Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

The Federal Circuit And The Supreme Court, Arthur J. Gajarsa, Lawrence P. Cogswell

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Patent Law Decisions Of The Federal Circuit, Sasha Mayergoyz, Michael F. Harte, David Mckone, Amanda J. Hollis, Peter Moore, Jennifer L. Travers

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Power Of The Well-Known Trademark: Courts Should Consider Article 6bis Of The Paris Convention An Integrated Part Of Section 44 Of The Lanham Act, Brandon Barker

Washington Law Review

The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property outlines important international trademark principles for its signatory nations, including the United States. Specifically, article 6bis of the Paris Convention creates the well-known marks doctrine, a provision that allows foreign owners of well-known trademarks to bring infringement actions against citizens of other member nations using the same or similar trade names. Such foreign trademark holders can assert these rights regardless of whether their mark is directly used or registered in the native country of the alleged infringer. Although the Paris Convention provides a list of trademark rights within its articles, the …

The Right Of Publicity: Recovering Stolen Identities Under International Law, Emily Grant

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article proceeds from the assumption that the claims just hypothesized ought to be universally recognized to entitle a celebrity to an action for infringement of his or her right of publicity. It surveys the possibilities for protection of the right of publicity under current international intellectual property law. First, it briefly describes the American right of publicity doctrine as well as the policy shortcomings of the American doctrine and points out the lack of explicit protection for the right in other countries. It next explores the foundations of the right of publicity through a triptych of doctrines - including …

Merck Kgaa V. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd.: Does The Breadth Of Safe Harbor Protection Toll The Death Knell For Biotech Research Companies?, Tiffany L. Williams

Mercer Law Review

In Merck KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd., the United States Supreme Court held that use of patented inventions during research where there was a reasonable basis for believing that the experiments would produce information relevant to Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") approval was protected from patent infringement lawsuits under 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(1), commonly referred to as the "safe harbor" provision. This decision affirmed almost two decades of judicial decisions affording broad interpretation to the safe harbor provision and reversed the Federal Circuit's creation of a bright-line test limiting the scope of section 271(e)(1).

2005 Trademark Decisions Of The Federal Circuit, Stephen R. Baird

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biopiracy And Beyond: A Consideration Of Socio-Cultural Conflicts With Global Patent Policies, Cynthia M. Ho

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article provides afresh and multi-dimensioned approach to a long-standing claim of biopiracy patents made by developing countries and communities. The basic principles of patent law and policy are first established to provide a foundation from which to evaluate the claim that genetic resources and traditional knowledge from developing countries are being misappropriated in a variety of ways that are loosely referred to as biopiracy. The Article distinguishes rhetoric from reality in examining biopiracy allegations from the perspective of national patent laws, as well as international agreements. In addition, the Article explains the underlying conflicts, misconceptions, and historical biases that …

Pathological Patenting: The Pto As Cause Or Cure, Rochelle Dreyfuss

Michigan Law Review

The Patent Act was last revised in 1952. The hydrogen bomb was exploded that year, vividly demonstrating the power of the nucleus; in the ensuing postwar period, the Next Big Thing was clearly the molecule. Novel compounds were synthesized in the hopes of finding new medicines; solid-state devices exploited the special characteristics of germanium and other semiconductors; as investments in polymer chemistry soared, advice to the college graduate soon boiled down to "one word ... just one word[:] ... Plastics." Over the next half-century, things changed dramatically. "Better living through chemistry" has begun to sound dated (if not sinister). Genomics …

Patents On Human Genes: An Analysis Of Scope And Claims, Lori B. Andrews, Jordan K. Paradise, Timothy R. Holbrooke

All Faculty Scholarship

There is significant domestic and international opposition to gene patents based on the fact that gene patents deter medical research and health care, as well as the policy position that genes are an inherent product of nature. Yet, equally troubling is the fact that gene patents have been issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office that are problematic with respect to existing federal patent law. The authors of this Policy Forum describe their study, which examined issued gene patents covering a variety of genetic diseases and described ways in which many claims fell short of USPTO patentability requirements.

A Trade Dress Approach To The Protection Of Radio Brands, Christopher S. Reed

ExpressO

Over the past ten to fifteen years the radio industry has undergone dramatic changes in terms of both programming and the economic model that underlies the industry’s very existence. Despite the widespread industry consolidation that took place after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, advances in technological innovation have lead to a diversity of new media options that have changed the way that people consume radio programming and the way advertisers reach their target audiences. Broadcasters have responded by creating niche-oriented formats designed to attract more narrowly defined segments of the listening population. As the programming becomes more …

I Know You Are, But What Am I? A Temporal Approach To Legal Classification, Wendy A. Adams

ExpressO

No real epistemological disagreement exists that legal knowledge can be represented and understood in categorical form. At issue is the extent to which categorical analysis captures the full complexity of legal reasoning. Can legal reasoning be represented as a taxonomy of mutually-exclusive classes, a taxonomy considered necessary if legal certainty and the rule of law are to prevail, or does the complexity of the process defy attempts at exhaustive classification?

The author agrees with those who argue that multiple legal concepts must often be applied simultaneously to resolve legal problems. The author also acknowledges that simultaneous application of multiple concepts …

Easy Come, Easy Go: Copyright Infringement And The Dmca's Notice And Takedown Provision In Light Of Rossi V. Mpaa, Lawrence F. Rozsnyai

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

In Rossi v. Motion Picture Association of America Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that the notice and takedown provision of the DMCA requires a subjective “good faith” belief that a website is infringing copyrighted material, and not an objective showing by the complaining party. A subjective standard for notice and takedown may do less to promote collaboration between service providers and copyright owners, judicial economy, or fair website management than would an objective standard requiring a minimal degree of investigation. This article concludes, however, that a subjective standard is supported by the …

The Failures And Promises Of Canada's Alternative Compensation System For Private Reproduction Of Copyrighted Recordings, Evgenia Fkiaras

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Canada’s copyright system imposes a levy on manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media. Revenue raised by this levy goes to the eligible owners of musical copyright—rightsholders. Thus, Canada squarely faces the reality of the modern age by acknowledging that users will duplicate copyrighted material at the same time that it attempts to guarantee compensation to certain rightsholders. Like its counterpart, the American Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, this system has certain fundamental flaws. What these flaws indicate about the future of copyright law is unclear.

Download, Stream, Or Somewhere In Between: The Potential For Legal Music Use In Podcasting, Benjamin Aitken

Duke Law & Technology Review

Podcasting is an increasingly popular new digital technology with the potential to be a great conduit of expression. Currently, the use of music is limited in podcasting due in large part to uncertainty as to what rights must be licensed before copyrighted music can be used legitimately. This iBrief examines what legal rights are implicated by podcasting by analyzing U.S. copyright law and comparing related technologies. This iBrief concludes that onerous licensing requirements are unnecessary, and for podcasting to realize its potential, a simple licensing framework must be established.

Intellectual Property Management Strategies To Accelerate The Development And Access Of Vaccines And Diagnostics: Case Studies On Pandemic Influenza, Malaria And Sars, Anatole Krattiger, Stanley P. Kowalski, Robert Eiss, Anthony Taubman

Law Faculty Scholarship

Achieving global access to vaccines, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals remains a challenge. Throughout the developing world, intellectual property (IP) constraints complicate access to critically essential medical technologies and products. Vaccines for malaria and pandemic strains of influenza, as well as diagnostic and vaccine technologies for SARS, are not only relevant to global public health but are particularly critical to the needs of developing countries. A global access solution is urgently needed. This article offers a timely case‐by‐case analysis of preliminary patent landscape surveys and formulates options via patent pools and other forms of creative IP management to accelerate development and access. …

Producers And Consumers In Eu E-Commerce Law, Banu Sit

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Rapid growth of technology in the last decades has given rise to electronic commerce (e-commerce) as a new mode of commerce. This new commerce environment has many characteristics that affect commercial relationships and parties. Of these characteristics, global and borderless commercial activity and the intangible nature of communication can be singled out.

From a legal perspective, e-commerce has developed new modes, of contract formation, performance of contracts for intangible goods, as well as payment. In this new borderless and transient sphere, certain interests of parties involved in commercial activities as buyers or sellers are in need of protection. In particular, …

It Waste Management In Canada: From Cost Recovery To Resource Conservation?, Meinhard Doelle

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The volume, composition and management of solid waste generated by households, governments, the commercial sector, and industry have all changed dramatically over the past century. Household waste contained mainly organic material a hundred years ago. Today, both residential and commercial waste is a complex mix of organics, plastics, paper products, metals and a variety of toxic material. Historically, individual households looked after their own waste, through efforts such as composting and burning. Over the past century, with significant increases in volume of waste generated, municipalities have taken over primary responsibility for solid waste management, initially mainly for aesthetic and sanitary …

A Case Of Bad Credit?: The United States And The Protection Of Moral Rights In Intellectual Property Law, Kinmberly Y.W. Holst

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Garage Door Openers And Toner Cartridges: Why Congress Should Revisit The Anti-Circumvention Provisions Of The Dmca, Heather A. Sapp

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Shooting For The Stars: A Call For Federal Legislation To Protect Celebrities' Privacy Rights, Jennifer R. Scharf

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Protection Of Geographical Indications Of Origin Under Trips: "Old" Debate Or "New" Opportunity?, Irene Calboli

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

This work briefly analyzes the issue of (geographical indications of origin) GI protection pre- and post-TRIPs and considers whether extension of the protection set forth by TRIPs is desirable for the international community. First, the work provides a brief overview of GI, the traditional rationale for their protection, and the protection granted thereof before the adoption of TRIPs. Next, the analysis turns to a description of the status of the law under TRIPs and the failed diplomatic agenda to expand the current protection. The recent developments on the debate on GI are explored, particularly for wine and spirits, with an …

Is There An Antitrust Antidote Against Ip Overprotection Within Trips?, Marco Ricolfi

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

The Article explores the mini-body of antitrust provisions to be found within TRIPs. It advocates a general-principles based and systematic interpretative approach of these provisions with a view to finding in them an antidote to the ratcheting up of IP protection otherwise encouraged by TRIPs. In this framework, it is argued that member countries retain considerable flexibility to incorporate pro-competitive inputs and to give appropriate consideration to non-intellectual property interests in adopting legislation at the intersection of antitrust and IP. The Article further develops criteria to assess the TRIPs-compatibility both of antitrust intervention and of generalized, ex ante legislative measures …

Trips And Traditional Knowledge: Local Communities, Local Knowledge, And Global Intellectual Property Frameworks, Olufunmilayo B. Arewa

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Intellectual property treatment of traditional or local knowledge is a major issue of contention today, particularly since the implementation of the TRIPs Agreement, which establishes minimum levels of intellectual property protection for members of the World Trade Organization. Discourse surrounding local knowledge is highly charged with accusations of "piracy" from Western countries countered with allegations of "biopiracy" from Third World countries. Flowing beneath the surface of this dialogue are multiple levels of historical experience. Intellectual property frameworks were formed in the nineteenth century during a period when evolutionary views of the development of human societies were paramount. Local knowledge was …

The International Intellectual Property Law System: New Actors, New Institutions, New Sources, Graeme B. Dinwoodie

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

International intellectual property norms are ow being developed by a wide range of institutions- some national, some international, and some that do not fit neatly into either category; by bodies designed to address intellectual property; by trade and other bodies; and by actors public, private, and indeterminate. This new wave of international norm creation not only augments a growing body of substantive norms but also raises difficult structural questions about the future development of the international intellectual property system.

Trips: A Link Too Far? A Proposal For Procedural Restraints On Regulatory Linkage In The Wto, Sean Pager

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

In dramatically expanding the reach of international intellectual property law, the TRIPs Agreement both epitomizes a new trend toward globalized regulation and signaled a controversial shift in approach by the WTO away from its narrow focus on trade. Equally controversial was the manner in which TRIPs came about. By strategically linking intellectual property protection to substantively unrelated trade negotiations, developed countries were able to push through a much more ambitious harmonization of IP law than would otherwise have been possible. Such package dealing making offers a powerful mechanism to advance global governance. However, unrestricted use of linkage strategies risks suboptimal …

The Fair Use Doctrine In The U.S. American Copyright Act And Similar Regulations In The German Law, Holger Postel

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Towards A Conception Of Authorial Knowledge In Copyright, Lior Zemer

Buffalo Intellectual Property Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Cheese By Any Other Name: A Palatable Compromise To The Conflict Over Geographical Indications, Ivy Doster

Vanderbilt Law Review

In many grocery stores, shoppers must look in two places to find cheese. The first cheese section is usually near the dairy case; the second is often a specialty cheese case located in the produce department. Why make harried supermarket shoppers rush back and forth between two locations to find what they need for a fondue? The most noticeable difference between the cheeses in the two cases is probably the price: cheeses in the specialty case are generally much more expensive. A second difference is the packaging: many cheeses in the dairy aisle are pre-grated, pre-shredded, or pre-sliced and individually …

The Future Of Music In A Digital Age: The Ongoing Conflict Between Copyright Law And Peer-To-Peer Technology, Lori A. Morea

Campbell Law Review

This article explains the issues that have surfaced as a result of the development of new technology and peer-to-peer networks, as well as civil lawsuits the recording industry has pursued against infringers.

Towards A Feminist Theory Of The Public Domain, Or Rejecting The Gendered Scope Of United States Copyrightable And Patentable Subject Matter, Malla Pollack

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.