Spring 2015

Professors Jeanne Fromer and Christopher Sprigman

Topic: To examine the topic of design in intellectual property law. Starting with theories of intellectual property law, we will go on to study the legal regimes that allow and/or restrain protection of aspects of design (copyright and its useful-articles doctrine; utility patent; design patent; trademark, trade dress, and their functionality doctrine; and sui generis protections); industries in which design is important (such as fashion, industrial design, and marketing generally); the value of design in society and legal and non-legal incentives to produce valuable designs; and the role of norms in design. We will draw on legal sources as well as related work in economics, sociology, history, and disciplines in which design is particularly important, such as engineering, fashion, home furnishings, and marketing.

Thursday, January 29

Michael Bierut, Partner, Pentagram
Allan Chochinov, Chair, MFA Products of Design, School of Visual Arts; Partner, Core77
Steven Heller, Co-Chair, MFA Design Department, School of Visual Arts
Frank Martinez, Trademark lawyer, The Martinez Group; MFA Design Faculty, School of Visual Arts
Thoughts on Design from Designers

Thursday, February 5

Frederic Godart, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD 
Popularity and Embeddedness of Cultural Elements: The Case of Global High-Fashion

Thursday, February 12

Karl Ulrich, CIBC Endowed Professor, Professor of Operations and Information Management, Vice Dean of Innovation, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
The Importance of the Raw Idea in Innovation: Testing the Sow’s Ear Hypothesis

Thursday, February 19

Sarah Burstein, Associate Professor of Law, The University of Oklahoma College of Law
The Beauty of Product-Specific Design Protection

Thursday, February 26

Carliss Baldwin, William L. White Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Modularity and Intellectual Property Protection

Thursday, March 5

Tanuka Ghoshal, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Indian School of Business
When Does Aesthetics of Ambient Product Cues like Container Packaging Influence Product Evaluations?

Thursday, March 12

Jason Du Mont, Microsoft Intellectual Property Fellow, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Creativity in Design

Thursday, March 26

Mark McKenna, Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Presidential Fellow, University of Notre Dame The Law School
Scope