This is the webpage for a class from the PAST that has ALREADY ENDED. Current class information is available here.

LATEST CHANGES TO SITE

Orphan Works/Legislative Drafting Assignment Page

Course Syllabus

Posted 2/19/2007: The new course syllabus (with the assignments for the remainder of the semester) was distributed in class on Monday, February 19, 2007, and is posted below.

Warning: The assignments for Monday, February 26 and Wednesday, February 28 have changed!

Latest Course Syllabus: [msword] [web] (these links do include any of the changes listed below)

Review Sessions and Other Professor Availability During Finals

I will hold two optional review sessions in the days leading up to the final. The review sessions are scheduled for:

Both review sessions are scheduled to run for one hour, but I reserve the right to spend more or less time at each session, depending on the level of interest.

Tuesday, May 8th, at 2pm, will be a question-and-answer period. In order to make best use of our time, please send me questions in advance. I will answer questions and follow-ups that I am asked on May 8th, but I would much rather have the questions in advance.

On Wednesday, May 9th, at 10am, I will step through questions #1 and #3 from the Fall 2006 final exam. I will provide my approach and advice for answering questions like these, as well as highlight common mistakes students encountered with these questions. I highly recommend that before the Wednesday review session, students attempt to sit down, in a timed simulation, and at least try to outline their best attempt to answer these problems.

I am available throughout the exam period, and I will be in my office most weekdays. If I am in my office, feel free to drop in at any time. Otherwise, send me an e-mail to schedule an appointment. Also, feel free to send me an e-mail with your question, and I will answer you via e-mail.

I will stop answering students' questions at 5pm on Wednesday, May 9th.

I will not publicly post or otherwise distribute any student questions or my answers. Instead, I will go over questions that seem to be of general appeal at the Tuesday review session.

Changes to Syllabus

Assignment for Wednesday, March 21st. We will return to the pages we skipped on public display and public performance. To avoid falling further behind, we will skip most of the assigned reading for 3/21 (which won't be made up.) We will only be reading two notes from the 3/21 assignment. The assignment is now:

Assignment for Wednesday, March 7th. Because we are behind, we will not read the pages on public display and public performance listed on your syllabus. We will try to pick up those pages later in the semester. Instead:

Assignment for Monday, March 5th (Open Source Conference)Before the open source conference, you must have read:

Changes to assignments for 2/26 and 2/28: With the release of the remainder of the syllabus, the assignments for Monday, February 26 and Wednesday, February 28 have changed! See the syllabus (above) for details.

New Assignment Posted 2/7/07: For Wednesday, February 14, 2007, do not read the pages on "Feist and Copyright Claims in Judicial Reports", pages 244-250. The new assignment is:

In-Class Graded Assignment: Here are a few more details about the in-class, graded assignment. Students will assume the role of a party with an interest in Copyright legislation (Congress, Google, RIAA/MPAA, Creative Commons, Libraries, Book Authors) and spend the class trying to hammer out a new bill. Students are expected to read materials relating to the subject matter and to their particular role in advance of the exercise. Three weeks after the exercise, a short memo based on the exercise is due. The dates for the exercise are: New Assignment Posted 1/31/07: For Monday, February 5th, do not read the pages on Pictorial, Graphic, and Sculptural Works, pages 167-89. The new assignment is: Pages 167-89 should be read instead for class on Wednesday, February 7th in addition to the originally scheduled pages. The new assignment is:

Supplemental Reading

For Monday, April 16, 2007 read Perfect 10 v. Google (C.D. Cal. Feb. 17, 2006).

For Wednesday, February 28, 2007 read this opinion from the Register of Copyrights about ringtones. [pdf]

Class Mind Maps

Here are PDF versions of the Mind Maps developed in class:
Class Twenty-Five: April 25
Class Twenty-Four: April 23
Class Twenty-Three: April 18
Class Twenty-Two: April 16
Class Twenty-One: April 11
Class Twenty: April 9
Class Nineteen: April 4
Class Eighteen: April 2
Class Seventeen: March 21
Class Sixteen: March 14
Class Fifteen: March 12
Class Fourteen: March 7
Class Thirteen: February 28
Class Twelve: February 26
Class Eleven: February 21
Class Ten: February 19
Class Nine: February 14
Class Eight: February 12
Class Seven: February 7: Map of Rules of Conceptual Separability
Class Seven: February 7
Class Six: February 5
Class Five: January 31
Class Four: January 29
Class Three: January 24
Class Two: January 22
Class One: January 17

Other Class Materials

Wednesday, May 9: Below, I have added the grading rubric from the Fall 2006 Intro IP exam (which I distributed and discussed at this morning's review session.

Monday, May 7: In response to a lot of questions on the test for "Improper Appropriation," I have posted a little note here.

*** Past final exams ***

This is my first time teaching Copyright, but I taught Introduction to Intellectual Property in Spring '06 and Fall '06. Copyright was a major component of the final exams for those two classes. For each of the two classes, the final exam consistent of three questions, with many parallels between the two sets: In both exams, Question #1 was a copyright/trademark question; Question #2 tested other topics; and Question #3 was a policy question which touched on themes relevant to Copyright.

In other words, for purposes of preparing for this class, in the materials that follow, ignore anything having to do with either Question #2: questions, grading rubrics, and model answers. Also, understand that some of the facts in both Questions #1 reflect Trademark law, not Copyright. In other words, some of the facts recited have no bearing on a proper Copyright analysis.

Here are some materials relating to both of these finals.

Tech/Trends Mondays

April 4, 2007: Internet Third-Party Liability February 19, 2007: Collectively Edited Works February 12, 2007: Mash-Ups February 5, 2007: Cover Versions of Songs (Mostly for Fun) January 29, 2007: Literary Works January 22, 2007: Fixation

Other Links