American University Washington College of Law Hosts Sixth Annual Finnegan Lecture
Event will focus on the origins of 1976 Copyright Act and its influence in the digital era
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC, November 4, 2010 – American University Washington College of Law Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) presents the Sixth Annual Finnegan Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 5:00 P.M. EDT.
This year’s program will feature Marybeth Peters, register of copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office, where she has worked almost 45 years in various roles.
Peters’ lecture will focus on the Copyright Act of 1976, a comprehensive statutory revision designed to reframe copyright law for the modern era. As the influence of that act increases in the digital era, it is beneficial to have a fuller understanding of the origins of the 1976 Act.
Peters will discuss the process and pressures in copyright law that fueled the demand for a comprehensive revision and describe the role of the Copyright Office in the legislative process leading up to enactment, and then in the implementation and aftermath of enactment. She will offer reflections on why proponents sought a number of fundamental changes to copyright law, and then use the benefit of hindsight to consider whether those changes produced the anticipated effects.
The event will feature opening remarks from David M. Kelly, partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
There will be comments and reflections on Peters’ remarks from Arthur J. Levine, a former member fo the Copyright Office currently counsel at Finnegan, and Jon Baumgarten, who served as General Counsel of the Copyright Office from January 1976 through 1979.
Participation at this event is limited and is nearing capacity. To ensure your participation, register as soon as possible at wcl.american.edu/secle/registration.
When: November 4, 2010
5 P.M. Reception, 6 P.M. Lecture
Where: American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20016, Room 603
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About the Lecturer
Marybeth Peters became the United States Register of Copyrights on August 7, 1994. From 1983 to 1994 she held the position of policy planning adviser to the register. She has also served as acting general counsel of the Copyright Office and as chief of both the Examining and Information and Reference divisions. Peters is the author of The General Guide to the Copyright Act of 1976. From 1986 to 1995, Peters, was a lecturer in the Communications Law Institute of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and previously served as adjunct professor of copyright law at The University of Miami School of Law and at The Georgetown University Law Center. From 1989 to 1990 Peters was a consultant on copyright law to the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
About PIJIP
The Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University Washington College of Law promotes balanced approaches to intellectual property that reward creators while ensuring broad public access to information and related products. Each fall, PIJIP partners with Finnegan to sponsor the Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Property.
About Finnegan
With more than 375 intellectual property lawyers, Finnegan is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation.
American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school’s nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its 1700 JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, DC and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu.
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