This Practicum will give students the opportunity to integrate substantive copyright knowledge (along with occasional influences of other intellectual property doctrines, such as trademark, trade secret, right of publicity, conflict of interest, and academic freedom) in the negotiation and drafting of documents integral to copyright law. The course content will be based upon real world examples involving contracts, policies, demand letters, and proposals to amend legislation/propose new legislation. Case studies are intended to touch upon the spectrum of copyright law, including classic literary and pictorial works, entertainment, technology, and globalization.
Second- and third-year students will examine approximately six real-world examples. There will be some assigned readings, limited class lecture, guest lecturers, and class discussions designed to identify the core issues to be addressed in each case, understand the concerns of various stakeholders, and evaluate the tradeoffs between options. Students will negotiate, interview representative clients, conduct research, draft documents, work on some projects collaboratively, and comment on the workproduct created by other students.
The final exam will be a project, delivered either as a paper, a posting on the Web, a simulation, or other interesting manner of demonstrating engagement with the material and the production of something practical.