Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

What We Buy When We "Buy Now", Aaron K. Perzanowski, Chris Jay Hoofnagle

Faculty Publications

Retailers such as Apple and Amazon market digital media to consumers using the familiar language of product ownership, including phrases like “buy now,” “own,” and “purchase.” Consumers may understandably associate such language with strong personal property rights. But the license agreements and terms of use associated with these transactions tell a different story. They explain that ebooks, mp3 albums, digital movies, games, and software are not sold, but merely licensed. The terms limit consumers' ability to resell, lend, transfer, and even retain possession of the digital media they acquire. Moreover, unlike physical media products, access to digital media is contingent …

Harmonizing Cultural Ip Across Borders: Fashionable Bags & Ghanaian Adinkra Symbols, J. Janewa Osei-Tutu

Articles

Global copyright and trademark laws protect symbols, names, and literary and artistic works. However, when their primary significance is cultural, because they are neither individual original works nor symbols that are used as commercial identifiers, intellectual property laws do not protect these symbols or artistic works. This is true, even if these goods are protected under national laws as part of that nation's cultural heritage. Once these cultural goods cross borders, there is no international law that will enable the country from which these goods originate to assert its rights in other countries. This Article characterizes these cultural goods as …

Human Capital As Intellectual Property? Non-Competes And The Limits Of Ip Protection, Viva R. Moffat

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Non-compete agreements have become increasingly common in recent years, imposed on twenty to forty percent (or more) of employees in some industries, both in the knowledge-intensive fields where they might be expected but also in the service industries on low-wage workers. As non-competes have proliferated, they have become increasingly controversial. Much of the discussion revolves around whether the agreements help or hinder innovation and economic growth. While this is also accompanied by some concern about the effect of non-competes on employees, little attention has been paid to the fact that employers use non-competes as tools for protecting intellectual property and …

Impact Of Lexmark Case On Patent Exhaustion, 16 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 487 (2017), Gouthami Vanam

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In recent times, there exists a lot of confusion as to the patent exhaustion doctrine and its implications on conditional sales and international patent exhaustion. Current patent exhaustion laws do not allow for international patent exhaustion, whereas current copyright exhaustion laws favor removal of geographical boundaries and facilitate commerce. This comment examines the evolution of the patent exhaustion doctrine and compares the Lexmark Int l, Inc. v. Impression Prods. case to Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and proposes solution in favor of international patent exhaustion.

Trying On Trade Dress: Using Trade Dress To Protect The Look And Feel Of Video Games, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 109 (2017), Benjamin Lockyer

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

With the creation of video games for smart phones, video games are some of the most accessible forms of entertainment on the market. What was once only an attraction inside the designated location of arcade halls, is now within the grip of nearly every smart phone user. With new game apps for smart phones going viral on a regular basis, the video game industry has become one of the most profitable in the entertainment realm. However, the industry's overall success has also led to increased competition amongst game developers. As a result, competing developers create near exact copies of highly …

Plausibility Under The Defend Trade Secrets Act, 16 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 188 (2017), Michelle Evans

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

With the recent passage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), a federal civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation is now available. To add some familiarity to the Act, the drafters incorporated definitions similar to those of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA). However, even though the provisions may seem familiar, there is a new requirement that is not obvious on the face of the statute- the plausibility requirement for pleading under the federal rules. To understand plausibility; however, one must understand the DTSA. Unfortunately, there is no guidance from the DTSA that can aid interpretation of the …

Conceptual Expression In A Copyright World: Protecting Ideas From The Shadow Of Preemption: A Call For Legislative Action, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2017), John R. Kettle Iii

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The notion that an idea creator ought to be compensated for the product of his or her mind continues to transcend and develop in the realm of intellectual property. Although many scholars have penned that there is a value to conceptual expression in the disclosure of the idea apart from its future expression, there are others that blur the idea/expression dichotomy and take the position that ideas should be as free as air. Many academics tend to reject the traditional theories of protection, and proscribe alternatives in providing protection to conceptual expression, my article adds to and critiques the discourse …

Write Like A Patent Litigator: Avoid Common Mistakes Made By Non-Patent Lawyers, 17 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 141 (2017), Ted L. Field

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Following, or not following, conventions as an attorney may lead to a question of credibility. Particularly with patent law, there are certain conventions and usage errors commonly made by practitioners who are not familiar with patent law. While these errors may be irrelevant in plain English, they are often important components in the specialized language of patent law. This article discusses the importance of these components by examining examples of particular usages that often give rise to error.

Expecting The Unexpected, Mark A. Lemley

Notre Dame Law Review

One of the most important legal doctrines designed to decide whether an invention would be obvious to those in the field is the doctrine of “unexpected results.” If the patentee’s invention produced unexpected results, the law says, that is pretty good evidence that it wasn’t obvious. A second important doctrine is that if it is obvious to try to make something, and if those who might try would expect to succeed, making that thing is not patentable. These two doctrines can conflict, and they do with some frequency in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Courts have not yet decided how …

Copyright Without Copying, Christina Mulligan

Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy

Digital media and software have broken copyright law. Although a consumer experiences the same work when reading a book printed on paper or copied onto an e-reader, the applications of copyright law to traditional and digital media usage have diverged dramatically because digital works are frequently copied in the course of their use. Copyright theorists have struggled with how to craft legal rules that would align rights in traditional and digital works, frequently proposing new exceptions for digital uses or interpretations of fair use. But there is a more elegant path forward, which has been too difficult to contemplate seriously …

Technological Neutrality: Recalibrating Copyright In The Information Age, Carys J. Craig

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

This article aims to draw the connection between how we conceptualize legal rights over information resources and our capacity to develop technologically neutral legal norms in the information age. More specifically, it identifies and critically examines three competing approaches to the idea of technological neutrality apparent in copyright jurisprudence. Ultimately, it is argued that true technological neutrality requires not simply the seamless expansion of legal rights into new technological contexts, but the careful, contextual recalibration of rights and interests in light of shifting values and changing circumstances. As a normative principle, technological neutrality in copyright law thus demands a nuanced …

"Free Speech, First Amendment, And New Media For Cons And Festivals" From Pop Culture Business Handbook For Cons And Festivals, Jon Garon

Faculty Scholarship

This article is part of a series of book excerpts from The Pop Culture Business Handbook for Cons and Festivals, which provides the business, strategy, and legal reference guide for fan conventions, film festivals, musical festivals, and cultural events.Although most events are organized by private parties, the location of these events in public venues and the crowd management issues involving free speech make First Amendment and free speech issues a critical component of event management. This excerpt provides a framework for understanding the legal and security issues involving free speech at public events.

"The Reel Story: Film Festivals And Markets" From The Pop Culture Business Handbook For Cons And Festivals, Jon Garon

Faculty Scholarship

This article is part of a series of book excerpts from The Pop Culture Business Handbook for Cons and Festivals, which provides the business, strategy, and legal reference guide for fan conventions, film festivals, musical festivals, and cultural events.There may be between three thousand and four thousand film festivals running this year. Compared to fewer than 750 feature films that are released theatrically during the year, the overwhelming number of film festivals make this experience somewhat unique within the Con culture. A film festival attracts its audience in order to highlight the best work it can showcase and to recognize …

Using Data Exclusivity Grants To Incentivize Cumulative Innovation Of Biologics' Manufacturing Processes, Eric Lawrence Levi

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Patently Unexceptional Venue Statute, Paul R. Gugliuzza, Megan M. La Belle

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Interpretive Argument For A Balanced Three-Step Test?, Patrick R. Goold

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Big Pharma Versus Inter Partes Review: Why The Pharmaceutical Industry Should Seek Logical Hatch-Waxman Reform Over Inter Partes Review Exemption, 50 J. Marshall L. Rev. 337 (2017), Francisco Javier Espinosa

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Patently Unexceptional Venue Statute, Megan M. La Belle, Paul R. Gugliuzza

Scholarly Articles

Legal doctrines developed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit are often derided as “exceptionalist,” particularly on issues of procedure. The court’s interpretation of the venue statute for patent infringement suits seems, at first glance, to fit that mold. According to the Federal Circuit, the statute places few constraints on the plaintiff’s choice of forum when suing corporate defendants. This permissive venue rule has lead critics to suggest that the court is, once again, outside the mainstream. The Supreme Court’s recent grant of certiorari in TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods would seem to indicate that those critics …

Globalizing User Rights-Talk: On Copyright Limits And Rhetorical Risks, Carys J. Craig

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Perfect Match: Civil Law Judges And Open-Ended Fair Use Provisions, Martin Senftleben

American University International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Droit De Suite, Copyright’S First Sale Doctrine And Preemption Of State Law, David E. Shipley

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The primary focus of this article is whether California’s forty-year old droit de suite statute; the California Resale Royalty Act (CRRA), is subject to federal preemption under the Copyright Act. This issue is now being litigated in the Ninth Circuit, and this article concludes that the CRRA is preempted under section 301(a) of the Copyright Act and under the Supremacy Clause because it at odds with copyright’s well-established first sale doctrine.

The basic idea of droit de suite is that each time an artist’s work is resold by a dealer or auction house, the artist is entitled to a royalty, …

Developing A Matrix For Intellectual Property As Subject Of International Law, Sam F. Halabi

Faculty Publications

Intellectual property disputes implicating diverse and seemingly unrelated international legal regimes have become more frequent, acrimonious, and high-stakes. This trend has spawned an enormous academic literature endeavoring to rationalize the approach various interpretive authorities take to intellectual property disputes. Graeme Austin and Larry Helfer's Human Rights and Intellectual Property offered a framework by which to resolve claims for or against intellectual property protection based on human rights arguments; Susy Frankel has extensively assessed the application of customary international rules of interpretation in furtherance of a rationalizing approach to complex IP conflicts; and Jerry Reichman. Paul Uhlir. and Tom Dedeurwaerdere have …

Wrongly Affirmed Without Opinion, Dennis D. Crouch

Faculty Publications

In his 1909 treatise on appellate jurisdiction, the future Justice Benjamin Cardozo explained the role of appellate courts - not simply "declaring justice between man and man, but . .. settling the law." In Justice Cardozo's view, the appellate courts exist "not for the individual litigant, but for the indefinite body of litigants, whose causes are potentially involved in the specific cause at issue." Justice Cardozo's vision more than a century ago still resonates, and precedential opinions form a mainstay of appellate court activity nationwide. However, one court of appeals is quite different from the rest. The Court of Appeals …

A Comparative Study Of Trade Dress In The U.S. And South Korea: Rethinking On The Laws And Precedents In The Apple V. Samsung, Sukchan Sim

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

Trade dress originally included the packaging or dressing of products, however in this time it has been extended to put together the impression of design of products. Product configuration, the design and shape of the product itself, may also be considered a form of trade dress. The Lanham Act protects trade dress if it serves the same source-identifying function as a trademark. In U.S., trade dress was developed continuously for a long time and some significant case suggested guidelines reflecting the modern industry. In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v Samara Brothers, Inc., or TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc., …

No Trademark, No Problem, Christine Haight Farley

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Does the Lanham Act permit a foreign business that has neither used nor registered its trademark in the United States to sue the owner of a U.S. trademark for its use of the same mark in the U.S.? A recent case from the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit addressed this consequential question. In Belmora, LLC.v. Bayer Consumer Care A G, the Court of Appeals surprised the legal community and answered this question in the affirmative, reversing the district court's decision to reject the trademark claim because it was unsupported by a federally protected U.S. trademark.

The Belmora decision …

Calculating Artists’ Royalty: An Analysis Of The Courts’ Dualistic Interpretations Of Recording Contracts Negotiated In A Pre-Digital Age, Nina Aragon

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Note examines the disparity in the courts’ rulings in the Malmsteen and F.B.T. cases, specifically the different ways in which each court interpreted the contractual language of the parties’ preInternet recording agreements, and their application of royalty rates. Part I of this Note provides an overview of the royalty structure used to compute royalty rates for compact discs (CDs). Part I discusses on the economic effects of switching to a digital distribution system, the sales versus license distinction, and the principles relied on by the courts to interpret pre-Internet contracts. Part II of this Note examines the courts’ rulings …

3d Bioprinting Patentable Subject Matter Boundaries, Tabrez Y. Ebrahim

Faculty Scholarship

3D bioprinting combines emerging 3D printing technologies with synthetic biology. The promise of 3D bioprinting technology is to fabricate organs for transplantation, treat burn victims with in vivo skin repair, and create wearable microbiomes. 3D bioprinting can successively build, repair, or reproduce living human cells. This capability challenges eligible subject matter doctrine in U.S. patent law because the law has no brightline standard for patent eligibility for nature-based products. As 3D bioprinting technologies mature, U.S. patent law will need to respond to situations where living and nonliving worlds merge. This Article proposes a "Mixed-Scanned-Transformed" standard to supplement U.S. patent law's …

Will Patenting Make As Much Sense In The New Regime Of Weakened Patent Rights And Shorter Product Life Cycles?, David Hricik

Articles

After its founding in 1982, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit strengthened patent protection. During that time, businesses—which acquire 90 percent of all patents—increasingly applied for and enforced patents. Clearly, the benefit of having a patent outweighed the cost of doing so.

This Article shows that a central benefit of applying for a patent is that it permits its owner to exclude others from making the patented invention. A patent owner can use the coercive power of a patent to exclude others from making the invention, or to permit others to make the patented invention, but only …

Collision Course: State Community Property Laws And Termination Rights Under The Federal Copyright Act--Who Should Have The Right Of Way?, Loren E. Mulraine

Marquette Law Review

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recapture rights under copyright law, as well as a primer on the difference between common law and community property law as it relates to property rights in a divorce proceeding. The paper will utilize as a case study the dispute between William "Smokey" Robinson and his former spouse, Claudette Robinson, and provide a statutory solution for future disputes where federal copyright law and state community property laws collide at the intersection of copyright terminations. Specifically, should these newly recaptured rights be treated as a new estate and thus not …

Multinational Efforts To Limit Intellectual Property Income Shifting: The Oecd's Base Erosion And Profit Shifting (Beps) Project, Jeffrey A. Maine

Faculty Publications

Before 2017, there were two major international movements going on at the same time: (1) the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement; and (2) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. The movements presented a unique opportunity to consider the intersection of a behemoth multinational trade agreement and ambitious multinational efforts to close international tax loopholes.

Although the TPP is essentially dead, as newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump unsigned the TPP as a matter of unilateral Executive power, the OECD’s BEPS Project is not. Indeed, many nations have been adopting BEPS Project proposals …