IS 205 : Information Law and Policy

Administrivia

Teaching Team 

Professor Larry Downes

Email: ldownes@sims.berkeley.edu

Office number: (510) 526-9547

Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00pm-3:00pm 313 South Hall. Also by appointment.

Course Description

This course introduces students to copyright and other forms of legal protection for databases, licensing of information, consumer protection, liability for insecure systems and defective information, privacy, and national and international information policy.

The court cases in the syllabus are available through Lexis in addition to the local copies here. To access Lexis from a non UC computer, see these instructions.

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 Resources
Assignment Rules

Course Information

School of Information Management and Systems INFOSYS 205

Course Dates: January 17 to March 7, 2006

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

Units: 2

Grading Option: Letter Grade only

Grading Criteria

10% Written Assignment #1

15% Written Assignment #2

15% Written Assignment #3

40% Written Assignment #4

20% Class Participation/Instructor Discretion

Course Work

:

:

January 17 : Tuesday

Introduction to Information Law and Policy 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Five Challenges, Samuelson [Online]

Declaration, Barlow [Online]

Assignment 1 assigned 

Due on January 24

Assignment details

January 19 : Thursday

Employer and Employee Information Rights - I. Trade Secrets 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Wexler v. Greenberg [Online]

Cybertek v. Whitfield [Online]

January 24 : Tuesday

Employer and Employee Information Rights - II. Non-Compete 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

KGB v. Gionnoulas [Online]

Cal Code 16600 [Online]

Assignment 1 due 

Assignment 2 assigned 

Due on February 2

Assignment details

January 26 : Thursday

Employer and Employee Information Rights - III. Copyright and Patent 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Aymes v. Bonelli [Online]

Aetna-Standard v. Rowland [Online]

January 31 : Tuesday

Intellectual Property I: Copyright Protection for Data and Databases 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Feist v. Rural Telephone [Online]

CCC v. Maclean Hunter [Online]

February 2 : Thursday

Intellectual Property II: Limits on Data Protection 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Warren v. Microdos [Online]

NBA v. Motorola [Online]

EU Directive [Online]

Assignment 2 due 

February 7 : Tuesday

Peer-to-Peer and the Limits of Liability 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

MGM v. Grokster [Online]

Assignment 3 assigned 

Due on February 16

Assignment details

February 9 : Thursday

X-Wrap Licenses and Open Source 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

ProCD v. Zeidenberg [Online]

UCITA Provisions [Online]

GNU General Public License [Online]

February 14 : Tuesday

Licensing and Liability 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Mortenson v. Timberline [Online]

Williams v. AOL [Online]

Cardozo v. True [Online]

Aetna v. Jeppesen [Online]

February 16 : Thursday

U.S. Policy on Security 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

National Strategy [Online]

Assignment 3 due 

February 21 : Tuesday

The "Privacy" "Debate" 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

EU Directive [Online]

FTC Privacy Report [Online]

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

Assignment 4 assigned 

Due on March 7

Assignment details

February 23 : Thursday

E-Commerce 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Granholm v. Heald [Online]

February 28 : Tuesday

Criminal Law I: Spam and Spyware 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Spy Act (proposed) [Online]

Can-Spam Act (2003) [Online]

March 2 : Thursday

Criminal Law II: DMCA 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Lexmark v. Static Control [Online]

On-Line Policy Group v. Diebold [Online]

March 7 : Tuesday

Concluding Thoughts 

Lecturer: Larry Downes

Required Readings

Easterbrook, Law of the Horse [Online]

Assignment 4 due 

last updated on 2006-01-12 by syardi