441 - 450 of 747 results for: LAW

Copyright today is global, and copyright counselling, litigation and licensing increasingly require a general understanding of foreign copyright law and of the international copyright system. This course will focus on the exploitation of US-based music, film, literature, software and other copyrighted works in foreign markets, and of foreign works in US markets, through licensing, litigation, or both. The course will survey the principal legal systems and international treaty arrangements for the protection of copyrighted works as well as the procedural questions that lie at the threshold of protection. There are no prerequisites for the class. Elements used in grading: two problem sets, one mid-course and the other at the end of the course, class participation.

Computational Law is an innovative approach to Legal Informatics concerned with the representation of regulations in computable form. From a practical perspective, Computational Law is important as the basis for computer systems capable of performing useful legal calculations, such as compliance checking, legal planning, and regulatory analysis. In this course, we look at the theory of Computational Law, we review relevant technology and applications, we discuss the prospects and problems of Computational Law, and we examine its philosophical and legal implications. Elements used in grading: Work in the course consists of reading, class discussion, practical exercises, and a final project. Cross-listed with Computer Science ( CS 204). This class is limited to 30 students ( LAW 4019 & CS 204 combined). Interested students should enroll as early as possible in Axess to reserve a spot in the class. ( http://complaw.stanford.edu/)

(Formerly Law 769) Strategic lawyering in the 21st century requires a combination of critical skillsets, including facility with technology, product design, partnerships, dispute resolution, and policy. No issue in the digital age has demonstrated this better than the history of and litigation surrounding Google Books. For over a decade, from the inception of the product to the resolution of its legal issues, lawyers were integrally involved with engineers and the business every step of the way. They helped design its features, defend it from lawsuits, craft a settlement, and advocate complementary policy positions. On a broader level, the history of ebooks is a microcosm of the opportunities and challenges of the digital age: new technologies to reproduce and distribute works, changing consumer norms, massive disruptions to economic interests, evolving concepts of fair use, increased access to information, fears about piracy, and threats to competition. Every one of these issues requires skilled lawyering in close partnership with business leadership. This seminar will focus on strategic lawyering at the cutting edge of innovation by closely studying, among other things, the history of Google Books and the evolution of copyright in the digital age. We will look at how leading businesses, including Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, have each used law, litigation, and policy as tools to advance their business interests. We will focus on developments related to ebooks, and also study analogous issues involving the music, movie, and newspaper industries. The seminar will include guest speakers who have led legal strategies to further innovation. Some copyright experience is helpful but not essential. The course is open to graduate students throughout the university, especially the Graduate School of Business, the Department of Communication, and the Journalism Program. Special Instructions: Students on the waitlist for the course will be admitted if spots are available on the basis of their position on the waitlist and degree of study. Elements used in grading: Grading will be based upon weekly reflections, class participation, and a short final paper (or, for those opting for Research credit, a longer paper based on independent research). A version of this course was taught at Stanford Law School in 2015 and Harvard Law School in 2016. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor.

Taught by top policy leaders from Google/YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, this course will explore the way free speech norms have evolved in the age of the Internet and the pivotal role online platforms play in the information available worldwide. From the content policy issues that evolved in the face of violent geopolitical disputes (from the Arab Spring to the Ukraine), to the Right to be Forgotten in Europe, the challenges posed by terrorist propaganda online, and the role platforms play in social movements like #blacklivesmatter, this course will allow students to critically engage the balance between freedom of information and other important social values, such as privacy and security. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignments; Exam or Final Paper.

The internet has enabled new forms of innovation, content production and political participation that are transforming our economy, society and democratic system. Technical, legal and economic choices will affect whether the Internet can realize its potential or not. Communications law - the law that governs both the physical infrastructures for communications services such as cable and telephone networks as well as the communication services which are provided over these infrastructures - has become one of the most important arenas in which choices affecting the future of the information society are made. The debates over network neutrality or the right ways to foster broadband deployment are examples of this trend. At the same time, the Internet's ability to support a variety of different communications services such as telephony, information services or video over the same physical network infrastructure challenges the existing communications law, which is based on the assumption that different physical infrastructures offer different communications services. What can regulators and legislators do to allow the Internet to realize its economic, social, cultural, and political potential? How can we foster the deployment of more broadband networks? And how can policymakers allow applications like Internet telephony and traditional telephony to coexist without giving one an unfair advantage over the other? The course will address how current law deals with these questions, but also explore what regulators and legislators may do to better deal with the challenges posed by the Internet. The course is mostly focused on the US, but highlights developments elsewhere where appropriate. Special Instructions: Students may take Communications Law: Internet and Telephony and Communications Law: Broadcast and Cable Television in any order (neither is a prerequisite for the other). There are no prerequisites for this course. No technical background is required. Elements used in grading: Class participation, attendance, final exam.

This skill-based course examines the core requirements and strategies for drafting and prosecuting a patent application before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO). The class brings in real inventors and patent examiners to give students a real-world experience of developing a patent, understanding patentability, building patent portfolios, and getting a patent application prosecuted through the patent office. Students will interact with inventors in a startup-type environment and help the startup protect the IP in its technology -- through interactions with the inventors to identify and develop concepts and draft corresponding patent applications, and through interactions with the PTO to get the patents assessed against prior art and eventually granted. The course is open to all students, regardless of your technical (or non-technical) undergraduate background. All you require is an interest in technology or patent law. This class will give you a solid understanding of what patents are, provide real-life experience in identifying and helping companies protect the IP in their technologies, and help you understand the mechanics of patent structure and development, all of which will be helpful experience and background for students interested in pursuing any technology-based litigation or transactional practices. Students are evaluated on participation, in-class and take-home exercises, and projects relating to the drafting and prosecution of a patent application.

What do computer programs, customer lists, and "dolls with an attitude" have in common? They all can be trade secrets! Trade secret laws have ancient origins but are more important than ever as a key component of intellectual property protection. Technology plays a larger role in industry every day, while information can be downloaded and shared more easily than ever before. These facts, combined with stricter limits on patentable subject matter and patent damages, have led companies to increasingly rely on trade secrets to protect their intellectual property and to an explosion of trade secret litigation. In this class we will examine the law and the theory of trade secret protection, and will emphasize the practical aspects of protecting information as a trade secret and litigating trade secret cases. We will also explore the increasingly important subject of protecting trade secrets internationally. We will feature weekly guest speakers, several of whom have played key roles in the most prominent trade secret cases of the past decade. The list includes individuals from the FBI, the Department of Justice, the judiciary, in-house counsel, and a forensic discovery expert, each of whom will address trade secret law and practice from their own unique perspective. We will highlight topics of current interest such as non-competition agreements, trade secrets and the Internet, and cybercrime, all while answering critical questions like, "Can you rummage through your competitor's trash?". The class will be of interest to students who expect to practice intellectual property law, for students who expect to be involved in corporate transactions and labor law, and for anyone who wonders what they will be allowed to take with them when they leave their next employer. Elements used in grading: Class participation and final exam.

In recent years, Internet platforms like Facebook, Google, or Twitter have increasingly come under fire. Top executives from these companies have testified before Congress about their role in spreading misinformation in the 2016 elections. With the increased scrutiny come diverse calls for change. They include asking the platforms to self-regulate, asking regulators to address the platforms' growing market power, or asking Congress to adopt laws regulating various aspects of the platforms' behavior. The seminar explores the many ways in which Internet platforms shape free expression online and asks what public responsibilities these private companies do and should have. By interrogating the structural role that these companies play in society -- are they quasi-state actors? are they the press? are they monopolies? -- we will assess how the platforms contribute to (or possibly mitigate) key social problems. We will critically examine constitutional and statutory laws, like the First Amendment, CDA 230, and antitrust law to evaluate whether and how they facilitate or constrain possible solutions. And with the benefit of guest speakers from academia and policy sectors, we will draw our own conclusions about how to best ensure platform accountability. tl;dr: If you want to work at a tech law firm, in-house at a tech company, in a regulatory position vis-a-vis the tech sector, or are generally interested in critical questions around the role of Internet platforms in society and their impact on free expression online, this class is for you. We hope to see your application! Special Instructions: Enrollment will be limited to 15 students from both SLS and H&S. Experience with First Amendment doctrine is helpful, but not required. Grades will be based on class attendance, class participation, and either a number of shorter reflection papers (section (01)) or an independent research paper (section (02)). After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Students taking the course for R credit can take the course for either 2 or 3 units, depending on paper length. Elements used in grading: Class participation, class attendance, reflection papers or research paper. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit the Consent Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms).

Copyright law is the primary legal regime governing human creativity, and it plays some role in nearly all creative industries today. Consequently, copyright law has far-reaching economic and cultural implications. In this seminar, we will consider the interests of some of the different groups affected by the copyright regime, including creators, technologists, audiences, institutions, and heirs. Course readings will cover copyright case law and scholarship; research on creative practices and relevant business models; the role of copyright law in innovation policy; and legal versus extralegal modes of protecting the fruits of creative labor. Throughout, we will assess the fairness, efficacy, and alignment of copyright protection and remedies available, to whom, when, and for what reasons. The course aims to deepen students' knowledge of copyright law and scholarship; to equip students to develop principled policy arguments about the scope of copyright protection; and to enable students to evaluate reforms and alternatives to copyright in light of how these might serve different entities in the copyright ecosystem. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section 01 (written assignments) into section 02 (research paper), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation; Written Assignments or Research Paper.