All of the assigned readings are available online through the links in the syllabus, below. Most of the readings are also available in printed form in two paperback volumes (from Amazon, for a total of $25), by using the following links: Volume 1; Volume 2.
Week 1
Lecture 1: The Foundations of Copyright Law
Discussion (January 26): Originality
- 17 U.S.C. 102(a)
- Bleistein v. Donaldson Lithographing Co., 188 U.S. 239 (1903) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Mannion v. Coors Brewing Co., 377 F.Supp. 2d 444 (S.D.N.Y. 2005): paragraphs 1-79 [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o][Illustrations]
- “Generative AI exists because of the transformer,” Financial Times, September 12, 2023
- Second Request for Reconsideration for Refusal to Register SURYAST (Copyright Review Board, December 11, 2023) [pdf]
Discussion (January 27): The Idea/Expression Distinction
- 17 U.S.C. 102(b)
- Baker v. Selden, 101 U.S. 99 (1879) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp., 45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Alexander v. Haley, 460 F.Supp. 40 (S.D.N.Y. 1978) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 499 U.S. 340 (1991) [pdf][MS Word][h2o]
Week 2
Lecture 2: Fairness and Personality Theories
Discussion (February 2): Labor v. Personhood
- John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government (1689), Chapter 5 [pdf]
- Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), pp. 174-182 [pdf]
- IP Theory Chatbot
Discussion (February 3): Nonfiction
- A.A. Hoehling v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 618 F.2d 972 (2d Cir. 1980) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- American Historical Association, Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct, #4: Plagiarism (2005)
- Malcolm Gladwell, “Something Borrowed,” The New Yorker, Nov. 22, 2004
Week 3
Lecture 3: The Subject Matter of Copyright
Discussion (February 9): Characters and Useful Articles
- DC Comics v. Towle, 802 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2015) [pdf] [MS Word] [h20]
- Shine v. Childs, 382 F.Supp.2d 602 (2005) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o] [Illustrations]
- Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands (US Supreme Court 2017) [pdf]
Discussion (February 10): The Music Business
- U.S. Copyright Office, The Music Modernization Act (December 2019)
- Ben Sisario, “A $550 Million Springsteen Deal? It’s Glory Days for Catalog Sales,” New York Times, December 20, 2021
Week 4
Lecture 4: Welfare Theory
Discussion (February 16): Information Technology
- Lotus Development Corporation v. Borland International, Inc., 49 F.3d 807 (1st Cir. 1995) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Google v. Oracle (SCOTUS 2021), paragraphs 1-49, 107-125 [pdf] [MSWord]
Discussion (February 17): Bounded Rationality
- Jolls, Sunstein, and Thaler, A Behavioral Approach to Law and Economics, pp. 1471-1489
- IP Theory Chatbot
Week 5
Lecture 5: Authorship
Discussion (February 23): Multiple Authors
- 17 U.S.C. 201
- Lindsay v. The Wrecked and Abandoned Vessel R.M.S. Titanic, 52 U.S.P.Q.2d 1609 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) [pdf] [MS Word][h2o]
- Aalmuhammed v. Lee, 202 F.3d 1227 (9th Cir. 1999) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (February 24): Works for Hire
- Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730 (1989) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Avtec Systems, Inc. v. Peiffer, 21 F.3d 568 (4th Cir. 1994) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Week 6
Lecture 6: The Mechanics of Copyright
Discussion (March 2): Copyright and Parentalism
- Stewart v. Abend, 495 U.S. 207 (1990) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- New York Times Company v. Tasini, 533 U.S. 483 (2001) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (March 3): Copyright and the Constitution
- Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S.1 86 (2003) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Golan v. Holder, 2012 U.S. Lexis 907 (2012) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Week 7
Lecture 7: The Rights to Reproduce and Modify
Discussion (March 9): “Probative Similarity” and “Substantial Similarity”
- 17 U.S.C. 106
- Three Boys Music Corp. v. Michael Bolton, 212 F.3d 477 (9th Cir. 2000) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., 663 F.Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1987) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o] [Illustrations]
- Rentmeester v. Nike, Inc. (9th Cir. 2018) [pdf]
- Mannion v. Coors Brewing Co., 377 F.Supp. 2d 444 (S.D.N.Y. 2005): paragraphs 81-94 [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o] [Illustrations]
Discussion (March 10): Derivative Works
- Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 1998): paragraphs 11-58 [pdf][MS Word] [h2o] [Illustrations]
- Lee v. A.R.T. Company, 125 F.3d 580 (7th Cir. 1997) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Micro Star v. FormGen Inc., 154 F.3d 1107 (9th Cir. 1998) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Week 8
Lecture 8: The Rights to Distribute, Perform, and Display
Discussion (March 23): Distribution and First Sale
- Hotaling v. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 118 F.3d 199 (4th Cir. 1997) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons (U.S. Supreme Court, March 19, 2013) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (March 24): Performances and Displays
- American Broadcasting Companies v. Aereo, Inc., 134 S.Ct. 2498 (2014) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Perfect 10 v. Amazon, 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2007): paragraphs 1-65 [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Week 9
Lecture 9: Fair Use and Misuse
Discussion (March 30): Fair Use, Part 1
- 17 U.S.C. 107
- Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 1998): paragraphs 60-95 [pdf][MS Word] [h2o] [Illustrations]
- Perfect 10 v. Amazon, 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2007): paragraphs 67-91 [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (March 31): Fair Use, Part 2
- Cariou v. Prince, 713 F.3d 694 (2d Cir. 2013) [pdf] [MSWord]
- Authors Guild v. Google, 804 F.3d 202 (2d Cir. 2015) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Google v. Oracle (SCOTUS 2021), paragraphs 50-106, 126-163 [pdf] [MSWord]
- Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith (SCOTUS 2023) [pdf] [MSWord]
Week 10
Lecture 10: Cultural Theory
Discussion (April 6): Moral Rights in the United States
- 17 U.S.C. 106A
- Sophie Grais, “The Story of 5Pointz” (2021) [pdf]
- Castillo v. G&M Realty (2d Cir. 2020) [pdf] [MSWord]
Discussion (April 7): Traditional Knowledge
Week 11
Lecture 11: Supplements to Copyright: Secondary Liability and Para-copyright
Discussion (April 13): Secondary Liability
- Cox Communications v. Sony Music (Supreme Court of the United States 2026) [pdf]
- Perfect 10 v. Amazon, 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2007): paragraphs 94-131 [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Viacom v. YouTube, 676 F.3d 19 (CA2 2012) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (April 14): Technological Protection Measures
- Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley, 273 F.3d 429 (2d Cir. 2001) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- 37 C.F.R 201.40 (2021) [pdf] [MSWord]
Week 12
Lecture 12: Remedies
Discussion (April 20): Damages
- 17 U.S.C. 504, 505
- Frank Music Corp. v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., 886 F.2d 1545 (9th Cir. 1989) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty, 94 F.3d 553 (9th Cir. 1996) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
Discussion (April 21): Injunctions and Crimes
- 17 U.S.C. 501, 502, 503, 506
- Salinger v. Colting, 607 F.3d 68 (2d Cir. 2010) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]
- United States v. Moran, 757 F.Supp. 1046 (D.Neb. 1991) [pdf] [MS Word] [h2o]