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Patents, Copyrights, and the Law of Intellectual P posted by duggu on 1/21/2008

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Abstract/Syllabus

Courseware/Lectures

Test/Tutorials

Course Highlights

The required readings for this course are available for downloading.

Course Description

This weekly seminar examines key concepts of U.S. intellectual property law, with emphasis on patents and copyrights and a briefer look at trade secrets and trademarks. Current issues relating to information technologies and business methods will be highlighted. The seminar has no prerequisites, and is designed for both graduate students and undergraduates. Half of the seats in the seminar are reserved for students from MIT departments other than Sloan.

*Some translations represent previous versions of courses.

Syllabus

Table of Topics

Introduction to American law and to intellectual property
Patents
- Patentable subject matter
- Statutory bars
- Rights of the patent holder
- Infringement
- Novelty and non-obviousness
- Patent protection for software, algorithms, and business methods
- The patent application
- Scope of claims
Copyrights
- Copyrightable subject matter
- Comparison with patents
- Merger and scènes-à-faire
- Substantial similarity
- Copyrights in the context of information technologies
- Fair use
Trademarks, service marks, and conflicts with domain names
Trade secrets
License agreements

Assignments and Grading

Readings will be taken mostly from the statutes and the case law of intellectual property. Students will be expected to read the materials carefully prior to class and to be prepared to discuss them in class. (Short preparation exercises will be assigned.) There will also be student presentations of cases that are not assigned to the class as a whole. There will be no term papers or exams. However, to receive passing grades, students will be expected to attend regularly, and to prepare for and participate actively in class discussions. If it should become necessary for a student to miss a particular class, he or she should make appropriate make-up arrangements with the instructor ahead of time.

Calendar


	SES #				TOPICS


	1				Subject Overview Introduction to American Law and Intellectual Property


	2				Introduction to American Law and Intellectual Property (continued)


	3				Patents: The Statutory Framework Patentable Subject Matter Statutory Bars Rights of the Patent Holder Infringement


	4				Non-Obviousness


	5				Novelty


	6				Patent Protection for Software, Algorithms, and Business Methods


	7				The Patent Application Scope of Claims Sample Issued Patent


	8				Copyrights: The Statutory Framework Copyrightable Subject Matter Comparison with Patents Fair Use


	9				Merger and Scènes-à-faire Substantial Similarity


	10				Copyright in the Context of New Information Technologies


	11				Trademarks and Service Marks Conflicts with Domain Names


	12				Trade Secrets License Agreements

Further Reading:

A majority of the course readings may be downloaded. For those that are unavailable a reference is provided.


SES #	TOPICS	READINGS


1	Subject Overview; Introduction to American Law and Intellectual Property


2	Introduction to American Law and Intellectual Property (continued)	Field, Thomas G., Jr. "Intellectual Property: Some Practical and Legal Fundamentals." 35 Idea--The Journal of Law and Technology 79 (1994).


3	Patents: The Statutory Framework; Patentable Subject Matter; Statutory Bars; Rights of the Patent Holder; Infringement	Title 35 of the U.S. Code (the Patent Act of 1952), sections 100, 101, 102, 103(a), 112, 154, and 271(a). (PDF)


4	Non-Obviousness	Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City, 383 U.S. 1 (1966). (PDF)


5	Novelty	Structural Rubber Products v. Park Rubber, 749 F.2d 707 (Fed. Cir. 1984). (PDF - 1.8 MB)


6	Patent Protection for Software, Algorithms, and Business Methods	Gottschalk v. Benson, 409 U.S. 63 (1972). (PDF) State Street Bank and Trust v. Signature Financial Group, 149 F.3d 1368 (Fed. Cir. 1998). (PDF - 2.2 MB)


7	The Patent Application; Scope of Claims; Sample Issued Patent	37 Code of Federal Regulations §§ 1.71-1.77 (Patent Specification). (PDF) O'Reilly v. Morse, 56 U.S. (15 How.) 62 (1853). (PDF) Kretchman, Len C., and David Geske. "Sealed Crustless Sandwich." U.S. Patent No. 6,004,596 (21 December 1999). (PDF)


8	Copyrights: The Statutory Framework; Copyrightable Subject Matter; Comparison with Patents; Fair Use	Title 17 of the U.S. Code (Copyright Act of 1976), sections 102, 103, 106, 106A, and 113(d)(1), then sections 107, and 506. (PDF) Baker v. Selden, 101 U.S. 99 (1897). (PDF)


9	Merger and Scènes-à-faire; Substantial Similarity	Morrissey v. Proctor and Gamble, 379 F.2d 675 (1st Cir. 1967). (PDF) Selle v. Gibb, 741 F.2d 896 (7th Cir. 1984). (PDF - 2.2 MB)


10	Copyright in the Context of New Information Technologies	17 U.S.C. section 1201, created by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, subsections (a)(1)(A), (a)(2) through 1201(c), and (f) through (g)(3). (PDF)


11	Trademarks and Service Marks; Conflicts with Domain Names	King-Seeley Thermos v. Aladdin Industries, 321 F.2d 577 (2d Cir. 1963). (PDF) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v. Doughney, 263 F.3d 359 (4th Cir. 2001). (PDF - 1.8 MB)


12	Trade Secrets; License Agreements	Wexler v. Greenberg, 399 Pa. 569, 160 A.2d 430 (1960) Spinello, Richard. "Whose Program is this?" In Case Studies in Information and Computer Ethics. Upper Saddle River, Conn.: Prentice Hall, 1997, pp. 132-135.

Additional Cases (Assigned as Student Presentations)

Diamond v. Diehr, 450 U.S. 175 (1981).

In re Grams, 888 F.2d 835 (Fed. Cir. 1989).

Arrythmia v. Corazonics, 958 F.2d 1053 (Fed. Cir. 1992).

In re Alappat, 33 F.3d 1526 (Fed.Cir. 1994).

Amazon.com, Inc. v. Barnsandnoble.com, Inc., 239 F.3d 1343 (Fed.Cir. 2001).

Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service, 499 U.S. 340 1991.

Lotus Development v. Borland International, 516 U.S. 233 (1996), affirming, per curiam (4-4), Lotus v. Borland, 49 F.3d 807 (1st Cir. 1995).

Princeton University Press v. Michigan Document Services, 99 F.3d 1381 (6th Cir. 1996).

Universal City Studios v. Reimerdes. 111 F.Supp.2d 294 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 17, 2000).

A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001).