Media, Law & Technology
Media, Law and Technology (MLAT) is a program of study centered on First Amendment protection for the freedom to speak and publish. Through teaching, research and service activities by faculty, MLAT aims to illuminate laws, government regulations and technological developments that affect the mass communications media. Traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, books and radio and television, are of interest, as are entertainment and advertising media. MLAT's priorities include study of Internet-based and wireless communications, including social media. The operating premise is that a free flow of information and ideas throughout society sustains and invigorates democracy.
To accomplish its purpose, the program:
- offers opportunities to students for in-depth study of media law and related subjects;
- encourages research and analysis of First Amendment cases and controversies that involve the media;
- supports continuing legal education programs, mainly for media lawyers, as well as judges;
- contributes to professional development of journalists, as well as professional communicators for corporations and institutions; and
- offers education to the public on open government and freedom of information laws.
Curriculum
The program features courses such as these:
Media and the First Amendment
A study of the First Amendment freedoms of speech and press. The focus is on both traditional media, such as newspapers and broadcast radio and television, and digital media, including blogs, that rely on the Internet to distribute news, opinion, entertainment, and advertising.
Intellectual Property
An introduction to substantive patent law, copyright law, and trademark registration designed (1) to provide background knowledge for those interested primarily in the general law practice and (2) to provide a foundation for future specialization in patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
Copyright Law and Digital Works
Explores the major copyright issues posed by such categories of digital works as software, data bases containing factual and other public domain content, multi-media materials, computer generated or assisted works and audio recordings containing digital sampling.
Media Law Clinic
Practical, in-depth studies of law, policy, regulation, and professional ethics that shape the relationship between the communications media and such institutions as the judiciary, legislature, agencies, business, education, and the professions. Individual students or teams of students, supervised by the clinic director, prepare research reports in response to requests from lawyers, policy-makers, publishers, and others who are concerned with the free flow of accurate, fair, and timely news and information in a democratic society. The clinic is designed to advance students' skills and knowledge in analyzing the rights and responsibilities of the communications media and the individuals and organizations that depend on those media to inform the citizenry.
Digital Privacy Rights in an Open Society
An examination of the risks to personal privacy that arise from use of digital technologies to communicate and collect, store and share personal data. The course also focuses on laws that recognize and aim to protect digital privacy rights, as well as the tension between privacy protection and the value placed on freedom and openness in a democratic society.
Certificate Program
The Media, Law and Technology Certificate focuses on legislative challenges, judicial decision-making and administrative policy in an era increasingly shaped by information technologies, global networks and the media.
Joint Degree Program
Students may pursue a joint degree in Journalism and Law, which allows them to earn a Master of Science (M.S.) in journalism and Juris Doctor (J.D.) in approximately three and a half years.
Other Opportunities
Through MLAT, students have opportunities for participation in a national seminar on Media and the Law and involvement in programs and activities sponsored by a variety of media-related organizations.