Greg R. Vetter
This course covers domestic intellectual property laws - patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret - through statues and cases. It is designed to afford the student who intends to practice in other areas an acquaintance with key IP issues, principles and doctrine, and to provide the intellectual property and information law specialist an introduction to the overall subject. The course will provide roughly equal treatment of patent, copyright and trademark law, approximately four weeks for each, with the remainder applied to the law of trade secrets, introduction, and/or review.
Please read carefully the Generally Applicable Syllabus Information. This document sets forth course policy for attendance, preparation and participation, use of computers, examination and grading, and other items. A complete understanding of this document is necessary to take full meaning from the Class Schedule and Other Information set forth immediately below.
| Name: | Intellectual Property Survey |
| Course # / Section #: | 5201 / 23325 |
| Place: | BLB 209 |
| Time: | Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. (1 class session per week,
2 credit hours) |
| Required Text: | Casebook file given by the link below. |
| Supplement?: | There is no requirement to purchase a statutory supplement. |
| Prerequisites | None. |
| Grading: | The course grade will be primarily based on an open-materials
final exam. "Primarily" means that at least 95% of the course grade will be based on the final exam. Probably 100% of the course grade will be based on the final exam, but I want to have given notice of the possibility of a small percentage of the grade coming from other sources, most likely one or more small exercises. Notwithstanding the above, my assessment of your in-class participation performance will not be a component of your grade. |
| Brief Description of Coverage: | This class will meet in one 2.0 credit-hour blocks each week. The coverage goal is approximately forty pages per block. Assignments will be detailed in the table below as the semester progresses. |
| Absences Limit: | Assuming one class meeting a week, three or less absences
constitutes attendance meeting the eighty percent requirement. More
than three absences means that the eighty percent requirement is not
met. Attendance will be taken via a roll sheet passed throughout the class each session. |
| "Pick your seat" seating chart date: | The first class session during the first week of class: - Tuesday, August 23, 2011. |
| Final Exam Date/Time: | Tuesday, December 13, 2011; 6-8 p.m. |
| Final Exam Information: | click here for the Final Exam page. |
| First day/week's assignment: | Read this course web page, the linked Generally Applicable Syllabus Information, and the assignments detailed in the table below for the first day/week of class. |
| Class Evaluation Day | { forthcoming } |
| Audio Recording of Class Sessions | I will audio tape the class sessions using a portable recorder attached to my person and post links to the audio tracks on the class web site for the sole and limited educational purpose of allowing students to stream the recorded sessions to review or to enable students who missed a class to hear the class presentation. Any audio tracks created will be deleted and destroyed shortly after the final exam for the class. Since I call on students, there is a slight chance that your contributions to class discussion, whether voluntary or while on call, may be included in the audio recording. The chance is slight because the recording technology I use does a poor job of picking up any voices other than my own. Your continued registration in this class indicates your acquiescence to any such incidental recording for the purposes described above unless, if you have concerns about this, you come speak with me as soon as possible but in no event later than the first day of the second week of class. |
| Cancellation Day(s) | { none currently scheduled } |
| Scheduling Note: | There is no class on Tuesday, Nov. 29; that day is not a "Tuesday" from the perspective of Law Center courses. |
| Makeup for Cancelled Day: | { none currently scheduled } |
These are posted on my home page at:
The links below are for general reference and may be used for some class assignments.
The tables immediately below provide the detailed assignments for this course. It also may provide links to materials for each class and other items related to the course. In order to allow flexibility in the class, assignments beyond those posted for the next week are subject to change; therefore, students who may wish to read ahead are urged to contact the professor before doing so. The rate of progress through the modules depends on the class dynamics.
Class presentation slides are provided as links below in association with each module title. I will generally have the slides available a day or two before a class session. If students want hardcopy of the slides for use during class, please download and print the linked slides file.
After each class session, the class date will become a hyperlink to the audio for that class.
Case names are listed in the table below as assignments.
The call group assignment list is posted here for downloading as a .pdf file, with a password required to open the file. That password is exactly the same as the password given to access the casebook .pdf file.
Note: the casebook for the course is a .pdf file that is password protected due to the prepublication nature of the materials. For the 8 character (no numbers) password, please check whatever email you gave to the UH central campus.
Course casebook link: here
| Assignment | Start Page | Comment/Notes | {resv} |
Date |
Call Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction |
Aug. 23 |
||||
| Copying - INS
v. AP, 248 U.S. 215 (1918) |
12-23 |
All |
|||
| Public Domain / IP / Misappropriation |
23-30 |
||||
| Assignment | Start Page | Comment/Notes | {resv} |
Date |
Call Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Information that Qualifies as a TS - Stenstrom
Petroleum Svs. Grp, Inc. v. Mesch, 874 N.E.2d 959 (Ill. App. 2007) |
51-60 |
Aug. 30 |
L |
||
Secrecy & Reasonable Efforts to Preserve
It |
60-61 |
||||
Ownership of TS Information - SI
Handling Systems, Inc. v. Heisley, 753 F.2d 1244 (3rd Cir. 1985) |
61-64 |
||||
UTSA Scenarios; Problem |
64-65 |
||||
Misappropriation |
65-66 |
||||
Ed Nowogroski Insurance,
Inc. v. Rucker, 971 P.2d 936 (Wash. 1999) |
67-70 |
||||
Misappropriation - Improper Means -
BondPro Corp. v.
Siemens Pwr Gen., Inc., 463 F.3d 702 (7th Cir. 2006)
|
71-72 |
||||
| Misappropriation - Improper
Means - Dupont v. Christopher 431 F.2d 1012
(5th Cir. 1970)
|
72-77 |
||||
Misappropriation Problem |
77-79 |
||||
Remedies |
80-81 |
||||
Protecting TS by Contract - Victoria's Secret, Inc. v. May's Dept. Stores, 35 F.3d 1226 (Mo. App. 2004) |
n/a |
This case is de-assigned from the course |
|||
| Assignment | Start Page | Comment/Notes | {resv} |
Date |
Call Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction |
103-106 |
Sept. 6 |
R |
||
Diamond v. Chakrabarty,
447 U.S. 303 (1980) |
107-114 |
||||
Madey v. Duke
Univ., 307 F.3d 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2002) |
114-123 |
||||
Problem |
123 |
||||
eBay Inc. v. MercExchange,
L.L.C., 547 U.S. 388 (2006) |
124-131 |
||||
Other Types of Patents |
131-133 |
||||
Claims & Claim Scope |
134-143 |
Sept. 13 |
L |
||
Example Patent |
143-152 |
||||
Claim Interpretation - Phillips
v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc) |
152-164 |
||||
Problem |
164-165 |
||||
Chapter 6 Introduction |
166-169 |
||||
Definiteness - Halliburton
Energy Servs. v. M-I LLC, 514 F.3d 1244 (Fed. Cir 2008) |
169-178 |
||||
Enablement - CFMT,
Inc. v. YieldUp Int’l Corp., 349 F.3d 1333 (2003) |
178-184 |
Sept. 20 |
R |
||
Written Description - Gentry
Gallery v. Berkline Corp., 134 F.3d 1473 (Fed. Cir. 1998) |
n/a |
6 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Best Mode - Teleflex,
Inc. v. Ficosa N. Am. Corp., 299 F.3d 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2002) |
n/a |
4 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Problems 1 and 3 |
193-194 |
||||
Chapter 7 Introduction |
195 |
||||
"Product" claims - In
re Nuijten, 500 F.3d 1346 (Fed. Cir. 2007) |
n/a |
6 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Note 3 |
201 |
||||
Process claims - Bilski v. Kappos, 130 S. Ct. 3218 (2010) |
201-213 |
||||
Utility - Juicy
Whip, Inc. v. Orange Bang, Inc., 185 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 1999) |
213-219 |
||||
Problems 1, 2 and 4 |
219-220 |
||||
Chapter 8 Introduction - Prior Art |
221-225 |
||||
Anticipation by a Printed Publication
- In re Hall, 781 F.2d 897 (Fed. Cir. 1986) |
225-230 |
||||
Public Use - Egbert
v. Lippmann, 104 U.S. 333 (1881) |
230-236 |
An article of possible interest relating to this case. |
|||
Experimental Use Negation of Public
Use - City of Elizabeth v. Am. Nicholson
Pavement Co., 97 U.S. 126 (1877) |
237-242 |
Sept. 27 |
L |
||
On Sale Bar - Pfaff
v. Wells Elecs, 525 U.S. 55 (1998) |
n/a |
5 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Novelty |
n/a |
2 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Problems |
n/a |
2 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Other subsections of section 102 |
n/a |
3 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Obviousness - use of multiple references |
253-255 |
||||
Graham v. John
Deere Co. of Kansas City, 383 U.S. 1 (1966) |
n/a |
8 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
KSR Int’l
Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398 (2007) |
262-275 |
||||
"Secondary" Considerations |
275-276 |
||||
Analagous Arts - In
re Bigio, 381 F.3d 1320 (Fed. Cir. 2004) |
276-278 |
||||
Problems |
279-280 |
||||
Literal Infringement - Johnson
& Johnston Assocs. v. R.E. Serv. Co., No. C 03-2549 SBA (N.D.
Cal. Feb. 5, 2005) |
281-288 |
||||
DOE - Warner-Jenkinson
Co. v. Hilton Davis Chem. Co., 520 U.S. 17 (1997) |
289-296 |
||||
Dedication - Johnson
& Johnston Assocs. v. R.E. Serv. Co., 285 F.3d 1046 (Fed.
Cir. 2002) (en banc) |
296-300 |
||||
PHE - Festo Corp.
v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 535 U.S. 722 (2002) |
n/a |
||||
Problems 1 - 4 |
309-310 |
||||
| Assignment | Start Page | Comment/Notes | {resv} |
Date |
Call Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction - The
Copyright Divide |
316-321 |
Oct. 4 |
R |
||
Justifications - Mazer
v. Stein, 347 U.S. 201 (1954) |
321-327 |
||||
Technological Challenges - A&M
Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001) |
328-335 |
||||
Duration - Eldred
v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S. 186 (2003) |
335-344 |
||||
Statutory Subject Matter - Burrow-Giles
Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53 (1884) |
345-350 |
||||
Bleistein v. Donaldson
Lithographing Co., 188 U.S. 239 (1903) |
351-354 |
||||
Feist Publications,
Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., Inc., 499 U.S. 340 (1991) |
354-363 |
Oct. 11 |
L |
||
Baker v. Selden,
101 U.S. 99 (1879) |
364-369 |
||||
Authorship - James D.A. Boyle, The Search
for an Author: Shakespeare and the Framers, 37 AM. U. L. REV.
625 (1988) |
370-375 |
||||
Joint Works - Thomson
v. Larson, 147 F.3d 195 (2d Cir. 1998) |
376-382 |
||||
Works made for Hire - Hays
v. Sony Corp. of America, 847 F.2d 412 (7th Cir. 1988) |
383-387 |
||||
Collective Works - New
York Times Co. v. Tasini, 533 U.S. 483 (2001) |
388-399 |
Oct. 18 |
R |
||
Fixation & Formalities |
400-402 |
||||
Hasbro v. Sparkle (2d. 1985) |
403-407 |
4 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Fixation & Formalities |
407-408 |
1 page omitted - not assigned |
|||
Reproduction Right - Grand
Upright Music Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records, Inc., 780 F. Supp.
182 (1991) |
409-412 |
||||
Derivative Work Right - Castle
Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Pub. Group, Inc., 150 F.3d 132
(2d Cir. 1998) |
412-418 |
||||
Distribution Right - Bobbs-Merrill
Co. v. Straus, 210 U.S. 339 (1908) |
418-421 |
||||
Public Performance Right - Twentieth
Century Music Corp. v. Aiken, 422 U.S. 151 (1975) |
421-426 |
||||
Public Display Right / Digital Transmission Right |
427-428 |
||||
Moral Rights - Gilliam v. ABC, 538 F.2d. 14 (2d. 1976) |
428-437 |
9 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Fair Use |
438 |
||||
Sony Corp. of
America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984) |
439-449 |
Oct. 25 |
L |
||
Harper & Row
Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises, 471 U.S. 539 (1985) |
449-459 |
||||
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose
Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994) |
459-468 |
||||
Direct Infringement - Sid
& Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald’s
Corp., 562 F.2d 1157 (9th Cir. 1977) |
469-475 |
||||
Three Boys Music
Corp. v. Bolton, 212 F.3d 477 (9th Cir. 2000) |
475-481 |
||||
Contributory and Vicarious Infringement
- Fonovisa, Inc. v. Cherry Auction, Inc.,
76 F.3d 259 (9th Cir. 1996) |
omitted, along with all material in Copyright after this case |
||||
| Assignment | Start Page | Comment/Notes | {resv} |
Date |
Call Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduction |
537-539 |
Nov. 1 |
R |
||
Mishawaka Rubber
& Woolen Mfg. Co. v. S. S. Kresge Co. 316 US 203 (1942) |
539-542 |
||||
Beating Global Monopolists at Their
Own Marketing Game |
542-544 |
||||
David B. Findlay,
Inc. v. Findlay, 218 NE2d 531 (NY Ct App. 1966) |
544-547 |
||||
Mattel Inc. v.
Walking Mountain Productions, 353 F.3d 792 (9th Cir. 2003) |
547-551 |
||||
In re Morton Norwich
Products, Inc., 671 F.2d 1332 (CCPA 1982) |
551-556 |
||||
Additional Trademark Law Background |
556-564 |
||||
Abercrombie &
Fitch Co. v. Hunting World, Inc., 537 F.2d 4 (2d Cir. 1976) |
566-573 |
Nov. 8 |
L |
||
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame v. Gentile Productions, 134 F.3d 749 (6th Cir. 1998) |
574-580 |
6 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Acquired Distinctiveness |
580-584 |
||||
A.J. Canfield
Company v. Honickman, 808 F.2d 291 (3rd Cir. 1986) |
584-593 |
||||
In re Budge Manufacturing
Co. 857 F.2d 773 (Fed. Cir. 1988) |
594-597 |
||||
In re Old Glory Condom Corp., 26 USPQ.2d 1216 (TTAB 1993) |
597-600 |
||||
Harjo v. Pro-Football,
Inc., 50 USPQ2d 1705 (TTAB 1999) |
601-608 |
||||
In re California
Innovations, Inc., 329 F3d 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2003) |
609-616 |
7 pages omitted - not assigned |
|||
Surnames, Confusion and Other Grounds
for Refusal |
617-618 |
||||
Maryland Stadium
Authority v. Becker, 806 F.Supp. 1236 (D. Md. 1992) |
619-624 |
Nov. 15 |
R |
||
Thrifty Rent-A-Car
System, Inc. v. Thrift Cars, Inc., 831 F.2d 1177 (1st Cir. 1987) |
624-631 |
||||
Exxon Corporation
v. Humble Exploration Company, Inc., 695 F2d 96 (5th Cir. 1983) |
631-636 |
||||
Infringement - Confusion |
642-646 |
||||
McGregor-Doniger
Inc. v. Drizzle Inc., 599 F.2d 1126 (2d Cir. 1979) |
646-652 |
||||
Harlem Wizards
Entertainment Basketball, Inc v. NBA Properties, Inc., 952 F.
Supp. 1084 (DNJ 1997) |
653-663 |
Nov. 22 |
R |
||
Dilution - Visa
Int’l Service Assn. v. JSL Corp., 590 F.Supp.2d 1306 (D.
Nev. 2008) |
670-677 |
||||
Remedies remarks |
677-678 |
||||
Limitations - Classic Fair Use - KP Permanent Make-Up,
543 US 111 (2004) |
679-683 |
||||
Limitations - Nominative Fair Use -
New Kids on the Block v. News America Pub.,
Inc., 971 F2d 302 (9th Cir. 1992) |
683-688 |
||||
{ end of class assignments } |
Last modified on November 22, 2011, by Greg R. Vetter