Law Library News for the Week of May 5, 2008
Cheryl Nyberg, editor
Book of the Week: Licensing Intellectual Property: Law and Application
by Sabrina Sondhi, Law Librarianship Intern
Two years ago, Professor Gomulkiewicz and two coauthors wrote one of the preeminent treatises on licensing --- Intellectual Property, Software, and Information Licensing: Law and Practice. Now, these three authors have brought us a casebook covering these same topics, but directed at the law student.
The book begins with an overview of licensing in general, common license provisions, and tips for drafting licenses. The remaining twelve chapters each address a different area or type of licensing, e.g. trademark licensing, database licensing, licenses and taxation. Readers who wish to look up a specific licensing term will find the index useful.
What sets this casebook apart from its competitors is the beauty of how the chapters are organized. Each topical chapter begins with an overview and explanation of the area of law. Then, carefully chosen code and case excerpts illustrate the principles and boundaries of each type of licensing. Present in these case excerpts is the license language at issue before the various courts. Each chapter ends with several constructed fact scenarios and associated problems and drafting exercises for the student.
This casebook is a wonderful resource for students taking a class on intellectual property licensing or for those who wish to learn a bit more about the subject without having to delve into a treatise twice the size.
Licensing Intellectual Property: Law and Application (2008). KF3145.G66 2008 at Classified Stacks
Website of the Week: Justice Talking
National Public Radio’s weekly program about law and American life deals with contemporary and controversial issues. Recent shows have covered:
- The rights of the mentally ill
- College admissions
- Pornography and the First Amendment
- The tension between security and liberty in the war on terror
The companion website provides a wealth of information about each week’s topic. For instance, you can listen to a broadcast; read a transcript; review a listening guide; or follow links to key laws, cases, and other resources.
Here is a specific example: On April 7th, the subject was regulation of the entertainment industry. Host Margot Adler spoke with seven guests, including a film professor, the director of the Center for the Study of Violence, a documentary director, the ratings administrator for the Motion Picture Association of America, and others. MP3 and Windows Media versions of the audio are available.
The page on this topic links to three cases:
- Mutual Film Corp v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 236 U.S. 230 (1915)
- Burstyn v. Wilson, 343 U.S. 495 (1952)
- FCC v. Pacifica, 438 U.S. 726 (1978)
and five online resources:
- the Motion Picture Association of America
- ACLU’s Artistic Freedom Information
- a Kaiser Foundation Factsheet on Children and Video Games
- the FCC report on violent television programming
- the Entertainment Software Rating Board
The page also identifies four books on the subject.
Bridge the Legal Research Gap
You’ve seen the flyers posted in Gates Hall and you’ve read the email posted to LawDawgs announcing our annual legal research refresher session called Bridge the Legal Research Gap. Your time is limited, so why should you bother attending?
Students that attended the session in 2007 recommend it because:
- “It made me realize that it is okay to be confused.”
- “It made legal research a less daunting task.”
- “This is a GREAT program!”
- “Very useful refresher.”
Ask a 2L or 3L that attended the 2007 BTG if they would recommend that you attend it -- we think they will!
But does your summer employer want you to attend? Especially since this means you will be away from the office for a few hours one day. The answer is most likely yes! We have been offering this research refresher for 12 years, with SU Law Library, so most legal employers in the area know about it. Just last week, we got a phone call from a local attorney (who is hiring summer associates) asking for the dates of the 2008 BTG!
At the 2007 Bridge the Legal Research Gap sessions, there were 130 law students from 73 summer employers including:
- 27 law firms
- 30 government agencies (e.g., Courts, Prosecutor’s Office, Attorney General’s office)
- 9 nonprofits (e.g., Northwest Justice Project, Columbia Legal Services, ACLU)
- 6 businesses (e.g., Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser)
- 2 Research Assistants for UWLS faculty members
Register online for one of the two BTG sessions: May 21st at SU Law OR June 24th at UW Law.