Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Fast Track Trade Authority And The Free Trade Agreements: Implications For Copyright Law, Samuel Trosow

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act, which restored the presidential fast-track trade-promotion authority that had lapsed in 1994. Fast-track trade promotion authority is a means by which Congress delegates to the president a portion of its constitutional authority over international trade policy. This paper reviews the development, scope, and application of fast-track trade-promotion authority, evaluates some of the copyright provisions in key Free Trade Agreements, and concludes that the process has been effectively captured by the information and entertainment industries. There are numerous negative consequences that flow from the resulting policy environment. Not only is an …

Rescuing The Balance?: An Assessment Of Canada's Proposal To Limit Isp Liability For Online Copyright Infringement, Scott Nesbitt

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper attempts both to explain the technological and legal imperatives pressing Canada to address the issue of ISP liability in reforms to the Copyright Act and to raise some concerns about the impact of the government’s proposed amendments in this area. The basic elements of copyright law, the impact of digital technology on copyright and the policy arguments surrounding ISP liability are briefly discussed to set the context for judicial treatment of and legislative action on this issue. Next, the paper focuses on the development of American jurisprudence with respect to limitation of ISP liability for third party copyright …

Patent First, Litigate Later! The Scramble For Speculative And Overly Broad Genetic Patents: Implications For Access To Health Care And Biomedical Research, Ikechi Mgbeoji, Byron Allen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper will not directly address the ethical considerations of allowing patents on human genetic sequences, although this continues to be a controversial debate in itself. Rather, the aim is to consider the legality of such gene patents and the effects such patents have on biomedical research and health care delivery in definitive terms through an analysis of current developments and research relating to the subject. The operation of current intellectual property regimes regulating such patents will be examined, and amendments to these legal systems will be considered. An emphasis will be placed on identifying practical concerns rather than broad, …

Beyond Convergence And The New Media Decisions: Regulatory Models In Communications Law, Melanie Mortensen

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

While technological and economic changes have been the most influential factors in stimulating recent policy and regulatory reassessments in Canada with respect to telecommunications and broadcasting regulation, public interest and socio-political concerns should also remain significant in the design of new regulatory and policy responses to convergence and competition. When the CRTC announced that it would refrain from regulating broadcasting in new media for a period of five years, this occasion illustrated the increasing inapplicability of the sector-specific legislation from which the mandate of the CRTC is derived.

The first model addressed is the present sector-specific policy and regulatory treatment …

Trade Secret Reclamation: An Equitable Approach In A Relative World, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 227 (2003), William L. O'Brien

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The only possible IP protection is a trade secret. However, trade secrets are inadvertently disclosed in investment disclosures or to prospective customers. The article offers a solution to this dilemma by creating emphasis on the continued retention of the secret, even though confidentiality of it could have been dissipating.

Alcatel Usa, Inc. V. Brown: Does Your Boss Own Your Brain?, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 295 (2003), Jim C. Lai

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Critizing the Alcatel USA, Inc. v. Brown court’s holding that a company owned rights to a software idea that existed entirely in the thoughts of one of it’s former employee’s. Discusses how the court did not take into account that (1) the invention disclosure agreement it secured from the employer was unenforceable, (2) the Solution was not an “invention” as recognized by U.S. intellectual property law, and (3) the development of an automatic decompiler was not within the scope of the company’s business or employee’s work. Arguing while it is reasonable for an employer to require its employees to disclose …

Curbing Copyright Infringement In Cyberspace: Using Mediakey To Stop The Bleeding, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 325 (2003), John R. Perkins Jr.

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article discusses a solution to copyright infringement on the Internet. The solution combines legal and technical aspects so the solution is very specific but also practical. The paper proposes a solution to use technological protection similar to that found in the federal statute prohibiting circumvention of technological protection measures. The paper then concludes with how difficult his solution and other proposed changes will be to enact because of opposition it will receive from many sides.

Locked Out: The New Hazards Of Reverse Engineering, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 601 (2003), Carla Meninsky

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this article, Meninsky contends the technological practice of reverse engineering of replacements parts and other interoperable products, which has been used to circumvent digital locks and otherwise gain access to copyrighted material and information protected as trade secrets, has been upheld by courts as fair use. This practice is discussed within the context of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), which prohibits methods employed to “circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a copyrighted work” while providing a limited exemption for reverse engineers in certain circumstances. Meninsky finds that the DMCA, in effect, thwarts competition, stunts technological …

Are You Content With The Content? Intellectual Property Implications Of Weblog Publishing, 21 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 439 (2003), Attiya Malik

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The publicity about weblogs has neglected to warn against the risks of legal liability. Whether you want to impart words of wisdom or copy something that caught your interest, the temptation to "borrow" is too great and too easy in Cyberspace. Whereas the typical Internet user may have heard of "copyright" or "trademark," they are unaware of the complexities and nuances of these areas of law. The legal tests and standards may be too sophisticated for the average user. Even practitioners and courts are grappling with what legal standards and interpretations are to be applied in Cyberspace, thus, leading to …

New Media, New Rules: The Digital Performance Right And Streaming Media Over The Internet, Joseph E. Magri

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Streaming music over the Internet, or what otherwise is known as webcasting or Internet radio, has the potential to become the single most revolutionary means of music transmission ever developed.' In order to appreciate the potential impact of Internet radio, it is helpful to understand that Internet radio has the ability to venture far beyond the at-home personal computer that is tethered to a wall and logged-on to the Internet. With advances in wireless broadband technologies, such as wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi, and the growing availability of Internet content via mobile devices,' Internet radio will soon become widely available on …

Electrifying Copyright Norms And Making Cyberspace More Like A Book, Ann Bartow

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Neighborhood Watch: The Negation Of Rights Caused By The Notice Requirement In Copyright Enforcement Under The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Colin Folawn

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment explains why the DMCA was created, beginning with a brief discussion of modern copyright justifications. Part III lays out the mechanics of the notice requirement and the safe harbor protection for ISPs. Part IV focuses on inconsistencies among the courts and the enforcement dilemma posed by the DMCA. Part V proposes a different standard for the initial notice, encouraging ISPs to work cooperatively with independent copyright holders. This part includes a preview of services and software that exist and that are being developed to ease the burden of finding and managing digital content. Finally, Part …

Envisioning Copyright Law's Digital Future, Peter S. Menell

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Peer-To-Peer Combat: The Entertainment Industry's Arsenal In Its War On Digital Piracy, Matthew C. Mousley

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

The Internet, Innovation, And Intellectual Property Policy, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

The Internet continues to transform the information industries and challenge intellectual property law to develop a competition policy strategy to regulate networked products. In particular, inventors of "information platforms" that support the viewing of content-be they instant messaging systems, media players, or Web browsers-face a muddled set of legal doctrines that govern the scope of available intellectual property protection. This uncertainty reflects a fundamental debate about what conditions will best facilitate innovation in the information industries--a debate most often played out at the conceptual extremes between the "commons" and "proprietary control" approaches to the Internet and intellectual property policy.

This …

Copyright And Computer Programs: A Failed Experiment And A Solution To A Dilemma, William F. Patry

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Can Our Current Conception Of Copyright Law Survive The Internet Age?, Edward Samuels

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Beyond Napster, Beyond The United States: The Technological And International Legal Barriers To On-Line Copyright Enforcement, Jeffrey L. Dodes

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Digital Music Dilemma: Protecting Copyright In The Age Of Peer-To-Peer File Sharing, Natalie Koss

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This paper seeks a resolution between the need to eliminate copyright infringement and the desire to encourage new technology. This paper will suggest that the music industry would be better off directing resources toward solutions such as compulsory licensing, royalty collection, and working with hardware manufacturers to discourage copyright infringement. These solutions would allow the industry to take advantage of file sharing now rather than expending resources in court where the desired result of ending P2P programs may never come.

Network Neutrality, Broadband Discrimination, Tim Wu

Faculty Scholarship

Communications regulators over the next decade will spend increasing time on conflicts between the private interests of broadband providers and the public's interest in a competitive innovation environment centered on the Internet. As the policy questions this conflict raises are basic to communications policy, they are likely to reappear in many different forms. So far, the first major appearance has come in the "open access" (or "multiple access") debate, over the desirability of allowing vertical integration between Internet Service Providers and cable operators. Proponents of open access see it as a structural remedy to guard against an erosion of the …

Cross Border E-Commerce And The Gst/Hst: Towards International Consensus Or Divergence?, Keith R. Evans

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In February 2001, the OECD issued a draft report on ‘‘Consumption Tax Aspects of Electronic Commerce’’. The purpose of this report was to seek comments on Working Party No. 9’s conclusions and recommendations in respect of the approach to be taken on the application of consumption taxes to e-commerce in light of the Ottawa Taxation Framework Conditions. The 1998 Conditions called for the taxation principles that applied to traditional commerce to be the guide for the taxation of e-commerce, to ensure non-discriminatory tax treatment of electronic commerce transactions. In November 2001, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (‘‘CCRA’’) issued its …

Fragmented Copyright, Fragmented Management: Proposals To Defrag Copyright Management, Daniel Gervais, Alana Maurushat

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The collective management of copyright in Canada was conceived as a solution to alleviate the problem of inefficiency of individual rights management. Creators could not license, collect and enforce copyright efficiently on an individual basis. Requiring users to obtain permission from individual copyright holders for the use of a work was equally inefficient. Collectives, therefore, emerged to facilitate the clearance of rights between creators and users. Even with the facilitation of collectives in the process, clearing rights remains an inherently difficult and convoluted process. This is especially so in the age of the Internet where clearing rights for multimedia products …

Qui Détient Les Droits D'Auteur Sur Les Diverses Productions Des Professeurs D'Université?, René Pépin

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

L’utilisation des nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication (NTIC) peut prendre un grand nombre de formes. On peut donner l’exemple, déjà appliqué à certains endroits, où le professeur, en plus de dispenser son enseignement dans un local de cours, place le contenu intégral de son cours sur un serveur de la faculté ou de l’université, avec un genre de babillard électronique dans lequel les étudiants peuvent lui poser des questions, lire ses réponses, ou discuter entre eux de différents sujets. Les étudiants peuvent aussi le contacter par téléphone ou par courriel. La technologie facilite également l’enregistrement des cours …

The Internet Direct Public Offering: Establishing Trust In A Disintermediated Capital Market, Jason Trainor

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Whereas the process of financial intermediation was once human capital and relationship intensive, it is now heavily influenced by technological innovation and consumer demand, factors which have tended to disrupt the monopoly power of financial intermediaries. Technological innovation alone, however, is not sufficient to replace the institutions and actors that previously dominated the market for public offerings; rather, the concept of disintermediation by definition creates a vacuum that must be filled. Law firms and other intermediaries can create additional value for their clients by assuming some or all of the tasks currently apportioned to investment bankers in the public offering …

Reducing Inconsistency In Udrp Cases, David Wotherspoon, Alex Cameron

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The UDRP has proven to be an effective means of resolving domain name disputes. There are, however, a number of shortcomings in the UDRP that affect its legitimacy and fairness. The most glaring of these lies in the failure to delineate the elements outlined in section 4(a) of the UDRP and in the application of Rule 15(a) of the Rules for Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the ‘‘Rules’’).4 These shortcomings have resulted in inconsistency in the decisions of arbitral panels. As it stands, complainants are unable to ascertain the case they must meet in order to succeed and respondents are …

Information Technology Transactions: Business, Management And Legal Strategies By Dunca Card (Toronto: Carswell, 2002), Michael E. Deturbide

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Although a number of Canadian books have appeared over the past few years addressing the legal issues that have arisen with the explosion in information technology, few have highlighted the practical implica- tions that these legal issues have in technology transac- tions. Duncan Card’s new book, Information Tech- nology Transactions: Business, Management and Legal Strategies, tackles these issues from a practical perspective that will be useful, as the title suggests, to both lawyers and management.

The Silenced Minority: When The Riaa Charges College Radio For Online Broadcasts, Will The Public End Up Paying?, Eleanor Lackman

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Solutions Are On Track, Beth A. Thomas

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note discusses the need to solve the copyright problems caused by digital file sharing over peer-to-peer networks and the possible solutions that would be acceptable to both the media industries and the public. While it is likely that the problems caused by file sharing will not decrease significantly by placing post-sales control in the hands of the artists, it is probable that legislative and industry driven technical counter-measures will be able to decrease illegal file sharing in an acceptable way.

Part I outlines copyright in general and how digital technology is pushing at the boundaries of copyright law. Part …

When Code Isn't Law, Tim Wu

Faculty Scholarship

When the Supreme Court upheld extended copyright terms in Eldred v. Ascroft, many Internet activists called for renewed political action in the form of appeals to Congress or even a campaign to amend the Constitution. But others suggested a very different course: They argued that it would be wiser to forgo institutions controlled by the powers of the past, and to return instead to the keyboard to write the next generation of "lawbusting" code. In the words of one observer, "tech people are probably better off spending their energy writing code than being part of the political process" because …

Regulatory Challenges And Models Of Regulation, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

No abstract provided.