Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Software Patents: Myth Vs. Virtual Reality, Jeffrey J. Blatt

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article discusses issues concerning the patenting of software-related ideas. It provides a brief history of the law concerning patents related to algorithms up to the Federal Circuit's recent decision in In re Alappat. The Article then discusses various myths related to the lack of availability for software patent protection, the type of companies that are obtaining software patents, copyright protection versus patent protection, unavailability of trade secret protection in conjunction with a patent application, and the enforceability of software patents and other myths.

Commentary: Copyright From Stone Age Caves To The Celestial Jukebox, Nicholas W. Allard

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

On December 18, 1994, a group of exquisite and incredibly well-preserved Stone Age paintings were discovered in the mountains of southern France. Because the presence of visitors would hasten the artwork's deterioration, the public will likely not be allowed to view the paintings. Fortunately, a mere month after their discovery, images of the prehistoric art appeared on the Internet and have been transmitted around the world on commercial and noncommercial systems. The author utilizes this archeological cache as both an example of the uses of advanced information technology and a colorful fact pattern to explore many of the challenges facing …

The Benefits Of Alternative Dispute Resolution In Intellectual Property Disputes, Miriam R. Arfin

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

There are numerous reasons for avoiding traditional litigation in intellectual property disputes. Given the often complex nature of intellectual property cases, litigation may not always offer the best method of resolution. By contrast, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes can offer distinct advantages over litigation. Consequently, ADR should play a greater role in these intellectual property disputes. This Article illustrates the advantages of ADR in intellectual property disputes through a case study, and explores various options within the ADR process. The Article focuses on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and provides a method for choosing, …

The Data Transfer Industry: Communications Regulation For The Next Century, Robert S. Tanner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Technology and competition are pushing a trend of convergence in the separate communications industries. In particular, telephone and cable companies are rapidly developing or acquiring the capacity to compete in each other's businesses. The evolution of this trend will be a larger unified marketplace where companies compete broadly in many forms of communications or data transfer. Companies in the data transfer industry will need to be able to make the most efficient use of their infrastructure to provide an array of services to the consumer.

Convergence has strained the fabric of existing communications law in the United States, and it …

Reforming Telecommunications Policy In Response To Entry Into Local Exchange Markets, Alexander C. Larson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Current telecommunications regulation is based on a series of economic assumptions. The author considers these assumptions and analyzes their continued validity, given the emergence of local exchange competition as seen in the Rochester, New York plan. The author discusses entry barriers to local exchange and the effects of the Department of Justice 1992 Merger Guidelines. The author concludes with a summary of policy recommendations arising from entry into local exchange markets and the necessity of future policy reevaluation.

Swerving To Avoid The Takings And Ultra Vires Potholes On The Information Superhighway: Is The New York Collocations And Telecommunications Policy A Taking Under The New York Public Service Law, Leonard M. Baynes

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Supreme Court has established definitive tests to determine whether a regulation amounts to a ."taking" under the Fifth Amendment. Regulatory agencies, fearful that they will have to compensate property owners for any interest courts deem to have been "taken," structure regulations to avoid such a finding. The author examines the "per se" and "regulatory" takings jurisprudence applicable to the New York collocation regime. The author then examines each of the New York Public Service Commission orders that create its collocation policy to determine whether New York Telephone Co.'s property was "taken" under the New York Public Service Law, thus …

American Geophysical Union V. Texaco: Is The Second Circuit Playing Fair With The Fair Use Doctrine, Shannon S. Wagoner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In American Geophysical Union v. Texaco, the Second Circuit held that a corporate employee's unauthorized photocopying of eight journal articles for personal research and reference is not a fair use under the Copyright Act. This decision tested the legal parameters of photocopying by for-profit institutions, and established that traditional copying practices will now expose many private organizations to infringement liability. This Note examines the Texaco case, the Copyright Act, and the Copyright Clearance Center, an organization which played a pivotal role in the Second Circuit's decision. The author contends that the Texaco decision is contrary to the original purpose of …

The Future Of Sports Merchandise Licensing, Julie A. Garcia

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Sports merchandise licensing has become a major aspect of the sports business. The four major sports leagues currently use a form of revenue sharing to split the royalties received from the multibillion dollar sales of licensed sports merchandise. The current system for dividing the proceeds has raised a number of questions; namely, do the antitrust laws prohibit sharing of such proceeds, and, if not, is the current system for dividing money fair to all parties? This note examines some of the possibilities as to the future of merchandising rights. They could become the subject of congressional legislation, as did the …

A Proposed Defamation Standard For Commercial Information Systems, Frank P. Darr

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The computer bulletin board presents a difficult legal problem when defamation is at issue. Because defamation standards vary with the role of the publisher in the distribution process, the legal responsibility of the bulletin board's sponsor is uncertain.

This Article criticizes the current analogical approach used by the courts. It also rejects the negligence and strict liability rules. Instead, the Article proposes a "reason to know and reasonable time to remove standard," which comports with constitutional requirements, practical limits to preventing defamation, and the countervailing need to prevent injury.

Real Life Trial Issues In Software Copyright Infringement Cases Or How Those Look And Feel Lawyers Are Proving Look And Feel: Reviewing Demonstrative Techniques, Claude M. Stern

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

"Look and feel" or sequence, structure, and organization opinions generally do not include visuals of exhibits the lawyers used to convince the court or jury that one program was or was not substantially similar to another. As a result, it is difficult for look and feel lawyers to determine what sort of evidence influenced a precedential decision. This Article discusses the low-technology and high-technology approaches to proving and defending software copyright infringement cases. The author analyzes cases involving claims of visual similarity of the user interface, components of the user interface, or the sequence, structure, and organization of the user …

Speech, Technology, And The Emergence Of A Tricameral Media: You Can't Tell The Players Without A Scorecard, Burt Neuborne

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Rate Regulation, Effective Competition, And The 1992 Cable Act, Stanley M. Besen, John R. Woodbury

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

A Modest Proposal On Must-Carry, The 1992 Cable Act, And Regulation Generally: Go Back To Basics, Roger Pilon

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Mandated Access: Commensurability And The Right To Say No, Wendy J. Gordon, Anne E. Gowen

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

The First Amendment And Fcc Rule Making Under The 1992 Cable Act, Michael I. Meyerson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Media Countersuits In Libel Law: A Statutory And Judicial Framework, Kyu Ho Youm, Douglas A. Anderson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Faced with costly expenses for libel lawsuits, the American press during the past decade started resorting to counterclaims as an "aggressive-offenseis- the-best-defense" tactic in response to what it considered to be meritless libel actions. This Article examines media libel countersuits to address critical issues raised by some commentators in the mid-1980s about the uncertain value of the suits. Three questions provide the main focus of the study: (1) Why do American media organizations countersue?; (2) What is the statutory and judicial status of media countersuits in the United States?; and, (3) What implications do media countersuits carry for American libel …

Joint Authorship Under The Copyright Law, Scott C. Brophy

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

After nearly a century of the concept of joint authorship existing in the common law, Congress codified that body of law, with some changes, into the Copyright Act of 1976. There remain, however to this day two important but unsettled issues of law. One, whether putative joint authors must each contribute copyrightable expression to a work in order to be given joint author status, and whether the author must merely intend to combine his own work with that of another author, or whether he must more specifically intend the legal consequences of joint authorship. This Article addresses these issues which …

Connick V. Myers And The First Amendment Rights Of Public Employees, Mike Harper

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In Connick v. Myers the Supreme Court developed a test to determine whether a public employer's sanctions of an employee for expressive activity receives First Amendment scrutiny. The Connick test has drawn heavy criticism from scholars, and the problems stem from ambiguities in the decision itself. This Note examines the Connick holding, highlights its guiding principles, and argues how, as well as the circumstances under which, the Connick test should be applied. The Note concludes that courts should ask two questions in considering whether to apply Connick in a new First Amendment situation: (1) Is the behavior protected?; and (2) …

Federal Criminal Remedies For The Theft Of Intellectual Property, Kent Walker

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The theft and abuse of intellectual property has traditionally been controlled through civil remedies. In recent years, the prevalence of accessible and easily reproduced computer software and other information has led to an increase in the unauthorized use and infringement of copyrighted materials, making civil enforcement inadequate. In response, policy-makers have adopted a criminal approach to high technology crime. Congress, the courts, and federal law enforcement agencies have enacted new laws, developed stricter penalties, and pursued more rigorous prosecution to combat such actions. This Commentary outlines these new approaches and discusses the elements and limitations of criminal prosecution of information …

Disclosure Of Computer Re-Enactments During Pretrial Discovery, Mark Barrish

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Computer-generated re-enactments allow litigators to recreate events at issue before a jury. Because of the visual power of computer re-enactments, however, disclosure during the pretrial discovery process is of crucial importance. The author discusses what must be disclosed to the opposing party in federal civil actions relating to expert witness testimony. This Note suggests courts should generally compel the proponent of a re-enactment to disclose the underlying computer models used to create the re-enactment in order to guard against potential bias and allow for effective cross-examination.

Saving Public Television: The Remand Of Turner Broadcasting And The Future Of Cable Regulation, Monroe E. Price, Donald W. Hawthorne

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Merging Phone And Cable, C. Edwin Baker

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

New Technology And The First Amendment: Breaking The Cycle Of Repression, Robert Corn-Revere

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Protecting American Television Programming In Russia, China, Taiwan, And Japan, Rosalind M. Parker

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

As Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese entrepreneurs position themselves to become key players in the global communications marketplace, they present American entrepreneurs with viable opportunities for successful short-term and long-term investments. Given the foreign demand for American television programming, the emergence of new technologies (i.e., wireless cable-television and direct broadcast satellites) and the significant increase in international awareness of and respect for intellectual property rights (as illustrated by the most recent GATT negotiations), major investment in the Russian, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese television industries has become a sound business practice from both technological and economical perspectives. This Article examines the …

Reinventing Competition, Nicholas W. Allard

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Nowhere are the libertarian concepts of free will, individual freedom of thought, expression and action, private property rights and laissez-faire, and free market economy more relevant than the intense policy debate currently underway in the United States over the laws and rules that should govern the uses of technology by our information age society. The author points out (with tongue in cheek) that, although libertarian thinking may be as American as Huckleberry Finn, the central character in this nation's greatest novel, the neo-libertarianism now in vogue, might prove to be a mutant, strain. Those who would rush to embrace this …

Motion Picture Distribution, Film Splitting, And Antitrust Policy, Stanley I. Ornstein

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a major program in the mid-1980s against "film splitting" agreements, whereby motion picture exhibitors in a city agree not to competitively bid for movies. The DOJ held such agreements are per se price fixing conspiracies. This Article examines film splitting and its per se status. The author examines previous explanations for film splitting by reviewing the history of movie distribution and the efficiencies of distribution practices prior to the famous Paramount decision. The author also compares alternative methods of licensing and concludes that film splitting can reduce distribution costs, increase the number …

Altered Realities: The Effect Of Digital Imaging Technology On Libel And Right Of Privacy, Lisa Byrne Anastasio Potter

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Note discusses the legal and ethical ramifications resulting from the use of digital imaging technology by the print and television news media. Focusing on libel and right of privacy, the author discusses the current laws' ability to deal with infringements involving digitally altered images. By using hypotheticals, the author explores the legal, moral, and societal problems that may arise with the increasing availability and use of this technology to alter news photographs. The author suggests "notice" as a solution to maintain free speech without compromising truth.

Confidential Communications Between Clients And Patent Agents: Are They Protected Under The Attorney-Client Privilege, Virginia J. Harnisch

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Typically, the attorney-client privilege applies only to attorneys admitted to practice law by a state bar. However, courts have expanded the application of the attorney-client privilege. This Article focuses on whether a group of specialized legal professionals-patent agents-should be included in the category of legal advisors who are entitled to the attorney-client privilege. The recognition or rejection of a privilege for patent agents may be of critical importance during litigation in the United States involving patent rights. The author concludes that patent agents who function as legal practitioners should independently be recognized as attorneys for the purpose of the attorney-client …

Not As Clean As They Wanna Be: Intermediate Copying In Campbell V. Acuff-Rose, William S. Coats, David H. Kramer

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In Campbell v. Acuff-Rose, the United States Supreme Court discussed digital sampling technology and the question of fair use for the first time. While most of the attention given Campbell has involved the question of fair use, this article raises several interesting questions about the impact digital sampling will have on this unexplored area of copyright protection. The authors suggest creative incentives for original authors may be safeguarded by analyzing intermediate copying as a separate use of copyrighted work.

The Nature Of Copyright Analysis For Computer Programs: Copyright Law Professors' Brief Amicus Curiae In Lotus V. Borland, Pamela Samuelson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This brief amicus curiae was submitted by a group of copyright professors to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.