A practice-oriented approach to copyright law, covering the basics, from subject matter, scope of exclusive rights, publication, duration (including renewal and statutory termination) to secondary liability and multi-national copyright issues. Class sessions and readings are informed by the professor's 35 years of experience in litigating and transacting copyright matters- including ungraded drafting exercises, coverage of additional non-coursebook material drawn from real world experience in counseling, analyzing and lawyering complex copyright matters in a variety of fields. We will explore traditional "literary property" and actual industry licensing practices, navigate the maze of web-based content delivery systems and legal issues, develop a tool set for conducting due diligence and devote time to litigation and transaction strategies that demand fluency in the law as well as insight into the practice of the law.
The objective is not only to provide students with a working understanding of the law, including some of the arcania of copyright practice, but to develop a framework for students to analyze and address copyright from the perspective of a working practitioner in the field.
Hart, William M. 