How did a twentieth-century Russian composer affect American copyright law? Recent TU Law graduate and class valedictorian Hope Forsyth explored the connection in her comment titled, “Mutually Assured Protection: Dmitri Shostakovich and Russian Influence on American Copyright Law,” in the Tulsa Law Review, vol. 53, issue 3.
Forsyth analyzes both bedrock concepts and recent developments in American copyright law by tracing the legacy of composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose compositions were at the center of influential copyright litigation in both the 1940s and the 2010s. Along the way, she discusses cross-ocean rivalries, wartime propaganda movies and online commerce.
“Ultimately,” Forsyth writes, “this Russian musical prodigy and the pieces he produced throughout his 56-year career serve as a valuable case study for examining the personalities, power struggles and stories at the heart of cases and controversies involving the work product of human creativity.”
Read the entire comment here – Tulsa Law Review.
After admission to the Oklahoma bar on September 25, Forsyth will be an associate attorney with the law firm of GableGotwals in Tulsa.
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