Law 302D: Selected Topics

Advanced Copyright Seminar

Instructor:
Dr. Samuel E. Trosow
27 Law Building x82282
275D Middlesex College x88498
strosow@uwo.ca
        
Class Meetings:     
Friday 9:30-12-20, Room 204

Office Hours:      
27 Law Building, Thursday 1-3:30
 275 D Middlesex , Wednesday 1-3:30
and by appointment

Description:        

The course will be conducted as a seminar with students participating in class discussions about assigned readings and their independent research.

The seminar will consider the historical, philosophical and economic foundations of modern copyright law. The literature in each of these areas will be considered throughout the term and the materials will be applied to selected problems in contemporary copyright policy in the second part of the course. Drawing on the background literature, students will select, in consultation with the instructor, an individual topic for a research paper. The goal of the seminar is to address questions concerning the proper design of a just copyright policy to meet the needs of Canadian society in the information age.

Assessment:      

Schedule and Readings:  

(please note: Every student is not be expected to read all of the following material. We will discuss dividing the readings in class).

Week 1 (February 14th): The Current Policy Environment
Week 2 (February 21st): Historical Foundations
Week 3 (February 28th): Philosophical Justifications for Property: An Overview
Week 4 (March 7th): Lockean Approaches
Week 5 (March 14th): Hegel, Personhood and Autonomy
Week 6 (March 21st): Utilitarian Approaches
Week 7 (March 28th): Democratic Theory, the Public Sphere and the Information Commons
Week 8 (April 4th): Critical Approaches
Week 9 (April 11th):

Week 10 (no class on April 18th)

 
The following books will be placed on reserve: