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Katherine Beyer, a third year law student at the University of Kentucky College of Law from Richmond, VA, won first place in the 2014 IDEA Student IP Writing Competition. Her article, “Hyper-Linking Content as Copyright Infringement: Not Worth All the Hype,” will be published in IDEA: The Intellectual Property Law Review this fall.

The US Copyright Office recently solicited comments on the controversy of Internet users posting links to copyrighted materials without permission from the owners and thus being held liable for distributing. This right of “making available” content and infringing on the copyright owner’s distribution right was recently adopted by the European Union. Thorough research into international law gave Beyer information to contrast rights in the EU and the US and she argues in her paper that she feels unlikely that US courts would uphold a similar law due to current distribution rights.

After reviewing the papers from his Copyright class, Professor Brian Frye encouraged his students to submit them into writing competitions. Beyer says she searched extensively to determine where to send her article. She ultimately chose the University of New Hampshire’s IDEA IP Law Review. “I thought my paper would promote the journal’s stated mission of ‘providing practical articles which address new, controversial, and potential developments in intellectual property and related fields.’” Out of 20 submissions reviewed, Beyer’s article was chosen for first place and will be the only one printed in the journal.

Beyer says winning this award means a lot to her as it is an impartial affirmation that she can use her legal research and writing skills “in a practical and useful manner.” Beyer is the Managing Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal and feels her experience with the journal helped her win this award. “It definitely has shown me that hard work and effort pay off in the end.”

Beyer also credits the encouragement and support she received from Professor Frye. “I certainly couldn't have done it without him.”

“I ultimately want to practice in the field of intellectual property, so this award also shows me that that is a real possibility, that my thoughts and ideas about the field are appreciated and respected,” says Beyer. “Overall, I am so honored and excited for this opportunity to see my name in print!”