1.  How to find/contact me
    a.  Office hours
2.  How to find/contact my assistant, Pamela Malone
3.  Required reading
4.  Schedule changes
5.  Grading policy
6.  Final exam
    a.  Exam schedule
    b.  Exam format
    c.  Length restriction
    d.  Sources and citation requirements
    e.  Other requirements
7.  Other course requirements
    a.  Discussion memos
    b.  Class participation
    c.  Course announcements
8.  Discussion site

1. How to find/contact me.   <BACK TO INDEX>

Office:  McDonough 410
Telephone:  202-662-9871
Fax:  202-662-9412
E-mail:  jec -at- law dot georgetown dot edu

a. Office hours.  My office hours are Mondays, 3:30-5:30 p.m., and other times by appointment.  Visits to office hours are welcome and encouraged.  You should also feel free to ask me questions via e-mail.

2. How to find/contact my assistant, Pamela Malone .    <BACK TO INDEX>

Location:  McDonough Hall, 4th floor near Room 404
Telephone:  202-662-9401
Fax:  202-662-9412
E-mail:  pmm49 -at- law dot georgetown dot edu

3. Required reading. <BACK TO INDEX>

• Cohen, Loren, Okediji & O'Rourke, Copyright in a Global Information Economy (Aspen Law & Business, 2d ed. 2006).
• Cohen, Loren, Okediji & O'Rourke, Copyright in a Global Information Economy 2008 Case and Statutory Supplement (Aspen Law & Business 2008).
• Suggested reference materials (not required, but you may find them helpful):
• coolcopyright.com, the companion web site for the casebook, which includes a collection of online copyright resources.
• Marshall Leaffer, Understanding Copyright Law (LexisNexis, 4th ed. 2005).
• Melville B. Nimmer & David Nimmer, Nimmer on Copyright (multi-volume treatise, in library).

4. Schedule changes. <BACK TO INDEX>

Class will be cancelled on Weds., Oct. 15.  I have scheduled a makeup class on Weds., Oct. 22, 3:30-4:55 p.m., in Room 206.  The makeup class will be audiotaped.  For this and any other makeup classes, we will continue through the material in the order listed on the syllabus.

5.Grading policy. <BACK TO INDEX>

Your final exam grade will be your course grade.  However, I will make a downward adjustment of half a grade for failure to post a required discussion memo by the applicable deadline (see Discussion memos, below).

6. Final exam. <BACK TO INDEX>

a. Exam schedule.  The final exam will be an 8-hour, take-home exam, to be picked up on Tues., Dec. 16, at 9:00 a.m.

b. Exam format.  The exam will consist of three essay questions, weighted equally.  Two will be traditional, issue-spotter questions.  The third will be more policy-oriented, and will ask for your opinion about how a current issue affecting copyright law should be resolved.  I will post old exam questions and answers on the courseware site later in the semester, and will be happy to discuss them with you.

c. Length restriction.  In total, your exam may not exceed 4500 words. You will be asked to use the "word count" feature of your word processing software to determine the number of words in your completed exam and to include that number on the document that you hand in to the Registrar.  If you do not know how to use this feature, please make sure to learn before you take the exam. Answers exceeding the word limit will be marked down by half a grade for every 50 words over the limit.

d. Sources and citation requirements.  The exam will be open-book.  You may consult any inanimate object; however, no credit will be given for citations to any materials that were not assigned for this course.  You may not discuss the content of the exam with any other person, whether or not that person is enrolled in this class.  Citation to relevant cases and statutory provisions is required to receive full credit.  Your answer should indicate why the cited material is relevant.  You do not need to use Bluebook form; simply write, e.g., (§102(b)) or (Feist).  Please make your statutory citations as precise as possible.

e. Other requirements.  Exam answers must be typed and double-spaced.  Use of computers is encouraged.  Please think, organize, and prioritize carefully before you write, and please spell-check your answers.  Cogent, well-structured answers that devote the most analysis to the most important issues will be graded more highly; poorly-organized, ungrammatical, or chronically misspelled answers will receive lower grades.

7. Other course requirements.  <BACK TO INDEX>

a. Discussion memos. <BACK TO INDEX>
 
• What is a discussion memo?  During the semester, each of you will be required to post two short (<300 words), informal memos on the class Discussion site.  The memos should discuss some issue relevant to the readings for the assigned class meeting and/or pose questions for class discussion.  Memos must be in your own words (i.e., please do not simply re-post an interesting item you have found elsewhere).
• Why do I require discussion memos?  I consider the memos a very important part of the course.  They help me to determine which issues you find most compelling or confusing, and they also give you a different kind of opportunity to be heard in class (which in turn helps me get to know you a little better).  You should treat your classmates' memos as part of the course reading assignment for that day.  Issues raised in the memos are also fair game for the final exam.
• How will the discussion memos affect your grades?  The memos will not be graded, nor will I criticize your prose.  A memo will affect your grade only if you fail to post it by the required time.  Failure to post a memo by the applicable deadline will reduce your course grade by half a grade. (see Grading policy, above). PLEASE NOTE:  Like court filing deadlines, memo deadlines are firm.  No extensions or excuses will be allowed.  If you foresee that you will be unable to post your memo at the appointed time, you may arrange a trade with another member of the class.  However, I must be notified of all trades at least 24 hours before the memo is to be posted.
• What are the assigned dates to post memos?  On Weds., Sept. 10, I will distribute and post on the courseware site a list with the memo assignments for each remaining class meeting.  Each student's name will appear on the list twice; please be sure to find both dates to which you are assigned.   The first memos will be posted for Class 4, which meets on Mon., Sept. 15.
• When must memos be posted to the site?  Memos must be posted in the appropriate forum within the courseware site by 8 p.m. (Eastern time) on the day before the class for which they are assigned.  (Thus, for example, memos for Class 4, Mon., Sept. 15 must be posted by 8 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 14, in the "Copyrightable Subject Matter" discussion forum.)
• How do makeup classes affect memo posting assignments?  In the event of a makeup class, we will continue through the material in the order listed on the syllabus.  If your assigned class falls in the makeup time slot, you must post your memo by 8 p.m. on the day before the makeup class.
• Is there a required format?  When posting your memos, please include in the header:  Memo for Class #__ [please use the actual class number from the syllabus].  Other than that, it's up to you.
• Does the courseware software impose any restrictions?  Yes, two very important ones. (1) Please do not post your memos as attachments since the courseware system does not reliably handle this type of posting and other people may not be able to retrieve your memo.  (2)  Please be aware that if the courseware system does not detect any activity for 20 minutes, it will terminate your session.  If you have been composing your memo while online, you will lose your memo and you will not be able to retrieve your work.  The 20-minute limit is built into the software and I can't change or waive it for you.  It is best to compose your memo offline (e.g., as a Word document), and then copy the text of the memo and paste it directly into the body of your courseware posting.


b. Class participation. <BACK TO INDEX>

Class participation will be required of all students on a random on-call basis.

I consider class participation important practice for fielding questions from clients and judges.  I appreciate that being questioned in class is not always the most enjoyable experience.  Please know that my intent is not to conduct an exercise in terrorism but to have a thoughtful conversation among reasonable adults.  I encourage you to take the time you need to reflect while answering, and to ask for clarification as needed.

From time to time, we will do simulation exercises designed to get everyone involved in considering a pertinent problem.  I will assign each area of the classroom a role (e.g., plaintiffs/defendants/judges, or licensors/licensees) and ask you to spend five or ten minutes working with your neighbors to develop solutions (e.g., arguments, proposed license provisions).

c. Course announcements. <BACK TO INDEX>
 
• From time to time, I will post announcements on the courseware site.  The announcements may concern unanticipated schedule changes (e.g., due to illness, weather-related cancellations).  They may also concern role assignments for a simulation exercise to be conducted in an upcoming class.  To the extent practicable, all announcements about assignments and reasonably anticipated schedule changes will also be made in class.  However, especially if you have missed class, you are responsible for checking the "Announcements" section of the courseware site regularly to make sure that you know what is there.

8. Courseware site. <BACK TO INDEX>

• The courseware site may be accessed via the course home page or via the GULC courseware main page, using the password given out in class.
• Any document that I hand out in class will also be available via the "Documents" section of the courseware site.
• The site is not reserved only for course assignments.  Please feel free to use it for general discussion of course-related topics, including the many interesting copyright issues that regularly crop up in the news, or to respond to questions posed by your classmates in their memos.  It won't hurt your grade, and it may help you master the material.  Please don't feel that you need to understand all the issues/questions before you post something.  The best way to learn is by asking questions and giving yourself opportunities to practice using copyright concepts and terminology.
• If you find links to interesting copyright-related materials and would like to share them, please use the "Links" section of the site.
• PLEASE NOTE:  As a result of design decisions outside my control, you must set your browser to accept cookies in order to use the courseware site.  In addition, you will need your system-wide username and password to access the GULC courseware system.