The Center for Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology (CIPLIT ©) and the Center for Art, Museum and Cultural Heritage Law at the DePaul University College of Law will consider key intellectual property issues at two October programs. The first will tackle the legal challenges that museums face in collecting cultural objects and the second will look at the Jewish law of copyright in light of the concerns raised by advancing technology.

“Acquiring and Maintaining Collections of Cultural Objects:  Confronting American Museums in the 21st Century,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Rm. 8005. The cost of the program is $125. For more information or to register, visit the Web site at
http://www.law.depaul.edu/centers%5Finstitutes/ciplit/museum/default.asp.

Panels of  attorneys, museum directors and academics will examine the relationships among museum boards of directors, professional staff, donors and the communities that museums serve; problems in collecting antiquities and ancient art and protecting collections and international loans through foreign sovereign immunity from seizure.  The final panel will propose new solutions to these problems as museums seek to move forward.

Among the 16 featured presenters will be:

Martin Sullivan—director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Susan M. Taylor—former director of the Princeton University Art Museum

Gary T. Johnson—president of the Chicago History Museum

Julie Getzels—vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Art Institute of Chicago

Patty Gerstenblith—DePaul law professor and director of the Center for Art, Museum and Cultural Heritage Law

John Russell—Massachusetts College of Art and Design professor.

The second program will highlight experts in Jewish law who will explore the impact of technology on copyright law from a Jewish perspective. The lunchtime program titled,  “From Maimonides to Microsoft: The Jewish Law of Copyright Since the Birth of Print,” will be offered from 12:15 p.m. until 2 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.  It will examine legal issues that are raised as evolving technology challenges the legal implications of such things as the duplication of original works of authorship including manuscripts and books.

The program marks the 11th anniversary of CIPLIT’s Niro Scavone Haller & Niro Distinguished Intellectual Lecture & Luncheon. The fee for the luncheon and lecture is $20 with registration required at www.law.depaul.edu/niro08.

David Nimmer, of Counsel at Irell & Manella, LLP and a professor from practice at the UCLA School of Law, and Neil Netanel, a professor of law at UCLA School of Law, will lead the discussion.Since 1985, Nimmer has revised “Nimmer on Copyright,” the standard reference treatise in the field of copyright law. In addition to writing and lecturing nationally and internationally, Nimmer represents clients in the entertainment, publishing and high-technology fields.

Netanel writes and teaches in the areas of copyright, international intellectual property and media and telecommunications law. His recent books and book projects include “Copyright’s Paradox” (Oxford University Press 2008) and “From Maimonides to Microsoft: the Jewish Law of Copyright Since the Birth of Print” (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2010), which he is writing with Nimmer.

Founded in 1997 by the DePaul University College of  Law, CIPLIT promotes research and the concentrated study of intellectual property and information technology law.  It also offers students practical engagement in legal education through experiential learning. The Center for Art, Museum and Cultural Heritage Law, which is allied with CIPLIT, offers students  opportunities to explore externship and internship placements in this roughly growing area of law.