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Last modified: 4/10/09

 

University of Michigan
Law 633

Copyright Law

Final Revised Syllabus

• Casebook: Julie Cohen, Lydia Loren, Ruth Okediji & Maureen O'Rourke, COPYRIGHT IN A GLOBAL INFORMATION ECONOMY (2d ed. 2006) and 2008 supplement
  • The authors of the casebook maintain a website keyed to the book at www.coolcopyright.com, with useful resources and updates.
• I have posted a website for this course at http://www.umich.edu/~jdlitman/classes/copyright.htm. The website includes this syllabus page, a page with links to references, news, announcements, and items of curiosity, and a page with recommendations for further optional reading. You should consult the site frequently.
• I will post revised versions of the syllabus and copies of class handouts here.
• The EXAM in this course will be a take-home examination.

Reading Assignments:

• Week of January 12:
  • Casebook pages 3-42

• Week of January 19:
    No class Monday January 19
  • Casebook pages 45-80
  • Supplement pages 349-54
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 102
  • Optional:
    • View screenshotsof Midway's Defender and Artic's Defense Command
    • View the photographs at issue in Mannion v. Coors
    • Explore the website of free-lance photo-journalist Manny Garcia, with particular attention to this image.

• Week of January 26:
  • Casebook pages 80-144
  • Supplement pages 354-55
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 103, 201, 202
  • Optional:
    • View the design of Prince's one-time name and his guitar
• Week of February 2:
  • Casebook pages 144-207
  • Supplement pages 357-60
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 104A, 105, 201, 203, 204, 302, 303, 304, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411

• Week of February 9:
  • Problem Set
  • Casebook pages 209-235
  • Supplement pages 361-62
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 102, 113
  • Homework:
    Before it gets too cold again, walk a few blocks to 311 East Liberty, between S. Division and S. Fifth Avenue. There you will find a store named the Bead Gallery. This is a lovely store run by very nice people, so please don't do or say anything to weird them out. Just examine the window display, which gives you an idea of how much money you might be able to save if you availed yourself of the Bead gallery's classes and purchased the store's products. Please come to class on Monday, Feb 16 prepared to discuss the copyright implications, if any, of the window display.
• Week of February 16:
  • Casebook pages 235-318
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 106, 117, 120, 501
  • Optional: Compare WWF presents Razor Ramone v. Diesel with WCW presents Kevin Nash v. Scott Hall
• Week of February 23:
  winter break
• Week of March 2:
  • Casebook pages 318-384
  • Supplement pages 363-69
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 106, 109, 602
  • Optional:
    • Compare the sheet music for "If You Could Read My Mind" with "The Greatest Love of All"
    • Listen to the songs at issue in Arnstein v. Porter
    • Compare the photographs at issue in Mannion v. Coors
• Week of March 9:
  • Statutory drafting exercise:
    • For Monday March 9 — Draft an amendment to section 109 embodying whatever you think would be good policy for the 21st century. Please write it down, print it out, and bring it with you to class. Don't put your name on it.
  • Casebook pages 385-449
  • Supplement pages 369-376
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 106A, 109, 110, 114, 115
  • (Pam Samuelson has canceled her guest lecture.)
  
  

• Week of March 16:
  • Casebook pages 449-523
  • Supplement pages 376-86
  • 17 U.S.C. § 114, 115, 116, 501, 506, 512, 1001, 1002, 1003, 1008
  • Statutory drafting exercise
  • Optional: Explore the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse
  
  

• Week of March 23:
  • Casebook pages 525-573, 576-584
  • Supplement pages 387-396
  • 17 U.S.C. § 107
  • Optional:
    • Check out the Wolfgang's Vault Grateful Dead collection
    • Skim The Story of Sony v. Universal Studios: Mary Poppins Meets the Boston Strangler
  • Optional short writing assignment (for credit) -- due March 30
• Week of March 30:
  Guest Lecturer March 31: Brian Willen, Mayer Brown LLP
  • Casebook pages 584-639
  • Supplement pages 396-401
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 107, 512, 1201
  • Optional:
    • Visit Professor David Touretzky's Gallery of CSS Descramblers
    • Read the 2009 Notice of Inquiry and a couple of the proposed exemptions for the Librarian of Congress's rulemaking under section 1201(a)(1)(C).
• Week of April 6:
  • Casebook pages 639-718
  • Supplement pages 401-06
  • Explore Creative Commons
  • 17 U.S.C. § § 301, 1201, 1202

• Week of April 13:
  • Casebook pages 718-799
  • Supplement pages 407-26
  • 17 U.S.C. §§ 411, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 507, 509, 511
  • Optional: Read the pleadings in Satriani v. Martin
    • Joe Satriani's complaint
    • Coldplay's answer
    • Capitol Record's answer
• Week of April 20:
  • Statutory drafting exercise
  • Handout

Send me an email message: jdlitman -at- umich.edu