Advanced Topics in Intellectual Property Seminar (2)
This course provides an in-depth exploration and analysis of various issues in intellectual property law through an analysis of some of the seminal cases in IP jurisprudence. In contrast to many law school courses, which enable the study of law through excerpted portions of cases on particular topics, this course will dig beneath the surface and explore the depths of intellectual property theory and policy as they manifest in individual cases throughout history. We will not seek to canvass the area of IP, but rather explore foundational aspects of intellectual property through individual case stories, other primary and secondary resource material, and seminal law review articles.
Art, Cultural Heritage, and the Law (2-3)
International and domestic legal issues and disputes pertaining to the creation, ownership, use and preservation of works of visual art and objects of cultural heritage.
Art Law (2-3)
Introduction to legal practice known as art law; examination of legal and ethical issues relating to the creation, discovery, ownership, transfer and use of works of visual art, from ancient to contemporary; stakeholders include artists and their subjects, individual and corporate collectors, museums, dealers, auction houses, cultural institutions, treasure hunters, scholars, indigenous groups, sovereign nations, and the general public; examination, discussion, and debate of applicable civil and criminal laws and regulations, case law, international treaties and codes of ethics, as well as contracts and other documents used in art law practice.
Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, & Business Seminar (Special Topics) (2)
Issues relating to health care and drug prices are constantly in the news. Recently, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 77% of the American public picked increasing prices of pharmaceuticals as their foremost health care concern. As aspiring lawyers it is important for you to understand the issues that present itself in this area of law.
Issues relating to pharmaceutical pricing, research and patents are all inter-related. This seminar will expound the converging questions in this area. Themed like a story, each session will deal with one important issue. We will begin with how patents operate in the area of biotechnology and expound regulatory issues such as the FDA, move on to questions of generic drugs, international access to medication issues and more. Students will contrast issues from biotechnology with one other area of business, the telecommunications industry, to present students with the contrast involved in both of these areas of law. The objective is: a) for the students to understand substantive as well as procedural questions involved in this area, and, b) to capture a broad range of issues so that students with diverse interests can participate and make the experience vibrant.
Communications Law (Special Topics) (2)
This course provides a basic overview of law and policy in the regulation of communications; including broadcasting; cable; wireline and wireless telephony; as well as more advanced areas such as broadband and Internet communications. We will focus on these technological advances to explore the ways in which legal; economic; social; and technological forces shape and are harnessed by legal systems faced with rapid change. The course will draw primarily on leading communications law cases; statutes; and FCC and FTC regulatory actions; focusing on issues such as net neutrality; privacy; free speech and broadcast indecency; competition; and spectrum policy.
Entertainment Law (2)
An examination of basic legal concepts that govern transactions in the entertainment industry, including the constitutional protections of entertainment speech, the rights of individuals who restrict it, copyright fundamentals, contract issues peculiar to the field, and prevailing standards and practices of “the Business.”
Fashion Law (Special Topics) (1)
This course will offer an overview of the legal issues related to the fashion industry. In particular, this course will emphasize the analysis of the intellectual property aspects--primarily, but not exclusively, trademarks, design, and copyright--of the protection of fashion items This course will also address the business aspects of the fashion industry and some emerging issues, including the growing movement of sustainable (and slow) fashion as well as the potential impact of disruptive technologies, such as 3D printing, on the manufacturing and distribution of fashion items.
Information Privacy Law (2 - 3)
Exploration of issues related to the concept of information privacy; examination of the collection, use, protection and disclosure of personal and other information by government entities and private sector actors, both domestically and cross-jurisdictionally; considers multiple regulatory schemes, including constitutional, tort, contract, property, statutory, administrative and international rules.
International and Comparative Trademark Law (Special Topics) (2)
This course focuses on the analysis of the international system regulating the protection of trademark rights and a selected number of comparative examples. In this respect, this course surveys the relevant international conventions in the field of trademarks as well as selected regional and bilateral agreements. It also addresses variations in the national implementation of these laws across different jurisdictions. In particular, the course considers the international framework with respect to the scope of trademark rights, trademark registration, infringement, defenses, and remedies. It also touches upon other distinctive signs, in particular geographical indications of origin.
International Intellectual Property Seminar (Special Topics) (2)
Through a review of the relevant provisions of U.S. law and multilateral treaties, this seminar covers the international components of copyrights, patents, trademarks, and other forms of intellectual property rights. The course also examines recent developments in the European Union and problems of enforcing intellectual property rights in developing countries.
Internet Law (3)
This course focuses on the transference (or lack of transference) of bricks-and-mortar legal principles to new methods of communication. It looks at recent developments in cyberspace law and provides a survey of legal issues on the internet, including both policy and pragmatic application of jurisdictional principles, intellectual property laws, privacy rights, computer crime, proprietary information, and freedom of speech issues, as well as a full-scale analysis and explication of the question, “Is Google really God?”
Pre-Suit Patent Litigation (1 - 2)
Exploration of issues patent litigators should consider prior to filing a complaint for patent infringement; includes the market for patent enforcement; substantive assessment of cases; valuation of cases and economics of patent litigation; best practices for patent case assessment and pre-litigation ethical considerations; complaint drafting.
Sports Law (3)
A thorough look at both the academic (e.g., labor and antitrust) and practical (e.g., contracts and agents) aspects of professional sports and the emerging field of sports law, including rules governing Olympic competition, the NCAA, and other amateur athletics.
The Information Society Seminar (2)
This course explores complex interrelationships between technological, economic, cultural, political, and legal influences that shape the information society. As a seminar, this course will satisfy the rigorous writing requirement.