IP Law Initiatives
AltLaw
In 2007, the first free, full-text searchable database of Supreme Court and Federal Appellate case reports was launched. AltLaw.org, a joint project of the Columbia Law School Program on Law and Technology and the University of Colorado Law School, made primary legal research accessible to the general public. While a myriad of other search engines existed on the internet when the project was started, none provided for a free and full-text search of court decisions. Today Project AltLaw.org’s goal is complete, and its success is evident in the fact that primary legal research is now readily available to the public, not only through Google Scholar, but also several other start-ups and non-profits.
Keep Your Copyrights
KeepYourCopyrights.org is a resource for authors, musicians, and other creators of works. It is designed to help creators hold on to their copyrights, to license their rights on author-friendly terms, and in general to encourage creators to take a more active role in managing the life of their creative work.
This site encourages a proactive attitude toward copyright management. It provides tutorials on copyright law written by Columbia professors, and example language from real publishing contracts, with detailed explanations and ratings for "creator-friendliness."
Project Posner
ProjectPosner.org makes the judicial opinions of Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner freely and easily available to the public. For lawyers and those interested in law, Judge Posner’s opinions have a particular substantive value. His opinions are distinguished by an endeavor to always make sense of the law and discern why a given law actually exists. This can make them more useful than most case reports.
Finally, some of the opinions are funny.
Law Commons
LawCommons.org is the home for the open-source development of AltLaw and a resource for anyone interested in improving access to legal information on the web.
Related Initiatives
Free Press
Prof. Tim Wu is the chairman of Free Press, a national, non-profit organization that promotes media reform through education and advocacy. Free Press works to limit media consolidation, encourage local independent journalism, and ensure universal access to communications networks.
Software Freedom Law Center
Prof. Eben Moglen is the chairman of the Software Freedom Law Center, which provides legal services to the free and open-source software communities. The center counsels project leaders on licensing, trademarks, patents, non-profit organization, and litigation. It also promotes the long-term stability of free and open-source software through educational publications, speaking events, and attorney training.
