Constitutional Law I and II
Constitutional Law I: This course examines the Constitution of the United States, its interpretation, and its application. Topics include developments relating to judicial review of legislative action, problems of federalism, limits on the power of government regulation, and the protection of civil and political rights. This is a required course.
Constitutional Law II: This course involves an in-depth consideration of the federal constitutional protection of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, with emphasis on freedom of speech in the political context. This course examines the scope and influence of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Contracts
This course provides a comprehensive study of the creation, transfer, and termination of contract rights and duties with a focus on the common law.
Information Privacy Law
This course examines current U.S. practice regarding the right of an individual to control one’s personal information from its origins in common law jurisprudence to its role in transactional settings such as healthcare, financial services, e-commerce, and governmental surveillance. Today, information privacy policies are at the forefront of military policy, criminal procedures, employment disputes, and commercial activities. The course will explore the history of U.S. privacy, the current development of privacy regulation and identify the next steps necessary for expansion of U.S. policy in this area. The course will explore constitutional protections and limitations on privacy, organizational compliance, legal constraints on law enforcement and intelligence gathering, and application of privacy norms in technology through “privacy by design,” “app store rules,” “do not call,” “do not track,” and other strategies.
Entertainment Law
This course will address the legal and transactional issues involved with live performance, recording agreements, motion picture licensing, finance and development, virtual entertainment of computer gaming and virtual worlds, and new media. Students will immerse themselves in the deal-making aspects of practice in the entertainment industry and the relationships between the media producers, distributors, and artists in these industries. Students will familiarize themselves with the intellectual property rights and contractual relationships between the media producers, distributors, and authors in these industries and develop client counseling and problem-solving skills using issues related to the entertainment industry and business planning. (This course has also been offered as two separate courses – Music Law and Licensing and the Law of Motion Picture and Theatre.)
Copyright Law
Copyright shapes a nation’s culture and fuels its creativity. This course examines the fundamental elements of copyright protection, including the nature of the underlying economic and natural rights for copyright protection, ownership and transfer of copyright, duration, scope, and limitations such as fair use and consumer rights. The objectives of this course are (i) to introduce the student to the substantive area of copyright law and the concepts related to the creation and legal protection of intangible property rights; (ii) to expose students to a complex federal statutory code and develop the skills of statutory analysis; (iii) to develop an appreciation for the impact of federal rule-making on private commercial transactions; and (iv) to explore the impact of copyright in the marketplace through the use of the Internet and other electronic media.
Trademark Law And Unfair Competition
Every business relies on its brands, domain names, logos or other tools to differentiate itself from the competition. Trademarks are the primary tool for business to differentiate itself from competition and build relations with customers. To understand these tools and their contours, this course provides in-depth treatment of trademark and unfair competition law, including the adoption, registration and enforcement of marks. The objectives of this course are (i) to introduce the student to the substantive area of trademark law; (ii) to expose students to a complex federal statutory code and develop the skills of statutory analysis; and (iii) to expose students to business strategies to create and maintain intangible value in business enterprises.
Intellectual Property Law
The objectives of this course are (i) to introduce you to the substantive areas of intellectual property law and the concepts related to the creation and legal protection of intangible property rights; (ii) to expose you to a complex federal statutory code and develop the skills of statutory analysis; (iii) to develop an appreciation for the impact of federal rule-making on private commercial transactions; and (iv) to explore the impact of intellectual property rules and norms in the marketplace. The course will provide an introduction to copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and publicity rights, with an emphasis on how these five discrete fields interact. The course materials are inherently comparative in nature, allowing you to see how very different legal doctrine can be used separately or in combination to develop problem solving approach, solve client problems, and appreciate how these different regimes create economic, ethical and sociological structures.
Drafting and Negotiating Intellectual Property Licenses
This workshop helps students understand the fundamental elements of an intellectual property license, explore the best practices regarding the creation and protection of intellectual property rights, and develop an understanding of best practices regarding intellectual property-based transactions. Providing practical experience with intellectual property documents, this workshop will cover important IP terminology and focus on clear, effective writing, negotiating, and counseling skills while considering client and counter-party interests. Considering licensing related to copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and rights of publicity, this course will cover licensing as a stand-alone transaction as well as in the merger and acquisition setting. Through drafting and simulation exercises, the students will develop these skills and identify strategies for effective negotiation of intellectual property rights. Additional prerequisite(s): Any one of the following: Copyright, Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, or Trademark Law and Unfair Competition.
Strategic Business Planning For Lawyers
Whatever the area of legal practice, lawyers working in private practice are called upon to operate sophisticated business enterprises to facilitate client development; address competitive forces; create a healthy, professional working environment; and manage the constant change at the heart of modern legal practice. As the Best Practices of Legal Education explains, every lawyer is expected to “demonstrate an appreciation of the commercial environment of legal practice, including the market for legal services.” To achieve these ends, this course requires students to contextualize their understanding of corporate law, contract law and other legal topics related to business organizations primarily from the perspective of the organization’s leadership. Students will develop skills to bring the business leaders’ perspective to legal problem–solving and to integrate business ethics with legal ethics regarding the evaluation of potential solutions to organizational challenges.
Advanced Federal Crimes
This course examines doctrine and policy in the prosecution and defense of federal crimes. Topics covered may include white-collar crimes, racketeering, cybercrime, and offenses involving narcotics, firearms, terrorism, immigration, and human trafficking. Additional Prerequisite(s): Constitutional Law I and Criminal Law. This course will focus primarily on cybercrimes, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Child Pornography, Wiretap Act, Cybersecurity Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act but will necessarily also include many other federal crimes such as the RICO, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and others.
Social Media and the Law
This course examines current the global influence of social media as it applies to legal norms in media law, constitutional law, civil rights, employment law intellectual property, and related legal contexts both in the United States and abroad. Through student-directed research, the course will introduce students to the global, disruptive nature of social media and the impact that it will have across a variety of legal constructs.
Courses offered outside of legal education (J.D.) for Master of Science in Law students
Federal Privacy Law
This course examines current U.S. practice regarding the right of an individual to control one’s personal information from its origins to its role in transactional settings such as healthcare, financial services, e-commerce, and governmental surveillance. Today, information privacy policies are at the forefront of military policy, criminal procedures, employment disputes, and commercial activities. The course will explore the history of U.S. privacy, the current development of privacy regulation and identify the next steps necessary for expansion of U.S. policy in this area. The focus of the course is federal privacy laws and the application of these laws to common economic fields and administrative proceedings. Course participants will be able to select their own focus for their final project.
Sports Law: Merchandise, Esports, and Entertainment Management
This course will address the legal and transactional issues involved with the various third-party deals that surround the business of sports management, including merchandise licensing, endorsements, advertising, esports platform development, virtual reality, media (including print, digital, and social), publicity rights, and related assets. These interactions include individual athletes and performers, unions, sports leagues, academic institutions, and regulatory bodies. The coverage is necessarily global in scope, including both amateur and professional sports in the U.S. and abroad. Students will immerse themselves in the deal-making aspects of the sports industries and the relationships among the various parties. Students also will familiarize themselves with the intellectual property rights, regulatory framework, and contractual relationships that will help them to develop counseling and problem-solving skills within the sports economy.
Cyber Law and Modern Mass Communications Policy
The goal of this course is to provide you with an understanding of the issues that may arise in sports-related transactions and the knowledge needed to communicate effectively with lawyers, clients, and third parties when an administrative body may be involved. It is not the purpose of this course to make a lawyer out of you or to encourage you to try to practice law without a license. Instead, the course will enable you to be a more effective in advising athletes or executing transactions for your employer or your business.