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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Law & Legal Issues >
Intellectual property law
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Showing Intellectual property law Stories 1 through 8 of 8.
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New book calls intellectual property an unnecessary evil
Economists say copyright and patent laws are killing innovation; hurting economy
March 5,
2009 -- Patent and copyright law are stifling innovation and threatening the global economy according to two economists at Washington University in St. Louis in a new book, Against Intellectual Monopoly. Professors Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine call for abolishing the current patent and copyright system in order to unleash innovations necessary to reverse the current recession and rescue the economy. The professors discuss their stand against intellectual property protections in a video and news release linked here.
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Supreme Court to rule on patent law -- Quanta v. LG
"Patent holder had a right to sue a downstream purchaser," says patent law expert
Jan. 22,
2008 --
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| Reversing the longstanding case law would give undue windfall to opportunistic third parties, says Kieff. |
The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing Quanta v. LG, a case that could determine the future direction of patent law. "This case is key to ensuring that patent law develops in a way that best promotes innovation and competition," says F. Scott Kieff, J.D., professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Kieff and colleagues have filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of LG, arguing that under contract law the patent holder had a right to sue a downstream purchaser. Kieff will be closely following this case and is available for comment.
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Another brick from the wall
Supreme Court ruling on patents is step in right direction, economists contend
May 1,
2007 -- The Supreme Court's decision April 30 to raise the bar for patents on products combining elements of pre-existing inventions is a landmark in the battle against so-called "nuisance patents" and just one more sign that the tide is turning against overly restrictive and costly intellectual property right protections, suggests a pair of economists from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Another brick from the wall
Apple's bid to end music piracy protection may signal end to copyright system
Feb. 12,
2007 --
Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computers, has issued a challenge to the music industry, saying Apple would support an open online music marketplace if the four-largest music companies would drop the use of digital-rights management software — the technology that prevents the copying of music sold online. Jobs' challenge, which some consider shocking, is just the latest brick to fall in the inevitable collapse of a legal wall that since 1999 has been obstructing technological progress and preventing people from enjoying more and better music at a lower price, suggests Michele Boldrin, Ph.D., an economist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies the hidden costs of intellectual property rights protections.
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Universities face a challenge when hawking innovations
The ease of selling inventions depends on more than just having a patent
Dec. 14,
2006 --
Hundreds of technology-transfer offices have popped up on university campuses over the past 20 years to enable universities to facilitate the commercialization of innovations and discoveries pioneered by their professors. Licensing patents for the inventions is a commercial opportunity for universities, which hope to make money selling the intellectual property and to see faculty research make a tangible impact in the marketplace. While all the inventions might be equally genius, they aren't all valued equally. The question for technology-transfer offices is: What will sell? A professor at the Olin School of Business found that the ease of selling intellectual property doesn't necessarily depend on whether the innovation has received patent protection. More...
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Renowned legal scholar to discuss antitrust
Law School's Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series
Oct. 27,
2006 -- The Law School's Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series, in conjunction with the Federalist Society and the Assembly Series, will present Richard Epstein at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 31, in the Anheuser Busch Moot Courtroom (Room 310). The lecture is free and open to the public.
The well-known libertarian and influential legal scholar will discuss the question, "Has Modern Complex Litigation Outgrown the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures? The Case of Antitrust."
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Promoting U.S.-China business relations
WUSTL conference explores U.S.-China business relations, intellectual property issues, May 11-13
May 5,
2006 -- "U.S.-China Business Relations" is the focus of a three-day academic symposium that kicks off with a public conference from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 11 in Room 311, Anheuser-Busch Hall. U.S.-China commercial relations and intellectual property rights are among topics to be covered.
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From the courts
High profile patent cases like those against eBay and Blackberry important for encouraging innovation
April 3,
2006 --
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| David Kilper / WUSTL Photo |
| Threat of injunctions can be beneficial in cases like eBay and BlackBerry, says WUSTL expert F. Scott Kieff. |
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The threat of an injunction to protect patented technology, as seen in eBay v. MercExchange, is what drives infringers and patentees to strike deals — sometimes on the steps of the courthouse — because shutting down the business would lose money for both sides, says F. Scott Kieff, J.D., an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. These deals, he points out, are what drive innovation. More...
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