Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

The Origins Of Cctld Policymaking, Peter K. Yu

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article explores the evolution of country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) policymaking, tracing its transition from an informal, ad hoc system managed by individuals like Jon Postel to a formalized, international governance structure under the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It highlights the power struggles between various stakeholders, including national governments, ICANN, and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and discusses the implications for global internet governance.

An Examination Of Patents, Licensing, Research Tools, And The Tragedy Of The Anticommons In Biotechnology Innovation, Michael S. Mireles

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The continued development of and affordable access to potentially life saving pharmaceuticals, gene therapies and diagnostics is unquestionably a socially important issue. However, crafting government policy to encourage the development of and allowing affordable access to those services and products is difficult. On one hand, the development of those services and products requires a large investment of funds because of the complexity, collaborative nature, and uncertainty of the development of those products and services. Accordingly, investors require the safety of strong and stable patent rights to ensure a return on their investment in the development of a commercial end-product or …

An Industrial Organization Approach To Copyright Law, Michael Abramowicz

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Origins Of Cctld Policymaking, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Extract:

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, there was a decentralized global network of computers. These computers shared information with each other regardless of how far apart they were and whether there was any direct line of communication between them. In the very beginning, this network was used exclusively by government and military agencies, educational and research institutions, government contractors, scientists, and technology specialists. Instead of the domain names we use today, such as “www. amazon.com,” users typed in numeric addresses, such as “123.45.67.89,” and, later, host names to send information to other computers.

This …

Intellectual Property At A Crossroads: Why History Matters, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Intellectual property is at a crossroads today. As the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights noted in its final report, “[o]ver the last twenty years or so there has been an unprecedented increase in the level, scope, territorial extent and role of IP right protection.” From the rapid privatization and commodification of information to the creation of property rights in bioengineered microorganisms and lifeforms, recent developments in the intellectual property field have sparked major controversies, calling into questions our values, worldviews, and the way society protects and incentivizes human creations and innovations. To grapple with these difficult questions, courts and commentators …

Currents And Crosscurrents In The International Intellectual Property Regime, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Since the establishment of the TRIPs Agreement, intellectual property protection has been expanding rapidly, and many less developed countries have become dissatisfied with the international intellectual property regime. From bilateral free trade agreements to the increasing use of technological protection measures, many commentators fear that the recent "one-way ratchet" will roll back the substantive and strategic gains made by less developed countries during the negotiation of the TRIPS Agreement. Interestingly, intellectual property rightsholders feel equally threatened by the recent developments, in particular the development of the Doha Declaration, the World Summit on the Information Society, the WIPO Development Agenda, and …

The Icann Experiment, Susan P. Crawford

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article argues that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) derives its legitimacy primarily through a consensus-based governance model, rather than democratic or Administrative Procedure Act (APA)-style frameworks. While ICANN’s consensus model is imperfect and faces challenges such as holdouts and centralized decision-making tendencies, it remains the most viable approach for ensuring accountability, transparency, and global acceptance in internet governance. The article emphasizes that ICANN’s legitimacy depends on demonstrated consensus, as seen in its history, particularly in the development of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). It warns that shifting away from consensus toward centralized decision-making risks …

Theories Of Cyber-Sociology: Communicating Culture Through Codes, Erica Schlesinger Wass

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article explores the cultural and social significance of country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), arguing that they extend beyond technical identifiers to reflect national identity, values, and priorities. By examining the history, structure, and policies of ccTLDs, the author illustrates how these domains serve as tools for communication, cultural expression, and social change, influenced by a nation's unique history and societal norms.

Vol. Ix, Tab 46 - Ex. 58 - Deposition Of Rose Hagan From Geico V. Google (Google Managing Counsel Trademarks), Rose Hagan

Rosetta Stone v. Google (Joint Appendix)

Exhibits from the un-sealed joint appendix for Rosetta Stone Ltd., v. Google Inc., No. 10-2007, on appeal to the 4th Circuit. Issue presented: Under the Lanham Act, does the use of trademarked terms in keyword advertising result in infringement when there is evidence of actual confusion?

Vol. Ix, Tab 41 - Ex. I - Hagan Deposition From Geico (Google Managing Counsel - Trademarks), Rose Hagan

Rosetta Stone v. Google (Joint Appendix)

Exhibits from the un-sealed joint appendix for Rosetta Stone Ltd., v. Google Inc., No. 10-2007, on appeal to the 4th Circuit. Issue presented: Under the Lanham Act, does the use of trademarked terms in keyword advertising result in infringement when there is evidence of actual confusion?

Seventeen Famous Economists Weigh In On Copyright: The Role Of Theory, Empirics, And Network Effects, Stan Liebowitz, Stephen Margolis

ExpressO

The case of Eldred v. Ashcroft, which sought to have the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA, aka Sonny Bono Copyright Act) declared unconstitutional, was recently decided by the Supreme Court. A remarkable group of seventeen economists including five Noble laureates, representing a wide spectrum of opinion in economics, submitted an amicus curie brief in support of Eldred. The economists condemned CTEA on the grounds that the revenues earned during the extension are so heavily discounted that they have almost no value, while the extended protection of aged works creates immediate monopoly deadweight losses and increases the costs of creating new …

Virtual Markets For Virtual Goods: The Mirror Image Of Digital Copyright?, Peter D. Eckersley

ExpressO

The Internet and Copyright Law are particularly ill-suited to each other. One is designed to give as much information as possible to everyone who wants it; the other allows authors, artists and publishers to earn money by restricting the distribution of works made out of information. The beneficiaries of copyright law are lobbying for the re-design of computers and the Internet to instate "content control" and "digital rights management" (DRM). These technologies are intended to make copyright workable again by re-imposing limits on access to information goods, but they carry high direct and indirect social costs.

One alternative, which has …

The Market For Private Dispute Resolution Services--An Empirical Re-Assessment Of Icann-Udrp Performance, Jay P. Kesan, Andres A. Gallo

ExpressO

The impressive growth of the Internet in the 1990s and the boom of the e-economy generated a competition for domain names in the most coveted of the top level domain names, i.e., the .com space. The other original generic top-level domain names (gTLDs) open to commercial use, .org, and .net, were also in demand from businesses. Other types of top-level domain names, especially the country code TLDs (ccTLDs), were of little commercial value, and their registrations were not as important as the gTLDs.

In 1997, partly because of the expansion of the Internet to the international sphere, the U.S. government …

Protecting The Next Small Thing: Nanotechnology And The Reverse Doctrine Of Equivalents, Andrew Wasson

Duke Law & Technology Review

If even a fraction of the predictions about nanotechnology are realized, our society will be a dramatically different and better place than it is today. Yet, due to the infancy of the field, it is still unclear how traditional patent doctrine will be applied to nanotechnology. As it stands, the creators of nanoscale versions of traditional products might face infringement claims from traditional patent holders. The reverse doctrine of equivalents serves as a possible mechanism to equitably excuse the literal infringement of traditional patents by nanotech inventors in a way that encourages the progress of science.

Dance And The Choreographer's Dilemma: A Legal And Cultural Perspective On Copyright Protection For Choreographic Works, Kathleen Abitabile, Jeanette Picerno

Campbell Law Review

This article will present specific legal cases involving the need for choreographers to copyright their works and will address whether the need for copyright protection for a dance is overly disputed or immensely neglected.

Copyright And Free Expression: Analyzing The Convergence Of Conflicting Normative Frameworks, Shyamkrishna Balganesh

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Lexmark, Watermarks, Skylink And Marketplaces: Misuse And Misperception Of The Digital Millenium Copyright Act's Anticircumvention Provision, Molly Torsen

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Trademark: "I Love You…You're Fired!", Christian G. Stahl

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Can-Spam: A First Step To No-Spam, Grant C. Young

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Legal And Regulatory Concerns Facing Nanotechnology, Francisco Castro

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Patent Grant Rates At The United States Patent And Trademark Office, Lawrence B. Ebert

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Can A Bankrupt Company Assign Its Patent License To The Highest Bidder, Even When The License Itself Forbids Assignment? Why Everex Systems, Inc. V. Cadtrak Corp. Gives An Unconvincing Answer, Matthew D. Siegel

ExpressO

A patent licensee that declares bankruptcy will often want to assign its rights under the license to another party in exchange for much-needed cash. The Bankruptcy Code generally allows debtors to assign executory contracts, including patent licenses, in this way. Indeed, the Code permits debtors to assign a contract even if the contract itself contains a “no-assign” clause, i.e., a clause expressly forbidding assignment. But there is an exception: The Code will defer to certain kinds of otherwise applicable non-bankruptcy law that would normally prevent the contract from being assigned. In particular, the Code will not allow assignment by a …

Do Patents Facilitate Financing In The Software Industry?, Ronald J. Mann

ExpressO

This paper is the first part of a wide-ranging study of the role of intellectual property in the software industry. Unlike previous papers, which focus primarily on software patents – which generally are held by firms that are not software firms – this paper provides a thorough and contextually grounded description of the role that patents actually play in the software industry itself.

The bulk of the paper considers the pros and cons of patents in the software industry. On the positive side, the paper starts by emphasizing the difficulties that pre-revenue startups face in obtaining any value from patents. …

Owning Music: From Publisher's Privilege To Composer's Copyright, Michael W. Carroll

ExpressO

More than four years after Napster demonstrated the power of the Internet as a means of distributing music, we still are in the midst of a cultural and legal debate about what the respective rights of music copyright owners, follow-on creators, disseminators, and purchasers should be. A common assumption underlying much of the debate is that whatever settlement emerges, it will apply equally to all forms of expression. This Article questions that assumption by investigating the early history of copyright in music.

For the first time in legal scholarship, the Article reveals and examines the distinct early history of copyright …

Media Policy Out Of The Box: Content Abundance, Attention Scarcity, And The Failures Of Digital Markets, Ellen P. Goodman

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

No Lego, Yes Logo: The Federal Court Of Appeal Protects Innovation In Kirkbi Ag And Lego Canada Inc. V. Ritvik Holdings Inc., Sean Robertson

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article will discuss the case at the trial and appellate levels. It will specifically address the underlying policy debate between the majority and the dissenting decisions at the Federal Court of Appeal. The author will compare this debate to two similar international cases involving Lego’s infamous intellectual property litigation. With this recent finding in the 40-year-old saga of international case law surrounding Lego’s trade-mark enforcement strategy, the Appeal Division of the Federal Court of Canada joins the ranks of several other courts that have similarly excluded protection for Lego based on the doctrine of functionality. The comment concludes with …

Privacy Of Genetic Information In Canada: A Brief Examination Of The Legal And Ethical Tools That Should Frame Canada's Regulatory Response, Stephen Orr

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article investigates the legal and ethical tools that should inform Canada's regulation of the privacy of genetic information. We are the first generation faced with resolving the unique challenges presented by genetic information. Unfortunately, the patchwork of instruments that could regulate genetic information in Canada is insufficient. The prospect of Canadians increasingly generating genetic information without a satisfactory structure for protecting the information is rather alarming. It is therefore important that we commit to reexamining regulations regarding genetic information. Different loci of governance will likely be required. Canada should look to international law and comparative law for inspiration regarding …

Escaping The Indirect Profits Loophole: Finding The Elusive Causal Link In The Case Of Knowing Copyright Infringement, Avi Israeli

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Quid Pro Whoa!: An Exponential Fee Structure For Patent Applications, Peter L. Giunta

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Video Surveillance, Evidence And Pipeda: A Comment On Ferenszy V. Mci Medical Clinic, Anne Uteck

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

One of the most common uses of surveillance is in the area of evidence gathering for investigation by litigators. Private investigators have long been retained for this purpose, and law enforcement officers routinely utilize surveillance devices to assist in the prosecution of a crime. The admissibility of video surveillance evidence obtained by private and government investigators is obviously not a new issue. What has come to the fore- front is the application of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act in the context of video surveillance evidence, and its impact on civil litigators. Privacy interests inherent in the collection, …