Writing Assignment 8: Introduction to Owning Bits and Beyond, Volume 2

Summary: In this exercise, you will create a potential introduction for Owning Bits and Beyond Volume 2: Onerous Ownership? Intellectual Property in the 21st Century.

Purposes: To give you the opportunity to reflect on the topics we have covered in the class. To give you a final opportunity to write for this class.

Assigned: Tuesday, 22 November 2005

Due: 8:15 a.m., Thursday, 1 December 2005

Length: An order of the essays plus three-four pages of narrative introduction.

Turning it in:

• Bring three printed copies of your work to class (two for Sam, one for Jen).
• Email me an anonymous version of your work so that I may distribute it to the class.

Background: Each member of this Tutorial has selected a particular issue or topic that relates to the relationship between intellectual property and information technology. You have now had the opportunity to read drafts of the essays and to see them presented. You will soon receive final versions of the essays.

We are now ready to organize the essays into a book. There are two aspects of organizing essays. You must decide on an appropriate order for the essays (including, perhaps, organizing them around particular themes). You must also introduce the group of essays.

The Assignment: Write a short (three-four page) introduction to Owning Bits. Your introduction should create a context for the essays and should describe each within that context. In particular, your introduction should try to describe a coherent path of ideas through the essays.

Your introduction should also demonstrate that you've thought broadly about the role of intellectual property law in our technological society and that you understand the work of your colleagues.

Choosing the Best: I will distribute all of twelve or so introductions electroncially and anonymously. We will all read these anonymous introductions and rank them. The one that is ranked the best will be used as the introduction for the final version. (The author of that introduction will receive some special bonus, although I'm not sure what it is.)