The MSU-Detroit College of Law is holding a lecture highlighting the beginning of a new program about intellectual property.

Yale Law School Professor Jack Balkin will speak about intellectual property rights in the United States on Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the fourth-floor atrium of the DCL Building.

Intellectual property deals with copyrights, trademarks, patents and Internet law.

DCL Professor Peter Yu said the importance of intellectual property is a growing concern in the nation.

"Intellectual property is beginning to become more and more important in our lives," Yu said.

"Look at what is going on with Napster and KaZaA."

DCL Dean Terence Blackburn said the issue comes down to free speech.

"There is a current debate going on concerning the tension between free speech and copyrighting," Blackburn said. "What is it that is necessary to be protected to encourage the creative development of new ideas?"

Aside from the legal aspect of intellectual property rights, Blackburn said it was important for students to understand how the issue pertains to civil rights.

"It is important for the university to understand the nature of that debate," Blackburn said.

"Every time you copyright something, it prevents others from using it. That has the potential for conflicting with free-speech issues."

The new program will help students learn how the law relates to technology.

Yu said the idea for the program came from student interest to add intellectual property courses.

"By having this program, it will allow students to learn about all the cutting-edge issues," Yu said. "We can attract more students from Michigan and other states."

The college will also sponsor a corporate ethics symposium on Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A group of 16 judges, accountants, businessmen and lawyers from across the country will speak about laws regarding the ways businesses report finances to the federal government.

The symposium will discuss the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires businesses to be more clear in reporting their finances to the federal government.

DCL professor Elliot Spoon said the discussion will direct the attention on business ethics and making businesses more honest.

"This symposium will deal with the integrity of information that businesses provide," Spoon said.

Blackburn said DCL is tackling the issue of business ethics because of widespread interest in the student body.

"The examination of ethics in a corporation is a topic which has attracted the interest of many people both in and out of business and law school," he said.