Copyright

Spring 2013

Prof. William Fisher

 

All of the materials for this course are available online. They can be obtained in either of two ways: each entry in the syllabus contains a link to a PDF version of the document in question; and the entire set of readings can be obtained, in the form of an H2O "playlist," at this site: http://h2odev.law.harvard.edu/playlists/945. A guide to the use of the H2O software is available here. The abridgments of the cases are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Sharealike 2.5 License, the terms of which are available here.

The 12 recorded lectures for the class may be watched or downloaded by following the links on this page: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/tfisher/Copyright_Lectures_2013.htm.

The lecture notes for the course, in the form of two interactive PDF "maps," may be downloaded from the following website: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/tfisher/IP/IP Maps.htm.

 

Syllabus 

Week 1

Lecture: The Foundations of Copyright Law

Discussion (January 28, 3:20 p.m.): Originality

• 17 U.S.C, 102(a)
• Bleistein v. Donaldson Lithographing Co., 188 U.S. 239 (1903)
• Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 499 U.S. 340 (1991)
• Mannion v. Coors Brewing Co., 377 F.Supp. 2d 444 (S.D.N.Y. 2005)

Discussion (January 29, 3:20 p.m.): The Idea/Expression Distinction

• 17 U.S.C 102(b)
• Baker v. Selden, 101 U.S. 99 (1879)
• Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp., 45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930)
• Alexander v. Haley, 460 F.Supp. 40 (S.D.N.Y. 1978)

Week 2

Lecture: Fairness and Personality Theories

Discussion (February 4, 3:20 p.m.): Labor v. Personhood

• Justin Hughes, "The Philosophy of Intellectual Property," 77 Georgetown L.J. 287 (1988)

Discussion (February 5, 3:20 p.m.): Nonfiction

• A.A. Hoehling v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 618 F.2d 972 (2d Cir. 1980)
• American Historical Association, Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct, #4: Plagiarism (2005)
• Malcolm Gladwell, "Something Borrowed," The New Yorker, Nov. 22, 2004

Event (February 6, 7:00 p.m., Milstein East B): The Interests of Authors

• Speakers: Dale Cendali and Richard Kelly

 

Week 3

Lecture: The Subject Matter of Copyright

Discussion (February 11, 3:20 p.m.): Useful Articles

• Pivot Point, Int'l v. Charlene Products, 372 F.3d 913 (7th Cir. 2004)
• Intervest Construction v. Canterbury Estate Homes, 554 F.3d 914 (CA11 2008)

Discussion (February 12, 3:20 p.m.): Software

• Computer Associates International, Inc. v. Altai, Inc., 982 F.2d 693 (2d Cir. 1992)
• Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc., 49 F.3d 807 (1st Cir. 1995)

Event (February 13, 7:00 p.m., Milstein East B): IP Protection for Fashion

• Speakers: Jeannie Suk & Chris Sprigman

Week 4

Lecture: Welfare Theory

Discussion (Feburary 18, 3:20 p.m.): Applications of Welfare Theory

• F.M. Scherer, "The Innovation Lottery," in Rochelle Dreyfuss et al., eds., Expanding the Boundaries of Intellectual Property (Oxford Univ. Press 2001), pp. 3-21

Discussion (February 19, 3:20 p.m.): Alternatives to Copyright

• William Fisher, Promises to Keep: Technology, Law and the Future of Entertainment (2004), Chapter 6

Week 5

Lecture: Authorship

Discussion (February 25, 3:20 p.m.): Multiple Authors

• 17 USC 201 
• Lindsay v. The Wrecked and Abandoned Vessel R.M.S. Titanic, 52 U.S.P.Q.2d 1609 (S.D.N.Y. 1999)
• Aalmuhammed v. Lee, 202 F.3d 1227 (9th Cir. 1999)

Discussion (February 26, 3:20 p.m.): Works for Hire

• Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730 (1989)
• Avtec Systems, Inc. v. Peiffer, 21 F.3d 568 (4th Cir. 1994)

Event (Feburary 27, 7:00 p.m., Milstein West A): Extralegal Norms

• Speakers: Dotan Oliar & Jim Mendrinos

Week 6

Lecture: The Mechanics of Copyright

Discussion (March 4, 3:20 p.m.): Copyright and Parentalism

• Stewart v. Abend, 495 U.S. 207 (1990)
• New York Times Company v. Tasini, 533 U.S. 483 (2001)

Discussion (March 5, 3:20 p.m.): The Boundary between Copyright and the Public Domain

• Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S.1 86 (2003)
• Golan v. Holder, 2012 U.S. Lexis 907 (2012)

Week 7

Lecture: The Rights to Reproduce and Modify

Discussion (March 11-12, 3:20 p.m.): “Probative Similarity” and “Substantial Similarity”

• 17 U.S.C. 106
• Three Boys Music Corp. v. Michael Bolton, 212 F.3d 477 (9th Cir. 2000)
• Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., 663 F.Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1987)
• Computer Associates International, Inc. v. Altai, Inc., 982 F.2d 693 (2d Cir. 1992) (reprise)
• Boisson v. Banian, Ltd., 273 F.3d 262 (2d Cir. 2001)
• Swirsky v. Carey, 376 F.3d 841 (9th Cir. 2004)
• Mannion v. Coors Brewing Co., 377 F.Supp. 2d 444 (S.D.N.Y. 2005) (reprise)

Discussion (March 12, 3:20 p.m.): Derivative Works

• Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 1998) [Parts I & II]
• Lee v. A.R.T. Company, 125 F.3d 580 (7th Cir. 1997)
• Micro Star v. FormGen Inc., 154 F.3d 1107 (9th Cir. 1998)

Week 8

Lecture: The Rights to Distribute, Perform, and Display

Discussion (March 25, 3:20 p.m.): Distribution and First Sale

• Hotaling v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 118 F.3d 199 (4th Cir. 1997)
• Vernor v. Autodesk, 2010 U.S.App. Lexis 18957 (Sept. 10, 2010)
• Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons (U.S. Supreme Court, March 19, 2013)

Discussion (March 26, 3:20 p.m.): Performances

• Columbia Pictures Indus. v. Redd Horne, Inc., Columbia Pictures Indus. v. Redd Horne, Inc., 749 F.2d 154 (3d Cir. 1984)
• Cartoon Network LP v. CSC Holdings, Inc., 536 F.3d 121 (2d Cir. 2008) [Part III]
• Perfect 10 v. Amazon.com. 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2007) [Parts I, II, III.A., and III.B.]

Week 9

Lecture: Fair Use and Misuse

Discussion (April 1, 3:20 p.m.): Fair Use in the Supreme Court

• 17 U.S.C. 107
• Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984)
• Harper & Row, Publishers v. Nation Enterprises, 471 U.S. 539 (1985)
• Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994)

Discussion (April 2, 3:20 p.m.): Fair Use Problems

• Castle Rock Entertainment v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 1998) [Part III]
• Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corp., 203 F.3d 596 (9th Cir. 2000)
• Blanch v. Koons, 467 F.3d 244 (2d Cir. 2006)
• Perfect 10 v. Amazon.com. 508 F.3d 1146 (CA9 2007) [Part III.C.]
• Gaylord v. United States, 595 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2010)

Event (April 3, 7:00 p.m., Austin East): Appropriation Art

• Speakers: Shepard Fairey, Marita Sturken & Geoffrey Stewart

Week 10

Lecture: Cultural Theory

Discussion (April 8, 3:20 p.m.): Moral Rights in the United States

• 17 U.S.C. 106A
• Martin v. City of Indianapolis, 192 F.3d 608 (7th Cir. 1999)
• Dastar Corporation v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 539 U.S. 23 (2003)

Discussion (April 9, 3:20 p.m.): Traditional Knowledge

• Stephen Munzer and Kal Raustiala, "The Uneasy Case for Traditional Knowledge," 27 Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal 37 (2009)
  

Week 11

Lecture: Supplements to Copyright: Secondary Liability and Para-copyright

Discussion (April 15, 3:20 p.m.): Secondary Liability

• Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984) (reprise)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. Grokster, 545 U.S. 913 (2005)
• Perfect 10 v. Amazon.com. 508 F.3d 1146 (CA9 2007) [Part IV]
• Viacom v. YouTube, 676 F.3d 19 (CA2 2012)

Discussion (April 16, 3:20 p.m.): Technological Protection Measures

• Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley, 273 F.3d 429 (2d Cir. 2001)
• Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. v. Jung, 422 F.3d 630 (8th Cir. 2005)

Event (April 17, 7:00 p.m., Milstein West B): Free Culture

• Speaker: Larry Lessig

Week 12

Lecture: Remedies

Discussion (April 22, 3:20 p.m.): Damages

• 17 U.S.C. 504, 505
• Frank Music Corp. v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., 886 F.2d 1545 (9th Cir. 1989)
• Sony BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, 660 F.3d 487 (1st Cir. 2011)
• Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty, 94 F.3d 553 (9th Cir. 1996)

Discussion (April 23, 3:20 p.m.): Injunctions and Crimes

• 17 U.S.C. 501, 502, 503, 506
• Salinger v. Colting, 607 F.3d 68 (2d Cir. 2010)
• United States v. Moran, 757 F.Supp. 1046 (D.Neb. 1991)

Event (April 24, 7:00 p.m., Milstein East B): Orphan Works and Digital Libraries

• Speakers: Robert Darnton, John Palfrey, Brewster Kahle

 

Version 2.0

Last modified: March 24, 2013

William Fisher

Email: tfisher@law.harvard.edu
Homepage: tfisher.org