Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business

Course Syllabus

Belmont University-Intellectual Property

Course Title:                          Intellectual Property Law

 

Course Number:                   MBU 3520.01

                                                MBU 3520.04

 

Instructor:                              Amy Smith

 

Credit:                                    3 Hours

 

Semester:                                Fall 2007

 

Class Location:                      MBU 3520.01 – MC103

                                                MBU 3520.04 – MC 200A

 

Meeting Time:                       MBU 3520.01 – MWF 8:00 to 8:50 am

                                                MBU 3520.04 – Thursday 6:30 to 9:15 pm   

 

Instructor’s Information:     Chaffin, Burnsed & Smith, PLLC

                                                One American Center

                                                3100 West End Avenue, Suite 550

                                                Nashville, TN 37203

                                                615-460-7478-Phone

                                                615-460-7484-Fax

                                                asmith@cbslawyers.net

 

Instructor’s Office Hours:    Students may contact the instructor by phone or e-mail.  Office hours are normally 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

 

Goals of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business:

·     To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes leadership, innovation, private enterprise, and entrepreneurship.

·   To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work environments

·  To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the parameters of ethical Christian principles.

 

Course Information:            

·     Course Description:  Prerequisite:  MBU 1110.  This course provides a comprehensive study of intellectual property, the rationale for intellectual property protection, current issues involving intellectual property, international intellectual property issues, and the role of intellectual property in the entertainment industry.  The types of intellectual property covered include copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and patents.  Primary emphasis will be on copyright since that is the area of intellectual property most relevant to the entertainment industry.

·     Learning Outcomes:  After completing the course, students will be able to : (1) Identify and distinguish the types of intellectual property (i.e.: copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets); (2) Describe how intellectual property law applies to the music and entertainment industry; (3) Debate the philosophical rationales for intellectual property law; (4) Explain the importance of intellectual property to various businesses; (4) List the exclusive rights under copyright law as well as the main limitations on those rights; (5) Explain how intellectual property rights can be infringed; and (6) Describe and apply the fair use test under copyright law.

·     Performance Criteria: Students will (1) Demonstrate an understanding of intellectual property, including what is and is not protected by intellectual property law; (2) Distinguish between the types of intellectual property (i.e.:  copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets); (3) Interpret and apply important provisions of intellectual property law to actual and hypothetical situations; (3) Describe and defend justifications for and criticisms of intellectual property; (4) Compare and contrast the ways in which the US and other countries view and protect intellectual property; (5) Investigate, evaluate and critique controversial issues involving intellectual property with specific emphasis on the ways in which intellectual property affects the music and entertainment business.

·   Methods of Instruction:  Will include discussion, lecture and projects.

University Policies

 

·         Honor Code:  The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the foundation of university life and the cornerstone of a premiere educational experience.  Our community believes trust among its members is essential for both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the University.  As members of the Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and all administrators are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors which compromise this value.  In order to uphold academic integrity, the University has adopted an Honor System.  Students and faculty will work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work.  Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:

”I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparations of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud.  Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

  • Accommodation of Disabilities:  In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in the Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.

 

Course Requirements:

  • Attendance:  Students are expected to attend all class meetings.  Absences will be dealt with in accordance with Belmont University policies, as follows:  Belmont University is committed to the idea that regular class attendance is essential to successful scholastic achievement.  Absence is permitted only in cases of illness or legitimate cause.  Attendance is checked from the first class meeting, so late registrants will have some absences accrued when they first meet a class.  In cases of legitimate absence from the class, the student has the opportunity and responsibility to make up all class work missed.  If a class absence is necessary because of an activity by another class or university organization, the sponsor of the activity will give the Provost a list of participants in advance, and the students involved will obtain from the Provost an excuse to present to the instructor.  In case of absence for any other reason, the student will present his reason directly to the instructor.  Students on the Dean’s List of Honor Students, based upon the record of the previous semester at Belmont, may be granted unlimited absences by the instructor for which only the excused ones carry make-up privileges.  When the number of absences for any reason exceeds four times the number of scheduled class meetings per week (25% of class meetings during Summer term), the student is involuntarily dropped from the course with a grade of “WF.”  Appeal is to the Provost. 

 

  • Participation:  The course will consist of a combination of lecture and discussion utilizing current business cases and issues as related to text, and on current events related to the topics of study.  Students are required to read the assigned portions of the text prior to class and be prepared to engage in discussion on the issues presented.  Students who attend regularly, meet this requirement, and show a significant improvement in test scores may, at the exclusive election of the instructor, have their final grade adjusted slightly to reflect both the participation and the improvement. On-line instruction may be given, check Blackboard.

 

·         Textbook and Materials:      Moser on Music Copyright, David J. Moser,, ArtistPro Publishing/Thompson Course Technology, 2006. Additional course materials (assignments, cases, lecture notes, etc.) will be posted throughout the course.

 

·         Assignments:  You will be required to complete assignments throughout the course, some of which may involve working in small groups. Instructions for each assignment will be provided.

  • Testing and Methods of Evaluation:  There will be three exams, each counting 30% of the final grade (total 90%).  The other 10% will be made up of class presentations of current legal events and case law, unplanned and planned quizzes, and any other assignments.  Any student who knows in advance of an unavoidable conflict with an exam or project date must notify the instructor prior to the class in question.  Failure to notify the instructor in advance may result in a zero for that exam or assignment.  Make-up exams will not be given, except in the event of extreme, unavoidable, verifiable circumstances.

 

  • Class Schedule:  A tentative weekly scheduled is set out hereinbelow.  The topics covered and the dates indicated for each are approximate and are subject to change, depending on class discussions and other developments.  I will announce any changes by email and/or in class.

 

  • Grading Scale:  As per the Undergraduate Bulletin:

 

100-93 A         77-73   C

92-90   A-        72-70   C-

89-88   B+       69-68   D+

87-83   B         67-63   D

83-87   B         62-60   D-

82-80   B-        59-0     F

79-78   C+      

 

 

 

 

MWF – 8:00 Class

Date                                                                            Topics/Chapter(s)

Week of August 20                                                     Introduction to Law

            August 22                                                                  

            August 24                                                                  

 

Week of August 27                                                     Introduction to Law & Introduction to IP

            August 27

            August 29

            August 31                                                                              

 

Week of September 3                                                 Trademarks

            September 3 (OUT)

            September 5

            September 7

 

Week of September 10                                               Trademarks

            September 10                                                                        

            September 12

            September 14

 

Week of September 17                                               Patents, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition

            September 17                                                 

            September 19                                                 

            September 21                                                 

 

Week of September 24                                              

            September 24                                                  Test Number 1

            September 26                                                  Chapter 1

            September 28                                                  Chapter 2

 

Week of October 1                                                     Chapter 3 and Chapter 4

            October 1

            October 3

            October 5

 

Week of October 8                                                     Chapter 5, Chapter 6 and Chapter 7

            October 8

            October 10

            October 12 (OUT)

 

Week of October 15                                                   Chapter 8 and Chapter 9

            October 15

            October 17

            October 19

 

Week of October 22

            October 22                                                      Chapter 9

            October 24                                                      Chapter 9 and Review

            October 26                                                      Test Number 2

 

Week of October 29                                                   Chapter 10

            October 29

            October 31

            November 2

 

Week of November 5                                                  Chapter 11

            November 5

            November 7

            November 9

 

Week of November 12                                                Chapter 12

            November 12

            November 14

            November 16

 

Week of November 19                                                Chapter 13

            November 19                                                             

            November 21 (OUT)

            November 23 (OUT)

 

Week of November 26                                                Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

            November 26

            November 28

            November 30

 

Week of December 3                                                  Final Thoughts and Review

            December 3

 

Exam – December 7 at 8:00


Thursday 6:30 pm Class

Date                                                                            Topics/Chapter(s)

August 23                                                                   Introduction to Law

           

August 30                                                                   Introduction to Law & Introduction to IP

 

September 6                                                                Trademarks

 

September 13                                                              Trademarks

           

September 20                                                              Patents, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition

 

September 27                                                              TEST NUMBER 1, Chapter 1 & Chapter 2

                                                                                               

October 4                                                                    Chapter 3  and Chapter 4

 

October 11                                                                  Fall Break

 

October 18                                                                  Chapter 5, Chapter 6 and Chapter 7

           

October 25                                                                  Chapter 8 and Chapter 9

 

November 1                                                                TEST NUMBER 2, Chapter 10

           

November 8                                                                Chapter 10 and Chapter 11

           

November 15                                                              Chapter 12

 

November 22                                                              Thanksgiving Break

 

November 29                                                              Chapter 13, Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

                                                                                    Final Thoughts and Review

 

Exam – December 6