Copyright Law Professor Rob Kasunic W 5:45 - 8:45 Room 202 Text:
Copyright In a Global Information Economy, Second Edition, by
Cohen, Loren, Okediji and O’Rourke and 2008
Case and Statutory Supplement I may also provide more recent material as links or documents on Courseware, or links on my website at: www.kasunic.com. Office Hours:
I will make myself available after class to meet with students or would
be glad to arrange a meeting at a mutually convenient time, most likely in the
Adjunct Faculty Office or the Faculty Lounge. You can contact me at the
Copyright Office at rkas@loc.gov. If you
need to reach me by phone, my number at the Copyright Office is (202) 707-
0229. Attendance and
Class Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and to be
prepared to discuss the material. You are allowed up to two class absences (in addition to
any religious holidays) and do not need to explain the reason for these
absences to me. However, absences in excess of two classes may either bar you
from taking the exam or result in a lowered grade. Repeated lateness or
leaving class early will also be considered an absence. I will be passing out
an attendance sheet at the beginning of each class. While I would prefer to have students volunteer for class participation and encourage everyone to participate in the discussion of issues and cases, I will be dividing the class into three or four groups in the event involuntary participation is necessary. Each group will be responsible for particular topics that will be circulated by the third class. Class participation may increase your grade up to 5% of your final grade and will be based on the quality of your participation. Also, while I hope to encourage a dialogue amongst
students in class, I do not appreciate disruptive side conversations or
distracting use of laptops. Just because the screen is facing away from me
does not mean that I can’t see an instant message leave one student’s
computer and arrive at another. If I can’t tell that you’re watching a
YouTube clip from your face, it’s all too apparent from others next to you
or behind you. Student Paragraphs: No later than Tuesday before our class meets (beginning on the third class), I would like each student to send me at least a paragraph or two on some thoughts related to the readings for the class session. The content of the comment is open-ended and may include something in the news that relates to the week’s reading, thoughts or concerns that arise from the readings or cases, or reflections on a question I asked you to think about for the next class. These mandatory comments will not be individually graded, but will be reviewed by me and assist me in designing our class discussion for the week and can also earn you up to a 5% increase on your final grade based on the quality of your comments. The only way you can lose credit is by failing to send these mandatory comments (although you are allowed to skip 3 times). Since there are thirteen classes and the comments begin on the third class, this means that you must send at least 10 email comments to me during the semester. While I’m sure some of you some of you will grumble, last year, I found that I learned more about some individual students from these comments than I did in class. Assessment:
Your grade will be based on the final exam, which will consist of two or three
essay questions. This grade may be enhanced by up to 5% by class participation
and/or email comments. The exam will be in-class and will be “open book.” You may use your laptop to write the exam, but will not
be allowed to access your hard drive, the Internet or any electronic devices.
Therefore, if you want to use notes or outlines that you have created on your
laptop, you must print them out before the exam. Exam Feedback:
There shall be available to any interested student a copy of either the best
examination paper covering the entire exam, a combination of “best”
answers from a number of exams, or a feedback memorandum prepared by me. If
the best exam is made available, it may be accompanied by a brief memorandum
noting major issues not addressed and any significant errors. Last year I
chose to provide a feedback memorandum that addressed the major and minor
issues involved in the fact pattern. Students’ examination papers will be returned to the
Office of the Registrar and may be picked up there. The exam questions and a
copy of the best paper will be on file in the Library. These materials may be
copied at the students’ expense. To the extent feasible, a student who so requests shall
have the opportunity for an individual conference with me concerning the
examination. In any event, this opportunity shall be afforded to any student
with a grade of “D” or “F”. Requests for the return of papers or conferences are to
be made within 30 days after grades are made available or within 30 days of
the following semester, whichever is later. Events and
Organizations: I encourage you to get involved with intellectual property
organizations while you are eligible for the very low discounted student dues,
e.g., the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, the American Intellectual
Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the Copyright Society of the Resources: The
course textbook and the statutory/case supplement are all that you are
required to read to do well in the course. I’ve chosen this textbook because
it condenses an assortment of cases into readable portions. Occasionally, you
may want to read more of a case than the casebook provides in order to better
understand a particular concept. That’s your option and the citations are
provided in the casebook. In addition, if you are struggling with any concepts
and desire additional written guidance, there are three major treatises on
Some students have also found a book entitled Understanding Copyright Law, by Marshall Leaffer, helpful. It’s perhaps the best condensation of copyright law that I am aware of, but keep in mind that black-letter law only gets you so far in copyright. The key to copyright is the nuanced application of concepts to constantly changing factual situations. Tentative Schedule of class
dates and assignments
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