Copyright, Patent, Trademark and Related State Doctrines: Cases and Materials on the Law of Intellectual Property (University Casebooks) Book

Because these laws occupy a common field, they invite comparison. How, and how efficiently, does each law allocate costs and benefits among producers, distributors and consumers of information? A lawyer must be prepared to pick out not only a single thread of protection for a client's project (one consisting, say, of trade secret and patent protection), but possibly a more ample fabric (a combination of trade secret, patent, copyright and trademark). And, although the lawyer will move easily from state to federal law, the lines between, like so many other lines in a federal system, bristle with conflict-often of a constitutional dimension.In the years since publication of the 5th Edition, the perceived importance of intellectual property continues to grow dramatically--in Congress and in the courts, in boardrooms and in law firms, and increasingly among the public. Congress has repeatedly amended the copyright, patent and trademark acts in important respects, and cases arising under these acts increasingly crowd the judicial docket. The question of intellectual property on the Internet, of increasing interest at the time of the Fifth Edition, has remained one of the legal system's hottest topics. Also, as the importance of intellectual property to the nation's balance of trade has come into clearer focus, Congress has moved to bring U.S. law into line with international treaty requirements and has employed trade measures to stimulate world-wide protection for intellectual goods originating in the United States.The Sixth Edition reflects suggestions made by many teachers and students who used the preceding editions.Read More