The Changing Legal Landscape for Intellectual Property

This edition of Washington Legal Foundation's CONVERSATIONS WITH examines the ongoing evolution of intellectual property rights in America's free enterprise system.
Former Attorney General of the United States and Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh leads an informative discussion with Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Eli Lilly and Company, Robert A. Armitage; Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Viacom Inc.Michael D. Fricklas; and Brad Smith, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Legal & Corporate Affairs for Microsoft.
The participants explain why copyrights, patents, trademarks, and other forms of intellectual property merit the same respect under the U.S. Constitution as real property, and what can be done to foster further public respect for IP rights.
They also comment on several key issues and debates involving IP rights such as online copyright protection; the patent system in the U.S. and abroad; and efforts to prevent overseas counterfeiting of technology.(Read more)