Spring 2004
COPYRIGHT LAW
Professor Susanna Frederick Fischer
Welcome to our class Web pages! Updates will be provided throughout the semester. You will be notified in class or by e-mail about all updates.
Follow this link to access the Reading List.
More information about the class, including information on exams and grading may be found in the Course Outline.
Many helpful resources on copyright law are available on the Internet. To get you started, a few links are listed below. You may wish to bookmark these. I hope that you will all surf the Web and find many more helpful copyright law resources. If you find a site which you believe will be of particular assistance to your fellow students, please e-mail it to me so that I can provide a link on this page.
Click on links below to access PowerPoint slides for each class at which they are shown. Slides will be posted within a reasonable time after the conclusion of each class. If you have any trouble accessing the slides, please e-mail me.
Slides for Class 1 (Jan 12, 2004) -- Introduction to the Copyright Law Class
Slides for Class 2 (Jan. 14, 2004) - Historical Background of Copyright Law
Slides for Class 3 (Jan. 21, 2004) - Rationale for Copyright Protection
Slides for Class 4 (Jan. 28, 2004) - General Requirements for Copyrightable Subject Matter (Originality). You may be interested in the following article on copyright law: Robert S. Boynton, "The Tyranny of Copyright?, New York Times Magazine (Jan. 25, 2004), available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/magazine/25COPYRIGHT.html
Slides Class 5 (Feb. 2, 2004) - General Requirements for Copyrightable Subject Matter (Fixation), Copyrightability of Compilations. You might find this article on the ethics of a Pepsi ad featuring a teenager who settled with the RIAA over downloading online music: Cynthia L. Webb, Pepsi's Download Fizz, Washington Post.com Tech News (Feb. 2, 2004) at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5253-2004Feb2.html
Slides Class 6 (Feb. 4, 2004) - More on Compilations, Copyrightability of Works of History, Copyrightability of Databases/Sui Generis Protection for Databases
Slides Class 7 (Feb. 9, 2004) Copyrightability of Databases, Copyrightability of Derivative Works. You may be interested in submitting to a writing competition held by the Computer Law Association. See http://www.cla.org/students.htm
Slides Class 8 (Feb. 11, 2004) Copyrightability of Derivative Works, Pictorial, Graphic and Sculptural Works and Useful Articles
Class 9 (Feb. 16, 2004) Copyrightability of Pictorial, Graphic and Sculptural Works and Useful Articles. There are no slides for this class. We did an in-class exercise where small groups of students advised the class on the copyrightability of the following articles: heart-shaped cushion, Barbie toothbrush, candle holder in the shape of a dog, Tweetie Bird dishwashing brush, Pillsbury Doughboy figurine, tea towel with a flowered design, tissues with a flowered pattern, snow globe with a snowman figure inside, dish in the shape of a cat, little magnets with small Matisse paintings on them, magnetic poetry kit for dog lovers, mug with a Gary Larson cartoon on it. Please be aware that for next class we will cover architecture and computer programs
Slides Class 10 (Feb. 18, 2004) Copyrightability of architecture
Slides Class 11 (Feb. 23, 2004) Copyrightability of characters and computer programs
Slides Class 12 (Feb. 25, 2004) Copyrightability of government works, Copyright ownership, works made for hire
Slides Class 13 (Mar. 8, 2004) Joint works, duration, renewal
Two enterprising students in our class visited the houses at issue in the case of Demetriades v. Kaufmann in Scarsdale NY over Spring Break- click here to view their photos. Many thanks to Rebecca Carr and Andy Davis!!
Slides Class 14 (March 10, 2004) duration, renewal, termination. For Larry Lessig's interesting take on his Supreme Court defeat, see Larry Lessig, How I Lost The Big One, Legal Affairs (March/April 2004) at: http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/March-April-2004/story_lessig_marapr04.html#
Slides Class 15 (March 15, 2004) termination, formalities If the previous links doesn't work, try this one: Copyright Slides March 15 2004.ppt
Note: Class for Tuesday March 16 has been cancelled. See you all on Wednesday.
Slides Class 16 (March 17, 2004) formalities, infringement
Slides Class 17 (March 24, 2004) infringement continued
Slides Class 18 (March 29, 2004) infringement continued (limits on the right of reproduction, infringement of the right of adaption) - remember the quiz is due on Wednesday March 31. Please make sure you have the number for quiz number 2 on your quiz. Thanks!
Slides Class 19 (March 31, 2004) infringement continued (moral rights, right of public distribution, right of public performance)
Slides Class 20 (April 5, 2004) infringement of rights of public performance and display and digital performance for sound recordings, fair use
Exam Memo I of April 5 2004 This document contains information about the final exam and provides a list of topics, statutory provisions, and cases that you should study for the final exam
Slides Class 21 (April 7, 2004) fair use
Slides Class 22 (April 14, 2004) remedies and Lessig's The Future of Ideas
Slides Class 23 (April 19, 2004) technological protection measures
Slides Class 24 (April 21, 2004) technological protection measures, digital copyrights, digital music
Here are links to some sites that a student in our class found on the Web and that may be of great interest to students and helpful for reviewing for the exam. Columbia University Law Library Music Copyright Infringement Online Archive at: (http://library.law.columbia.edu/music_plagiarism/index2.html). See also the related Music Plagiarism Project site at: http://www.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/law/library/ These sites include material on many of the cases in the casebook as well as sound files:
© 2003 Susanna Fischer. All Rights Reserved. Last Revised Monday, April 26, 2004 06:12:32 PM