GD212 Copyright Issues
Week 3

This week we'll get a brief overview of International Copyright from Chapter 11 of Warda. Then we'll look closer at the length of copyright terms (Ch. 8 supplemented by Copyright Office website) in the U.S. and start our examination of what is happening to protect works on the Internet (National Information Infrastructure Copyright Protection Act).

Unless noted, the subjects listed below are briefly covered in Chapters 11 and 8 of How to Register Your Own Copyright by Mark Warda.

Is There International Copyright?

International Copyright (Warda, Ch 11 and Appendix G--p. 105-117 and/or
An introductory flyer from your Copyright Office.
International Agreements
Bilateral Treaties
Countries Offering No Protection
Countries with Unclear Policies
Other Treaties
Local Law in Other Countries

Q & A

When did the U.S. join the Berne Convention?
What have been the consequences?

How Long Does a Copyright Last?—and Other New Developments

(Warda Ch. 8—2 pages)
The Importance of January 1, 1978
Copyright Term Extension Act
How long does a copyright last?
Update the term limits in your text by reading attractive flyer announcing the changes.
Who is the act named after?
Print out a copy of the "Copyright Basics" from your Copyright Office.
What is an important date when determining term limits of older works? (See pages 5 & 6 of "Copyright Basics")

Legal Eagle Activity:

Have a look at the Copyright Term Extension Act under "Title II Music Licensing" in order to answer these questions:
When do royalties have to be paid for recorded music that is piped through speakers in restaurants?

May TV sports events be shown in bars without paying royalties?

The Loss of Copyright Over Time

Write down the legal meaning of:
"term"
"publish"
"life"
Read the Christian Science Monitor (CSM) features that came out before the Copyright Term Extension Act became law.
Some of the related links at the bottom of the first feature lead to interesting sites. Follow them if you dare, but come back.
What are the arguments for and against copyright term extension?

Keep clicking through the CSM feature. Who owns "God Bless America"?

Review:

Using "Copyright Basics" again, skim over the entire document to review last week's material and go into more depth.
What are the differences between Trademarks, Register Marks and Service Marks?
 

What does it cost to register a work? (not renewal)

WGIPC’s "White Paper"

Read the Summary (provided in class).
Explain the controversy—without acronyms—to a 12-year-old.
 

What does the act do to the words "publication" and "transmit"?
 

Do you know what "copyright management information" is?

What prompted this new discussion of intellectual property law?

Browse the testimonies and articles about National Information Infrastructure Legislation on Stanford University Libraries’ "Copyright and Fair Use" pages.
Read one testimony from the NIIL pages at the Stanford site and be ready to report on it.