Prof. Christopher Yoo on "The Transformation of the Internet"

The emergence of the Internet as the dominant means of communication over the past decade represents one of the most remarkable developments of our nation's technological history. A medium that began as a way for academics to send e-mail and exchange files has become a nearly ubiquitous phenomenon that has transformed almost every aspect of daily life.

The vision of the Internet as it existed in the late 1990s continues to serve as the starting point for current debates over communications policy. In framing the issues in this manner, policymakers overlook important changes in the economic and technological environment surrounding the Internet, including:

* The number and nature of Internet users
* The nature and variety of Internet applications
* The variety of networking and end user technologies
* The diversity of business relationships
* The maturation of the industry

In this lecture, delivered on April 21, 2009, Professor Christopher Yoo of the University of Pennsylvania Law School analyzed the nature of these changes and explored their potential for reframing current debates over Internet policy.

SEAS will host Lawrence Lessig on Friday the 17th.

The page with information about the event does not specify whether the event is open to the entire campus or not. The information is as follows:

For anyone who has ever used an image or other digital media under the "creative commons" license, or who would like to learn more about digital rights and intellectual property issues with respect to the internet, the following event will be of particular interest:

"Change v2: What Changes Obama Will Need"
Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Friday, April 17, 2009, 5:00 pm
Location: Wu and Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall

In discussing the advice being given to our elected officials and current technological policies, Lessig, founder of the creative commons, will bring to light current problems and issues we now face when it comes to copyright law in a digital platform.

Lessig is a professor of law at Stanford Law School and is a former board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), was advisor on technical issues to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, and is author of several books on the policy issues of intellectual property.

This event is sponsored by Penn Engineering, the Science and Technology Wing and The Dining Philosophers.

Symposium: Global Trademark Protection

The second panel presentation discussed trademark protection in a globalized world. Panelists discussed the economics of trademark protection, new issues in protecting trademarks internationally, and the impact of the recession on counterfeiting. Speakers on the panel included:

Moderator: The Honorable Kent Jordan, Third Circuit Court of Appeals
Glenn Gundersen, Dechert LLP
Marcia Paul, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Jef Pearlman, Public Knowledge
Martin Schwimmer, Trademark Blog and Moses & Singer
Peter Vogl, Jones Day

Symposium: Trademark Use in Virtual Environments

The first panel presentation of the day discussed the use of trademarks in virtual environments. Panelists discussed what it means to have virtual trademark, how trademarks in virtual worlds differ from real-world trademarks, and what types of issues arise in the new medium. Speakers on the panel included:

Moderator: Professor Christopher Yoo, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Bryce Coughlin, Steptoe & Johnson
Kevin Goldstein, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
James Grimmelmann, New York Law School
Sharon Marsh, US Patent & Trademark Office

Video Coming Soon

PIPG to Host International Trademark Symposium

Penn Intellectual Property Group's second annual symposium, to be held on Wednesday, April 1st, is titled "Trademark Law in a Global Economy." We are interested in exploring modern issues in trademark law that have arisen as a result of the globalization of businesses and the rise of the Internet. Specific panel topics are (1) trademark use in virtual environments, and (2) trademark protection in a globalized world (discussing the trademark problems businesses face as they attempt to expand globally, as well as the increasing importance of the Internet for global IP law).

The symposium will be held on the Penn Law campus in Philadelphia, and will run from approximately 10:00am - 3:00pm.

PIPG would like to thank Jones Day for its generous support.

The full schedule is as follows:

10:00: Check-in and breakfast

10:30-12:00: Panel 1
“Trademark Use in Virtual Environments”
Moderator: Prof. Christopher Yoo
• Bryce Coughlin, Steptoe & Johnson
• Kevin Goldstein, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young
• James Grimmelmann, New York Law School
• Sharon Marsh, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

12:00-12:30: Lunch

12:30-1:15: Bret Parker, VP, Chief Trademark & Copyright Counsel, and Asst. GC, Wyeth
"View from the Corporate Frontline: Practical Thoughts on the Benefits and Pitfalls for Brand Owners in the Global Online World"

1:15-1:30: Break

1:30-3:00: Panel 2
“Trademark Protection in a Globalized World”
Moderator: The Hon. Kent Jordan
• Glenn Gundersen, Dechert
• Marcia Paul, Davis Wright Tremaine
• Jef Pearlman, Public Knowledge
• Martin Schwimmer, Moses & Singer
• Peter Vogl, Jones Day

If you are a practicing attorney or a law student and you would like to attend, please contact me at karenac@law.upenn.edu. There are 3.5 CLE credits available for this event.

VIDEO: FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate at Penn Law

In December, FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate gave a presentation entitled "From the Boardroom to the Classroom: Piracy Impacts and Solutions." Her talk was sponsored by Penn Intellectual Property Group and the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition.

Commissioner Tate focused on industry innovations to guard against piracy, explained the effect of "net neutrality" on those efforts, and defined what the government's role should be in ensuring that intellectual property rights are not infringed upon in the digital communications age.

Video of Commissioner Tate's presentation is available here.

Video: William Patry on Internet Metaphors

William Patry, copyright blogger and Senior Copyright Counsel at Google, spoke about "Internet Metaphors and Why we Need to Lose Them." Mr. Patry explained that because judges have absorbed language in which the Internet is described as a "place" you can visit, courts have often come to the wrong conclusion.

Mr. Patry also countered Prof. Werbach's suggestion that Google had "no idea" how to make YouTube profitable. "I don't think we'd pay $1.65 billion dollars ... being clueless about how to [make a profit]." Mr. Patry said the plan for the site was to engage in more licensing deals.

Click below for the full video:

Video: Kevin Kuzas of Comcast Interactive Media

Kevin Kuzas, VP and General Counsel of Comcast Interactive Media, delivered a keynote address entitled "Copyright Challenges in Internet Video." Mr. Kuzas spoke about the issues faced by those trying to license video for the Internet. CIM runs Fancast, an Internet video site which hosts content licensed from Viacom and other content providers.

For the full video, click below:

Video: Panel on User-Generated Content

Our first panel of the day was titled "User-Generated Content: Cooperation or Litigation?" Topics included the Viacom-YouTube lawsuit, the validity of litigation in creating beneficial legal precedents, and the impediments to full cooperation between content owners and content providers. For the full video, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Kevin Werbach asserts that "YouTube doesn't even know how it's going to make money" as Google's Bill Patry looks on.

Viacom's Stanley Pierre-Louis (right) discusses his company's recent initiatives to add online content. Professor Michael Carroll of Villanova (left) listens.

Kevin Werbach of Wharton (center) registers his objection to the term "user-generated content" when describing copyright infringement problems caused by sites like YouTube.

Video, Part 1:



Video, Part 2:


The panelists, seated from left to right, were:
• Michael Carroll, Professor of Law, Villanova School of Law
• Stanley Pierre-Louis, VP and Associate General Counsel, Viacom
• Kevin Werbach, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, Wharton
• Lance Koonce, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine
• Gideon Parchomovsky, Professor of Law, UPenn Law (moderator)