Description
This course will begin with a discussion of the idea/expression dichotomy, trace the development and articulation of various exclusive rights of copyright holders, and examine exceptions and limitations to those rights, with a particular emphasis on the fair use doctrine. The course will also explore the various theories of liability: direct and secondary and the notion of strict liability for copyright infringement. A good portion of the course will be devoted to the tension between advances in technology and copyrights. A study will be made of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and some of the recent leading cases that explore the interface between digital and Internet technology and copyright, including the Supreme Court's decision in Grokster and the Second Circuit's Cablevision case.
Recommended:
Copyright Law is recommended but is not required.
