Résumé
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
I retired as an
attorney at law on January 19, 2019.
Specialized Legal Practice: 1986
through 2018
Representative Clients: Directors
Guild of America; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Independent Film &
Television Alliance (formerly AFMA); Allan Kaprow; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios;
Motion Picture Association; Rachmaninoff Estate; Recording Industry Association
of America; Twentieth-Century Fox Films; Writers Guild of America West; Zynga
Inc.
Main Memberships: Copyright Society of the USA, Senior Member;
International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in
Intellectual Property (ATRIP), Emeritus Member; International Literary and
Artistic Association-USA (ALAI-USA), 1989-2018; Editorial Advisory Board, European Copyright and Design Reports,
1999-2018; American Bar Association, PTC Committee 302, 1989-93
Writing, Editing,
and Teaching: Publications listed and linked below; General Editor, International Copyright Law and Practice, 1986-2013; Adjunct
Professor, International Intellectual Property, University of Southern
California School of Law, 1987-2001, and Intellectual Property, Stanford Law
School, 1989
General Legal Practice: 1977 through
1985
Counsel in business
litigation; Transactional counsel for media and other business clients
Adjunct Professor,
Comparative Law, Golden Gate University School of Law, 1977-79
Admitted to practice,
State Bar of California, December 22, 1976
HIGHER EDUCATION; TEACHING
Legal Studies:
1973 to 1976
JD, University of
Southern California School of Law, 1976; Southern California Law Review,
1974-76; Curriculum Committee, 1974-75
European Studies; Teaching: 1962 to
1973
Doctorat de 3e cycle,
Philosophy, University of Paris X, 1973; French Government Fellow, 1965-67
Instructor, Philosophy,
University of Toulouse, 1970-72; Instructor, U.S. Civilization, Institute
“Charles V,” University of Paris VII, 1969-70; Instructor, Philosophy,
University of Maryland, European Division, 1966; Instructor, English, Adult
Education, Schöneberg Borough Hall, Berlin, 1965; Assistant, English, Lycée
Pasteur, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1963-64
Fluent French; working
knowledge of German
Initial University Studies:
1957 to 1962
MA, History of Ideas,
as Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Brandeis University, 1962
BA, with General
Honors, University of Chicago, 1961
Terms of Use: You may enable others to
access any work listed below (1) if not for profit, (2) if no changes or cuts
are made in the text, and (3) if its authorship, publication or other source,
and any link furnished here are specified.
My texts here set out analyses and commentary, not legal
counsel or advice. Texts linked below may also be accessed, each with an
abstract, from my SSRN
page.
Paul Edward Geller, “International
Copyright: The Introduction,” in International
Copyright Law and Practice, ed. Lionel Bently (New Providence, NJ:
LexisNexis, 2018), pp. 1-230
Paul Edward Geller, “Opening
Dialogue on Intellectual Property,” in Juriste
sans frontières: Mélanges Ejan Mackaay (Jurist without Borders: Essays in
Honor of Ejan Mackaay), ed. Stéphane Rousseau (Montreal: Thémis, 2015), pp.
341-82
Paul Edward Geller, “The
Celestial Jam Session: Creative Sharing Online Caught in Conflicts of Copyright
Laws,” European Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol. 37 (2015), pp.
490-97; in initial form in Mélanges en
l’honneur du Professeur André Lucas (Essays in Honor of Professor André
Lucas), eds. Carine Bernault, et al.
(Paris: LexisNexis, 2014), pp. 367-78 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “How
to Practice Copyright Law Internationally in Perplexing Times?,” Journal of
the Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 60 (2013) (Essays Honoring the 50th
Anniversary of Nimmer on Copyright),
pp. 167-200
Paul Edward Geller, “Delimiting
Intellectual Property: Distinct Approaches to Spillovers,” in Spory
o własność intelektualną: Księga jubileuszowa dedykowana Profesorom Januszowi
Barcie i Ryszardowi Markiewiczowi (Disputed Issues in Intellectual
Property: Essays in Honor of Professors Janusz Barta and Ryszard Markiewicz),
eds. Andrzej Matlak and Sybilla Stanisławska-Kloc (Warsaw: Wolters Kluwer
Polska, 2013), pp. 293-307
Paul Edward Geller, “A German
Approach to Fair Use: Test Cases for TRIPs Criteria for Copyright Limitations?,”
Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 57 (2010), pp. 553-71
Paul Edward Geller, “Rethinking
the Berne-Plus Framework: From Conflicts of Laws to Copyright Reform,” European
Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol. 31 (2009), pp. 391-95, translated in
Propriétés intellectuelles, no. 35 (2010), pp. 699-703 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “Beyond
the Copyright Crisis: Principles for Change,” Journal of the Copyright
Society of the USA, vol. 55 (2008), 165-99, translated in Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle, vol. 21 (2009),
pp. 47-91 (French), and in Intellectual Property Studies (CASS IP Center), no. 19 (2009), pp. 27-74
(Chinese), and also posted in illustrated and revised form as “Principles for
Deciding Hard Copyright Cases” on my home page (2023)
Paul Edward Geller, “Dissolving
Intellectual Property,” in Propriété
intellectuelle : entre l'art et l'argent (Intellectual Property: Bridging Aesthetics and Economics), ed.
Ysolde Gendreau (Montreal: Thémis, 2006), pp. 1-14, and in European
Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol. 28 (2006), pp. 139-45, translated in
Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.],
2006, pp. 273-77
(German), in Propriétés intellectuelles,
no. 18 (2006), pp. 4-9 (French), and in Intellectual Property Studies (CASS IP
Center), no. 18 (2007), pp. 17-37 (Chinese)
Paul Edward Geller, “International Intellectual Property,
Conflicts of Laws, and Internet Remedies,” Journal of Intellectual
Property Rights (NISCAIR), vol. 10 (2005), pp. 133-40, reprinted in Intellectual Property and Information Wealth,
ed. Peter K. Yu (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007), vol. 4, pp. 243-55, and
translated in Intellectual Property Studies (CASS IP Center), no. 17 (2005),
pp. 1-36 (Chinese); in earlier form in European
Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol. 22 (2000), pp. 125-30, translated in
Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.],
2000, pp. 659-65 (German); in initial form in Intellectual Property and Information Law: Essays
in Honour of H. Cohen Jehoram, eds. Jan Kabel and Gerard Mom (The
Hague: Kluwer, 1998), pp. 29-37, translated in Cahiers de propriété
intellectuelle, vol. 12 (1999), pp. 227-41 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “Conflicts
of Laws in Copyright Cases: Infringement and Ownership Issues,” Journal of
the Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 51 (2004), pp. 315-94
Paul Edward Geller, “An
International Patent Utopia?,” European Intellectual Property Review
[EIPR], vol. 25 (2003), pp. 515-21, and in Journal of the Patent &
Trademark Office Society, vol. 85 (2003), pp. 582-610; translated in
Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.], 2004,
pp. 271-78 (German), in Propriétés intellectuelles, no. 10 (2004), pp. 503-12
(French), and in Intellectual Property Studies (CASS IP Center), no. 15 (2004),
pp. 78-115 (Chinese).
Paul Edward Geller, “Copyright History and the Future: What's Culture Got to Do With
It?,” Journal of the Copyright
Society of the USA, vol. 47 (2000) (The Millennium Volume), pp. 209-64,
translated in Forum on Intellectual Property (CASS IP Center), no. 6 (2001),
pp. 237-309 (Chinese)
Paul Edward Geller,
“Mastering Conflicts of Laws in Intellectual Property Litigation,” IPL
Newsletter (ABA IP Section), vol. 18, no. 4 (2000), pp. 7-8, 10-12
Paul Edward Geller, “Zombie and Once-Dead Works: Copyright
Retroactivity after the E.C. Term Directive,” The Entertainment and
Sports Lawyer (ABA), vol. 18, no. 2 (2000), pp. 7-11, 14
Paul Edward Geller, “Overcoming Insularity: Lessons from New
British Books for International Intellectual Property,” Journal of the
Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 46 (1999), pp. 615-29
Paul Edward Geller, “Hiroshige
v. Van Gogh: Resolving the Dilemma
of Copyright Scope in Remedying Infringement,” Journal of the
Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 46 (1998), pp. 39-70, reprinted in Dear
Images: Art, Copyright and Culture, eds. Daniel McClean and Karsten
Schubert (London: Institute of Contemporary Arts and Ridinghouse, 2002), pp.
421-52; in
initial form in Festskrift till
Gunnar Karnell (Essays
in Honor of Gunnar
Karnell), eds. Lars Gorton, et
al. (Stockholm: Carlsson Law, 1999), pp. 193-207
Paul Edward Geller, “From
Patchwork to Network: Strategies for International Intellectual Property in
Flux,” Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law, vol. 9
(1998), pp. 69-90, and in Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, vol. 31
(1998), pp. 553-74, translated in Intellectual Property Studies (CASS IP
Center), no. 5 (1998), pp. 1-40 (Chinese)
Paul Edward Geller, “Litigating Cross-Border Infringement in
International Intellectual Property: Some Practice Tips and Caveats,”
New Matter (Calif. Bar IP Section), vol. 22, no. 3 (1997), pp. 1, 3-8
Paul Edward Geller, “Conflicts of Laws in Cyberspace: Rethinking
International Copyright,” Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA,
vol. 44 (1996), pp. 103-17, and in Copyright Bulletin (UNESCO), vol. 31, no. 1
(1997), pp. 3-13 (and translated in French and Spanish in corresponding issues
in these languages); in initial form in The Future
of Copyright in a Digital Environment, ed. P. Bernt Hugenholtz (The Hague:
Kluwer, 1996), pp. 27-48, and in Columbia-VLA Journal of Law & the Arts,
vol. 20 (1996), pp. 571-603
Paul Edward Geller, “Intellectual Property in the Global
Marketplace: Impact of TRIPs Dispute Settlements,” The International
Lawyer (ABA), vol. 29 (1995), pp. 99-115, translated in Gewerblicher
Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.], 1995, pp.
935-44 (German), in Aktualne Problemy Prawa Prasowego, no. 68 (1997), pp. 9-28
(Polish), and in Propriedad Intelectual en el GATT, ed. Carlos M. Correa
(Buenos Aires: Ediciones Ciudad Argentina, 1997), pp. 171-99 (Spanish)
Paul Edward Geller, “The Universal Electronic Archive: Issues in
International Copyright,” International Review of Industrial Property
& Copyright Law [IIC], vol. 25 (1994), pp. 54-69
Paul Edward Geller, “Toward an Overriding Norm in Copyright: Sign
Wealth,” Revue Internationale du Droit d'Auteur [RIDA], no. 159
(1994), pp. 2-109 (also there translated in French and Spanish); in initial and
longer form as “Must Copyright Be For
Ever Caught Between Marketplace and Authorship Norms?,” in Of Authors
and Origins: Essays in Copyright Law, eds. Brad Sherman and Alain Strowel
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), pp. 159-201
Paul Edward Geller, “Legal
Transplants in International Copyright: Some Questions of Method,”
UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal, vol. 13 (1994), pp. 199-230
Paul Edward Geller, “New Dynamics in International Copyright,”
Columbia-VLA Journal of Law & the Arts, vol. 16 (1992), pp. 461-73,
translated in Copyright (Copyright Research and Information Center), vol. 32,
no. 8 (1992), pp. 2-9 (Japanese), in Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle, vol.
5 (1992), pp. 391-405 (French), and in Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und
Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.], 1993, pp. 526-32 (German)
Paul Edward Geller, “The Proposed EC Rental Right: Avoiding Some
Berne Incompatibilities,” World Intellectual Property Report, vol. 5
(1991), pp. 310-15, and in European Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol.
14 (1992), pp. 4-8, translated in Actualité législative Dalloz, 1992, no. 4,
pp. 29-34 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “French High Court Remands Huston Colorization Case,” Entertainment Law Reporter, vol. 13, no. 3
(1991), pp. 3-6, in New Matter (Calif. Bar IP Section), vol. 16, no. 4 (1991),
pp. 1, 10-11, and in Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 39
(1992), pp. 252-56
Paul Edward Geller, “Copyright
in Factual Compilations: U.S. Supreme Court Decides the Feist Case,” International Review of Industrial Property
& Copyright Law [IIC], vol. 22 (1991), pp. 802-08, translated as a case
note in Revue Internationale du Droit d'Auteur [RIDA], no. 150 (1991), pp.
115-24 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “Can the GATT Incorporate Berne Whole?,”
European Intellectual Property Review [EIPR], vol. 12 (1990), pp. 423-28, and
in World Intellectual Property Report (BNA), vol. 4 (1990), pp. 193-98
Paul Edward Geller, “Reprography and Other Processes of Mass Use,”
in The Reform of Copyright Law:
Experiences Abroad (Lausanne: Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, 1990),
pp. 35-54, in Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA, vol. 38 (1990), pp.
21-40, and in Revue Internationale du Droit d'Auteur [RIDA], no. 153 (1992),
pp. 3-73 (also there translated in French and Spanish)
Paul Edward Geller, Book Review: “Edelman, La propriété
littéraire et artistique,” Intellectual Property Journal, vol. 6 (1990),
pp. 113-19, translated in Cahiers de propriété intellectuelle, vol. 3
(1990), pp. 119-24 (French), and in Gewerblicher
Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht Internationaler Teil [GRUR Int.], 1992, pp. 77-79 (German)
Paul Edward Geller, Book Review: “Le Nouveau Droit
International Privé Suisse,” American Journal of Comparative Law, vol. 38
(1990), pp. 409-14
Paul Edward Geller, “Worldwide ‘Chain of Title’ to Copyright,”
Entertainment Law Reporter, vol. 11, no. 5 (1989), pp. 3-8, in World
Intellectual Property Report (BNA), vol. 4 (1990), pp. 103-07, and in New
Matter (Calif. Bar IP Section), vol. 15, no. 1 (1990), pp. 3, 26-29
Paul Edward Geller, “Harmonizing Copyright-Contract Conflicts
Analyses,” Copyright (WIPO), vol. 25 (1989), pp. 49-68, translated in Le
Droit d'Auteur (OMPI), vol. 102 (1989), pp. 49-73 (French)
Paul Edward Geller, “Copyright Protection in the Berne Union:
Analyzing the Issues,” Intellectual Property Journal, vol. 5 (1989), pp.
1-50, and in Columbia-VLA Journal of Law & the Arts, vol. 13 (1989), pp.
435-76
Paul Edward Geller,
“Staffing the Judiciary and ‘Tastes’ in Justice: A Commentary on the Papers by
Professors Bell and Clark,” Southern California Law Review, vol. 61 (1988), pp.
1849-64
Paul Edward Geller, “Comments on Possible U.S. Compliance with
Article 6bis of the Berne Convention,” Columbia-VLA Journal of
Law & the Arts, vol. 10 (1986), pp. 665-81
Paul Edward Geller, “Preassignments
of Creators' Rights: An Adhesion Analysis,” Comm/Ent, A Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law,
vol. 2 (1979), pp. 1-45
Paul Edward Geller, “Freud
et Wittgenstein: Propos autour du symptôme,” Annales de l’Université de
Toulouse-Le Mirail: Philosophie, vol. 9, no. 6 (1973), pp. 75-81
Paul Edward Geller,
“Nietzsche, Peirce et le désaveu du sujet,” Annales de l’Université de
Toulouse-Le Mirail: Philosophie, vol. 8, no. 2 (1972), pp. 95-110
SPEECHES AND PROGRAMS
Panelist, “What's
Needed? Re-envisioning the Copyright Act's Architecture for the Digital Age,”
Conference, Reforming Copyright: Process,
Policy and Politics, Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, California, March 6, 2009
Speaker, “U.S. and
German Approaches,” and Panelist, “International Fair Use, Compared,”
Symposium, Examining the Derivative Works
Right in the Face of Fair Use, University of San Francisco Law School, San
Francisco, California, Nov. 1, 2008
Panelist, “The Global
Impact of the Internet on Copyright Law,” 2008 Intellectual Property Institute,
University of Southern California School of Law, Beverly Hills, California,
March 18, 2008
Keynote Speaker,
“Dissolving Intellectual Property,” International Congress, Propriété intellectuelle: Entre l'art et
l'argent, International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and
Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP), University of Montreal, Montreal,
Quebec, July 11, 2005
Speaker, “Going Abroad:
Whose Laws Apply?,” Conference, Getting
What You Pay For: IP Issues and Risks of Offshoring, Intellectual Property
Society, Palo Alto, California, Sept. 14, 2004
Panelist,
“International Intellectual Property,” Conference, International Law West Weekend, International Law Association,
American Society of International Law, and American Bar Association, Pepperdine
Law School, Malibu, California, Jan. 26, 2001
Panelist, “Intellectual Property and
the Future of Cyberspace: Does Information Want to be Owned?,”
Research Conference, Digital Cultures
Project, University of California at Santa Barbara, Goleta, California,
Nov. 4, 2000
Panelist,
“International Intellectual Property Issues,” 46th Annual Entertainment Law Institute, Representing the Client
in the Multimedia World, University of Southern California Law School, Los
Angeles, California, Sept. 23, 2000
Luncheon Speaker,
“Conflicts of Laws in Intellectual Property Litigation,” 24th Annual
Intellectual Property Institute, State Bar of California, IP Section, Santa
Monica, California, Nov. 13, 1999
Keynote Speaker,
“International Intellectual Property at the Millennium: Tactics and
Strategies,” Seminar, Seattle and Beyond:
Intellectual Property in the New Millennium, US Council for International Business,
International Chamber of Commerce, Palo Alto, California, Oct. 19, 1999
Speaker, “Hiroshige vs.
Van Gogh: The Copyright Dilemma,” and Participant, Interdisciplinary Workshop, Creating
Intellectual Property, Annenberg Center for Communication, University of
Southern California, Los Angeles, California, Sept. 26-27, 1998
Participant, Meeting, International Intellectual Property,
American Law Institute, San Francisco, California, June 1, 1998
Speaker, “Cross-Border
Infringement of Intellectual Property: Issues of Jurisdiction and Conflicts of
Laws,” and Panelist, “Copyright Infringement Issues,” Symposium, A Balance
Between Protection and Exploitation of Digital Content, Japan
Software Information Center (SOFTIC), Tokyo, Nov. 13-14, 1997
Speaker, “Tips for
Transborder I.P. Transactions,” Plenary Session, Globalization of the
Entertainment and Sports Industries, ABA Forum on the Entertainment and
Sports Industries, Miami Beach, Florida, Oct. 18, 1997
Speaker, “From
Patchwork to Network: Strategies for International Intellectual Property in
Flux,” Conference, Public-Private Initiatives After TRIPs, Duke Law
School, Center for Global Information Technologies, Brussels, July 16-19, 1997
Panelist, “Technical
Protection & Electronic Rights Management Systems,” Conference, Digital Content: New Products and New Business Models, Berkeley Center for
Law & Technology, University of California, Berkeley, California, Nov. 8-9,
1996
Panelist, “Private
International Law Aspects of the Global Information Infrastructure,” World
Forum, The Protection of Intellectual
Creations in the Information Society, World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) and Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naples, Oct.
18-20, 1995
Speaker, “Conflicts of
Law in Cyberspace,” Academy Colloquium, The
Future of Copyright in a Digital Environment, Royal Netherlands Academy of
Arts and Sciences and Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, July 6-7, 1995
Panelist, “TRIPs,
Neighboring Rights, and the E.C. Term Directive,” Getting Ready for GATT: Effects at Home on Copyright and Artist Rights,
California Copyright Conference, Studio City, California, January 17, 1995
Participant, International Intellectual Property Study
Group, Pacific Council on International Policy, Los Angeles, California,
1994-95
Speaker, “Impact of
TRIPs Dispute Settlements?,” Trinational Forum, Intellectual Property and Industrial Development, Institute of
Legal Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City,
June 8-10, 1994
Speaker, “Impact of
TRIPs Dispute Settlements?,” International Conference, Intellectual and
Industrial Property: Objectives & Strategies, Commission of the
European Community, Athens, April 11-13, 1994
Participant,
Conference, Intellectual Property
Protection in East Asia, Center for East Asian Studies of the University of
Missouri and Law School of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, Feb.
25-26, 1994
Speaker, “The Universal
Electronic Archive: Issues in International Copyright,” Symposium, The
Impact of Digital Technology on Copyright and Neighboring Rights, World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Harvard Law School, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, March 31-April 2, 1993
Speaker, “Le droit
d’auteur aux États-Unis et les oeuvres audiovisuelles classiques,” Droit d’auteur et Patrimoine
cinématographique, France-U.S.A., Jurista, Nantes, France, November 5, 1992
Speaker, “Dynamiques
nouvelles en droit d’auteur international,” Association Littéraire et
Artistique Internationale (ALAI) de Canada, Montreal, Canada, Sept. 30, 1992,
and Centre de recherche en droit public (CRDP), Faculté de Droit, Université de
Montréal, Oct. 1, 1992
Speaker, “New Dynamics
in International Copyright,” Copyright Research Center of Japan, Tokyo, June 4,
1992
Participant, Trade Workshops,
National Committee on US-China Relations and China CCPIT, Beijing, Shanghai,
and Guangzhou, China, May 25-June 2, 1992
Speaker, “Copyright
Protection: Some Examples, Both International and National,” Seminar, China-US Intellectual Property Management,
AT&T and China SSTC, under the auspices of the Chinese Government, Beijing,
May 19-22, 1992
Panelist, Forum, Is
Europe Rewriting Distribution Ground Rules?, American Film Marketing Association (AFMA), Santa
Monica, California, March 2, 1992
Research Fellow, Max
Planck Institute for International and Foreign and International Patent,
Copyright, and Competition Law, Munich, Germany, Summer, 1991
Instructor, International Training Seminar for Officials
from French-speaking Africa, World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) and US Copyright Office, International Copyright Institute, Washington
DC, Sept. 17-25, 1990
Speaker, “Reprography
and other Processes of Mass Use,” Colloquium, The Reform of
Copyright Law: Experiences Abroad, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law and
Centre du Droit de l’Entreprise of the University of Lausanne (CEDIDAC),
Lausanne, Nov. 3, 1989
Panelist, “Berne
Accession and Implementation,” Joint Program, Current Issues in Entertainment Law, Los Angeles Copyright Society
and the Intellectual Property Sections of the State Bar of California and of
the Los Angeles County Bar, Dana Point, California, June 3, 1989
Instructor, Seminar, The Fundamentals of International Copyright,
Beverly Hills Bar Association and Melville B. Nimmer Memorial Fund, UCLA
Faculty Center, Los Angeles, California, March 10, 1989
Speaker, “Consequences
of U.S. Accession to the Berne Convention for Foreign Works in the United
States and Domestic Works Abroad,” Association of Independent Music Publishers,
Los Angeles, California, December 14, 1988
Panelist, Seminar, International Intellectual Property Issues,
Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of
California of San Diego, La Jolla, California, July 15, 1988