George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Recap of the Supreme Court’s Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P.

The following post comes from Sabren H. Wahdan, a 3L at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at C-IP2.

the word "copyright" typed on a typewriterIn one of his final majority opinions before announcing his retirement, Justice Steven Breyer penned a nuanced ruling that carefully threads the policy needle on copyright registration issues. Read more

Professor Justin Hughes on “Restating Copyright Law’s Originality Requirement”

The following post comes from Ryan Reynolds, a 3L at Scalia Law and Research Assistant at CPIP.

the word "copyright" typed on a typewriterBy Ryan Reynolds

In the 89 years following the publishing of the first Restatement of Law in 1932, the American Law Institute’s (ALI) Restatements have become an important tool for those in the legal community to better understand different bodies of law. Read more

Artist Roundtable Presented by the Mason Sports & Entertainment Law Association and the Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic

The following post comes from Austin Shaffer, a 2L at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

the word "copyright" typed on a typewriterBy Austin Shaffer

On April 6th, the Mason Sports & Entertainment Law Association, in conjunction with the Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic, hosted its Artist Roundtable event. Read more

Recap of the Supreme Court’s Google v. Oracle Opinion

a gavel lying on a desk in front of booksThe following post comes from Liz Velander, a recent graduate of Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

By Liz Velander

The Supreme Court finally reached a determination in the decade-long dispute between two of the biggest technology companies in the world, Google and Oracle. Read more

Professor David Taylor on Patent Eligibility and Investment

The following post comes from Terence Yen, a 4E at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

files labeled as "patents"By Terence Yen

In his new paper, Patent Eligibility and Investment, Professor David Taylor of the SMU Dedman School of Law explores whether the Supreme Court’s recent patent eligibility cases have changed the behavior of venture capital and private equity investment firms. Read more

Rethinking § 101: Professor Talha Syed Takes a Different Look at Subject Matter Eligibility

The following post comes from Colin Kreutzer, a 2E at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

shelves full of booksBy Colin Kreutzer

When most people think of patentability requirements, they think of whether an invention has been “done before.” Novelty and non-obviousness under 35 U.S.C. Read more

Google v. Oracle at the Supreme Court: Copyrightability, Fair Use, and Standard of Review

The following post comes from Chris Wolfsen, a recent graduate of Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

U.S. Supreme Court buildingBy Chris Wolfsen

Grocery store shelves, QWERTY keyboards, and restaurant menus. These are just three of the analogies that Supreme Court justices used to grapple with the complex issues in the long-awaited Google v. Read more

RBG’s Legacy Can Guide High Court In Oracle Copyright Case

This post first appeared on Law360.

U.S. Supreme Court buildingAs America mourns the passing of one of its great civil rights icons and judicial pathmakers — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — stakeholders and other observers must not only contemplate what her absence means for the upcoming election but also next month’s start of oral arguments at the U.S. Read more

CPIP Roundup – August 31, 2020


Greetings from CPIP Executive Director Sean O’Connor

Sean O'Connor

August has seen the beginning of a highly unusual school year, but I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe. And, since even a pandemic can’t keep the world from having a busy back-to-school month, I’ll keep this month’s note short. Read more

Consumer Perception Wins the Day: A Case Overview of USPTO v. Booking.com

The following post comes from Ryan Reynolds, a rising 3L at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

U.S. Supreme Court buildingBy Ryan Reynolds

Last week, the Supreme Court in USPTO v. Booking.com held that a combination of an otherwise generic term and a generic top-level domain (TLD) may be protected as a trademark so long as consumers perceive it as capable of distinguishing among the members of a class of goods or services and not as a reference to the class itself. Read more