Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

The Continental Moral Rights Doctrine And Its Applicability In The United States Copyright System, Oswaldo Jose Quintana

LLM Theses and Essays

In the last half of the twentieth century, international copyright protection has become of much greater concern as the copyright industry has become supranational. Treaties enacted in the last ten years such as the Berne Convention Implementation Act, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, provide the highest copyright protection available at the international level. Global piracy has declined in the last several years because of these provisions. However, the adherence by the United States to these treaties has caused controversy; some maintain that it represents a major overhaul of federal law …

Trade Secrets And Roman Law: The Myth Exploded, Alan Watson

Scholarly Works

In 1929 A. Arthur Schiller published a celebrated article, Trade Secrets and the Roman Law; the Actio Servi Corrupti. His main conclusions are that the Roman owner of a mark or firm name was legally protected against unfair usage by a competitor through the actio servi corrupti, “action for making a slave worse,” which the Roman jurists used to grant commercial relief under the guise of private law actions. “If, as the writer believes [writes Schiller], various private causes of action were available in satisfying commercial needs, the state was acting in exactly the same fashion as it …

Brief Amicus Curiae Of Eleven Copyright Law Professors In Princeton University Press V. Michigan Document Services, Inc., L. Ray Patterson

Scholarly Works

The issue dealt with in this amici curiae brief is the judicial ability (or inability) to take away rights granted by Congress in 17 U.S.C. S 107, the fair use doctrine.

On June 9, 1994, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, issued an opinion in Princeton University Press v. Michigan Document Services, Inc., granting several publishers a permanent injunction prohibiting a commercial copying service from photocopying excerpts from copyrighted works chosen by professors and compiled as course packets to be used by university students in class. The court held that such photocopying was …

Payment Demands For Spurious Copyrights: Four Causes Of Action, Paul J. Heald

Scholarly Works

“COPYING IS ILLEGAL” declares the final page of the chorus from the Bach cantata lying to the right of my computer. The slogan is ingeniously printed in gray across the entire page so that it will show up clearly if any photocopies are made. The first page of the text contains the copyright symbol and the name and address of the “sole selling agent” of the putative copyright owner. Apparently, the copyright claimant would prefer to sell additional copies of the music rather than receive royalties for copying done by users. “ALL COPYING IS ILLEGAL” states the edition of Shakespeare's …

The Global Loss Of Biological Diversity: A Perspective, In The Context Of The Controversy Over Intellectual Property Rights, Ajay K. Sharma

LLM Theses and Essays

All nations have a stake in preserving biodiversity for ethical, medical, and economic reasons. This thesis discusses objections to the Convention on Biological Diversity and argues for establishing international agreements that set conservation standards to which all parties can be held accountable. These agreements should also include internationally accepted standards for the protection of intellectual property rights.

U.S. Intellectual Property Protection In China: Legal Framework And Dynamics, Yun Xu

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis explores the complex landscape of intellectual property protection in the context of the U.S-China trade relations. U.S. intellectual property protection in China has emerged as a critical issue in the U.S.-China trade relations, impacting tensions and becoming a critical point. The thesis examines the challenges posed by China’s historical attitudes towards intellectual property rights. China’s historical lack of respect for intellectual property rights, compounded by the Communist political culture, has led to widespread piracy, particularly as China pursues the market-driven economics of U.S. intellectual property protection in China. The Agreements on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights …

Resolving Priority Disputes In Intellectual Property Collateral, Paul J. Heald

Scholarly Works

Although a goodly amount of recent commentary provides guidance to practitioners on the pitfalls of perfecting a security interest in intellectual property collateral, and another body of work has undertaken the laudable task of proposing reform in the area, no comprehensive attempt has yet been made to help judges resolve the complex priority disputes that arise under existing law. In light of the increased use of intellectual property as collateral and the concomitant rise in litigation, guidance on the resolution of priority disputes in intellectual property collateral is sorely needed. For example, recent cases find Article 9 of the Uniform …

Copyright And "The Exclusive Right" Of Authors, L. Ray Patterson

Scholarly Works

The purpose of this essay is to define and explore the meaning of "the exclusive Right" in the Intellectual Property Clause of the United States Constitution as related to the promotion of learning, the public domain, and authors. Without a clear understanding of this key term, one is likely to be unaware that lower federal courts are continually making rulings contrary to both the Copyright Clause and the Copyright Act. The classic example is the judicially created sweat-of-the-brow copyright, which in 1991 -- after seventy-five years of precedent -- the Supreme Court decreed to be unconstitutional. Other bad precedents, such …

Refusing To Rock The Boat: The Sears/Compco Preemptioni Doctrine Applied To Bonito Boats V. Thunder Craft, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

This article discusses the Bonito Boats and Interpart cases in conjunction with the lower courts' interpretations of the challenged state "plug molding" statutes. It analyzes the Supreme Court's resolution of the conflict between the Bonito Boats and Interpart decisions and then explores the ramifications of Bonito Boats. The article concentrates on the ways in which this decision may expand the scope of federal preemption of state law protection for certain kinds of intellectual property.

Emerging Conflicts Over Intellectual Property In Recent Gatt Negotiations, Sonia Baldia

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis describes the "intellectual property problem" and how it came to be a focus of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It addresses the concerns of the developed and the developing world regarding a reform in their intellectual protection regimes. One of the results of this thesis is that reforms that do not stem from developing countries' perceptions of their own interests and needs, and that are not articulated in keeping with broader economic and technological policies, are unlikely to result in stable and predictable rules or to be properly enforced.

Federal Intellectual Property Law And The Economics Of Preemption, Paul J. Heald

Scholarly Works

In the Sears/Compco decisions, the United States Supreme Court established that federal patent law preempts state prohibitions on the mere copying of unpatented product configurations. After years of harsh criticism by commentators, apparent rejection by the lower courts, and allegedly inconsistent treatment by the Court itself, most had proclaimed this principle far beyond resuscitation. The Court, however, miraculously resurrected the principle in Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc., which unanimously reaffirmed that intentional copying often should be privileged under federal law. In so doing, the Court provided an expressly economic rationale to be used in future determinations …

The Vices Of Originality, Paul J. Heald

Scholarly Works

Lately, the Constitution has become an unwelcome guest at the parties of those claiming rights lying on the periphery of intellectual property. Two terms ago, in Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats Inc., the Court held that federal patent law preempted a Florida statute forbidding the reproduction of boat hulls by use of any direct molding process. The Court's decision effectively provided a limited constitutional right to copy unpatented product shapes and designs. Most recently, in Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service, Inc. the Intellectual Property Clause was held to create positive restraints on Congress's ability to …

Three Strikes And They're Out At The Old Ball Game: Preemption Of Performers' Rights Of Publicity Under The Copyright Act Of 1976, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

Presently, broadcasters and cable television companies deal directly with the two baseball leagues and the individual clubs, which in turn purport to sell all of the rights regarding the televising of the games. The players wanted to be a part of those contracts to get a bigger share of the television revenues. In the Baltimore Orioles case both sides sought a judicial resolution of their rights in the telecasts. The baseball players' demand was based on their rights of publicity in their performances. This common law right allegedly precluded the clubs and the leagues from contracting with the broadcasters for …

Trade Regulations In International Transfer Of Technology Agreements: A Comparative View Of National And International Legal Provisions, Franz-Martin Wolff

LLM Theses and Essays

This LL.M. thesis provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of national and international legal frameworks governing the regulation of international transfer of technology agreements, set against the backdrop of the stalled UNCTAD negotiations on a Draft International Code of Conduct on the Transfer of Technology. The work examines the role of national patent systems under the Paris Convention, analyzes proposed modifications — including preferential treatment for Developing Countries — and evaluates the adverse effects of monopolistic rights granted under patent laws. Key topics include antitrust regulation in the United States (Sherman Act per se violations and rule of reason), the European …

Copyright Law And Your Neighborhood Bar And Grill: Recent Developments In Performance Rights And The Section 110(5) Exemption, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

This Article attempts to clarify the chaotic state of the law concerning performance rights. First, it briefly summarizes the history of this right and discusses some of the problems Congress sought to resolve when it passed the 1976 Act. Second, it outlines several of the Act's key provisions on the performance right. Finally, it discusses the recent decisions which have interpreted these provisions and analyzes their impact on the activities of commercial establishments. These decisions show that the pertinent sections of the 1976 Act provide reasonably clear guidelines outlining the ways in which copyrighted works can be publicly performed or …

Copyright Protection For Architectural Works, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

Architecture is the most commonly experienced and pervasive of all the arts. The creative efforts of architects culminate in structures used for shelter, pleasure, business, entertainment, and transportation.1 Architects express their design concepts in sketches, elevations, floor plans, working drawings, specifications, renditions, and three-dimensional models. Their labors in shaping the ideas for a building from rough conceptions into plans and then into completed structures are similar to the efforts of other creators. An architect is as much an author as is a sculptor or a dramatist. His plans, renditions, and the resulting structure will ordinarily show originality and will reflect …

Motion Pictures In American And International Copyright Law, Christof Siefarth

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis intends to examine some problems of motion pictures in American and international copyright law. Motion pictures are one of the most fascinating forms of communication and entertainment. They are of enormous commercial significance and are probably the most complex works in the field of copyright law. The American motion picture industry is heavily influential throughout the world. Therefore, the subject of this work will be mainly the American copyright law. Solutions of other legal systems are treated when they provide interesting alternatives or similarities.

Conflicts Between Copyright And The First Amendment After Harper & Row, Publishers V. Nation Enterprises, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

The relationship between copyright and the first amendment has been discussed repeatedly in the past fifteen years. A free speech privilege has been asserted as a defense in many copyright infringement actions, and the topic has been the subject of lively academic debate. Although no court has held an infringement claim to be defeated by a first amendment defense, considerable attention has been paid to the potential conflict between copyright and free speech interests. Commentators have speculated that in some situations copyright protection could impermissibly abridge the first amendment. The United States Supreme Court's decision in Harper & Row, Publishers …

Protecting Research: Copyright, Common-Law Alternatives, And Federal Preemption, David E. Shipley, Jeffrey S. Hays

Scholarly Works

Under federal copyright law, an author's expression is protected but his ideas and discoveries are not. Professor Shipley explores the possibility of expanding copyright to protect the research of nonfiction authors, but concludes that such an expansion would undermine federal copyright policy. State-law remedies exist that will provide such protection if they are not preempted by federal law. Professor Shipley concludes that most contract claims and some misappropriation claims will survive preemption and therefore are a means by which nonfiction authors can protect their research.

Publicity Never Dies; It Just Fades Away: The Right Of Publicity And Federal Preemption, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

This Article explores the nature and developing boundaries of the state law doctrine of the right of publicity. It investigates the doctrine's conflict with the 1976 Copyright Act and federal policy concerning intellectual property, and concludes that the 1976 Act precludes publicity actions aimed at protecting certain types of publicity interests. In other situations, the overriding objectives of federal copyright policy preempt the right to the extent that the right defined as perpetual; moreover, such protection in perpetuity violates the supremacy clause of the Federal Constitution. Many types of publicity actions, however, should escape preemption either because the asserted rights …

The Transfer Of Technology To Latin America, Gabriel M. Wilner

Scholarly Works

The transfer of technology to Latin America has taken place through both the licensing process and direct investments by foreign enterprises that are often transnational corporations. National law has concerned itself first with the creation of rights in technological knowledge and the protection of these rights by law. The regulation of these rights as set out in contractual relationships and the regulation of direct investment, particularly the technological component thereof, were dealt with thereafter. Other matters such as the repatriation of profits (exchange control), customs controls, and various taxes have also become a part of the national regulatory scene today. …

Generic Trademarks, The Ftc And The Lanham Act: Covering The Market With Formica, David E. Shipley

Scholarly Works

This article focuses on the FTC's authority under section 14 of the Lanham Act to petition for the cancellation of a trademark on the ground that the mark has become "the common descriptive name of an article or substance" and, thus, generic. The FTC's recent decision to challenge Formica Corporation's FORMICA trademark manifests a shift in agency policy which is highly inappropriate and which could have damaging effects on consumers and industry. Competition and the public interest would be better served if the FTC did not exercise this discretionary power, leaving the issue of whether a trademark should be cancelled …

Trademarks: Prestige, Practice And Protection, Julius R. Lunsford, Jr.

Georgia Law Review

AMERICANS are trademark conscious people. Trademarks in- fluence our daily lives and symbolize our American system of free and competitive enterprise. We encounter them not only in the market place, but also in our work, in our play, in our reading, at the banks, at the theatre, on the highways, in every mode of transportation and in church. For example, after a refreshing sleep on his "Beautyrest" mattress, the average American male is awakened by the alarm of a "Westclox" clock. He arises and walks on the "Callaway" or "Barwick" carpet to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth with "Ipana" …

Attorney's Fees As An Element Of Costs: The Copyright Experience, E. K. Ii

Georgia Law Review

The amount of money frequently involved in copyright litigation, especially on the part of the defendant, is trifling. The expense of any litigation is considerable. Unless, therefore, some provision is made for financial protection to a litigant, if successful, it may not pay a party to defend rights, even if valid, a situation opposed to justice.... It is increasingly recognized that the person who forces another to engage counsel either to vindicate, or defend, a right should bear the expense of such engagement and not his successful opponent.