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Intellectual Property Law Commons

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Seattle University Law Review

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Articles 211 - 236 of 236

Full-Text Articles in Intellectual Property Law

Antitrust Issues In The Settlement Of Patent Disputes, Part Iii, Thomas B. Leary Jan 2007

Antitrust Issues In The Settlement Of Patent Disputes, Part Iii, Thomas B. Leary

Seattle University Law Review

Once again, I will address the issue of litigation settlements between companies that hold patents on pharmaceutical products (sometimes "pioneers") and would-be generic entrants ("generics") who challenge the validity of the patent and/or a claim of infringement. This discussion will focus on the Tamoxifen opinion, with passing reference to other decisions. Obviously, reasonable people can disagree on these issues, but I still believe the Commission's approach in Schering was correct.


Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz Jan 2007

Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment surveys the contemporary status of copyright law regarding a creator-assignee's standing to sue for infringement and the bases for allowing a creator-assignee to bring an infringement action. Part II begins the discussion with a review of the general principles of copyright law, including its constitutional and statutory frameworks, its underlying policies, and the moral rights doctrine. Part III continues with an overview of the general constitutional standing principles and real party in interest prerequisites. It then outlines the statutory and judicial limits on standing to sue under copyright law. Part IV discusses the issue of assignee standing in …


The Importance Of History To The Design Of Competition Policy Strategy: The Federal Trade Commission And Intellectual Property Law, William E. Kovacic Jan 2007

The Importance Of History To The Design Of Competition Policy Strategy: The Federal Trade Commission And Intellectual Property Law, William E. Kovacic

Seattle University Law Review

The Article's framework for considering the value of history in shaping strategy is the effort of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to apply its competition policy powers to issues involving intellectual property (IP). The Article chooses the example of intellectual property because of its importance to the modern work of the FTC and the increasingly significant place that intellectual property and, more generally, technology-driven innovation hold in the field of competition policy. To provide context for the discussion, Part II of the Article presents a profile of the FTC's modern competition policy initiatives concerning intellectual property. Part III then reviews …


A Proposed Quick Fix To The Dmca Overprotection Problem That Even A Content Provider Could Love . . . Or At Least Live With, Devon Thurtle Jan 2005

A Proposed Quick Fix To The Dmca Overprotection Problem That Even A Content Provider Could Love . . . Or At Least Live With, Devon Thurtle

Seattle University Law Review

This article explains the evolution of the fair use doctrine, which historically prevented copyright holders from having too much control over their works by allowing certain legal and non-infringing fair uses of protected works. Part II explains how the United States Supreme Court developed the Betamax standard to apply the doctrine of fair use to a new technology: home video recorders. Part II also addresses how fair use and the Betamax standard might apply to digital technologies. Part III explains how the DMCA effectively abolished the defense of fair use and its application under the Betamax standard. Finally, Part IV …


Neighborhood Watch: The Negation Of Rights Caused By The Notice Requirement In Copyright Enforcement Under The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Colin Folawn Jan 2003

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 …


Whatever Happens To Works Deferred?: Reflections On The Ill-Given Deferments Of The Copyright Term Extension Act, J. Michael Keyes Jan 2002

Whatever Happens To Works Deferred?: Reflections On The Ill-Given Deferments Of The Copyright Term Extension Act, J. Michael Keyes

Seattle University Law Review

In contrast to the limited judicial writings on the CTEA, there is a healthy stock of insightful scholarly works on the CTEA festooning the legal journals throughout the country. This article leaps into the scholarly fray and focuses on the domestic policy justifications and assumptions relied upon by Congress in enacting the CTEA. In so doing, this article argues that the CTEA is premised upon a wayward copyright philosophy and unsupported congressional assumptions. The article also posits a modest alternative to the CTEA that would be more consonant with the philosophical tenets of copyright and more apt to achieve the …


Application Of Patent Law Damages Analysis To Trade Secret Misappropriation Claims: Apportionment, Alternatives, And Other Common Limitations On Damages, Douglas G. Smith Jan 2002

Application Of Patent Law Damages Analysis To Trade Secret Misappropriation Claims: Apportionment, Alternatives, And Other Common Limitations On Damages, Douglas G. Smith

Seattle University Law Review

Part I of this article discusses the case law acknowledging the applicability of patent law precedents in the context of trade secret damage claims. Part II discusses the application of patent law precedents regarding lost profits as a measure of damages. Part III analyzes the applicability of patent law damages principles in the context of unjust enrichment as a measure of damages. Part IV then proceeds to examine how patent law principles are frequently applied in the context of royalty damages. Part V discusses the case law relating to disaggregation and apportionment of damages in the context of patent and …


Two Wrongs Making A Right: Using The Third And Ninth Circuits For A Uniform Standard Of Fame In Federal Dilution Law, Scott Harvison Jan 2002

Two Wrongs Making A Right: Using The Third And Ninth Circuits For A Uniform Standard Of Fame In Federal Dilution Law, Scott Harvison

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment contains six main parts. Part II analyzes the Lanham Act of 19461 and the likelihood of confusion standard, which led to the enactment of the FTDA. Part III briefly examines the history of dilution and then looks at the FTDA. Part IV focuses on the FTDA's legislative history and intent. In light of the discussion in the foregoing parts, Part V examines differing interpretations of fame as demonstrated by the decisions by the Third and Ninth Circuits, which illustrate and incorporate the differing interpretations of the FTDA among other circuits. In Part VI, this Comment concludes by proposing …


The Freedom To Link?: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act Implicates The First Amendment In Universal City Studios, Inc. V. Reimerdes, David A. Petteys Jan 2001

The Freedom To Link?: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act Implicates The First Amendment In Universal City Studios, Inc. V. Reimerdes, David A. Petteys

Seattle University Law Review

This Note focuses on the application of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) to prohibit the posting and linking of "circumvention technology" on the Internet, while also addressing the larger issue of the unintended consequences that regulating cyberspace can have on free expression. Because hypertext links play such a fundamental role in the utility of the Internet, this Note argues that the application of the DMCA's anti-trafficking provisions to enjoin linking places a significant and unwarranted burden on the Internet as a forum for free expression. Section II is intended to provide a brief background of the technological and legal …


"I See What You're Saying": Trademarked Terms And Symbols As Protected Consumer Commentary In Consumer Opinion Websites, Leslie C. Rochat Jan 2000

"I See What You're Saying": Trademarked Terms And Symbols As Protected Consumer Commentary In Consumer Opinion Websites, Leslie C. Rochat

Seattle University Law Review

Although there are a wide array of unresolved trademark issues with regard to the Internet, this Comment will not address disputes involving anything beyond the visible content of an individual's website. Domain name and meta-tag issues, though often referenced in order to demonstrate trends in analysis, are not the subjects of this inquiry. Rather, this Comment will focus on the triumvirate of claims most frequently asserted against individual web masters in the battle over the propriety of consumer commentary: trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution. A recent court decision, Bally Total Fitness v. Faber, provides an example of the …


Sweeping The E-Commerce Patent Minefield: The Need For A Workable Business Method Exception, William Krause Jan 2000

Sweeping The E-Commerce Patent Minefield: The Need For A Workable Business Method Exception, William Krause

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment will trace the history of patent protection for methods of doing business over the past two decades, then it will inspect the problems that this protection has wrought: litigation, increased barriers to e-commerce entrepreneurs, and the threat of a less vibrant electronic marketplace. Because each traditional method of protecting intellectual property -- patent, copyright, and trade secret -- has strengths and limitations in protecting advancements in software technology, this Comment will examine the relative benefits of each method. Finally, this Comment will suggest a simple, easily applied test that will offer patent protection to true innovations while reserving …


Signposts To Oblivion? Meta-Tags Signal The Judiciary To Stop Commercial Internet Regulation And Yield To The Electronic Marketplace, Craig K. Weaver Jan 1998

Signposts To Oblivion? Meta-Tags Signal The Judiciary To Stop Commercial Internet Regulation And Yield To The Electronic Marketplace, Craig K. Weaver

Seattle University Law Review

The focus of this Comment is not merely to analyze the role of the judiciary in Meta-Tag litigation specifically, but also to use Meta- Tags as a lens with which to examine the potential effect of judicial activism on Internet commerce in general. The first portion of this analysis focuses on the applicability of federal trademark infringement and dilution laws in Meta-Tag abuse suits. The next portion of the article evaluates why market regulation of Meta-Tag abuse is the correct course of action, in the short-term, for ensuring the growth of electronic commerce. The article concludes with a description of …


The Name Is Not Always The Same, Neal J. Friedman, Kevin Siebert Jan 1997

The Name Is Not Always The Same, Neal J. Friedman, Kevin Siebert

Seattle University Law Review

This Article explores the present Internet addressing system, the history of trademark disputes on the Internet, and proposals for resolving these disputes. Part I provides a brief history of the Internet, discusses its addressing system, and explains the use of domain names as identifiers for companies on the Internet. Part II introduces the current system for registering Internet domain names and the problems associated with its structure. Part III gives a brief background of trademark law and tracks the evolution of disputes that have arisen as a result of the intersection of the Internet and trademark law. Finally, Part IV …


Keynote Colloquy: Finding Justice In The Internet Dimension, Hon. Alex Kozinski Jan 1997

Keynote Colloquy: Finding Justice In The Internet Dimension, Hon. Alex Kozinski

Seattle University Law Review

The Internet community—just like all other speech communities—ought to be afforded First Amendment protections. I don't see any reason why Internet speech should be treated any less favorably than other kinds of speech. But the vastly overblown claim that the communications medium somehow deserves to be put outside normal legal constraints--because it's so global, or because it's so different—is self-defeating. It substitutes generalities and sentiments for real thinking. The kind of analysis we've seen at this conference—the kind of debate we've had here—is very useful, because we're talking about the specifics of what legal constraints should be allowed. Not whether …


Reverse Passing Off: Preventing Healthy Competition, Catherine Romero Wright Jan 1997

Reverse Passing Off: Preventing Healthy Competition, Catherine Romero Wright

Seattle University Law Review

In order to protect creativity, the development of products, and access to the marketplace, the Ninth Circuit should readopt the strict bodily appropriations test when determining whether a plaintiff has a legitimate claim under the Lanham Act for reverse passing off. This test protects product originators from having their products mislabeled and it protects entrepreneurs like Chad, who can make valuable contributions to products. This Comment begins with a brief description of the origins of reverse passing off, followed by its evolution in the Ninth Circuit. The expansion of this cause of action in some other circuits is examined; and …


The Internet And Its Legal Ramifications In Taiwan, George C.C. Chen Jan 1997

The Internet And Its Legal Ramifications In Taiwan, George C.C. Chen

Seattle University Law Review

Part I of this Article briefly introduces the five main legal issues related to Internet use in Taiwan. Part II discusses network-related copyright issues, including the doctrine of fair use, personal and corporate use of the Internet, and one of the first court cases in Taiwan on this issue. Part III discusses issues arising from commercial activity on the Internet, including the validity of on-line contracts, the use of digital signatures for authentication, and the applicability of Taiwan's Broadcasting and Television Law, Cable Television Law, and Fair Trade Law to regulating commercial advertising on the Internet. Part IV discusses the …


Cyberspace Must Exceed Its Grasp, Or What's A Metaphor? Tropes, Trips And Stumbles On The Info Highway, Robert C. Cumbow Jan 1997

Cyberspace Must Exceed Its Grasp, Or What's A Metaphor? Tropes, Trips And Stumbles On The Info Highway, Robert C. Cumbow

Seattle University Law Review

This Essay will focus on three metaphors, and show briefly how the arguments that copyright law is “unworkable” in the Internet context are based on a misreading of these metaphors. The first metaphor is the use of the term “cyberspace” to apply to the Internet; the second is the tendency to describe Internet communication as “going” somewhere. Both of these metaphors mistakenly suggest a space in which enforcement—and, indeed, violation—of any law is impossible. The third metaphor is the “wine and bottles” analogy, set forth by John Perry Barlow in his widely circulated article, “The Economy of Ideas," to show …


Forms Of Redress For Design Piracy: How Victims Can Use Existing Copyright Law, Peter K. Schalestock Jan 1997

Forms Of Redress For Design Piracy: How Victims Can Use Existing Copyright Law, Peter K. Schalestock

Seattle University Law Review

Part I of this Comment explores the nature and scope of design piracy in the fashion industry. It also discusses the impact of modem technology on pirates and their victims. Part II reviews the existing intellectual property legal framework, emphasizing copyright law and its application to clothing design. Part III discusses the exclusion of clothing design from copyright protection and reviews cases that have addressed that issue. Finally, Part IV suggests ways that designers might obtain greater protection. The alternatives explored are (1) the proper application of existing law to find separable protectable design elements, and (2) congressional action to …


Equity For Whom? Defining The Reach Of Non-Literal Patent Infringement, Peter K. Schalestock Jan 1996

Equity For Whom? Defining The Reach Of Non-Literal Patent Infringement, Peter K. Schalestock

Seattle University Law Review

The doctrine of equivalents began as a tool creating judicial flexibility to shield patent holders from piracy through minor variations on their inventions. Over time, two trends have transformed it from shield to sword. First, plaintiffs have persuaded courts to allow claims of infringement by equivalents even where there is no evidence of copying or other fraud. Second, as juries have decided more and more infringement cases, their sympathy for patent holders has had a greater impact on equivalents cases. Together, these trends have worked a gross distortion on the doctrine of equivalents. The doctrine should not be used to …


Unconstitutional Incontestability? The Intersection Of The Intellectual Property And Commerce Clauses Of The Constitution: Beyond A Critique Of Shakespeare Co. V. Silstar Corp, Malla Pollack Jan 1995

Unconstitutional Incontestability? The Intersection Of The Intellectual Property And Commerce Clauses Of The Constitution: Beyond A Critique Of Shakespeare Co. V. Silstar Corp, Malla Pollack

Seattle University Law Review

This article makes several assertions: (1) The Intellectual Property Clause of the Constitution, even read with the Commerce Clause, prevents Congress from giving authors or inventors exclusive rights unbounded by premeasured time limitations; (2) Because such limits exist, even incontestable trademarks must be subject to functionality challenges in order to prevent conflict with the Patent Clause; (3) The Intellectual Property Clause requires a similar challenge to prevent conflict with the Copyright Clause; (4) The states are also limited by either direct constitutional mandate or statutory preemption. Based on the first two assertions, this article argues that the Fourth Circuit's decision …


Expanding The Use Of Hypothetical Analysis When Evaluating Patent Infringement Under The Doctrine Of Equivalents, Brian E. Lewis Jan 1993

Expanding The Use Of Hypothetical Analysis When Evaluating Patent Infringement Under The Doctrine Of Equivalents, Brian E. Lewis

Seattle University Law Review

Accordingly, the purpose of this Comment is twofold: first, to bring the reader up-to-date on the doctrine of equivalents, and second, to suggest an improvement on the doctrine's application that is consistent with recent developments. This Comment proposes that the hypothetical technique should be expanded to evaluate more than prior art alone. Before exploring how this new use of the hypothetical would work, however, it is necessary to explain the doctrine of equivalents' history, the factors that affect the range of equivalents, and the methods to determine and apply equivalents.


It Walks Like A Duck, Talks Like A Duck, . . . But Is It A Duck? Making Sense Of Substantial Similarity Law As It Applies To User Interfaces , Ellen M. Bierman Jan 1992

It Walks Like A Duck, Talks Like A Duck, . . . But Is It A Duck? Making Sense Of Substantial Similarity Law As It Applies To User Interfaces , Ellen M. Bierman

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment recommends how courts should apply the substantial similarity analysis to user interfaces. Specifically, this Comment (1) delineates the state of the law in the Ninth Circuit and explains how the recent changes should be interpreted with respect to user interfaces; (2) establishes an analytic framework for evaluating proposed substantial similarity tests through the enumeration of a set of goals specific to user interfaces; and (3) uses this analytic framework to evaluate and endorse a test that applies traditional copyright doctrine to a logical and consistent manner.


Law In The Electronic Brothel: How Postmodern Media Affect First Amendment Obscenity Doctrine, Kenneth W. Masters Jan 1992

Law In The Electronic Brothel: How Postmodern Media Affect First Amendment Obscenity Doctrine, Kenneth W. Masters

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment seeks to examine the implications of media ecology models for the past, present, and possible future of obscenity doctrine. Section II of this Comment applies the first model in examining the historical origins of obscenity doc- trine in light of media ecology. This analysis of history reveals a critical presupposition about the effects of media on human behavior.


Umc Electronics V. United States: Should Reduction To Practice Be A Requirement Of The On Sale Bar?, Michael R. Schacht Oct 1988

Umc Electronics V. United States: Should Reduction To Practice Be A Requirement Of The On Sale Bar?, Michael R. Schacht

Seattle University Law Review

This Note asserts that the UMC Electronics v. United States court's "all circumstances" test cannot be consistently applied and does not satisfy the policies underlying the bar. Therefore, a test is proposed that distinguishes between an offer to sell an invention and the actual sale of an invention. In developing the test, this Note will first explain the policies that underly the on sale bar and review the past application of the bar. Second, the UMC case will be examined and its facts and holding explained. Third, the panel majority's conclusion that a reduction to practice has not been, and …


Federal Copyright Law In The Computer Era: Protection For The Authors Of Video Games, Jeffrey B. Mahan Jan 1984

Federal Copyright Law In The Computer Era: Protection For The Authors Of Video Games, Jeffrey B. Mahan

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment analyzes both the manner and scope of copyright protection currently afforded computer video games. It then discusses the means available under federal copyright laws to protect the underlying computer program and concludes that the game should be regarded as a unit. The effect of treating the game as a unit of audiovisual and computer elements—as opposed to considering only the audiovisual display—will be to raise certain appropriations to the level of copyright infringement.


Fair Use And Home Videotape Copying Of Television Broadcasts, James E. Reed Jan 1977

Fair Use And Home Videotape Copying Of Television Broadcasts, James E. Reed

Seattle University Law Review

This comment discusses home videotape recording under both the 1909 Copyright Act and the new copyright law which becomes effective January 1, 1978. Because home videotaping violates the copyright holder's exclusive rights to transcribe or copy the copyrighted program, the comment focuses on the application of the fair use doctrine to home recording of television programs. If home videotape recording is not a fair use, individuals recording copyrighted television programs are liable for copyright infringement; yet, because private copying is difficult to detect, it may be impossible for copyright holders to protect themselves from this private copying. The comment, therefore, …