Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Nerds V. Nintendo: Video Game Decompilations Versus Rights-Holder Interests, Kirk A. Sigmon

Cardozo Law Review

Video game “decompilations”—a potentially technically inaccurate term referring to fan efforts to entirely reprogram video games based on reverse engineering those games—present an interesting case study for evaluating the scope of video game copyrightability, fair use, and public expectations about content availability. Decompilations usually comprise entirely new code and do not comprise any assets of the original video game, suggesting that the decompilations, if viewed as mere code, do not apparently infringe any video game copyrights. That said, decompilations illustrate why copyright protects more than the discrete assets (e.g., art or music) of a video game, as decompilations are generally …

Comments On The September 6, 2023 Draft Of A Wipo Broadcasting Treaty, The Definitions, Scope Of Application, National Treatment And Formalities, James P. Love

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is evaluating a proposal for a new treaty that provides rights to broadcasting organizations. The negotiations began in 1997 and are currently taking place in the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). On September 6, 2023, the WIPO Secretariat published a revised draft text prepared by the SCCR Chair, SCCR Vice-Chairs and facilitators. This article looks at certain elements of the draft concerning the definitions, scope of application, national treatment and formalities. Objections to the text focus on several draft definitions and the scope of application on the grounds that (1) very …

Unavoidability In U.S. Privacy Law, Laura M. Moy

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Why is U.S. privacy law structured the way it is, with a series of sectoral laws rather than a cross-sectoral law or laws? Why does U.S. privacy law protect information shared in certain contexts—such as information shared with an attorney, a healthcare provider, or a financial provider—rather than particular types of information? One possibility is that sectoral laws apply to contexts in which people typically share highly “sensitive” information containing intimate secrets or with the potential to harm them financially or psychologically.

But this Article argues that there is something else at play—that in fact, an under-discussed and underappreciated factor …

Training Is Everything: Artificial Intelligence, Copyright, And “Fair Training”, Andrew W. Torrance, Bill Tomlinson

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In this Essay, we analyze the arguments in favor of, and against, viewing the use of copyrighted works in training sets for AI as fair use. We call this form of fair use “fair training.” We identify both strong and spurious arguments on both sides of this debate. In addition, we attempt to take a broader perspective, weighing the societal costs (e.g., replacement of certain forms of human employment) and benefits (e.g., the possibility of novel AI-based approaches to global issues such as environmental disruption) of allowing AI to make easy use of copyrighted works as training sets to facilitate …

Wrong Search At The Wrong Time: Keyword Search Warrants And The Fourth Amendment, Nicole Chan

Cardozo Law Review

On August 5, 2020, five members of a family were killed when their house was set ablaze. Kevin Bui admitted to investigators that he and two other teens burned the house down after his iPhone had been stolen. He used the Find My application and located his phone at the Green Valley Ranch home. It was not until the next day while reading the news about the arson that he realized he had targeted the wrong residence.

On The Scales Of Private Law: Nano Contracts, Yonathan A. Arbel

Articles

Contracts are falling in scale. New contracting trends and technologies facilitate the formation of smaller scale contracts that have ephemeral duration, token stakes, and narrow scope. These nano contracts embody ephemeral interactions of minuscule value - interactions that were previously far outside the law and away from explicit markets, governed only by social norms. The rise of nano contracts can unlock new transaction types, create opportunities to build wealth, and reduce dependence on private ownership. Yet nano contracts also carry important risks, and their small scale makes them difficult to effectively regulate. At the limit, nano contracts collapse private law …

Vaccine Development, The China Dilemma, And International Regulatory Challenges, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the role played by China in the development of international regulatory standards at the intersection of intellectual prop- erty, international trade, and public health. It begins by briefly discussing the role China has played in the global health arena during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article then highlights the difficulty in determining how best to engage with the country in the development of new international regula- tory standards. It shows that the preferred method of engagement will likely depend on one’s perspective on China’s potential contributions and hin- drances: a perspective that focuses on global competition—in the economic, …

Twenty Years After Krieger V Law Society Of Alberta: Law Society Discipline Of Crown Prosecutors And Government Lawyers, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Krieger v. Law Society of Alberta held that provincial and territorial law societies have disciplinary jurisdiction over Crown prosecutors for conduct outside of prosecutorial discretion. The reasoning in Krieger would also apply to government lawyers. The apparent consensus is that law societies rarely exercise that jurisdiction. But in those rare instances, what conduct do Canadian law societies discipline Crown prosecutors and government lawyers for? In this article, I canvass reported disciplinary decisions to demonstrate that, while law societies sometimes discipline Crown prosecutors for violations unique to those lawyers, they often do so for violations applicable to all lawyers — particularly …

Walking The Talk: An Exploration Of Pathways In Implementation Of The 2013 Marrakesh Treaty - A Case Study Of Uganda, Anthony C.K. Kakooza

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, is a WIPO administered treaty on copyright that was adopted in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 27^thJune 2013. The year 2023 therefore marks 10 years since its adoption. It is therefore an ideal time to do some stock taking as to how effective the treaty has been, thus far, in creating avenues through which blind or visually impaired persons can have easier access to published works.

This article looks at the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty specifically in Uganda where …

Place Your Bets: The Legal Integration Of Sports Betting With Cryptocurrency, Andrew Topps

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

Out Of Bounds? The Legal Implications Of The Emerging Rivalry Between Liv Golf And The Pga Tour, Michael Dube, Libba Galloway, Chantel Mccabe, Michael Mccann, Alan Milstein

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Breakdown Of Where Nil Currently Stands, Justin Cavegn

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

Play Like A Girl, Get Paid Like A… Man?, Amanda M. Malool

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

Change Is Growth: The Future Of The Ncaa And College Athletics, Conner Poulin

UNH Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cardozo Aelj Interview Series: Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat, Saurabh Vishnubhakat

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal (AELJ) Blog

In this interview, Cardozo Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat discusses what he hopes to bring to Cardozo as the new Director of Intellectual Property and Information Law Program, his professional background, and what drew him to the field of intellectual property.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on September 22, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

One Test To Rule Them All: Retiring The Dual Standard For Fictional Character Copyrightability In The Ninth Circuit, Kiersten Daly

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

From Captain Jack Sparrow sailing on the Black Pearl in Pirates of Caribbean to Frodo Baggins trekking through Mordor in Lord of the Rings, well-developed characters are vital to the success of a story. Iconic characters like Captain Jack and Frodo Baggins have each developed a cult following as a result of their interesting storylines and character development. The instant recognition and nostalgia associated with such iconic characters has motivated companies to monetize their likenesses. Whether it is car companies recreating the Batmobile or the recent trend in creating story-based pop-up shops, there is a lot of value …

The High Cost Of Pharmaceutical Acquisitions: Increasing Social Welfare Or Furthering Inequality?, Timothy J. Haltermann

Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies

This note will argue that government and regulatory authorities should focus on easing access to downstream innovation by broadening research exemptions to patent infringement. Part I of this note will focus on the current state of patent protection and exclusivity afforded to pharmaceutical companies. Part II will discuss incentives created that lead rational actors to engage in M&A instead of through internal R&D. Part III will address the development of innovation as a standalone theory of harm in merger review, and the fallacies associated with labeling certain transactions as “killer acquisitions.” Finally, Part IV of the note will look at …

Awareness Of Copyright Infringement Among Undergraduates Of The State Universities In Sri Lanka, Iqbal Saujan Mr.

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

Abstract

Copyright infringement is known as the use of copyrighted works without the permission of the creators, copyright holders or authors. It is a form of dishonesty and a violation of the authors' economic and exclusive rights. In general, copyright infringement activities have taken place in various ways such as theft, piracy, reuse and plagiarism among students pursuing degree programmes in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. In this backdrop, this study aims to examine awareness of copyright infringement among students pursuing undergraduate degree programmes at state universities in Sri Lanka. The primary and secondary data have been used in …

Evaluating Copyright Protection In The Data-Driven Era: Centering On Motion Picture's Past And Future, Chieh-Li Pai

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1910s, Hollywood has measured audience preferences with rough industry-created methods. In the 1940s, scientific audience research led by George Gallup started to conduct film audience surveys with traditional statistical and psychological methods. However, the quantity, quality, and speed were limited. Things dramatically changed in the internet age. The prevalence of digital data increases the instantaneousness, convenience, width, and depth of collecting audience and content data. Advanced data and AI technologies have also allowed machines to provide filmmakers with ideas or even make human-like expressions. This brings new copyright challenges in the data-driven era.

Massive amounts of text and …

United States Department Of Education Response To The Office Of Science And Technology Policy Memo, 2022: Public Access Plan (September 2023)

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

DoED response to OSTP memo, 2022: Public Access Plan (September 2023)