Dr. E. Michael Harrington is professor of intellectual property at Belmont University in Nashville, TN and has served as an expert witness in numerous music copyright cases. He is also chair of the College Music Society Committee on the Music Industry, serves on the board of directors of the Nashville Composers Association, and on the Advisory Board of Plagiary.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington covers a broad range of topics relating to file sharing, copyright law, fair use, and the future of music. He gives a thorough explanation of what is considered fair use and what isn’t, and warns of the dangers of setting legal limitations on technology before it has had a chance to enter the marketplace.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington talks about the benefits and drawbacks of subscription-based music services, and shares his views on why people don’t perceive music sharing as an illegal act.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington talks about the ways in which the old royalty system has become outmoded, suggesting that the variety of delivery methods available through modern technology (MP3s, ring tones, CDs) may require different royalty rates.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington discusses the progressive copyright laws created by the European Union and Canada, suggesting that these can serve as guidelines for revising United States’ approach to digital music issues.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington tackles the sticky subject of the RIAA’s restrictions on ephemeral recordings and the damaging effect these copyright laws have on consumers’ goodwill toward the recording industry.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington explains how this 1992 bill set the stage for future restrictions to fair use of recorded media.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington talks about why he thinks teaching copyright at an elementary level is a terrible idea, and explains the true purpose of copyright law as it was initially intended by the United States’ founding members.
In this clip, Curtis Harrington, President of the Entertainment Law Society at Loyola University Law School, introduces Dr. E. Michael Harrington, an IP professor and expert witness in music copyright law cases. They give an overview of the topics they will discuss, including copyright, and fair use, and the digital marketplace.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington gives a legal definition of copyright infringement and describes the criteria used to determine whether a composition is “original.” He also stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between using both technical and more abstract means to compare compositions, explaining why using one method exclusively can lead to incorrect conclusions.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington offers the legal, as well as his personal, interpretations of fair use of copyrighted material, explaining what types of uses tend to fall into gray areas of the law, and how he thinks these should be handled.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington examines the legal challenges of sampling copyrighted material, and discusses why he believes sampling should, in some cases, have fair use privileges.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael addresses the elusive nature of music’s influence on composers, arguing that no songwriter works in a vacuum. Here he explores the vague territory between influence and plagiarism, and attempts to make the distinction as perceived by copyright law and his own expert opinion.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington discusses the challenges of obtaining licenses in a changing industry, in which the transfer of copyright ownership is prevalent, each type of license has its limitations, and the recording industry continues to put up obstacles to new technologies. Harrington offers some possible solutions to these problems, giving examples from throughout history as to how the marketplace and legal system have adjusted to accommodate changes in technology and consumer demand.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington explains why it’s crucial to release technology before creating laws that limit its use. He goes on to give examples of what he believes are legitimate reasons to copy recorded media, and argues that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has done little more than create ill will among consumers by attempting to prevent the digital sharing of music. Harrington also cites examples of artists whom he believes have met with success by embracing the concept of peer-to-peer music sharing, and questions the motives of those who are eager to head to court over potentially “harmless” infringement cases.
IP professor and copyright law expert Dr. E. Michael Harrington discusses Radiohead’s experiment in which they let their fans set the price they are willing to pay for their album, and shares his thoughts on whether this model can work for lesser-known artists.
