Copyright Reform Seminar (P. Samu*lson)

Modern copyright laws, such as the US Copyright Act of 1976, are too long, complex, incomprehensible, and unbalanced. They are also lacking in normative heft. This seminar will consider how one might go about making copyright laws simpler, more comprehensible, more balanced, and more normative. It will consider, for example, whether the exclusive rights of copyright law should be refined, whether user rights should be articulated, and whether formalities such as giving notice or requiring registration of copyright claims should be reinstituted. Institutional issues, such as whether the Copyright Office should get more rule-making authority, will also be discussed. Students will be expected to write papers on a specific copyright reform topic.