Chapter 2: Authors, Writings, and Progress
Chapter 1 introduced some of the reasons that society might find it desirable
to implement a legal rule that grants creators certain exclusive rights in their works.
Translating this theory into practice, however, raises a number of important questions:
What works should be protected? Who should be entitled to claim copyright in those
works? What should the scope of the exclusive rights be? This chapter addresses the
first two of these questions, discussing the basic requirements that a work must meet
for it and its author to qualify for copyright protection.
This chapter contains the following decisions, listed in the order they are presented in the text. Click on any case name to see background information as well as the full court opinion.
- The Elements of Copyrightable Subject Matter
- Williams Electronics, Inc. v. Artic International, Inc.
- MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc.
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.
- Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony
- Bleistein v. Donaldson Lithographing Co.
- Alfred Bell & Co. v. Catalda Fine Arts, Inc.
- Meshwerks, Inc. v. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
- Mannion v. Coors Brewing Company
- Baker v. Selden
- A.A. Hoehling v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
- American Dental Association v. Delta Dental Plans Association
- L. Batlin & Son, Inc v. Snyder
- Entertainment Research Group, Inc. v. Genesis Creative Group, Inc.
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.
- Roth Greeting Cards v. United Card Co.
- Mason v. Montgomery Data, Inc.
- Who Is an Author?
Cases contained in second edition that are no longer in the third edition.