All of the assigned readings are available online through the links in the syllabus, below.  In addition, most of the readings are available in two printed volumes, available (for a total of $25) from Amazon through the following links:

Prior to the seminar for each week, students in the online sections should have both watched the recorded lecture and read the assigned material. The lectures are especially crucial; students who have not watched them will not be able to participate effectively in the seminars.

Many of the assigned readings consist of edited judicial opinions. Non-lawyers unfamiliar with this genre may find helpful the following document: Understanding Judicial Opinions

Week 1 (January 25-27)

Lecture 1: The Foundations of Copyright Law

Readings

Week 2 (February 1-3)

Lecture 2: Fairness and Personality Theories

Readings

Week 3 (February 8-10)

Lecture 3: The Subject Matter of Copyright

Readings

  • DC Comics v. Towle, 802 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2015) [pdf] [MS Word] [h20]
  • Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands (US Supreme Court 2017) [pdf]

Week 4 (February 15-17)

Lecture 4: Welfare Theory

Readings

  • Google v. Oracle (SCOTUS 2021), paragraphs 1-49, 107-125 [pdf] [MSWord]

Week 5 (February 22-24)

Lecture 5: Authorship

Readings

Week 6 (February 29 – March 2)

Lecture 6: The Mechanics of Copyright

Readings

Week 7 (March 7-9)

Lecture 7: The Rights to Reproduce and Modify

Readings

Week 8 (March 21-23)

Lecture 8: The Rights to Distribute, Perform, and Display

Readings

Week 9 (March 28-30)

Lecture 9: Fair Use and Misuse

Readings

Week 10 (April 4-6)

Lecture 10: Cultural Theory

Readings

Week 11 (April 11-13)

Lecture 11: Supplements to Copyright: Secondary Liability and Para-copyright

Readings

Week 12 (April 18-20)

Lecture 12: Remedies

Readings

Last modified: January 10, 2024