Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

3d Printers, James Barker, Nicholas Pleasants, Peter Montine, Shudan Zhu

Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic

A preliminary report, addressing potential market disruption, the state of the law, and recommendations on future legislative action regarding consumer-grade 3D printing.

Cognitive Economy And The Trespass Fallacy: A Response To Professor Mossoff, Saurabh Vishnubhakat

Faculty Scholarship

In his recent essay The Trespass Fallacy in Patent Law, Professor Adam Mossoff argues cogently that the metaphor of trespass has become a misused basis for patent indeterminacy critiques that it cannot conceptually or empirically support. While sharing his caution that metaphors are not to be trifled with, this reply suggests that trespass has both a smaller role and a larger potential benefit in the debate on patent indeterminacy, and advances an opposite solution.

The Number Of Scholarly Documents On The Public Web, Madian Khabsa, C. Lee Giles

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

The number of scholarly documents available on the web is estimated using capture/recapture methods by studying the coverage of two major academic search engines: Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Search. Our estimates show that at least 114 million English-language scholarly documents are accessible on the web, of which Google Scholar has nearly 100 million. Of these, we estimate that at least 27 million (24%) are freely available since they do not require a subscription or payment of any kind. In addition, at a finer scale, we also estimate the number of scholarly documents on the web for fifteen fields: Agricultural …

Copyright Law, Privacy, And Illegal File Sharing: Defeating A Defendant's Claims Of Privacy Invasion, Daniel Gomez-Sanchez

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Audience In Intellectual Property Infringement, Jeanne C. Fromer, Mark A. Lemley

Michigan Law Review

Every intellectual property (“IP”) right has its own definition of infringement. In this Article, we suggest that this diversity of legal rules is largely traceable to differences in the audience in IP cases. Patent, trademark, copyright, and design patent each focus on a different person as the fulcrum for evaluating IP infringement. That patent law, for example, focuses on an expert audience while trademark looks to a consumer audience explains many of the differences in how patent and trademark cases are decided. Expert audiences are likely to evaluate infringement based on the technical similarity between the plaintiff’s and defendant’s works. …

Intellectual Property Without Borders? The Effect Of Copyright Exhaustion On Global Commerce, Diepiriye A. Anga

Brigham Young University International Law & Management Review

No abstract provided.

Advancing National Intellectual Property Policies In A Transnational Context, Marketa Trimble

Boyd Briefs / Road Scholars

Professor Marketa Trimble presented these materials at the Third International Intellectual Property Scholars Roundtable, which was held at the DePaul University College of Law on May 1, 2014.

Judicial Capacities And Patent Claim Construction: An Ordinary Reader Standard, Greg Reilly

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

Patent claim construction is a mess. The Federal Circuit’s failure to provide adequate guidance has created significant problems for the patent system. The problems with claim construction result from the Federal Circuit’s inability to resolve whether claim terms should be given (1) the general, acontextual meaning they would have to a skilled person in the field; (2) the specific meaning they have in the context of the patent; or (3) some combination of the two. The claim construction debate largely overlooks the generalist judges who must implement claim construction. This Article fills that gap, concluding that existing approaches are difficult, …

Patent Misuse And Antitrust: Rebirth Or False Dawn?, Daryl Lim

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

This Article examines how two recent cases, F.T.C. v. Actavis and Kimble v. Marvel Enterprises Inc. could affect both the equitable defense of patent misuse and the patent-antitrust interface more generally. It begins by tracing the history of patent misuse and its reformulation into an “antitrust-lite” doctrine by the Federal Circuit. This Article presents new empirical data confirming this reformulation, and unveils the surprising influence of the Seventh Circuit and the Chicago School on that reformulation. The Article then explores Actavis and Kimble. It explains why Actavis will catalyze more antitrust challenges when patent rights are exercised, and why it …

Pay-For-Delay Settlements In The Wake Of Actavis, Michael L. Fialkoff

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

“Pay-for-delay” settlements, also known as reverse payments, arise when a generic manufacturer pursues FDA approval of a generic version of a brand-name drug. If a patent protects the brand-name drug, the generic manufacturer has the option of contesting the validity of the patent or arguing that its product does not infringe the patent covering the brand-name drug. If the generic manufacturer prevails on either of these claims, the FDA will approve its generic version for sale. Approval of a generic version of a brand-name drug reduces the profitability of the brand-name drug by forcing the brand-name manufacturer to price its …

Using Copyright To Combat Revenge Porn, Amanda Levendowski

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Over the past several years, the phenomenon of “revenge porn” – defined as sexually explicit images that are publicly shared online, without the consent of the pictured individual – has attracted national attention. Victims of revenge porn often suffer devastating consequences, including losing their jobs, but have had limited success using tort laws to prevent the spread of their images. Victims need a remedy that provides takedown procedures, civil liability for uploaders and websites, and the threat of money damages. Copyright law provides all of these remedies. Because an estimated 80 percent of revenge porn images are “selfies,” meaning that …

The Fairest Of Them All: The Creative Interests Of Female Fan Fiction Writers And The Fair Use Doctrine, Pamela Kalinowski

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

No abstract provided.

Trademarks, Gis, And Commercial Aspects Of Wine Distribution Agreements, Sarah A. Hinchliffe

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The marketing of goods under geographical names has always been common. In addition to introducing commercial facets of wine distribution agreements, this article discusses the justifications, principles and, policies that lie behind the protection of geographical indications (GIs) for wine on an international level as well as in the Old World and, to a lesser degree, in the New World. The scope and shape of the GI system will then be scrutinized in light of its own justifications and in the light of its impact on international trade, intellectual property, and agricultural policy.

Why Manufacturing Matters: 3d Printing, Computer-Aided Designs, And The Rise Of End-User Patent Infringement, Sklyer R. Peacock

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

The First Sale Doctrine And The Economics Of Post-Sale Restraints, Ariel Katz

BYU Law Review

The first sale doctrine limits the exclusive rights that survive the initial authorized sale of an item protected by intellectual property (IP) rights, and therefore limits the ability of IP owners to impose post-sale restraints on the distribution or use of items embodying their IP. While the doctrine has deep common law and statutory roots, its exact rationale and scope have never been fully explored and articulated. As a result, the law remains somewhat unsettled, in particular with respect to the ability of IP owners to opt-out of the doctrine and with respect to the applicability of the doctrine to …

Protecting The Environment By Addressing Market Failure In Intellectual Property Law: Why Compulsory Licensing Of Green Technologies Might Make Sense In The United States Institutional Religious Exemptions: A Balancing Approach, Adam Gunderson

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ola Copyright Workshop, Margaret Ann Wilkinson

Law Presentations

No abstract provided.

Patent Law In The Service Of Innovation: The Danger Of "Patent Trolls", Marketa Trimble

Boyd Briefs / Road Scholars

UNLV's Academic Achievement Gala is a campus-wide event that celebrates the scholarly and creative accomplishments of the university's faculty over the academic year. Prof. Trimble was chosen to have her empirical research on patent litigation showcased at 2014's Academic Achievement Gala. This poster, which was on display at the gala, provides an overview of Prof. Trimble's research on patent trolls.

Fixing Notice Failure: How To Tame The Trolls And Restore Balance To The Patent System, Mark Rawls

William & Mary Business Law Review

Patent litigation has become more frequent, more uncertain, and more expensive. Much of this can be traced to the rise of patent trolls asserting vague and uncertain software patents. Trolls have been derided as bringing frivolous and vexatious suits against productive companies, sapping the very same innovativeness that the patent system is supposed to encourage. Instead, companies are subject to nuisance-value suits as an ordinary course of business; for less established companies, such suits can threaten their very existence. Often, because of uncertain rules about claim construction and the granting of very broad patents, the accused infringer has no notice …

Faustian Perspective On Digitization: Making A Deal With The Devil, Lucie Guibault

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

No abstract provided.

Foreigners In U.S. Patent Litigation: An Empirical Study Of Patent Cases Filed In Nine U.S. Federal District Courts In 2004, 2009, And 2012 (Presentation), Marketa Trimble

Boyd Briefs / Road Scholars

Professor Marketa Trimble presented these materials at PatCon 4, a conference hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law. Professor Trimble discussed the results of her empirical study of patent litigation involving foreign parties.

American Broadcasting Cos. V. Aereo, Inc.: Brief Of 36 Intellectual Property And Copyright Law Professors As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondent, Jessica Litman

Appellate Briefs

Amici curiae are law professors who teach and write about intellectual property and copyright law at law schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and Canada. We have no personal stake in the outcome of this case; our interest is in seeing that copyright law is applied in a manner most likely to fulfill its Constitutional mandate "to promote the Progress of Science," taking into account both the protections afforded to and the obligations imposed upon copyright holders and users of copyrighted works.

Ip Law Book Review: Configuring The Networked Self: Law, Code, And The Play Of Every Day Practice, Frank A. Pasquale

Faculty Scholarship

Julie Cohen's Configuring the Networked Self is an extraordinarily insightful book. Cohen not only applies extant theory to law; she also distills it into her own distinctive social theory of the information age. Thus, even relatively short sections of chapters of her book often merit article-length close readings. I here offer a brief for the practical importance of Cohen’s theory, and ways it should influence intellectual property policy and scholarship.

Suing Everyone Will Not Solve The Problem: An Analysis Of The Development Of Peer-To-Peer File Sharing, The Actions Taken By The Music And Movie Industries Against Them, Stephen G. Lee

Selected Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Aftermarketfailure: Windows Xp's End Of Support, Andrew Tutt

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

After 12 years, support for Windows XP will end on April 8, 2014. So proclaims a Microsoft website with a helpful clock counting down the days. "What does this mean?" the website asks. "It means you should take action." You should "migrate to a current supported operating system - such as Windows 8.1 - so you can receive regular security updates to protect [your] computer from malicious attacks." The costs of mass migration will be immense. About 30% of all desktop PCs are running Windows XP right now. An estimated 10% of the U.S. government's computers run Windows XP, including …

In Personam And Beyond The Grasp: In Search Of Jurisdiction And Accountability For Foreign Defendants, Andrew F. Popper

Catholic University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Institutional Progress Clause, Jake Linford

Scholarly Publications

There is a curious anomaly at the intersection of copyright and free speech. In cases like Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the United States Supreme Court has exhibited a profound distaste for tailoring free speech rights and restrictions based on the identity of the speaker. The Copyright Act, however, is full of such tailoring, extending special rights to some copyright owners and special defenses to some users. A Supreme Court serious about maintaining speaker neutrality would be appalled.

A set of compromises at the heart of the Copyright Act reflects interest-group lobbying rather than a careful consideration of …

Reconstructing The Contours Of The Copyright Originality And Idea-Expression Doctrines Regarding The Right To Deny Access To Works, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Access to innovative scientific, literary, and artistic content has never been more important to the public than now, in the digital age. Thanks to the digital revolution carried out through such means as super-computational power at super-affordable prices, the Internet, broadband penetration, and contemporary computer science and technology, the global, national, and local public finds itself at the convergence of unprecedented scientific and cultural knowledge and content development, along with unprecedented means to distribute, communicate, and access that knowledge. This Article joins the conversation on the Access-to-Knowledge, Access-to-Medicine, and Access-to-Art movements by asserting that the copyright restrictions affecting knowledge, innovation, …

The Role Of The E-Book In The Library System: A Comparative Analysis Of U.S. Fair Use And U.K. Fair Dealing In The E-Lending Universe, Michelle Connelly

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note examines the challenges libraries face in e-lending due to DRM technology and copyright laws, highlighting the differences between U.S. fair use and U.K. fair dealing. It argues that while fair use in the U.S. offers a flexible pathway for libraries to navigate DRM restrictions, the U.K.'s fair dealing framework is more rigid, necessitating legal reforms. The note suggests that libraries should leverage their nonprofit purpose to negotiate better licensing terms and advocate for legislative changes to enhance public access to digital content.

The Infringement Continuum, Bernard Chao

Cardozo Law Review

For many years, patent law has struggled with the issue of permissible claim scope. A patent's specification and its claims often suffer from a surprising disconnect. The specification generally describes an invention in terms of one or more specific implementations, suggesting a relatively narrow invention. But claims are drafted far more broadly. They frequently encompass unforeseen variations and even cover after-arising technology.

Although there are numerous existing doctrines that try to prevent claims from straying too far from their specification, these doctrines offer binary outcomes ill suited for patent law. Under these doctrines, as a claim encompasses subject matter further …