Searching for a Middle Ground: Can We Stop Online Piracy While Still Protecting Speech?

Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/12/2012
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Large-scale online copyright and trademark infringement is a serious global problem. But recent legislative efforts in the United States aimed at dealing with this issue have faced substantial public opposition. Among the many criticisms directed at the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) were that they infringed on free speech, forced online intermediaries to take on the role of IP enforcers, interfered with the functioning of the Internet’s addressing system, and contained inadequate due process protections. While SOPA and PIPA have been shelved, the debate over how to address infringing activities online has not gone away.

Bringing together a panel of copyright and cyberlaw experts, the UNC Center for Media Law and Policy and the Carolina Intellectual Property Law Association will explore whether a middle ground exists in this debate. Is there a way to address large-scale online copyright and trademark infringement while still protecting free speech and allowing for innovation on the Internet? Joining us to tackle this question will be:

• Alfred Perry, vice president, worldwide content protection & outreach, Paramount Pictures
• Ron Wheeler, senior vice president, content protection, Fox Entertainment Group
• David Levine, assistant professor, Elon University School of Law
• Markham Erickson, founding partner, Holch & Erickson LLP

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be take place on April 12 at 4:00 p.m. in Room 5046 at the UNC School of Law. Deborah Gerhardt, assistant professor of law at UNC School of Law, will moderate what will undoubtedly be a fascinating and passionate discussion of these important issues.

We hope you can join us on April 12. For directions to the law school, as well as parking information, go here.