Nov. 1, 2004

Contact: Robert Webber
English Department
(805) 756-1436; rwebber@calpoly.edu

Harvard Law Professor To Speak on 'Digital and Intellectual Property Rights' Nov 12

SAN LUIS OBISPO - William W. Fisher III, professor of intellectual property Law at Harvard University and director of the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, will give a free public forum on "Digital and Intellectual Property Rights" and the future of entertainment industries on Friday, Nov.12, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Phillips Hall in the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society is dedicated to exploring cyberspace and assisting in its development. The students, professors and professionals involved in the program seek to investigate issues that have yet to be settled in cyberspace, such as the governance, intellectual property, privacy, electronic commerce, and the need or resistance for legal reforms, according to Robert Webber, a member of Cal Poly's English Department faculty and director of the university's Consortium for Arts and Media.

Fisher's new book, "Promises to Keep: Technology, Law, and the Future of Entertainment," provides the groundwork for his presentation at Cal Poly. "Fisher's book details the extraordinary cultural potential that digital technologies have created for society," Webber said.

In addition to providing a comprehensive overview of the conflict surrounding music distribution and the emergence of digital communication networks, Fisher's book presents a proposal for radically transforming the way in which our society funds its music and film industries, detailing a combination of legal reforms and new business models that will pay artists more fairly and make entertainment more accessible to those who desire it.

The forum will include a panel debate on Fisher's presentation. There will also be a free raffle of Fisher's new book.

Fisher is the Hale and Dorr Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Harvard Law School. He earned his graduate degrees from Harvard University in the history of American civilization. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit and then for Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U. S. Supreme Court.

Fisher's presentation is sponsored by Harvard University's Berkman Center, Cal Poly's Consortium for Arts and Media, and the College of Liberal Arts. For more information contact Webber at 756-1436 or rwebber@calpoly.edu.

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