Intellectual Property

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This is the undergrad version of CCTP-6033. Intellectual property permeates all aspects of modern life – the products we consume, the media we experience, the technology we use. Is it illegal to make a gif from a popular film or tv show and post it online? Who owns the pictures on your Instagram account? Are you really bound by those long agreements you didn't read before you clicked “I Accept”? Is downloading an interesting photo you find on Reddit illegal? Can Kylie Jenner really trademark “Rise and Shine”? Who owns the code you write? Are we a nation of creators or creative felons? The concept of “intellectual property” reflects modern society’s embrace of the counter-intuitive idea that we can promote the diffusion of knowledge, creativity, and innovation in the science and useful arts by securing exclusivity for their work for a period of time. Yet notwithstanding the pervasive effect of IP on our information-driven society, it is frequently misunderstood. This course will explore the means and ends of the modern IP system, analyzing how IP rights function, and how they influence new technology and contemporary culture. We will explore the major species of IP: copyright, trademark, and patent, with emphasis on the mutual challenges that copyright and digital technology pose to each other. Specific subjects explored will include: internet file-sharing and streaming, online copyright infringement, and digital rights management (DRM); the significance of copyright “fair use” in a networked age; software and business method patents; disputes over internet domain names, and others. This course aims to familiarize students from all disciplines including legal, with the nature of the modern IP system and acquaint them with a variety of IP issues that may confront communications, media, technology, and policy professionals.