Intellectual Property

Copyright and Trademark

Copyrights and trademark are both types of intellectual property (IP). Copyright is a legal term describing rights given to creators for their literary and artistic works. A trademark provides protection to the owner of the mark by ensuring the exclusive right to use it to identify goods or services, or to authorize another to use it in return for payment.

Choose another Issue

Select an Issue

TAP Academics

Peter Menell
University of California, Berkeley
Innovation and Economic Growth, Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark

Tim Wu
Columbia University
Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark, Networks, the Internet, and Cloud Computing, Networks and Infrastructure, Wireless, Net Neutrality

View all academics with expertise in this Issue

TAP Blog

Pamela Samuelson Pushes Back on Stricter Copyright ISP Liability Rules

Berkeley law professor Pamela Samuelson’s recent article examines proposed reforms of the DMCA’s safe harbor rules that limit the liability of ISPs hosting user-generated content. Professor Samuelson urges Congress to “take a balanced approach” and “consider the interests of a wide range of stakeholders”.

TAP Staff Blogger

November 13, 2020

View all blog posts about this Issue

Upcoming Events

There are currently no upcoming events about this Issue. Please see our events calendar for all upcoming events.

Fact Sheets

Piracy and IP Enforcement

In the context of technology, “piracy” is a colloquial term for the illegal copying of copyrighted works. The related problem of counterfeiting is the illegal reproduction of patented or trademarked products.

Quote

Lofi Girl Disappeared from YouTube and Reignited Debate Over Bogus Copyright Claims

“We ended up with this system because in the 1990s, when the contours of the internet and copyright are still coming into view, this is the compromise that representatives of the copyright industries and the internet industries worked out.” — James Grimmelmann, Professor of Law, Cornell University

James Grimmelmann
NPR
July 16, 2022

View all academics' quotes on this Issue

Reconceptualizing Copyright's Merger Doctrine

The “Merger Doctrine” is a defense to a charge of copyright infringement. Some ideas can only be expressed a certain way; courts say that the idea merges with the author’s choice of expression. Merger is important in many cases, including those involving software and depictions of nature.

By: Pamela Samuelson

View all articles on this Issue