Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Abolishing The Missing-Claim Rule For Judicial Cancellations, Ryan Vacca

Faculty Publications

Section 3 7 of the Lanham Act vests courts with the power to order the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to cancel trademark registrations. This power to "rectify the register" is discretionary, and since the act's enactment in 1946, courts have routinely granted cancellation requests when the trademark's invalidity was established in the trial court proceedings. However, that is not always the outcome. Some courts refuse to exercise their power to rectify the register under section 3 7 even with a proven and valid basis for cancellation.

This article examines cases where the district courts refused …

Not Only Innovation But Also Collaboration, Funding, Goodwill And Commitment: Which Role For Patent Laws In Post-Copenhagen Climate Change Action, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 657 (2010), Estelle Derclaye

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Patent laws can do their bit to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, accelerated grant procedures and reduction of fees have been put in place by among others the UK and US patent offices. Private initiatives such as the eco-patent commons to licence technology free of charge have been taken. But greening patent law is only a small part of the solution. However well-intentioned all these initiatives are, for several reasons, they may not be sufficient or even at all used. More than intellectual property-related solutions, what will be needed is non- intellectual property-related solutions such as using …

Consumer Protection In The Eco-Mark Era: A Preliminary Survey And Assessment Of Anti-Greenwashing Activity And Eco-Mark Enforcement, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 742 (2010), Eric L. Lane

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

We stand at the dawn of the Eco-mark Era—a period in which green branding, advertising environmentally friendly products and services, and touting sustainable business practices will be pervasive and profitable. However, with the rise of green branding comes the temptation of greenwashing—making false or misleading claims regarding environmentally friendly products, services or practices. Instances of greenwashing appear to be on the rise, but we are seeing more activity to combat greenwashing by public enforcement and consumer class actions. In addition, green brand owners are protecting and enforcing their eco-marks, and trademark litigation involving green brands is becoming commonplace. How is …

The Eminence Of Imminence And The Myopia Of Markets, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 674 (2010), Teneille R. Brown

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

This article questions the privileging of disaster, or imminent threat, over more distant threats to public health. In many cases, this privileging makes sense as we do not have time to evaluate the threat under traditional frameworks. But in some cases, we privilege disaster in ways that may be ethically and legally unsound. Here, I am interested in a particular type of public health threat—the negative consequences that stem from climate change. In this article, I view the climate change discussion through the lens of distributive justice. I analyze the ethical as well as legal arguments in support of encouraging …

What Does It Mean To Be Green: A Short Analysis Of Emerging Ip Issues In "Green" Marketing, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 774 (2010), Maureen Beacom Gorman

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Green products are red hot, but defining what “green” means is difficult. Consumers are faced with an array of labels denoting products as “green,” making it difficult to determine which are truly “green” and which are “green-washed.” The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board recently determined that the term “green” is generic, meaning anything “environmentally friendly.” The FTC has been criticized for causing consumer confusion over its failure to enforce its “Green Guides” governing environmental product claims and certifications. These “Green Guides,” which do not define “green,” were first promulgated by the FTC in 1992, but have not been updated since …

The 8% Solution - Or How Good Are The Calculation Economics By The Federal Circuit In Lucent V. Microsoft?, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 797 (2010), W. Lesser

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Lucent v. Microsoft brought to the fore again the complexity of infringement damage estimates. Differences in approaches were laid open in this case with the trial court jury settling $358 million in damages against Microsoft and the appeals court striking down the value as lacking substantial evidence. Damages were established on the “reasonable royalty” basis for a product which was neither licensed nor sold. This article contends that the appeals court took too narrow a view of economics in its analysis of the software sector. Specifically, the court seems to have applied a “perfect competition” model to a sector which …

Music Markets And Mythologies, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 831 (2010), Henry H. Perritt, Jr.

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

New technologies have started a revolution in the music marketplace. As new business models emerge, major firms in the popular music industry have mounted a campaign on the premise that the world of popular music faces a grave threat from illicit filing sharing. This article makes the case against that campaign. It discusses how new technologies are currently reshaping the marketplace to allow a wider range of new artists, as well as more direct access between musicians and their fans. It also predicts how future demand for popular music will increase due to portability, and ultimately recommends directions for marketplace …

Patchwork Protection: Copyright Law And Quilted Art, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 855 (2010), Maureen Collins

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Historically, quilts have been denied the same copyright protection available to any other expression in a fixed medium. When quilts have been considered protectable, the protectable elements in a pattern have been limited, or the application of the substantial similarity test has varied widely. One possible explanation for this unequal treatment is that quilting is viewed as ‘women’s work.’ Another is that quilts are primarily functional. However, quilts have evolved over time and may now be expensive collectible pieces of art; art that deserves copyright protection. This article traces the history of quilt making, addresses the varying standards of protection …

Reforming The Uspto To Comply With Mpep § 707.07(J) To Give A Fair Shake To Pro Se Inventor-Applicants, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 880 (2010), Paul M. Swamidass

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

If pro se patent applicants are successful with their applications, they are likely to be inspired to become serial inventors and patentees. In contrast, a pro-se patent applicant, who is turned off by a non- transparent and arbitrary examination process at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), may curtail his/her instinct to invent and patent. The USPTO does not collect data or publish statistical analyses of pro se patent applications. Therefore, the challenges faced by the pro se inventor- applicants are hidden. The author subjected himself to the PTO’s patent examination process as a pro se applicant for …

The Effects Of "Blue Magic": A Call To Punish Criminal Organizations That Benefit From The Use Of Trademarks, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 912 (2010), Thomas J. Kelley

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Throughout history, criminal organizations have produced, packaged, transported, marketed, and sold illegal products. These organizations and their individual members can be punished for all of the steps in this process, except one: marketing. These groups routinely market their products with trademarks affixed to the illegal products they sell, and benefit from these trademarks the same way a company like the Coca-Cola Company benefits from its trademarks. Criminal organizations should not be free to use trademarks without fear of any additional punishment for doing so. Congress and the United States Sentencing Commission should look at this issue to determine an appropriate …

No More Rockin' In The Free World: Removing The Radio Broadcast Exemption, 9 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 935 (2010), Brandon H. Nemec

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In an era of boundless technological advancement, the music industry faces its most turbulent economic landscape to date. The sustainability of the industry relies on the emergence of an innovative strategy to adapt music’s business model and continue to incentivize the creation and performance of brilliant music. A modernized industry model necessitates a reorganization of the copyright protections ultimately designed to motivate exceptional musicians. The following comment proposes a shift in one of music’s traditional revenue streams, and examines the controversial public performance exemption provided to broadcast radio. While debate has circulated around the public performance exemption for decades, the …

Statistical Analysis Of Federal District Court Cases Seeking Longer Patent Term Adjustments In The Wake Of Wyeth V. Kappos, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2010), Verne A. Luckow, Steven C. Balsarotti

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Over 175 Federal District Court cases filed from September 2008 through July 2010 were analyzed to determine common features noted by applicants seeking longer patent term adjustments (“PTAs”) in view of a Federal District Court ruling, later affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Wyeth v. Kappos, which held that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) misinterpreted a statute relating to the calculation of PTAs involving overlapping periods of delay attributable to the PTO or to the applicant. Applicant and PTO errors in calculating PTAs were common, often relating to counting errors due …

The Wisdom Of Legislating For Anticipated Technological Advancements, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 154 (2010), Yvette Joy Liebesman

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The past four decades have been witness to the realization of ideas which, when first contemplated,seemed to resemble the prose of science fiction writers. Some seemingly far-fetched notions, such as robot pets, anti-sleeping pills, and ugly unisex jumpsuits, are now readily available. However, there are currently no colonies on the moon, and we are all still waiting to order our personal jetpacks from Amazon.com. Some are likely to remain in the realm of science fiction and will only be realized with the help of movie and television special effects artists. Yet through these entertaining glimpses into a potential future, we …

The New Ontologies: The Effect Of Copyright Protection On Public Scientific Data Sharing Using Semantic Web Ontologies, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 181 (2010), Andrew Clearwater

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The semantic web is going to become an important tool for scientists who need to accurately share data given context through structured relationships. The structure that defines contextual relationships on the semantic web is known as an ontology; which is a hierarchical organization of a knowledge domain that contains entities and their relations. This paper seeks to answer whether semantic web ontologies are protectable by copyright, and regardless of the outcome, what the best practices are for the scientific community. The best practices for the scientific community should include the adoption of a machine readable ontology license which disclaims copyright …

Consumer-Generated Media And Advertising—Are They One And The Same? An Analysis Of The Amended Ftc Guides Concerning The Use Of Endorsements And Testimonials In Advertising, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 206 (2010), Jessica Godell

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The advertising industry as well as the endorsements and testimonials that support advertising have been expanding into new mediums for years. As a result of this continual growth, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) recently amended the FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (“The Guides”). The FTC, which sought to apply The Guides to consumer-generated media for the very first time, had not amended The Guides prior to these revisions in three decades. As a result, the changes garnered a number of mixed reactions from the media, consumers and the advertising and legal industries. Under the …

Twitter: New Challenges To Copyright Law In The Internet Age, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 231 (2010), Rebecca Haas

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Twitter is part of the new wave of internet communication. It is unique because messages sent via Twitter are limited to 140 characters. Many of these messages are about mundane details of daily life, but some are creative, even literary, and may qualify for copyright protection. The problem,then, is not necessarily whether a Tweet can qualify for copyright protection, but how that protection is enforced. Current infringement policies and procedures are not designed to effectively handle copyright infringement on the internet. Internet infringement is widespread and not easy to monitor or regulate, therefore there is a need for a regulatory …

Deadly Delay / Postponed Pills, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 254 (2010), Christopher R. Walker

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Since 1984, generic pharmaceuticals have continued to grow, and are an important element in our national struggle to increase affordable health care options in the United States. The Hatch-Waxman Act has played a pivotal role in helping to create a regulatory environment that fosters the development of generic pharmaceuticals, thereby increasing access to lower-cost alternatives to more expensive drugs. An important part of balancing the interests of the generic manufacturers against those of the primary pharmaceutical makers is the thirty-month stay provision of the Hatch-Waxman Act. This comment begins by taking a look at the history of the Hatch-Waxman Act …

What The Federal Circuit Can Learn From The Supreme Court-And Vice Versa, Rochelle Cooper Dreyfuss

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Statute Of Anne: Today And Tomorrow, Peter Jaszi, Craig Joyce, Marshall A. Leaffer, Tyler Trent Ochoa

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

This essay provides the epilogue to the University of Houston’s Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law’s 2010 National Conference, “The ©©© Conference: Celebrating Copyright’s tri-Centennial,” in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The conference focused on the Statute of Anne, the first copyright statute ever, anywhere, enacted by the British Parliament in 1710.

Copyright law in the United States, the lineal descendant of the Statute of Anne, has managed to negotiate a course between over-protecting and under-protecting copyrighted matter, and to strike at least a rough balance between the social interest in securing capital investment, on the one hand, and encouraging …

A Training Ground For Contemporary Art: Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art V. Biichel's Overly Broad Exclusion Of Artistic Collaborations, Sarah Louise Rector

University of Colorado Law Review

In 2007, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art sought a declaratory judgment permitting it to display an unfinished installation artwork by artist Christoph Buchel without Buchel's permission. Bchel attempted to stop the display by arguing that it violated his moral rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act ("VARA'). The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the museum, holding in part that the "collaborative" nature of the installation's construction precluded VARA protection. The court analogized the artwork to a motion picture, which the Act's legislative history characterized as the type of collaborative effort VARA …