IS 205 : Information Law and Policy

Administrivia

Teaching Team 

Professor Larry Downes

Email: larry@larrydownes.com

Website: www.larrydownes.com

Office number: (510) 526-9547

Office Hours: Thursday 3:00pm-5:00pm 311 South Hall or by appointment

Course Information

School of Information Management and Systems INFOSYS 205

Course Dates: March 1 to April 26, 2005

Lecture Schedule: Tuesday Thursday 10:30am-12:00pm in 202 South Hall

Units: 2

Grading Option: Letter Grade only

Grading Criteria

80% Assignments

20% Class Participation

Grading will be based on four written assignments as well as class participation. Each written assignment will be returned with a grade. Assignments will be due on the due date given. There will be no extensions. Please don't offer any excuse you wouldn't feel comfortable giving an employer. Grammar, spelling, and organization count!

Course Work

March 1 : Tuesday

Introduction to Information Law and Policy  

Required Readings

Five Challenges, Samuelson [Online]

Declaration, Barlow [Online]

No Legal Theory, Ryan [Online]

Written Assignment 1 assigned 

Due on March 8

Assignment details

March 3 : Thursday

Employer and Employee Information Rights I – Trade Secrets  

Required Readings

Wexler v. Greenberg [Online]

Cybertek v. Whitfield [Online]

March 8 : Tuesday

Employer and Employee Information Rights II – Non-Compete 

Required Readings

KGB v. Gionnoulas [Online]

Cal Code § 16600 [Online]

Written Assignment 1 due 

Written Assignment 2 assigned 

Due on March 17

Assignment details

March 10 : Thursday

Employer and Employee Information Rights III – Copyright and Patent  

Required Readings

Aymes v. Bonelli [Online]

Aetna-Standard v. Rowland [Online]

March 15 : Tuesday

Intellectual Property I: Copyright Protection for Data and Databases 

Required Readings

Feist v. Rural Telephone [Online]

CCC v. Maclean Hunter [Online]

March 17 : Thursday

Intellectual Property II: Limits on Data Protection 

Required Readings

Warren v. Microdos [Online]

NBA v. Motorola [Online]

EU Directive [Online]

Written Assignment 2 due 

Written Assignment 3 assigned 

Due on April 7

Assignment details

March 22 : Tuesday : Spring Recess

Spring Break! 

March 24 : Thursday : Spring Recess

Spring Break! 

March 29 : Tuesday

Peer-to-Peer and the Limits of Liability  

Required Readings

MGM v. Grokster [Online]

March 31 : Thursday

X-Wrap Licenses & Open Source  

Required Readings

ProCD v. Zeidenberg [Online]

UCITA Provisions [Online]

Linux GPL [Online]

April 5 : Tuesday

Licensing and Liability  

Required Readings

Mortenson v. Timberline [Online]

Williams v. AOL [Online]

Cardozo v. True [Online]

Aetna v. Jeppesen [Online]

April 7 : Thursday

U.S. Policy on Security 

Required Readings

National Strategy [Online]

Written Assignment 3 due 

Written Assignment 4 assigned 

Due on April 26

Assignment details

April 12 : Tuesday

The "Privacy" "Debate" 

Required Readings

EU Directive [Online]

FTC Privacy Report [Online]

"GM and Europe" Federal Trade Commission [Handout]

Cal. Sen. Bill. 1834 (2004) [Online]

April 14 : Thursday

E-Commerce  

Required Readings

Granholm v. Heald [Online]

April 19 : Tuesday

Criminal Law I – Spam/Spyware  

Required Readings

Spy Act [Online]

Can-Spam Act (2003) [Online]

April 21 : Thursday

Criminal Law II – DMCA  

Required Readings

Lexmark v. Static Control [Online]

Online Policy Group v. Diebold [Online]

April 26 : Tuesday

Concluding Thoughts 

Required Readings

Law of the Horse, Easterbrook [Online]

Written Assignment 4 due 

last updated on 2005-04-05 by Carolyn