Reforming Copyright for the Internet Age

Attention

News from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law    

Media Contact: Susan Gluss, sgluss@law.berkeley.edu, 510-642-6936    

Reforming Copyright for the Internet Age  

MEDIA ADVISORY    

ATTENTION: Assignment desks, high-tech, and legal reporters    

WHAT: An annual two-day conference on copyright law  

Creative works—in music, art, and literature—are available to the public on a larger scale than ever before. But copyright law is still murky, outdated by the swift advances in the Internet age. The need for legal certainty regarding copyright claims to ease rights clearances and to enhance the free flow of information has never been more critical.  

The registration of copyrights, (known as a copyright formality) and other neglected “formalities” may be able to overcome these challenges by clarifying which works are copyright-protected, the scope and term of protection, the identity of rights owners, and more. The same digital network that has enabled an interactive, simultaneous and decentralized use of creative material also permits the development of new flexible and efficient copyright formalities.  

This two-day conference will feature leading academics and practitioners discussing the critical role of formalities in addressing today’s copyright challenges and how to best serve the interests of authors and the public.  

The event is co-sponsored by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology (BCLT) at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and its Berkeley Technology Law Journal.  

WHEN:
Thurs.-Fri., April 18-19, 8:30 a.m. —5:00 p.m.  

WHERE:
Claremont Hotel, 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, CA  

WHO:
Keynote speaker: Maria Pallante, register of copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office  

Panelists include:
Patrick Sullivan, co-founder, RightsFlow by Google;
Jule Sigall, associate general counsel, Microsoft Corporation;
Naomi Jane Gray, member, Copyright Society; Harvey Siskind LLP
Fred von Lohmann, legal director of copyright, Google;
Pamela Samuelson, professor, UC Berkeley School of Law
Reto Hilty, director, Max Planck Institute for Intellecutal Property and Competition  

Go here for a full list of speakers and panelists  

DETAILS: Media are invited to attend free of charge. Register here or contact Susan Gluss, sgluss@law.berkeley.edu.

For more details, go here or contact Julia Tier, 510-642-4712, or jtier@law.berkeley.edu.