Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Modern Bootlegging And The Prohibition On Fair Prices: Last Call For The Repeal Of Pharmaceutical Price Gouging, Luke W. Cleland

ExpressO

This article discusses the recent passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Modernization and Improvement Act of 2003, and the executive and judicial decisions affecting the ability of the general public to access foreign pharmaceutical markets. The article examines the recent actions taken by the U.S. government, explore various state movements within the United States aimed at reducing pharmaceutical drug prices, outline the process of pharmaceutical drug prices in foreign countries, and advocate for a workable integration of all available mechanisms to feasibly reduce prescription drug prices for the benefit of both U.S. consumers and U.S. drug companies. As avenues to …

Government Policy Towards Innovation In The United States, Canada, And The European Union As Manifested In Patent, Copyright And Competition Laws, Daniel J. Gifford

ExpressO

Abstract: This paper examines a number of government policies related to competition or intellectual property and affecting innovation for their welfare effects. Its premise is that the enhancement of social welfare is included among the purposes of competition and intellectual-property laws. It also assumes that innovation is a major contribution to long-run welfare. The paper then considers whether the policy initiatives under review furthered that purpose. First it considers U.S. and Canadian legislation designed to promote the entry of generic pharmaceutical products into the market and the response (or lack thereof) of both governments to the issue of regulatory delay …

Should Juries Hear Complex Patent Cases?, Jennifer F. Miller

Duke Law & Technology Review

A debate has arisen within the legal community over the existence and constitutionality of a so-called "complexity exception" to the Seventh Amendment. This exception would give a judge the discretion to deny a jury trial in a civil case if he or she feels that the issue is too complex for a jury to decide properly. This iBrief discusses the constitutionality of the complexity exception and the arguments for and against its implementation, with particular emphasis on the application of the exception to patent infringement cases. The iBrief then postulates that, while a blanket exception for patent infringement cases may …

A Chose By Any Other Name: Domain Names As A Security Interest, Andrew B. Cochran

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

There has been increasing study of the issues involved in using intellectual property as a security interest, but little corresponding consideration of domain names. The ascendancy in value of domain names to modern business increases their usefulness as a security interest to lenders and borrowers alike. Their use in this respect appears not to be weighed down by two of the most difficult issues facing intellectual property, namely conflicting jurisdiction between federal statutory interests and provincial property interests, together with establishing more readily acceptable methods of valuation. However, there is ambiguity about the actual form of ownership interest involved with …

Of Neighbours And Netizens, Or, Duty Of Care In The Tech Age: A Comment On Cooper V. Hobart, Robert J. Currie

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The focal point of this comment will be the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada in Cooper v. Hobart, which appears to have made some significant changes to the elements of ‘‘duty of care’’, the foundational negligence concept. The Court framed its decision as refining duty of care analysis in order to properly deal with ‘‘novel claims’’ (i.e., those for which there is not an established or analogous duty of care in the existing case law). Given that the growth of elec- tronic commerce and Internet usage continues to spawn ‘‘novel’’ legal issues, Cooper is an appropriate starting …

Recalibrating Copyright Law?: A Comment On The Supreme Court Of Canada's Decision In Cch Canadian Limited Et Al. V. Law Society Of Upper Canada, Teresa Scassa

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision in CCH Canadian Ltd. et. al. v. Law Society of Upper Canada marks a second recent decision by the Court that has major implications for the development of copyright law in Canada. In Théberge v. Galerie D’Art du Petit Champlain, the majority of the Court provided a significant articulation of the balance to be struck between the rights of creators and the rights of users of copyright-protected works. In doing so, it embraced an approach to copyright typical of U.S. copyright law in its heyday. The unanimous Court in CCH Canadian makes it …

Electronic Commerce - A Practitioner's Guide Edited By Alan M. Gahtan, Martin P.J. Kratz, And J. Fraser Mann (Toronto: Thomson Carwell, 2003), Harmonie Roesch-West

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

At a time when there seems to be no clear consensus on how to regulate electronic commerce comes a much-needed discussion of the many salient factors impacting the matter in Electronic Commerce: A Practitioner’s Guide. The collaborative effort includes works from several authors, compiled by Alan M. Gahtan, Martin P.J. Kratz, and J. Fraser Mann. This guide is an excellent first step in clarifying the issues and summarizing the precedents and relevant statute law to date. Although the target is an audience of law professionals, other e-commerce stakeholders, including business pro- fessionals, will find this collection useful.

Ef Cultural Travel V. Explorica: The Protection Of Confidential Commercial Information In The American And Canadian Contexts, Suzanne White

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Commercial information, once relegated to paper files stored in cabinets, is now more likely to be in digital form, allowing a myriad of people to access its contents. These electronic storehouses can subsequently be stored on the Internet, providing a handy but some- what risky means of archiving valuable information. The United States Court of Appeals (1st Circ.) judgment EF Cultural Travel v. Explorica1 is a clear indicator of the way in which the advent of the Internet has completely changed the constructive meaning of the traditional ‘‘office file’’. This paper attempts to provide an under- standing of the scope …

The Democratic Public Domain: Reconnecting The Modern First Amendment And The Original Progress Clause (A.K.A. Copyright And Patent Clause), Malla Pollack

ExpressO

If the Progress Clause, a.k.a. the Patent and Copyright Clause, of the U.S. Constitution had been construed when its original meaning was still obvious, United States law would be far different. In this area at least, the Drafters’ Constitution was much less aristocratic than the modern (mis)reading. The original meaning of the Progress Clause, furthermore, should have stimulated a more communitarian First Amendment, the type of First Amendment currently being suggested by leading First Amendment scholars such as Jack Balkin.

Patents And The Diffusion Of Technical Information, James Bessen

Faculty Scholarship

Does the disclosure requirement of the patent system encourage the diffusion of inventions? This paper builds a simple model where firms choose between patents and trade secrecy to protect inventions. Diffusion is not necessarily more likely with a patent system nor is the market for technology necessarily greater.

Invasion Of The Clones: Animal Cloning And The Potential Implications On The Future Of Human Cloning And Cloning Legislation In The United States, The United Kingdom, And Internationally, Adrienne N. Calhoun

ExpressO

Cloning is an area of science that changes daily; with advances being made constantly. This technology has caused great controversy in the United States and across the world. The issue has raised religious, ethical, technical and legal concerns. This paper is broken into four parts in order to best address the complex area of cloning technology. Part one will be a review of the history of the science of cloning and the history of animal cloning. Part two will be a discussion of the risks and benefits of cloning. Part three will address ethical and religious concerns surrounding human cloning. …

The “Commercial Offer For Sale” Standard After Minnesota Mining V. Chemque, Campbell Chiang

Duke Law & Technology Review

The Supreme Court established a two-part test for determining when an invention is "on sale" under 35 U.S.C. §102(b) in Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc. For the on-sale bar to be triggered, the invention must be "ready for patenting" and subject of a "commercial offer for sale." In Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing v. Chemque, Inc., the Federal Circuit expounded on what constitutes a commercial offer for sale. This iBrief explores what is considered a "commercial offer for sale."

Is The Acpa A Safe Haven For Trademark Infringers? - Rethinking The Unilateral Application Of The Lanham Act, 22 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 655 (2004), Jinku Hwang

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) was enacted in 1999 as a response to international disputes over Internet domain names because according to the Congress’ point of view, courts could not successfully protected American businesses in cases where nothing more that the registration of a trademark or its variation in a domain name had occurred. This article analyzes recent court decisions regarding domain name disputes after the enactment of ACPA focusing on reverse domain name hijacking in international, trademark related and gTLD disputes. The author argues that the in rem jurisdiction provided by the ACPA and the consequent extraterritorial effect …

"Distinctive" And "Famous" - Separate Requirements Under The Federal Trademark Dilution Act?, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 174 (2004), M. Scott Donahey

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The Federal Trademark Dilution Act was promulgated to provide national protection of famous marks from uses that cause dilution of the distinctive quality of the mark. Courts consider several factors in determining whether a mark is “distinctive and famous.” However, a difference of opinion has arisen as to whether there is a difference between a “distinctive” mark and a “famous” mark. An analysis of the statutory language, pertinent historical sources, and the case law interpreting the statute leads one to conclude that the view articulated by the Second Circuit is more consistent with the language of the statute, the intent …

Commentary: Willful Patent Infringement And The Federal Circuit's Pending En Banc Decision In Knorr-Bremse V. Dana Corp., 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 218 (2004), Janice M. Mueller

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The Federal Circuit’s recent sua sponte grant of rehearing en banc in Knorr-Bremse v. Dana Corporation has catalyzed a vocal debate concerning the nature and consequences of willful patent infringement. Subject to virtually unanimous condemnation is the Federal Circuit’s “adverse inference” rule, which forces a party accused of willful infringement to choose between two unpalatable options: (i) disclosing privileged advice of counsel to mount a willfulness defense, or (ii) not disclosing such information and being subjected to an adverse inference that an exculpatory opinion was not or could not be obtained. This commentary concurs that the adverse inference rule should …

When Politics Interfere With Patent Reexamination, 4 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 160 (2004), Amy L. Magas

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Reexamination was created to reconfirm the presumed validity of a patent without requiring the patentee to endure the expense of litigation. The Patent Act allows anyone to request reexamination of a patent based on newly discovered prior art. Upon finding that the request raises a substantial new question of patentability, the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office may order reexamination. Even if a request is not made, the Director may sua sponte order a reexamination. Such reexaminations are only initiated when questions of public policy arise and there is no interest by any other pson. However, in …

Developments In Patent Law 2003, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 229 (2004), Bradley C. Wright

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The year 2003 provided a great deal of legislative, administrative and judicial activity in the development of patent law. Legislation has been directed to amending the Hatch-Waxman Act and abrogation of State immunity from patent infringement. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has adopted changes pursuant to recent amendments to the Patent Cooperation Treaty and implemented an electronic filing system for patent applications. The Federal Trade Commission has taken an interest in patents, particularly standard setting technologies. In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Festo, the Federal Circuit has provided additional guidance for prosecution history estoppel and the doctrine …

Equilibrium In A Technology-Specific Patent System, Mark D. Janis

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Protein Similarity Score: Simplified Version Of The Blast Score As Superior Alternative To Percent Identity For Claiming Genuses Of Related Protein Sequences, Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

Recombinant proteins form the basis for most of the products of biotechnology, including drugs, diagnostics, research reagents, genetically modified organisms and industrial enzymes. However, the nature of proteins and the rules of patentability conspire to make it difficult to achieve adequate patent protection for novel proteins and the polynucleotides that encode them. Narrow patent claims limited to protein sequences sharing a high degree of structural identity can generally be designed around by introducing structural changes in the claimed protein, thereby avoiding the patent without substantially altering the protein's function. However, inventors are generally restricted in their ability to broadly claim …

Obvious To Whom? Evaluating Inventions From The Perspective Of Phosita, Rebecca S. Eisenberg

Articles

In this Article, I consider the possibility of giving the USPTO input from currently active technological practitioners in evaluating the obviousness of claimed inventions. Such input could potentially serve three useful functions. First, it could improve the accuracy of USPTO decisionmaking by providing access to the perspective of actual practitioners as to the obviousness of inventions from the perspective of the hypothetical PHOSITA. Second, it could help the USPTO document the evidentiary basis for rejections that rest in part upon tacit knowledge within technological communities. Third, it could provide a quality control mechanism that would improve the credibility of USPTO …

The New Technology Transfer Block Exemption: A Welcome Reform, After All, Maurits Dolmans, Anu Bradford

Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses the most important changes introduced at the final stage of the Commission's review of the technology transfer block exemption regulation (“TTBER"), and examines the benefits and the challenges of the new regulatory framework for technology licensing.

The new TTBER represents a significant improvement over the Commission's draft TTBER, published in October 2003. Most importantly, the Commission agreed to revise the list of hardcore restrictions between competitors, which was over-inclusive and had the potential to seriously hinder technology licensing in horizontal agreements. In addition, the list of hardcore restrictions between non-competitors and the interpretation of "know-how'' (and thus …

The Inequitable Conduct Defense Lives On: 2003 Federal Circuit Decisions And Their Impact, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 189 (2004), Alan M. Kowalchyk, Thomas R. Johnson

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The inequitable conduct defense remains a viable defense in patent litigation today, as illustrated in four 2003 Federal Circuit decisions. Though an alleged patent infringer must establish the elements of materiality and intent for a valid inequitable conduct defense, recent Federal Circuit decisions indicate that certain factual underpinnings bearing on materiality can raise an inference of intent. To most effectively counter this inference of intent, a plausible explanation for the questioned conduct should be provided by the patentee. However, in providing such plausible explanation, the patentee runs the risk of waiving privileged communications, which in turn may result in far …

“Intellectual Alchemy”: Securitization Of Intellectual Property As An Innovative Form Of Alternative Financing, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 307 (2004), John M. Gabala Jr.

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

While asset-securitization has been around since the early 1980’s, prior to the now widely known structuring of musician David Bowie’s music catalogue into saleable bonds in 1997, music royalties and copyrights were never before used in a securitization. At the time, Bowie’s catalogue had a proven royalty track record; however, the valuation of the actual bonds remained untested in the illegal music-downloading era of today. This comment explores the benefits of intellectual property-based securitizations and their common valuation approaches. In addition, it is argued that appropriate credit enhancements should be employed to protect future Bowie bond style deals against the …

Dividing The (Statutory) Baby Under Anton/Bauer: Using The Doctrine Of Implied License To Circumvent § 271(C) Protection For Components Of A Patented Combination, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 355 (2004), Daniel M. Lechleiter

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In proscribing contributory infringement of patents, § 271(c) of Title 35 of the United States Code unambiguously provides statutory protection for certain unpatented components of patented combinations and certain unpatented materials or apparatuses used in patented processes. The doctrine of implied license provides a viable defense against claims of contributory infringement. Such a finding may result from a variety of related doctrines, such as the exhaustion doctrine or the doctrine of equitable estoppel. However, unlike the Supreme Court’s application of the former doctrine in Dawson Chemical Co. v. Rohm & Haas Co., involving an unpatentedchemical used in a patented process, …

What A Long, Strange “Trips” It’S Been: Compulsory Licensing From The Adoption Of Trips To The Agreement On Implementation Of The Doha Declaration, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 331 (2004), Mark C. Lang

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Startling numbers of people die every day because they do not have access to essential medicines and treatment for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa and Asia. The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) was established by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to set a minimum level of protection of intellectual property rights across international borders, as well as promote and protect the welfare of humanity. This Comment reviews the history of the TRIPS Agreement, including the most recent adoption of the WTO relating to the issuance of compulsory licenses. Specifically, this Comment suggests that the …

“Shamnesty” Vs. Amnesty: Can The Riaa Grant Immunity To File-Sharers From Copyright Infringement Lawsuits?, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 279 (2004), Natosha Cuyler-Sherman

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the industry trade association for sound and music recordings and represents various music companies, songwriters, and music artists. One of the main functions of the RIAA is to enforce its members’ copyrights. The RIAA is currently representing members in copyright infringement lawsuits. As an alternative to being sued, the RIAA announced that it would grant amnesty to file sharers who voluntarily identified themselves and promised to stop illegally sharing music. In reality, non-RIAA members and even RIAA members themselves can still sue file sharers because the organization itself does not have the …

Recent Developments In Trademark Law: The Ongoing Refinement Of Rights, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 258 (2004), Chad Doellinger

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The year 2003 saw a great deal of activity in the ongoing development of trademark law. While the law both reconnected with its bricks-and-mortar roots and expanded to accommodate new fact patterns in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, 2003 saw the beginning of a doctrinal contraction, with a requirement to tie inchoate harms to empirical foundations. Additionally, several issues of first impression were resolved, including the conclusion that domain names are a form of property. While 2003 saw a contraction of trademark rights, this is not necessarily a negative development for trademark owners. Instead, courts are merely refining the …

Navigating The Bramble Bush In Idea Submission Cases, 4 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 36 (2004), Lisa Pearson

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Today’s law of idea submissions is a proverbial bramble bush for a variety of reasons. Both the legal theories of recovery and the viability of such claims differ widely from state to state. In addition, notwithstanding the vast body of idea-submission law, there are still many open issues. These complex, fact-specific cases still manage to ensnare plaintiffs and defendants alike in years of litigation. As such, finding one’s way through the bramble bush to defend against idea submission claims is a daunting task. This article provides a map designed to help the litigator navigate the thicket. Following the trail is …

The Accidental And Inherent Anticipation Doctrines: Where Do We Stand And Where Are We Going?, 4 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 63 (2004), Anne Brown, Mark Polyakov

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

It is often unclear when a prior occurrence or disclosure of a claimed invention falls under the patent law doctrines of inherent or accidental anticipation. Courts have applied various tests in determining whether anticipation is inherent or accidental, and the cases are difficult to reconcile. Tests seemingly dispositive to establish an accident in one case may also appear dispositive to establish inherency. As a result of our analysis, we have developed a two-step test that can be used to reconcile the two doctrines and determine whether a product or process anticipates. The first prong is concerned with whether the prior …

Trademark Surveys: Development Of Computer-Based Survey Methods, 4 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 91 (2004), Robert H. Thornburg

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Courts have continually utilized surveys to show evidence of secondary meaning, genericness, dilution, and functionality in trademark litigation. In conducting a trademark survey, an expert must consider various factors that may affect the admissibility of the survey in court, including assuring the correct universe of respondents are questioned, implementing controls, and verifying the results. In light of these considerations, as well as the ever-changing environment of consumer shopping, the manner and mode of survey that a court accepts as appropriate must adapt to these conditions. The use and acceptance of online and computer-based surveys is not currently well received by …