Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

The Mark Of Confusion: Untangling The Circuit Split In Trademark Infringement Jurisprudence, Amilcar Torres

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Shareholder’S Guide To Blowing Up 100 Years Of Delaware Corporate Law: Intellectual Property And Corporate Governance After Delaware Senate Bill No. 313, Avery C. Hill

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

This note examines the intersection between shareholders agreements and intellectual property ownership in Delaware corporations after Delaware Senate Bill No. 313. Delaware corporate governance law has created extensive statutory and case law balancing the competing interests of corporate actors. The board of directors maintains an exclusive right to manage the affairs of a corporation, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation. Delaware law defers to director’s management authority through the business judgement rule, but fiduciary duties govern a director’s responsibly to shareholders. Shareholders maintain rights such as voting for the board of directors, receiving distributions, and selling shares, but …

Leveraging Intellectual Property For Development: Insights From South Korea For Developing Countries, Gracie Alinafe Chimvula

Cybaris®

No abstract provided.

Function Over Form: Why Wipo's Procedural Treaties Are Not Enough, Cassidy Serger

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Out-Of-The-Block Solution For Modern Ip Law: How Pairing Generative Ai With Blockchain Could Resolve Copyright Conflicts, Emma Wozniak

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

De Minimis Copying: An Empirical Study, Jessica Silbey, Samantha Zyontz

Faculty Scholarship

In the internet age, the copyright de minimis defense has increased in relevance as copyright lawsuits (and IP generally) are more mainstream and infringement liability more widespread. This Article is the first empirical analysis of copyright de minimis defense cases, collecting and analyzing all such decisions since the mid-19th century. It traces the doctrine’s development over the past century and its evolution in the digital era, when copying has become even more ubiquitous but its triviality remains widely disputed. The Article’s aim is not only to map the de minimis defense to learn more about it doctrinally—asking when is copying …

Brief Of 12 Narcolepsy Patients, Public Interest Organizations, Medical Professionals, And Professors Of Law And Medicine As Amici Curiae In Support Of Defendants-Appellees (Amended To Add Further Signatories), Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

A prior copy of this brief was filed, inadvertently omitting one signatory. This brief has accordingly been amended to correct the error, reflected in the Certificate as to parties and the Appendix.

Brief Of 30 Scholars Of Law, Economics, And Medicine As Amici Curiae In Support Of The Petition, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

Amici curiae are scholars of law, economics, and medicine, listed in the Appendix. Their interest is in the proper development of patent law in ways that best promote the interests of innovation access and the public interest.

Motion For Leave To File Brief Of 31 Intellectual Property And Media Law Professors As Amici Curiae In Support Of Appellant And Reversal, Christine Farley

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

Amici Intellectual Property and Media Law Professors respectfully move for leave to file a brief in support of Appellant in this appeal, pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 29(a)(2) and (a)(3) and 11th Circuit Rule 29-1.1 The proposed brief is being tendered herewith. All parties have received notice of the filing of this motion and proposed brief. Counsel for Appellant has consented to the filing of the proposed brief; counsel for Appellee has advised that Appellee opposes the filing.

Brief Of Law Scholars As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Appellees And Affirmance, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

Amici are law professors and scholars who focus their scholarship and teaching on intellectual property law, property law, regulatory law, and health law. They write to address the plaintiff, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis), contention that the Medicare drug price negotiation program effectuates a taking of personal property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Amici submit this brief to provide the Court with the historical and legal background necessary to understand two issues: first, the constitutionality of government price negotiations and price regulations; second, the federal government’s use of patents. The amici explain how Courts have historically ruled on these questions, …

Time Is Money And Anticompetitive: The Luxury Watch Industry's Weaponization Of Intellectual Property Against The Right To Repair, Isha Jadhav

American University Business Law Review

Since 2010, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), legislators, and activists have jointly worked together to implement consumer rights in repairing personal property on both a state and federal level in the United States. These efforts have largely targeted the automobile and technology industries; these sectors have been known to “tie” their goods to authorized repair services, limiting consumer choice on where, how, and when to repair their goods. However, this issue is not limited to the automobile and technology industries, as luxury watches have gained newfound popularity, creating right to repair issues within the industry.

Despite …

Artificial Intelligence And Intellectual Property, Part Iii: Ip Protection For Ai-Assisted Inventions And Creative Works, Joshua Landau

American University Business Law Review

Chairman Darrell Issa, Ranking Member Hank Johnson, distinguished members of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet ("Subcommittee") of the Committee on the Judiciary ("Judiciary Committee"), on behalf of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and its members, thank you for this opportunity to share our views on intellectual property (IP) protection for artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted works and inventions.

Design Problems, Mark P. Mckenna, Jessica Silbey

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay draws on our empirical research into designers and their work to investigate the limits of intellectual property law for achieving its goal of progress in the design context. We focus on two related aspects of our research and also address a pressing doctrinal question in design patent law. The two research questions we discuss are: (1) How do designers conceive of and solve design problems through innovative design practice?; and (2) How do designers incorporate human values of coherence, inclusivity, and sustainability in their process, imbuing their practice with a kind of politics? The related doctrinal question concerns …

How Theories Of Art Can Inform Debates About Ai, Jessica Silbey

Faculty Scholarship

Debates about artificial intelligence (AI) tend to swing between the optimistic and the apocalyptic. I propose a less binary approach that frames conversations about AI from the perspectives of theories of art and creativity. Whether we agree that AI is artificial or intelligent, whether it should be constrained or liberated, we cannot deny its influence on literary, artistic, and innovative production. AI may be described as simply a new tool to produce art and science, like the camera or the microscope, or it may transform art and science, the way the internet transformed global communication. Either way, these debates about …

Trademark Fair Use Is No Joke, Christine Farley

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

This Article examines how the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Jack Daniel's Properties v. VIP Products reveals the limitations of using parody as a framework for resolving tensions between trademark rights and free speech. While the Court's ruling narrowed trademark protection in certain instances and acknowledged the importance of protecting parodic speech, it ultimately avoided addressing fundamental questions about the relationship between trademark law and the First Amendment. The Article argues that courts' reliance on parody as a paradigmatic case of permissible trademark use has become a distraction that prevents necessary reform of trademark law to better accommodate First Amendment …

Certainly Uncertain: An Analysis Of The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act Of 2023, Charles Duan

American University Business Law Review

Patentable subject matter eligibility has been a topic of major policy debate over many years, culminating in the recent introduction of a bill that would entirely overhaul current law. This article reviews the proposed legislation in view of its historical context, the purported need to reduce uncertainty, and the likely effects of the bill. Based on this analysis, the article concludes that the legislation is unnecessary, ill conceived, and likely to be harmful to scientific research, a variety of industries, and the public good.

Trademark Proprietors' "Moral Right" As An Exception To The Doctrine Of Exhaustion Of Rights In Trademarks, Sahana Simha, Ram Mohan M P

American University Business Law Review

Trademark law is primarily viewed as a consumer protection law. Proprietary and consumer interests are not always balanced. This is especially the case with the doctrine of exhaustion of rights in trademarks, where the trademark owner loses control over the further distribution of their trademarked product once sold. Existing statutory exceptions to this doctrine allow the proprietor to take action against resellers only when the product has been impaired or changed. The exceptions do not account for harm or damage to the reputation and goodwill associated with a trademark as a ground to override exhaustion. This article analyzes legislative and …

Brief Of Law Scholars As Amicus Curiae In Support Of Appellees And Affirmance, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

Amici are law professors and scholars who focus their scholarship and teaching on intellectual property law, property law, regulatory law, and health law.2 They write to address the plaintiff’s, Novo Nordisk Inc., et al. (Novo), overarching contention that the Medicare drug price negotiation program constitutes an unconstitutional price control. Amici submit this brief to provide the Court with the historical and legal background regarding the constitutionality of government price negotiations and price regulations. The amici explain how Courts have historically ruled on these questions, as well as the far-reaching consequences that a ruling in Novo’s favor would have on the …

Generative Artificial Intelligence And Copyright In The Film And Media Industry, Victor A. Oberting Iv

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

The development of generative artificial intelligence (“GAI” or “generative AI”) introduces compelling benefits and capabilities to filmmakers and artists, but also brings complications regarding copyright of creative works. The American film and media industry in particular illustrates the scope of GAI’s legal, economic, and ethical implications. Though GAI may exhibit characteristics of independent agency or intent, GAI models are best understood as a new set of tools that serve a diverse range of applications in the creative process. The potential benefits of this set of tools can only be realized, then, if the filmmakers who use them are not unreasonably …

Questions And Answers On The Future Of Ip For Research And Innovation, Sean Flynn

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper publishes the annotated contents of an interview with PIJIP Director Sean Flynn by the staff of WIPO’s work on the Future of IP. All questions relate to the future of copyright with respect to AI assisted innovation.

Brief Of 20 Professors Of Law And Public Knowledge As Amici Curiae In Support Of Affirmance, Charles Duan, Rachel Bamberger

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

In Carroll Shelby Licensing v. Halicki, the U.S. Court of Appeals considers whether a car in a film is a "character" for purposes of copyright law. Character copyright protection has proven to be an especially difficult area of the law, and courts and commentators have struggled with the proper boundaries of such protection and whether characters are independently protectable works at all. This brief presents a novel legal argument for resolving the scope of character copyright, at least in the context of inanimate objects in creative works such as cars. While the case law and commentary has to date focused …

Brief Of 15 Scholars Of Law And Medicine As Amici Curiae In Support Of The Petition For Rehearing En Banc, Charles Duan

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

The panel decision announces an over-expansive, ill-defned doctrine of inducement, in which well-pled allegations may be based on nothing more than ordinary marketing materials and mandatory labeling--even when those materials never recite or describe the claimed invention. This unprecedented and erroneous expansion of inducement liability leaves the law uncertain. It is now unclear, among other things, what statements a generic frm may make about its own product's equivalence and how much of the generic product's labeling information must be revised--assuming that such revisions are even regulatorily allowed--in order to avoid the risk of an inducement lawsuit.

Wipo General Assembly 65th: Issues Affecting The Right To Research, Sean Flynn, Andres Izquierdo

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper provides background and options for countries to consider in relation to items on the agenda of the 65th meeting of the WIPO General Assembly. It is prepared by the Project on Copyright the Right to Research of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, which includes the goal of sharing information and technical assistance to governments in international policy deliberations that impact the rights of scientific researchers in the digital context. The work of the WIPO General Assembly Agenda includes several matters that impact the rights of researchers. These include review of the work and recommendations of …

The Triumph Of Three Big Ideas In Fair Use Jurisprudence, Michael W. Carroll, Peter Jaszi

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

In two recent cases, Google LLC v. Oracle America, Inc. (“Google v. Oracle”), and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts v. Goldsmith (“Warhol”), the Supreme Court ratified its 1994 holding that transformative use is the appropriate analytical framework for applying copyright law’s fair use provision. In doing so, the Court withstood significant pressure from industry participants in these cases to change course. This Article argues that the Court’s decisions, which represent one third of the Court’s total merits decisions on fair use, are historic. The principal contribution this Article makes is to demonstrate to courts and parties in future …

Building A Text And Data Mining Limitation: The Brazilian Case, Luca Schirru, Allan Rocha De Souza, Claudia Chamas

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

In recent years, there has been a growing body of legal regulation of

TDM. Since 2018, Japan, the European Union, Singapore and others have

promoted changes to their copyright law and included specific limitations and

exceptions for TDM. These changes have been slow in the Global South and

the developing world, even though they are urgently needed there. This report

aims to present the Brazilian copyright legal framework and the policy

documents related to Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence and

innovation influencing political and public debate. This set of policies and

legislative texts provides the grounds for the discussion on the …

Briefing Note: 45th Meeting Of The Wipo Standing Committee On Copyright And Related Rights, Sean Flynn

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This analysis provides a historical and legal overview of the principle agenda items to be discussed at the 45th meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights.

Defining "Use In Commerce": The Supreme Court's Evolving Extraterritorial Application Of The Lanham Act, Hannah Lief

American University Business Law Review

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court redefined the scope of the extraterritorial impact of the Trademark Act of 1946, also known as the Lanham Act (the “Act”). Overturning the ruling by the Tenth Circuit, the Court narrowed the focus of the Act to solely domestic uses in commerce. While the Court acknowledged that it had interpreted the statute in a manner that granted Congress expansive power over foreign conduct, it stated that the broad language of the Lanham Act does not indicate international application. By instituting newfound principles on congressional authority under the Lanham Act, U.S. trademark registrants can …

Seed Patents: Enabling Innovation Beyond Biological Deposits, Ellaina Sanders

American University Law Review

In J.E.M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., the Supreme Court held that new sexually reproducing plant varieties are patentable subject matter. This allowed breeders and seed companies to protect their intellectual property in new seeds by obtaining utility patents so long as they meet the other statutory requirements, such as enablement. Unlike other intellectual property protection for new plant varieties, utility patents require the patent disclosure to include enough information that a person of ordinary skill in the art could make and use the invention without undue experimentation. In In re Wands, the Federal Circuit …

Insuring Judgements And The Disclosure Gap, Jonathan Stroud, Sam Korte

American University Law Review

Judgment preservation insurance (“JPI”) is a newer, under-the-radar financial innovation upending the litigation landscape today. By insuring plaintiffs' trial victories on appeal, these policies neutralize the risk of reversal, but have been criticized for preventing settlement and extending disputes. Despite JPI's growing use, a regulatory blind spot allows these policies to remain concealed from the courts throughout the appellate process. We spotlight JPI, contrast it with widely used litigation insurance products, and propose appellate disclosure requirements in line with existing insurance disclosure rules. These simple changes would close the disclosure gap on appeal.

Artificial Intelligence Is Like A Perpetual Stew, Nathan Reitinger

American University Law Review

Artificial intelligence is inescapable. It is in our phones, fridges, and most of the businesses we engage with use it to “improve” their services. From deciding on what YouTube video to watch next to driving vehicles or firing weapons, artificial intelligence is a linchpin in our society. But what is artificial intelligence? And, more importantly, why does that matter? It matters because we are currently unprepared to deal with the paradigm-shifting legal issues brought about by artificial intelligence. And without this understanding, we are nearly certainly going to make mistakes. The bright side is that artificial intelligence is not complicated. …