S. Media Law

The seminar will cover intellectual property issues relating to the media, as well as libel, privacy, newsgathering, commercial speech, artificial intelligence and digital technology. We will cover the First Amendment as it relates to the media, and will discuss copyright and the right of publicity in the age of AI. We will work through the copyright issues relating to new technologies, Internet service providers and search engines on the Internet, including direct and contributory copyright infringement, and the safe harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

For libel, privacy and newsgathering, we will read the most salient cases and statutes, watch broadcasts that resulted in litigations, learn how to find and fix legal issues pre-publication, and pick apart hypothetical situations in multiple forms of media. We will compare notions of privacy and free expression in the United States and abroad. We will also look at the legal implications of digital advertising, social media, and user generated content.

Each student will write a 20-25 page research paper about a particular area of media law chosen by the student. Minor and major writing credit is available upon consultation with the instructors. The last two classes will be dedicated to 8-10 minute in-class student presentations of their paper topics. Grades will be based on the research paper as well as the presentation, class participation, preparedness, and attendance. No prior course in copyright or media law is required.