Chart of Assignments
Updated as of: April 25, 2022
Where and When:
Thursdays & Fridays 1:30 - 2:45 p.m., Classroom 2
My practice is to log in to Zoom for every class, making it remotely observable. Check your email for the logon information.
If you are sick or believe you may pose a risk of transmitting illness to others, please stay home.
Note that unless special arrangements apply, observing by Zoom doesn't count as attendance, but please note the syllabus's extremely generous attendance policy with regard to covid.
In the reading assignments below, "Rantanen" refers to
Introduction to Intellectual Property: Cases and Questions (Fall 2021 Edition) by Jason Rantanen. (This edition is also called the "Second Edition."). Make sure to look at the book assignment information on the main class webpage to ensure you get the right book in an appropriate format.
Day by Day:
Week No 1
THURSDAY January 20 No 1
0. About the Course
No reading on this topic for today.
1. Blackletter Overview
FRIDAY January 21 No 2
1. Blackletter Overview, continued
No additional reading.
2. Justifications for Intellectual Property
Read Rantanen Ch. 2, pp. 13-26.
Week No 2
THURSDAY January 27 No 3
0. About the Course (continued)
Read the Syllabus if you haven't already done so.
2. Justifications for Intellectual Property (continued)
No additional reading.
3. Copyrightable Subject Matter and the Requirements of Originality and Fixation
Read Rantanen Ch. 3, pp. 27-42.
FRIDAY January 28 No 4
4. The Idea/Expression Dichotomy
Read Rantanen Ch. 4, pp. 43-49.
Week No 3
THURSDAY February 3 No 5
WEATHER CONTINGENCY; CLASS ONLINE: At the direction of OU, classes are online today. Check your email for a message sent on or around Wed 2/2 11:32 a.m. with instructions for attending this class today.
5. Ownership of Copyrights
Read Rantanen Ch. 5, pp. 50-64.
FRIDAY February 4 No 6
WEATHER CONTINGENCY; CLASS ONLINE: At the direction of OU, classes are online today. Check your email for a message sent on or around Wed 2/2 11:32 a.m. with instructions for attending this class today.
6. Copyright Formalities and the Public Domain
Read Rantanen Ch. 6, pp. 67-92.
Week No 4
THURSDAY February 10 No 7
7. Introduction to Copyright Infringement
Read Rantanen Ch. 7, pp. 93-99.
8. Additional Rights of the Copyright Owner
Read Rantanen Ch. 8, pp. 100-107.
FRIDAY February 11 No 8
7. Introduction to Copyright Infringement, continued
No additional reading.
8. Additional Rights of the Copyright Owner, continued
No additional reading.
Week No 5
THURSDAY February 17 No 9
8. Additional Rights of the Copyright Owner, continued
No additional reading. (Note that we're covering music copyright under this heading, and we'll finish that off.)
9. Statutory Limits on Copyright Enforcement, Including Fair Use
Read Rantanen Ch. 9, pp. 108-127.
FRIDAY February 18 No 10
9. Statutory Limits on Copyright Enforcement, Including Fair Use, continued
Read Rantanen Ch. 9, pp. 128-147.
Week No 6
THURSDAY February 24
Class canceled.
There is no IP Survey class on this day. Note: Class will NOT be held remote/online. While OU moved classes online for weather reasons, I must cancel class because of a family emergency. I apologize for the inconvenience. Assignments have been moved back one day.
FRIDAY February 25
Class canceled.
There is no IP Survey class on this day. Note: Class will NOT be held remote/online. OU canceled classes, including online. Enjoy the snow day!
Week No 7
THURSDAY March 3 No 11
10. What a Patent Is; Patent Anatomy
In Rantanen Ch. 12, read pp. 174-176 & 192-197; explore/review/look-over pp. 177-191 (Pat. No. U.S. RE39,247 E). WARNING: Do not try to word-for-word read the patent. If you were a biology or chemistry major undergrad, a word-for-word reading might cause severe adverse health consequences. If you were a liberal arts major, a word-for-word reading might cause you to die. So instead, look it over before and after reading the case. See what you can discern from the patent in terms of how it is structured and how it works as a functional document.
FRIDAY March 4 No12
11. Patent Eligible Subject Matter
Read Rantanen Ch. 13, pp. 198-208.
14. Utility
No additional reading for this topic; it was covered in Rantanen's Ch. 13, assigned for Topic 11, Patent Eligible Subject Matter.
Week No 8
THURSDAY March 10 No 13
11. Patent Eligible Subject Matter, continued
Review the subject matter slides from last class [pdf]. We'll have a couple more slides on this.
14. Utility, continued
Review the utility slides from last class [pdf]. I am going to give you bonus problems in class.
12. Novelty and Prior Art
Read Rantanen Ch. 14, pp. 209-224.
FRIDAY March 11 No14
13. Nonobviousness
Read Rantanen Ch. 15, pp. 225-248.
Spring Break
THURSDAY March 17
Spring Break - no class
FRIDAY March 18
Spring Break - no class
Week No 9
THURSDAY March 24 No 15
15. Patent Claims and Patent Process
Read Rantanen Ch. 16, pp. 249-258.
FRIDAY March 25 No16
16. Disclosure Requirements
No reading on this topic.
17. Claim Construction and Infringement
Read the portion of Rantanen Ch. 18 that spans pages 273-274.
Week No 10
THURSDAY March 31 No 17
17. Claim Construction and Infringement (held over from last time)
No new reading over what was assigned last Friday: Read the portion of Rantanen Ch. 18 that spans pages 273-274.
18. Utility Patents and Regulatory Exclusivities in Pharmaceuticals
No reading for this topic.
19. Design Patents
No reading for this topic.
FRIDAY April 1 No18
20. Sui Generis Rights
No reading for this topic.
21. What Qualifies as a Trade Secret
Read Rantanen Ch. 10, pp. 148-167.
Week No 11
THURSDAY April 7 No 19
20. Sui Generis Rights (held over from last time)
No reading for this topic.
21. What Qualifies as a Trade Secret (held over from last time)
Re-review Rantanen Ch. 10, pp. 148-167 (This was assigned last week, but be sure to refresh your recollection -- I'll be asking questions about the case in class.)
22. Misappropriation of Trade Secrets
Read Rantanen Ch. 11, pp. 168-173.
FRIDAY April 8 No20
22. Misappropriation of Trade Secrets (continued)
No new reading.
23. What a Trademark Is; Distinctiveness
Read Rantanen Ch. 19, pp. 303-327.
Week No 12
THURSDAY April 14 No 21
DELAYED START: Class on 4/14 will begin at 2:00 p.m. I apologize for the inconvenience.
23. What a Trademark Is; Distinctiveness (continued)
No additional reading.
24. Distinctiveness in Trade Dress
Read the portion of Rantanen Ch. 20, pp. 328-330 & 344-349.
FRIDAY April 15 No22
25. Functionality
Read Rantanen Ch. 21, pp. 350-356.
Week No 13
THURSDAY April 21 No 23
26. Priority, Registration and Incontestability
Read Rantanen Ch. 22, pp. 357-385.
FRIDAY April 22 No24
27. Trademark Infringement
Read Rantanen Ch. 23, pp. 387-398.
Week No 14
THURSDAY April 28 No 25
28. Right of Publicity
FRIDAY April 29 No26
33. Review: Applications, Problems, Analysis
Note: The plan for today's review session is based on requests from students.
Read "1UP" IP 2016 Spring Final [pdf], and at least outline an answer based on what we've learned this semester. If you have the time, writing up a whole answer is probably a good use of your time.
In class, we will go over "1UP."
In class, I'll do a rapid lightning review of patent law.
In class, I'll be ready to go over any released multiple-choice questions [pdf] (and answers [pdf]) on request.
Optional bonus session on IP licensing: Immediately following class, I will do an optional, practice-oriented session on IP licensing in Classroom 3 (i.e., we'll have to move out of our regular classroom). This will be material that's not part of class and thus won't add any material to what's being tested on the exam -- I offer it purely for your general knowledge and professional development.