News & Events

Moritz Law Faculty Panel To Discuss Internet Copyright Wars

Event will be held at noon on October 14

October 3, 2003

Contact: Moritz Communications, (614) 292-0283

Four professors from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law will look at the ongoing Internet “Copyright Wars” during a panel discussion on Tuesday, October 14 in the Moritz College’s Saxbe Auditorium, located in John Deaver Drinko Hall, 55 West 12th Avenue. Professor Edward Lee will moderate the Noon discussion, “Is Downloading Theft? Legal Perspectives on the Copyright Wars.” Professors Sheldon Halpern, Peter Swire, and Douglas Berman will serve as panelists.

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Swire, an expert on Internet privacy and former Chief Counselor for Privacy for the Clinton Administration, said the issue of music sharing has become a hot topic in recent months. “The filing last month of hundreds of lawsuits by the recording industry against music ‘sharers’ is the latest round in a heated battle between the owners of music and movies and those whom the industry considers ‘pirates,’” he noted. “Millions of users, meanwhile, have used KaZaa and other peer-to-peer programs to download songs and other content over the Internet. Users complain about high CD prices and the lack of official industry Internet offerings that match what they want. The industry complains that it is impossible to ‘compete against free,’ and has sought to use the legal system in new ways to reduce unauthorized downloads.”

As part of the panel, the four professors, all experts in various aspects of intellectual property law, will explain the legal and technological issues surrounding the recording industry’s ongoing effort to curb music sharing. They also will try to point the way to a more peaceful outcome for these copyright wars.

Professor Halpern, C. William O'Neill Professor of Law and Judicial Administration, will look at the economics of the music industry, where he notes, “sharing is theft.” Professor Swire will talk about the current legal battles on downloading, and Professor Berman will share his “comments from an Intellectual Property observer.” A question and answer session will conclude the discussion, which is presented by the Moritz College’s Cyber, Intellectual Property, Technology and Entertainment Law Society.

Since 1891, the Moritz College of Law has played a leading role in the legal profession through countless contributions made by alumni and faculty. Graduates of the school reside in all 50 states and 20 other countries and include justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, current and former U.S. Senators and Representatives, managing partners in law firms of all sizes, chief executive officers of Fortune 500 corporations, and attorneys with non-profit organizations and public interest law firms.

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