Teaching

Copyright

Spring 2025 · Spring 2026 · Spring 2027

This course provides a in-depth survey of copyright law—the branch of intellectual property that provides incentives for creativity and artistic expression. We will cover the requirements to obtain copyright protection for a work of authorship, the scope of that protection. Copyright is a particularly dynamic area of law, and throughout the class we will pay attention to the policy concerns that justify and continue to shape copyright law. We will also explore the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

Survey of Intellectual Property

Fall 2025 · Spring 2027

This introductory course provides a broad survey of intellectual property law. We will cover the basics of copyright law (creativity and artistic expression); patent law (scientific and technological innovation); trademark law (brands); and trade secrecy (valuable secret information). In each module, we will cover the requirements to obtain a right and the scope of its protection.

This class is designed for two different audiences: First, for those who don’t plan to specialize in IP, but would like a broad overview of the doctrines—IP is everywhere in the modern economy, and being able to spot issues is an asset in many areas of practice. Second, for those who plan to focus on one of the constituent areas of IP, but would like a working knowledge of the others (for example, a patent specialist who would like an introduction to copyright and trademarks).

Law & Economics Colloquium

Fall 2024 · Fall 2025

The Law & Economics Colloquium offers students a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge legal scholarship. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss seven new working papers by leading legal scholars. The papers will cover a range of legal topics and empirical and theoretical approaches. For each paper, our discussion will take place over two weeks. During the first session, we will discuss the paper and relevant background literature, including a discussion of methods and purpose of the research enterprise. These sessions are guided by the instructors and a group of students who present and critique the paper’s questions, methods, and conclusions. During the second session, the author will visit our class to present and respond to questions about the paper. Students are expected to be active participants in these discussions, which will be joined by other law faculty and members of the WashU community.