Assignments


Communication // Information Science 429: Copyright in a Digital Age
Fall 2007
Paper #1
due: Monday, October 22
length: 6-8 pages (8 pages max)
Answer ONE of the following questions, using the readings to help develop and support your response.1. If Lessig is right, the circulation of information and culture is regulated by the combination of law (copyright) and the market (contemporary business models). Both can and do change. So which should come first, in terms of priority, when change occurs: should copyright law change in response to a new business model that emerges, or should the business models of the industry have to change to accommodate copyright law?


tip: this is not a question about peer-to-peer, iTunes, webcasting, etc.; it is a bigger question about the principles of law and consumer culture - tackle it as such.

2. Should copyright have different standards for different kinds of content? Or is it better to have a one-size-fits-all approach where all information falls under the same rules? Consider both the history and principles of copyright, and the challenges it faces in a contemporary, digital environment.


tip: whichever direction your answer goes in, be clear in your essay about what you’re thinking of as “different kinds.”

Be sure to make a cogent argument, take care with your writing as you craft it, and use the readings to support your point. Huge tip: This is where I get to see that you’ve done and understood the readings, and are engaging with them to work out your own position on these issues; I expect you to work with the readings cogently and specifically. Your paper, maximum 8 pages, is due Monday, October 22nd, in class. Late papers without a legitimate excuse will be docked a full letter grade every class meeting missed.




Communication // Information Science 429: Copyright in a Digital Age
Fall 2007
Paper #2
length: 15-20 pages (20 pages max)
We’ve discussed a number of issues, some in depth and others only in passing. There is much more to know about copyright and its intersection with digital technology and culture. This paper is a chance for you to explore some issue that you’d like to know more about. Choose some topic from the realm of digital copyright that you think is important or interesting or troubling or overlooked. Find out as much as you can, including thorough research that extends beyond the readings assigned in this course. Then develop a paper that introduces that topic in detail, reveals how it is connected to current concerns for copyright’s role in the digital age, and develops a critical argument about its relationship to the bigger issues we’ve discussed.Your options are wide open; I’d rather you choose something you really want to know more about than what you think fits my interests. Here are some topics to consider, with examples — this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and you’re encouraged to come up with your own.

a particular case and its antecedents? - Viacom v. YouTube
- Author’s Guild et. al. v. Google
- RIAA individual lawsuits
- the broadcast flag
a particular controversy? - hip hop sampling and copyright
- open access publishing
- fan cultures
- the role of universities
copyright and particular forms of info production? - journalism
- video games
- scientific research
an historical aspect of copyright law? - the impact of a (previous) new technology
- the development of the DMCA
a conceptual feature of copyright law? - public domain
- copyright and free speech
- fair use
copyright around the world? - China
- European Union
- U.N. and WIPO
a viable alternative? - Creative Commons
- iTunes
- Napster2 / Ruckus on campuses
- next generations of DRM

Please take care in researching your topic - don’t be afraid of the library! - and with the writing itself; I’m looking for an insightful, well-supported, polished, and convincing argument. Your paper should be 15-20 pages in length (double-spaced, reasonable font, etc.) and is to be handed in in three parts:Wednesday, November 7, 2007: a one-page proposal describing the topic you hope to tackle, with some initial ideas about who the topic is important, how you’ll go about investigating it, what questions you expect it will help you address.

- this proposal will not be graded; you’re welcome to try out ideas, think out loud; this proposal is not a binding agreement to do this topic and this topic only. However, you must turn in a proposal; not having a proposal to me on the 7th will lower your final grade by a full letter.

- in class on the 7th you will discuss these proposals with some of your classmates; then you will turn it in and I will provide feedback on the feasibility of the project, make suggestions, etc.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007: a complete rough draft of your paper, to be turned in at the final class meeting. You will have an opportunity to revise it, but I would highly recommend that you think of this paper as a relatively polished rough draft — it should not have sections missing or research still to be done.

- this paper will be graded and returned to you with comments on the substance of your argument and the writing.

- if you receive an A or A- on this draft, revising it is optional.

- late drafts without a legitimate excuse will be docked a full letter grade every 24 hours, which cannot be recovered by the final version

Thursday, December 13th, noon: a final version of your research paper.

- you must respond substantively to the comments given to the rough draft; I’ll be looking to see that these responses are not superficial, but really attempt to improve the paper.

- if I see nothing more than superficial changes, the rough draft grade will remain. If I see substantive changes, the final paper grade will be the one that is recorded.

- please turn in the rough draft with my comments along with the final version

- late papers without a legitimate excuse will be docked a full letter grade every 24 hours missed.

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