This course is a policy-oriented study of federal copyright law as it pertains to works of art, motion pictures, music, literature, sculpture, design of useful objects, and software. The course will concentrate on the scope of copyright protected subject-matter, the exclusive rights granted to creators of "original works of authorship", the nature of an infringement action, and defenses such as fair use. The course also examines some of the related state rights, such as the right of publicity, the tort of misappropriation, and purported contracts (EULAs) created by click-wrap & shrinkwrap. We will examine the extent to which such state causes of action are pre-empted.
