Are Used To Distribute Pornographic Material, Michael D. Mehta, Don Best, Nancy Poon

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

By our very nature, humans are creatures that communicate and network. Over the past several decades much of this communicating and networking has been facilitated by developments in information and communication technology. The social and economic transformations resulting from developments on the Internet have created several challenges for policymakers, lawmakers, courts and a wide range of other kinds of institutions. Some of these challenges are associated with the technologies and applications themselves. Other challenges result from content made available on the Internet and how users exchange data. Recent developments in peer-to-peer data exchange bring these two sets of challenges together.

Copyright And Control Over New Technologies Of Dissemination, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

The relationship of copyright to new technologies that exploit copyrighted works is often perceived to pit copyright against progress. Historically, when copyright owners seek to eliminate a new kind of dissemination, and when courts do not deem that dissemination harmful to copyright owners, courts decline to find infringement. However, when owners seek instead to participate in and be paid for the new modes of exploitation, the courts, and Congress, appear more favorable to copyright control over that new market. Today, the courts and Congress regard the unlicensed distribution of works over the Internet as impairing copyright owners' ability to avail …

An Overview Of The Virginia Ucita, Carlyle C. Ring Jr.

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Virginia has taken a strong and important leadership in establishing rules for the Information Highway through the Joint Committee on Technology and Science (JCOTS) and Delegate Joe T. May. Without the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) no established rules exist in common law for the Information Highway, which means that each judge must create the rules in each case as it arises. Every judge will make his own rules for the particular case. This results in great inconsistency and uncertainty adversely affecting the realization of the full potential of the Information Age economy. Governor Gilmore states: In 2000, Virginia …

Statement Of Harvey K. Morrell, University Of Baltimore Law Library, In Opposition To The Maryland Uniform Computer Information Transfer Act, Harvey K. Morrell

All Faculty Scholarship

Testimony in opposition to the Maryland Uniform Computer Information Transfer Act, House Bill 19, Senate Bill 142, 2000.

The Erosion Of American Copyright Protection: The Fairness In Music Licensing Act, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 791 (2000), Ralph Carter

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The author of this article begins by giving the reader a taste of the history of American copyright protection. A synopsis of the statutes, case history, and industry development are fully explained. Furthermore, the author criticizes the enactment of the Fairness in Music Licensing Act. The author further refutes arguments made by proponents of the Act and examines the underlying motives of restaurant lobbyists. This comment also shows the real victims of the Act's exemptions---the songwriters. The comment concludes by advocating the return of the "home use exemption" in the Copyright Act of 1976.

Service Provider Liability For Acts Committed By Users: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 591 (2000), Mitchell P. Goldstein

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article probes into the liabilities that service providers may incur on the internet. Liabilities such as copyright infringement , pornography, and defamation are common sources of liability on the Internet. The author begins by discussing the different types of copyright infringement. These include direct infringement, contributory infringement, and vicarious liability. In response to these different types of infringements, Congress and the President signed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, DMCA. The author next investigates the issue of pornography on the Internet by giving a case history of the development of obscene pornography. This section of the article is concluded with …

Halve The Baby: An Obvious Solution To The Troubling Use Of Trademarks As Metatags, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 643 (2000), Dan Mccuaig

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this article, the author proposes a solution to decide when metatags of other companies' trademarked terms should be allowed. First the author begins by describing the nature and function of metatags. A brief discussion of the relevant aspects of trademark law as they apply to trademark-metatags are fully investigated. The author then provides two significant cases in this field to support his contention. Following this discussion, the author proposes a solution to the use of trademark-metatags. Finally, the author ends this article with a discussion of anticipated market reactions to the "trademarks" metatag.

Riaa V. Napster: A Window Onto The Future Of Copyright Law In The Internet Age, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 755 (2000), Ariel Berschadsky

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article uses the Napster controversy as a stepping stone to discussing copyright law in the Internet age. Section II of the article discusses music piracy over the internet and MP3 files. Section III of the article discusses the birth of Napster and its functions. Section IV details the allegations against Napster by the RIAA. Section V. discusses Copyright Law in the digital age. Various forms of copyright infringement such as direct liability, contributory liability, vicarious liability are fully assessed. Furthermore, the author discusses the response of legislative efforts to emerging copyright challenges on the internet. Section VI examines Napter's …

Diana's Law, Celebrity And The Paparazzi: The Continuing Search For A Solution, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 945 (2000), Richard J. Curry Jr.

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Celebrities and the media possess a unique relationship. Many celebrities skillfully use the media to market and advertise their movies, television shows, books, and records. They use the media to propel their careers and create a marketable celebrity image. Society is celebrity crazed and magazines, tabloids and other media forms such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood have combined to feed that craze. Our society's hunger for celebrities has spawned the existence of photographers known as the paparazzi. Armed with zoom lenses, high-powered microphones, and the promise of huge cash rewards for an exclusive celebrity expose, the paparazzi have become …

Anticipating Technology: A Statute Bytes The Dust In Recording Industry Ass'n Of America V. Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc., Stephanie Skasko Rosenberg

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Going Private: Technology, Due Process, And Internet Dispute Resolution, Elizabeth G. Thornburg

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Despite cliches about Internet speed, disputes that arise on and about the Internet can be time-consuming to resolve, legally murky, and factually complex. In response, Internet players with market power are opting out: mandatory arbitration is replacing both substantive law and court procedure, and technological remedies are providing self-help without any dispute resolution at all. These alternative procedures tend to move faster than courts and to cost their corporate creators less than lawsuits. They are also structured to maximize the success of the powerful. But faster is not always better. Cheap is not always fair or accurate. Market power is …

Software As Discourse: The Power Of Intellectual Property In Digital Architecture, Brian F. Fitzgerald

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

As software increasingly facilitates our living, we are drawn more and more to conceptualize software as discourse. While this may sound trite, it is a fundamental point to appreciate.

One of the most significant intellectual developments of the latter part of the twentieth century has been the poststrucoturalist writing of thinkers like Foucault, Derrida, and Baudril-lard, who explain the multitude of power relationships we experience in our daily lives, the indeterminacy of law, the construction of meaning, and the role of language, or discourse, in the construction of meaning and identity. According to the post-structuralists, we live in an environment …

Ucita: The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, Michael J. Lockerby

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

From the heated rhetoric of both proponents and opponents of UCITA, one would think that UCITA represented a radical change from current law. From the standpoint of this practitioner, however, UCITA represents more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary change in the law. In at least three critical areas, the enforceability of "paperless contracts," dispute resolution, and "self-help" remedies, UCITA is arguably consistent with current law or at least the trend of current law. Indeed, the main inconsistency between UCITA and current law is that current law is at times inconsistent. From the standpoint of most businesses, certainty is preferable …

The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (Ucita): Still Not Ready For Prime Time, James S. Heller

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

In July, 1999, the General Counsels, Vice Presidents, and other senior officers of major information industry technology companies (including Adobe Systems, Intuit, Silver Platter, Lotus, and Microsoft) wrote to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) urging adoption of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) at the then imminent NCCUSL meeting in Denver. The executives supported the adoption of UCITA because it is true to three commercial principles: commerce should be free to flourish in the electronic age, rules should support use of new (in this case electronic) technologies, and marketplace forces should determine the form …

Shrinkwrap And Clickwrap Agreements: 2b Or Not 2b?, Garry L. Founds

Federal Communications Law Journal

Several problems plague typical mass-market software licensing agreement, specifically that the public is powerless to negotiate and the terms often are perceived as exceedingly broad and restrictive. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act is designed to remedy those problems and establish the general enforceability of such agreements, with certain qualifications related to unconscionability, assent, and other caveats. UCITA, however, does not resolve, or even purport to resolve, the tension between federal copyright law and state contract law. This Note analyzes UCITA's attempt to resolve the enforceability issue; argues for an approach to preemption that promotes clarity and preserves the objectives …

To Innovate Or Not To Innovate, That Is The Question: The Functions, Failures, And Foibles Of The Reward Function Theory Of Patent Law In Relation To Computer Software Platforms , Seth A. Cohen

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The patent system has traditionally been viewed as having two primary functions: the reward function and the prospect function. Although these theories do explain some behavior which results from the practical applications of the patent system, they also overlook some behavior of the patent system which indicates a failure of these functions. In order to properly prevent such failure, this paper proposes that the patent system adopt an orientation that will lead to increased innovative rivalry and competition. In Part I, using the computer operating system software market as an example, I propose a framework for reconceptualizing patent protection as …

Copyright, Licensing, And The First Screen , Ronald A. Cass

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

As patent, copyright, and other intellectual property rights have assumed greater economic importance, the manner in which those rights are used has come under increased scrutiny. Recently filed antitrust litigation against Microsoft Corporation, for example, focuses on the terms under which Microsoft has licensed its Windows® operating system to computer manufacturers (generally referenced as OEMs, for Original Equipment Manufacturers). In particular, parties to the litigation complain about the license agreements' requirement that the first screen to appear when customers initially turn on ("boot up") a computer display certain features common across all Windows-based platforms. The "first screen provision" has been …

The Role Of Patent Law In Poland's Transitioning Science And Technology Policy, And A Comparison With The Patent Laws Of The United States, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 381 (1999), Edward H. Sikorski

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Poland is at a critical point in determining whether it will provide the type of intellectual property protection afforded in other countries. Based on its current programs, Poland clearly recognizes that it must improve its infrastructure. It is imperative for Poland to institute and develop new science and technology policies. As a result, Poland must pay attention to issues like privatization and intellectual property because newly privatized companies will lean on patents and other rights as footholds against their competitors. Poland must also address issues concerning physical access and communications and electronic access to the country. Poland's overall science and …

How Can Whelan V. Jaslow And Lotus V. Borland Both Be Right? Reexamining The Economics Of Computer Software Reuse, 17 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 511 (1999), Michael Risch

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The various circuit courts of appeal have been unable to agree on the appropriate method of determining when one computer program infringes the copyright in another computer program. This article traces the differences among the circuits, proposes a model to explain what courts are doing, asserts a set of factors that simplify the analysis of determining copyright infringement, and tests those factors against seemingly irreconcilable cases. Finally, the article applies the analysis to unresolved computer software issues of today in order to predict likely outcomes.

Yesterday's Love Letters Are Today's Best Sellers: Fair Use & The War Among Authors, 18 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L.141 (1999), Sonali R. Kolhatkar

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This Comment will analyze how courts should interpret the four statutory factors in determining a fair use defense for once private documents, such as love letters, and how the courts need to add First Amendment and public policy concerns in deciding whether to allow the fair use. First, this Comment addresses the current definition of the fair use doctrine and its impact on unpublished works. This Comment will also address the need to create a new fair use defense test to include the First Amendment concerns of secondary authors who cannot create their works without the copyrighted information. Secondly, this …

Authors Stripped Of Their Electronic Rights In Tasini V. New York Times Co, 32 J. Marshall L. Rev. 409 (1999), Michael Spink

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Vento Scribere: The Intersection Of Cyberspace And Patent Law, Max Oppenheimer

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Media & Monopoly In The Information Age: Slowing The Convergence At The Marketplace Of Ideas, Jon M. Garon

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

New Lyrics For An Old Melody: The Idea/Expression Dichotomy In The Computer Age, Jon O. Newman

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

When Does A Work Infringe The Derivative Works Right Of A Copyright Owner?, Amy B. Cohen

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Controlling World Wide Web Links, Property Rights, Access Rights And Unfair Competition, Chris Reed

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

No abstract provided.

Considering Multiple And Overlapping Sovereignties: Liberalism, Libertarianism, National Sovereignty, "Global" Intellectual Property, And The Internet, Keith Aoki

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

No abstract provided.