Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Successfully Defending Against False Marking Claims, Steve Williams, Jane Du

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Peer To Patent: A Cure For Our Ailing Patent Examination System, Daniel R. Bestor, Eric Hamp

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Caught In The Clouds: The Web 2.0, Cloud Computing, And Privacy?, Paul Lanois

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

O’Keefe And The Wheel That Begs For Reinvention: An Exceptionalist Approach To Electronic Discovery In Criminal Actions, Jared S. Beckerman

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Patent Valuation: Aren’T We Forgetting Something? Making The Case For Claims Analysis In Patent Valuation By Proposing A Patent Valuation Method And A Patent-Specific Discount Rate Using The Capm, Malcolm T. Meeks, Charles A. Eldering

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

No abstract provided.

Stealth Marketing And Antibranding: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name , Sonia K. Katyal

Faculty Scholarship

A difficult set of legal issues stem from the crossover between stealth marketing and user generated content in both real and digital space. Today, branding opportunities can be cloaked within ordinary noncommercial expression, as corporate sponsorship extends further and further toward resembling user generated content, making it difficult to discern when content is sponsored and when it is not. Since many forms of stealth marketing often takes place within the nontraditional channels that antibranding occupies (public space, websites, and other forms of media and content), it becomes more difficult then for the consumer to distinguish between the brand and the …

Down With Patentese, Jed. S. Rakoff

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Look At The Compulsory License In Investment Arbitration: The Case Of Indirect Expropriation, Christopher Gibson

American University International Law Review

This article covers a timely set of issues concerning the relationship between intellectual property rights (“IPRs”) associated with foreign investments, state-authorized compulsory licenses, trade law (in particular, the TRIPS Agreement), and claims for indirect expropriation that might be brought in investment arbitration. I focus, as a case study, on compulsory licenses and claims of indirect expropriation. Compulsory licenses bear an inherently contentious character. This government authorized license often presents a clash between significant opposing interests – on one side, the legitimate expectations of patent based foreign investors founded on the international investment agreement (“IIA”) and a patent regime that, for …

The Evolution Of Trade Secret Law And Why Courts Commit Error When They Do Not Follow The Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Sharon Sandeen

Faculty Scholarship

In the spring of 2010, the Hamline Law Review hosted a symposium to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. This article was written for the symposium and provides an exhaustive and detailed account of the historical context and drafting history of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (the UTSA).

Among other stories that it tells, the article explains that the UTSA was prompted by the “Erie/Sears/Compco squeeze.” Because of the Supreme Court’s famous decision in Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins in 1938, it was understood by business interests and their attorneys that the common …

Unofficial Legislative History Of The Biologics Price Competition And Innovation Act 2009, An, Erika Lietzan, Krista Hessler Carver, Jeffrey Elikan

Faculty Publications

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCIA) which created a regulatory pathway for, and scheme for litigation of patent issues relating to, “biosimilar” biological products. This article discusses the history of the BPCIA and explains its provisions. Section I provides background and a history of the regulation of drugs and biological products in the United States. Section II describes the growing interest in biosimilar approval from the early 2000s through September 2006, when the legislative debate began in earnest. Section III describes the legislative and stakeholder process from …

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 …