COMM 302: CASE STUDY PAPER ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
Write a case study of 6 to 7 pages on a controversy (a legal dispute currently or recent in the news) which can cover copyright, trademark, patent or right to publicity law from one of the above.
Requirements: The case study paper assignment is intended to provide you with a chance to examine how the intellectual property principles we have explored in the course apply in the “real world” environment.
The first step of the assignment is to choose a topic on an issue of copyright, trademark, patent, or “rights to publicity” law. It is up to you to choose which of these areas of law you want to draw from based upon your personal interest. Once you have decided between one of these broader subjects, you should then do additional research and find a current case or controversy (a legal dispute currently or recently in the news) dealing in this area of the law.
The controversy may have resulted in a lawsuit and a court decision or it may only involve the treat of a legal action involving the area of law; either is appropriate for your case study.
Once you have chosen a specific controversy to study, you should then conduct additional research regarding the case for your paper. Therefore, it is important that you find a controversy which has received enough coverage and attention that you are able to find articles, reports, and/or commentaries about the case from which to draw from.
Paper: After researching the case, you should write a paper of 6-7 page paper. This paper should:
• Include an overview of the facts of the case situation you have chosen
to study;
• Identify relevant legal issues raised by the situation;
• Discuss the outcome of the case;
• Provide a critical analysis of the importance of the case and how its
outcome may impact our understanding of communication law – this will include your own analysis and discussion of analysis by others you uncover in your research; and
• Provide a bibliography of at least 5 sources (at least 3 of “academic quality”). Sources may be cited in either APA or MLA format.
Some additional things you may also want to touch on in your discussion and analysis may include:
• Was the conduct of the parties involved moral or ethical? Why or why not?
• Does the law adequately govern the activity involved in the case? If not, what could be done to address the situation?
• Is it moral or ethical for society to regulate the activity in the way that it has?
What are the broader implications for society?
Credit: The case study paper and analysis will account for 20% of your final
grade.
For additional information, please view the overview video posted on Blackboard.
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