Cohen | Okediji | O'Rourke | Loren
Copyright in a Global Information Economy

Table of Contents

Casebook Quicklinks:
Part I | Part II | Part III
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Casebook

Part I—Introduction to Copyright Law

Chapter 1
Copyright in Context

  1. The Theoretical Underpinnings of Copyright Law
    1. Incentives for Authors and Publishers
      1. Trotter Hardy, Property (and Copyright) in Cyberspace
    2. Authors' Rights
      1. John Locke, Two Treatises on Government
    3. A Robust Public Domain
      1. Jessica Litman, The Public Domain
    4. An Uncensored Marketplace of Ideas
    5. What Progress, and Whose Welfare?
      1. William P. ALford, To Steal a Book Is an Elegant Offense
  2. The History of U.S. Copyright law
    1. From Censorship to Markets
    2. "Progress," Incentives, and Access
    3. Copyright Law and Technological Change
      1. New Methods of Creating New Works
      2. New Technologies for Distributing and Copying Works
      3. Legal Responses to New Technologies
    4. The Copyright Legislative Process
    5. The Copyright Industries
    6. New Challenges
  3. The Growing Role of International traeties and Institutions
    1. From Pirate to Holdout to Enforcer: International Copyright and the United States
    2. The Berne Convention
    3. The TRIPs Agreement
    4. Copyright Lawmaking and Enforcement Under the Berne Convention and the TRIPs Agreement
      1. The World Trade Organization
      2. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the 1996 WIPO Treaties
      3. Legal Responses to New Technologies
        1. Ruth Gana Okediji, Copyright and Public Welfare in Global Perspective

Part II—The Subject Matter of Copyright Law

Chapter 2
Authors, Writings, and Progress

  1. The Elements of Copyrightable Subject Matter
    1. Fixation
      1. A Functional Approach
        1. Williams Electronics, Inc. v. Artic International, Inc.
        2. MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc.
      2. A Technology-Specific Approach: Transmission and Contemporaneous Fixation, and the Problem of Bootleg Recordings
    2. Originality
      1. "Original" to Whom?
        1. Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony
        2. Bleistein v. Donaldson Lithographing Co.
        3. Note on Nonobviousness and Originality
      2. "More than Merely Trivial"
        1. Alfred Bell & Co. v. Catalda Fine Arts, Inc.
        2. The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd. v. Corel Corp.
    3. The Idea/Expression Dichotomy
      1. Form versus Function versus Fair Game
        1. Baker v. Selden
        2. Note on Patentable Subject Matter
        3. Note on Facts and the Public Domain
      2. Complications
        1. A.A. Hoehling v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
        2. American Dental Association v. Delta Dental Plans Association
    4. Derivative Works and Compilations
      1. Derivative Works
        1. L. Batlin & Son, Inc. v. Snyder
        2. Entertainment Research Group, Inc. v. Genesis Creative Group, Inc.
        3. Pickett v. Prince
        4. Note on Blocking Patents
      2. Compilations
        1. Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co.
        2. Roth Greeting Cards v. United Card Co.
        3. Mason v. Montgomery Data, Inc.
  2. Who Is an Author?
    1. Sole Authorship
      1. Lindsay v. The Wrecked and Abandoned Vessel R.M.S. Titanic
    2. Joint Authorship
      1. Erickson v. Trinity Theatre, Inc.
      2. Aalmuhammed v. Lee
    3. Works Made for Hire
      1. Who Is an "Employee"?
        1. Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid
        2. Aymes v. Bonelli
        3. Note on Works Prepared Outside the United States
      2. What Is the "Scope of Employment"?
        1. Avtec Systems, Inc. v. Peiffer
        2. Note on Employer Ownership of Trade Secrets
        3. Note on the "Teacher Exception"
      3. Section 101(2) and "Specially Ordered or Commissioned" Works
        1. Note on the Mechanics of Section 101(2) Agreements
    4. U.S. Government Works
        1. Note on Model Codes
        2. Note on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Copyright
Chapter 3
Acquiring, Keeping, and Transferring Copyright
  1. Formalities
    1. An Overview
    2. What Is Publication?
      1. Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. v. CBS, Inc.
    3. Notice of Copyright
    4. Deposit Requirements
    5. Registration
    6. Restoration of Copyright Protection for Certain Works of Foreign Authors
  2. Duration
    1. The Basics of Duration
      1. Works Created on or after January 1, 1978
      2. Works First Published before January 1, 1978
      3. Works Created but Unpublished Prior to January 1, 1978
    2. The Policy behind Copyright Duration
      1. Eldred v. Ashcroft
  3. Renewals and Terminations of Transfers
    1. Renewals
      1. Stewart v. Abend
    2. Termination of Transfers
      1. Terminations of Transfers Made after January 1, 1978 — Section 203
      2. Terminations of Transfers Made before January 1, 1978 — Section 304(c) & (d)
  4. Mechanics of Transfers
    1. Express versus Implied Transfers
      1. Effects Associates, Inc. v. Cohen
    2. Old Language and "New Uses"
      1. Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers, Ltd. v. The Walt Disney Company
      2. Random House v. Rosetta Books, LLC
      3. Note on Open Source Software and Creative Commons
      4. New York Times Company v. Tasini

Chapter 4
Protected Works and Boundary Problems

  1. Useful Articles with Pictorial, Graphic, or Sculptural Aspects
    1. "Kitsch" or "Progress"?
      1. Mazer v. Stein
    2. Defining Useful Articles and Determining Separability
      1. Kieselstein-Cord v. Accessories by Pearl, Inc.
      2. Carol Barnhart Inc. v. Economy Cover Corp.
      3. Brandir International, Inc. v. Cascade Pacific Lumber Co.
    3. New Paradigms?
      1. Note on Design Patents
      2. Note on Trade Dress Protection
      3. Note on Industrial Design Protection in the EU
      4. Note on Industrial Design Protection Efforts in the U.S.
      5. J.H. Reichman, Legal Hybrids Between the Patent and Copyright Paradigms
  2. Computer Software
    1. Text or Machine?
      1. Apple Computer, Inc. v. Franklin Computer Corp.
      2. Copyrightability of a Computer Program Expressed in Object Code
      3. Copyrightability of Computer Operating System Programs
    2. Distinguishing Idea from Expression in Software
      1. Computer Associates International, Inc. v. Altai, Inc.
      2. Softel, Inc. v. Dragon Medical and Scientific Communications, Inc.
      3. Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc.
      4. Note on Protecting Interfaces
    3. New Paradigms?
      1. Note on Patent Protection for Software
      2. Note on Trade Secret Protection for Software
      3. Note on the EU Software Directive
  3. Architectural Works
    1. What is a "Building"?
      1. The Yankee Candle Co. v. New England Candle Co.
    2. Are Buildings "Compilations"?
      1. Nelson-Salabes, Inc. v. Morningside Holdings
      2. Note on Limitations on the Protection Granted to Architectural Works
    3. New Paradigms?
  4. Characters
    1. Expression or Idea?
      1. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. American Honda Motor Co.
      2. Titan Sports, Inc. v. Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
      3. Note on Fan Fiction on the Internet
    2. New Paradigms?
      1. Note on Trademark and Unfair Competition Law
      2. Note on Rights of Publicity
  5. Databases
    1. Selection, Arrangement, and Utility
      1. Bellsouth Advertising & Publishing Corp. v. Donnelley Information Publishing, Inc.
      2. CCC Information Services, Inc. v. Maclean Hunter Market Reports, Inc.
    2. What Is a "Fact"?
      1. CDN Inc. v. Kapes
      2. Matthew Bender & Co. v. West Publishing Co.
    3. New Paradigms?
      1. Note on the EU Database Directive
      2. Note on Database Protection in the United States
      3. Jane C. Ginsburg, No "Sweat"? Copyright and Other Protection of Works of Information after Feist v. Rural Telephone
      4. J.H. Reichman & Pamela Samuelson, Intellectual Property Rights in Data?

Part III—Copyright Scope and Enforcement

Chapter 5
The Statutory Rights of Copyright Owners

  1. The Elements of Infringement
    1. The Prima Facie Case of Infringement
    2. Copying in Fact
      1. Three Boys Music Corp. v. Michael Bolton
      2. Selle v. Gibb
      3. Ty, Inc. v. GMA Accessories, Inc.
      4. Note on Documenting Independent Creation
  2. The Reproduction Right
    1. The "Substantially Similar" Copy
      1. Classic Cases
        1. Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp.
        2. Arnstein v. Porter
        3. Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald's Corp.
      2. Contemporary Cases
        1. Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
        2. Boisson v. Banian, Ltd.
        3. Computer Associates International, Inc. v. Altai, Inc.
        4. Cavalier v. Random House, Inc.
        5. Swirsky v. Carey
    2. The Exact Copy
      1. Marobie-FL, Inc. v. National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors
      2. Note on Ephemeral Copies
  3. The Distribution Right
    1. What Is a "Distribution"?
      1. Marobie-FL, Inc. v. National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors
      2. Hotaling v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
    2. The First Sale Doctrine
      1. Bobbs-Merrill Company v. Straus
      2. Note on the U.S. First Sale Doctrine and Its Limits
      3. Note on Libraries, the First Sale Doctrine, and Section 108
      4. Note on the EU Rental Rights Directive and the Public Lending Right
    3. Unauthorized Importation and the First Sale Doctrine
      1. Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. L'anza Research International, Inc.
  4. The Right to Prepare Derivative Works
    1. Defining "Derivative"
      1. Paul Goldstein, Derivative Rights and Derivative Works in Copyright
      2. Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc.
      3. Dam Things from Denmark, a/k/a Troll Company ApS v. Russ Berrie & Company, Inc.
    2. Modes of Transformation
      1. "Recasting" and Originality
        1. Mirage Editions, Inc. v. Albuquerque A.R.T. Company
        2. Lee v. A.R.T. Company
      2. Required Form?
        1. Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.
        2. Micro Star v. FormGen Inc.
        3. Note on Linking and Framing
  5. Moral Rights: The American Version
    1. Theories for the Protection of Moral Rights Under U.S. Law
      1. Gilliam v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
    2. The Visual Artists Rights Act
      1. Carter v. Helmsley-Spear, Inc.
      2. Martin v. City of Indianapolis
    3. The Right of Attribution Revisited
      1. Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
  6. The Public Performance and Public Display Rights
    1. Public Performance
      1. Columbia Pictures Indus. v. Redd Horne, Inc.
    2. Public Display
    3. Public Performance, Public Display, and the Internet
    4. Limitations on the Public Performance and Public Display Rights
      1. Note on Distance Education Issues
      2. Note on Cable and Satellite Retransmission Rights
    5. International Treatment of Public Performances and Public Displays
  7. Copyright and the Music Industry
    1. Introduction to the "Players" in the Music Industry
    2. Reproduction, Public Distribution, and Derivative Work Issues
      1. Musical Works and Section 115
      2. Sound Recordings and Section 114
      3. Sampling Musical Works and Sound Recordings
        1. Newton v. Diamond
        2. Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films
      4. The Audio Home Recording Act
    3. Public Performance
      1. Musical Works, ASCAP and BMI
        1. Note on Section 116
      2. Sound Recordings and Public Performance by Means of a Digital Audio Transmission
        1. Note on the Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002
      3. Section 110 Limitations Revisited

Chapter 6
The Different Faces of Infringement

  1. The Direct Infringer
    1. Religious Technology Center v. Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc.
    2. Note on Infringement by Authorization
  2. Vicarious and Contributory Infringement
    1. Fonovisa, Inc. v. Cherry Auction, Inc.
    2. Religious Technology Center, v. Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc.
  3. Liability of Device Manufacturers
    1. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.
  4. On-line Service Provider Liability
    1. Note on Section 512
    2. Note on Identifying the Direct Infringer
  5. Criminal Infringement
    1. Note on the History of Criminal Copyright Infringement
    2. United States v. Moran
    3. United States v. LaMacchia
    4. Note on Internet-Era Amendments to the Copyright Felony Provisions

Chapter 7
Another Limitation on Copyright: Fair Use

  1. Fair Use in Comparative Perspective
  2. The Different Faces of Fair Use
    1. Cultural Interchange
      1. Harper & Row, Publishers v. Nation Enterprises
      2. Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
      3. New Era Publications Int'l v. Carol Publishing Group
      4. Castle Rock Entertainment v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc.
      5. Nuņez v. Caribbean International News Corp. (El Vocero de Puerto Rico)
      6. Note on Fair Use and the First Amendment
    2. Technical Interchange
      1. Sega Enterprises Ltd. v. Accolade, Inc.
      2. Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corp.
      3. Note on the Interoperability Provisions of the EU Software Directive
      4. Note on Internet Search Engines
    3. Market Failure or "Productive Consumption"?
      1. Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
      2. Note on "Productive Consumption"
      3. Note on Market Failure Theory
      4. American Geophysical Union v. Texaco, Inc.
      5. Princeton University Press v. Michigan Document Services, Inc.
      6. Note on Texaco, MDS, and the Debate over Market Failure Theory
      7. A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.

Chapter 8
Technological Protections

  1. The Evolution of the Technological Protection Debate
  2. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Circumvention of Technological Protections
    1. Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes
    2. Note on Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley
    3. Note on Library of Congress Rulemakings Under § 1201
    4. Note on International Approaches to the Implementation of the WCT
  3. Authorized Versus Unauthorized Access and Interoperable Products
    1. Chamberlain Group, Inc. v. Skylink Tech, Inc.
    2. Lexmark International, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc.
  4. Protection for Copyright Management Information
    1. Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corp.
  5. Converging Technologies: Digital Television and the Broadcast Flag

Chapter 9
State Law Theories of Protection, and Their Limit

  1. Federal Intellectual Property Preemption: An Overview
    1. Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Stiffel Co.
    2. Note on Compco Corp. v. Day-Brite Lighting, Inc.
    3. Goldstein v. California
    4. Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp.
    5. Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.
    6. Note on the Intellectual Property Clause and the Commerce Clause
  2. Express Preemption Under the 1976 Act
    1. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises
    2. Video Pipeline, Inc. v. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
  3. The Right of Publicity
    1. Baltimore Orioles, Inc. v. Major League Baseball Players Association
    2. Brown v. Ames
    3. White v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
  4. Misappropriation
    1. International News Service v. Associated Press
    2. National Basketball Association v. Motorola, Inc.
    3. Note on Federal Database Protection
  5. Contract
    1. Vault Corp. v. Quaid Software Limited
    2. ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg
    3. SoftMan Products Co. v. Adobe Systems, Inc.
    4. Note on Fair Use, Copyright Preemption, and Cyberspace
  6. The Misuse Alternative
    1. In re Napster, Inc. Copyright Litigation
    2. Assessment Technologies of WI v. WIREdata, Inc.
    3. Note on the Relationship Between Copyright Law and Antitrust Law

Chapter 10
The Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

  1. Proper Court
    1. Bassett v. Mashantucket Pequot Tribe
  2. Proper Timing
    1. Filing Too Early
      1. Gerig v. Krause Publications, Inc.
    2. Filing Too Late
      1. Roley v. New World Pictures, Inc.
  3. Proper Plaintiffs (Standing)
    1. Copyright Infringement
      1. Eden Toys v. Florelee Undergarment Co.
    2. Declaratory Judgment Actions
      1. Bryan Ashley International, Inc. v. Shelby Williams Industries
  4. Proper Defendants
    1. Chavez v. Arte Publico Press
  5. Jury Trial
    1. Feltner v. Columbia Pictures Television, Inc.
  6. International Issues
    1. Itar-Tass Russian News Agency v. Russian Kurier, Inc.
    2. The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd. v. Corel Corp.
  7. Civil Remedies
    1. Injunctions
      1. Olan Mills, Inc. v. Linn Photo Co.
      2. Mark A. Lemley and Eugene Volokh, Freedom of Speech and Injunctions in Intellectual Property Cases
      3. Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes
      4. Abend v. MCA, Inc.
    2. Seizure and Impoundment
    3. Damages and Profits
      1. Frank Music Corp. v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
      2. Hamil America, Inc. v. GFI
      3. Los Angeles News Service v. Reuters Television International, Limited
    4. Statutory Damages
      1. Storm Impact, Inc. v. Software of the Month Club
      2. Columbia Pictures Television v. Krypton Broadcasting of Birmingham, Inc.
    5. Attorneys' Fees
      1. Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty

 

©2004-2006 Cohen, Okediji, O'Rourke and Loren