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31 J. Corp. L. 187 (2005-2006)
Adverse Possession of Copyright: A Proposal to Complete Copyright's Unification with Property Law

handle is hein.journals/jcorl31 and id is 199 raw text is: Adverse Possession of Copyright: A Proposal to Complete Copyright's Unification with Property Law Michael James Arrett I. INTRO DU CTION ........................................................................................................ 187 II. B ACKG ROUN D ......................................................................................................... 189 A. The Historical Roots of Copyright as Property .................................................. 189 B. Addressing the Unique Aspects of Intangible Property in the Property Law Fram ework ............................................................................... 191 C. Criticisms of Copyright as a Form of Property .................................................. 192 D. The Acceptance of Copyright as a Form of Property ......................................... 193 III. A N A LY SIS ................................................................................................................ 194 A. The Basic Tenets ofAdverse Possession ............................................................. 194 B. Zuill v. Shanahan: A Foot in the Door for Adverse Possession of Copyright ..... 195 C. A Proposed Framework for Adverse Possession of Copyright ........................... 196 1. A ctual P ossession .......................................................................................... 196 2. Open, Visible, and Notorious ......................................................................... 197 3. Exclusive Possession ..................................................................................... 198 4. C ontinuity ...................................................................................................... 199 5. H ostility ......................................................................................................... 200 6. Additional Considerations ............................................................................. 201 IV . R ECOM M ENDATION ................................................................................................. 201 V . C ONCLU SION ........................................................................................................... 202 I. INTRODUCTION By virtue of the Constitution, Congress is empowered to secure for intellectual creators an economic entitlement of limited duration in their works.1 Congress has exercised this power since enacting the first federal copyright statute in 1790.2 Despite existing in one form or another for over 200 years, however, American federal copyright law enters the 21st century at the center of a fierce, though relatively silent, controversy centered on the scope of protection enjoyed by copyright owners. The root cause of this controversy is technological development: namely, the cheap creative power of digital technology coupled with the ease of content distribution provided by the Internet.3 Naturally, this change has threatened the bottom line of content 1. U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 8; Gerard N. Magliocca, From Ashes to Fire: Trademark and Copyright in Transition, 82 N.C. L. REV. 1009, 1043 (2004) (noting the constitutional basis underlying congressional copyright legislation). 2. Copyright Act of 1790, ch. 15, 1 Stat. 124. 3. Magliocca, supra note 1, at 1045.

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