Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

The Macroeconomics Of Intellectual Property, Eric E. Johnson

Faculty Articles

Intellectual property is understood to have an economic rationale: supplying incentives for innovation and for the creation and dissemination of knowledge and information. In the modern era, questions of how best to accomplish this have been explored with reference to economic efficiency and other concepts from microeconomics. But why not macroeconomics? In the microeconomic view, the intangibles of innovation, knowledge, and information are ordinary economic goods, albeit ones whose easy reproducibility leads to special problems. In the macroeconomic view, however, innovation, knowledge, and information are extraordinary goods with special virtues. Indeed, modern macroeconomics puts these intangibles at the center of …

Racism And Trademark Abandonment, Jon J. Lee

Faculty Articles

As companies have come to terms with the fact that their brand names and imagery have connections to our country’s racist history, they have publicly announced their commitments to shed their ignominious trademarks. But unlike a physical monument, a trademark cannot be destroyed or removed. Under the prevailing doctrine, abandoned trademarks return to the public domain, free for another company to claim and use—even if it is to capitalize on the mark’s recognition as a symbol of oppression. This puts companies who wish to sever their ties with their racist trademarks in an intractable situation: either they make good on …

Beyond Trade Secrecy: Confidentiality Agreements That Act Like Noncompetes, Camilla Hrdy

Akron Law Faculty Publications

There is a substantial literature on noncompete agreements and their adverse impact on employee mobility and innovation. But a far more common restraint in employment contracts has been underexplored: confidentiality agreements, sometimes called nondisclosure agreements (NDAs). A confidentiality agreement is not a blanket prohibition on competition. Rather, it is simply a promise not to use or disclose specific information. Confidentiality agreements encompass trade secrets, as defined by state and federal laws, but confidentiality agreements almost always go beyond trade secrecy, encompassing any information the employer imparted to the employee in confidence. Despite widespread use, confidentiality agreements have received little attention. …

Smart Patents, Stephanie Plamondon

Faculty Scholarship

Intellectual property (IP) rights differ from traditional property rights in a crucial respect: the ascertainability of their boundaries. While it is usually a simple task to figure out where a traditional property right (e.g., an ownership right in a piece of land) begins and ends, delineating the metes and bounds of an IP right (e.g., a right to exclude others from practicing an invention as described in a patent claim) can be much more difficult to do.

The indeterminate scope of patent rights in particular leads to many layers of inefficiency. Downstream inventors may find it necessary to engage in …

Judicial Review Bars In The Patent System, Medicare, And Beyond, Laura E. Dolbow

Publications

No abstract provided.

Questions Of Intellectual Property And Fundamental Values In The Digital Age, Jessica Silbey

Faculty Scholarship

Today's intellectual property debates, in both law and the larger society, are a bellwether of changing justice needs in the twenty-first century. As the digital age democratizes technological opportunities, it brings intellectual property law into mainstream everyday culture. This generates debates about the relationship between the constitutional interest in "the progress of science and useful arts" and other fundamental values, such as equality, privacy, and distributive justice. These values, which were not explicitly part of intellectual property regimes in prior eras, are especially challenged in today's internet world.

The article (which was presented as the annual Nies Lecture in April …

When Inventors Go Bankrupt, Joseph Dietz

Cybaris®

No abstract provided.

The Server Test Quandary And Embedding Permission Culture, Michael P. Goodyear

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Antibody Patents: Use Of The Written Description And Enablement Requirements At The Patent & Trademark Office, S. Sean Tu, Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Ukraine On My Mind: Cultural Heritage And The Current Armed Conflict, Irina Tarsis

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

The following keynote address was delivered on October 7, 2022, during the Fordham Law Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal Symposium, “Duplicate, Decolonize, Destroy: Current Topics in Art & Cultural Heritage.” It was prefaced by a YouTube video of “Ukrainian Folk Song ARMY REMIX | Andriy Khlyvnyuk x The Kiffness.” The upbeat remix of a folk song was performed as a collaboration between South African musical talent David Scott, known as the Kiffniss, and Andriy Khlyvnyuk, the lead singer of the Ukrainian band, Boombox (Бумбокс), who took leave from his concert tours to join the military forces of Ukraine …

Trademark Counterfeiting Enforcement Beyond Borders: The Complexities Of Enforcing Trademark Rights Extraterritorially In A Global Marketplace With Territorial-Based Enforcement, Kari Kammel, Matthew Azim-Kramer, Daniel Duquet, Lillie Patterson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

We focus on the enforcement of trademark rights, particularly those used against counterfeiters, or those who use unauthorized trademarks of another. We examine the concept of extraterritorial enforcement of trademark rights—the extending of enforcement across national borders—and reviewing how different countries and jurisdictions view this concept or even allow it.

The By-Design Approach Revisited: Lessons From Covid-19 Contact Tracing Apps, Mickey Zar, Niva Elkin-Koren

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This paper challenges the by-design regulatory approach by exploring the case study of Contact Tracing Apps. It aims to account for the gap between the hopes that were pinned on digital technologies and the rock of reality into which they have crashed. This gap, we argue, results from overestimating the regulatory power of technology and underestimating the co-influence of various regulatory pillars. To address this gap, it is necessary to adopt an ecosystem perspective on sociotechnical systems, where technological design is but one form of regulation. This perspective allows technological design to acquire a social meaning through interaction with other …

In The Thick(Et) Of It: Addressing Biologic Patent Thickets Using The Sham Exception To Noerr-Pennington, Anna Zhou

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

A biologic patent thicket occurs when a pharmaceutical company acquires a “dense web” of patents and other intellectual property rights regarding a specific product. While applying for multiple patents is permissible, the resulting protections can have antitrust implications. In an industry like biologics, where companies can acquire patent exclusivity and regulatory exclusivity over their products, the process of continuously accumulating these exclusivities seems to be an attempt to keep biosimilars at bay. Keeping competitors out of the market drives up prices and raises questions about how these regulatory and patent pathways are being used.

Recent class action litigation in the …

Global Digital Governance Through The Back Door Of Corporate Regulation, Orit Fischman-Afori

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Today, societal life is increasingly conducted in the digital sphere, in which two core attributes are prominent: this sphere is entirely controlled by enormous technology companies, and these companies are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This reality generates a severe threat to democratic principles and human rights. Therefore, regulating the conduct of the companies ruling the digital sphere is an urgent agenda item worldwide. Policymakers and legislatures around the world are taking their first steps in establishing a digital governance regime, with leading proposals in the EU. Although it is understood that it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive …

Solutions Still Searching For A Problem: A Call For Relevant Data To Support “Evergreening” Allegations, Erika Lietzan, Kristina Acri Née Lybecker

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

For years pharmaceutical policymaking discussions have been revolving around allegations of supposed “evergreening” by pharmaceutical companies, and policymakers have considered a range of significant policy reforms—including to antitrust law and drug regulatory law—to address this purported problem. This Article evaluates empirical data offered to substantiate “evergreening” and explains that these data—though mostly accurate—do not support proposed policy changes.

The “evergreening” claim is that by securing additional patents and FDA-related exclusivities after approval of their new drugs, brand drug companies enjoy a period of exclusivity in the market that is longer than the initial patent(s) and exclusivity on the drug would …

User-Generated Data Network Effects And Market Competition Dynamics, Uri Y. Hacohen

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Article defines User-Generated Data (“UGD”) network effects, distinguishes them from the more familiar concept of traditional network effects, and explores their implications for market competition dynamics. It explains that UGD network effects produce various efficiencies for digital service providers (“data platforms”) by empowering their services’ optimization, personalization, and continuous diversification. In light of these efficiencies, competition dynamics in UGD-driven markets tend to be unstable and lead to the formation of dominant multi-industry conglomerates. These processes will enhance social welfare because they are natural and efficient. Conversely, countervailing UGD network effects also empower data platforms to detect and neutralize competitive …

Silly Gene Patent Is Not My Lover: A Retrospective Analysis Of Myriad, Stephanie Huang

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. established that an isolated fragment of a gene—the basic unit of heredity—is not patent-eligible subject matter while simultaneously holding that complementary DNA (cDNA) of a gene is patent-eligible subject matter. The decision has been controversial and criticized for including two holdings that are internally inconsistent from both scientific and patent law perspectives. But are the short- and long-term criticisms overstated? A decade after Myriad, the various impacts of the case remain relevant, particularly to the biotechnology and genetic testing fields.

First, this Note examines whether Myriad …

Policy Implications Of User-Generated Data Network Effects, Uri Y. Hacohen

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

User-generated data (UGD) network effects are an exciting and novel economic force. They upset conventional market competition dynamics, and they lead to the formation of dominant data platforms with market power that spans different and seemingly unrelated markets. This article explains that UGD network effects are a blessing and a curse. They provide dominant data platforms with the opportunity to generate welfare-enhancing efficiencies as well as welfare-reducing anticompetitive harms. After exploring the economic opportunities and social threats, this article explores the implications of UGD network effects on competition policy. Drawing on traditional network effects theory, this article proposes and critically …

From Drawstring To Drawback: A Proposal For The Donation Alternative Program To Promote Environmental Responsibility In Fashion Act, Elliot O. Jackson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Given the modern interest in resold, repurposed, upcycled, and thrifted goods, the fashion industry was forced to welcome new players into its global market. In turn, these players offer new meaning to the phrase: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” especially in light of post-pandemic consumer relations. Pairing creativity and innovation with existing techniques has allowed many designers, ateliers, and skilled professionals across the world to transform old or mundane goods into vibrant apparel. A worthy example of this practice is Dapper Dan’s transformation of garment bags from a high-fashion brand into upcycled or repurposed, one-of-a-kind products. The origin …

How Santa Clara Law's "Tech Edge Jd" Program Improves The School's Admissions Yield, Diversity, & Employment Outcomes, Laura Lee Norris, Eric Goldman

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

No abstract provided.

Survey & Legal Analysis Of Select Global Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Statutes & Evidence Of Prosecutions, Kari Kammel

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None

Grand Jury Information And Government Contractors: Reconciliation Through Privacy Law, Andrew Holzmann

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None

International Tax Agreements As The Final Push For Us Adoption Of Adequate Protection In Connection With The Gdpr, Olivia Hansen

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None

Paws Off My Profile: Protecting The Persona In A Modern Digital Age, Samantha P. Mccaleb

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None.

Artificial Intelligence Owning Patents: A Worldwide Court Debate, Maria A. Penkwitz

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

In the article "Artificial Intelligence Owning Patents: A Worldwide Court Debate," Maria A. Penkwitz explores the legal conflict over whether AI can be a patent inventor. The central case involved DABUS, an AI system that independently created new inventions. Penkwitz's research highlights a significant global divide in legal perspectives.

While courts in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have rejected patents for AI-generated inventions, citing existing laws that require a human inventor, other nations are more progressive. Germany, for example, permits a human to be credited alongside the AI, and South Africa made a landmark ruling by granting a …

Intellectual Property And Accessibility For Individuals With Disabilities, Eman A. Daas

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None.

Systematizing Scents: The Case For Chemically Standardized Nontraditional Scent Trademarks, Jared Novitzke

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None.

Amend The Lanham Act: Trademark Infringement Needs A Statute Of Limitations, Aaron E. Schindler

Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review

None.

Inequitable By Design: The Patent Culture, Law, And Politics Behind Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access, Ximena Benavides

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

COVID-19 vaccine access has been highly inequitable worldwide, with coverage depending largely on a country’s wealth. By the end of 2021, 64.1% of people living in high-income countries had received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to only 5.4% of those in low-income countries. Similarly, only high- and upper-middle-income countries had received the most effective vaccines.

The uneven distribution of these lifesaving vaccines is made complex due to the convergence of several factors, but it suggests that the extraordinary expanding and ossifying market and political power of a few vaccine manufacturers founded on intellectual property and complementary policies …

How To Interpret A Vending Machine: Smart Contracts And Contract Law, Gregory Klass

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

A smart contract is software designed to do the job of a legal contract: ensuring the performance of parties who might not otherwise trust one another to do so. By running a smart contract on blockchain, users can lock themselves into future performances without relying on a third-party enforcer or platform host, thereby realizing a “fully trustless” exchange. This new technology has wide range of potential applications, and contracts are likely to become an increasingly common part of the economy.

Some have argued that smart contracts represent a new type of legal contract, analogizing the software’s code to a contractual …