CURRICULUM
The courses in this section are offered through the Law School’s summer program in intellectual property law held in Munich, Germany. In addition to the courses listed below, the Munich program curriculum offers Law 369, Computer Law.
840 Cross-Border Trade in Intellectual Property (1)
Issues raised by international trade in goods protected by copyright, pat-ent, or trademark law, and the response of the United States, the Euro-pean Union, and other legal systems to those issues. Exploration of vari-ous doctrines that regulate the importation of goods protected by intellec-tual property rights, such as those forbidding parallel importation and those dealing with the first-sale doctrine and exhaustion of intellectual property rights. The economic and social policy considerations underlying these doctrines. (Examination)
841 International Patent Law (1)
Introduction to the techniques of international patent regulation and con-sideration of the effects and desirability of such regulation. International agreements concerning patents, including the Paris Convention, the Pat-ent Cooperation Treaty, the European Patent Convention, and the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs) Agreement. GW degree candidates may not receive credit for both Law 841 and 490. (Examina-tion)
842 Internet Law I (1)
Focus on speech on the Internet, including governmental attempts to con-trol or filter speech, intermediary liability for third-party speech, digital rights management and other copyright issues, and domain names as speech. The rules and institutions that permit or disallow governance of these issues. GW degree candidates may not receive credit for both Law 842 and 485. (Examination)
843 Internet Law II (1)
Focus on e-commerce, including copyright and trademark issues such as framing, linking, and metatags; privacy rights and the database debates; trespass and related theories of property rights; and contracting on the Internet. Computer crime and governmental attempts to regulate cyber-space like other “places,” such as through zoning and accessibility laws. GW degree candidates may not receive credit for both Law 843 and 485. (Examination)
844 Patents, Technology, and Society (1)
Social policy issues such as encouragement of innovation and dissemina-tion of information in relation to patent protection. Topics include differing attitudes in the United States and in the European Union and developing countries to the expansion of patent coverage. Although previous techni-cal or patent law training is not required, some previous study of intellec-tual property or innovation policy is strongly recommended. (Writing as-signments)
845 Technical Protection of Authors’ Rights (1)
Technologies used to protect authors’ rights (such as encryption, flags, degradation schemes, and watermarking) and the law that protects and regulates them, including the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the European Copyright Directive, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty, and the WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty. Consideration of the impact of these technologies. (Examination)
846 Theoretical Foundations of Intellectual Property (1)
Selected themes in the history and theory of intellectual property, including economic rationales for intellectual property rights, the debate over the lim-its to intellectual property protection from the 18th through the 20th centuries, and historical accounts of the intellectual property system. (Writing assignment)
847 Intellectual Property and Indigenous Heritage (1)
Conflicts of customary law claims of indigenous peoples with industries operating under Western intellectual property systems over the use of natural resources, traditional knowledge, and folklore. National and regional legislation and efforts to develop international norms and stan-dards. (Examination)
848 Technology Licensing in the European Community (1)
Legal issues arising from technology licensing in the European Community, including antitrust considerations in the framework of Art. 81 of the EC Treaty and the legal means of securing and enforcing technology li-cense contracts. The Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 and the secured transactions laws of England and Germany. (Examination)
849 Trademarks and Geographical Indications (1)
Regulation of terms that indicate or once indicated the geographic origin of goods or services (e.g., champagne, California Pizza Kitchen). Comparative study of U.S. and European Community approaches; the impact of international treaties, including the U.S.–EC dispute before the World Trade Organization; implications for affected industries; and broader cultural implications. (Examination)