The University of Iowa

College of Law

Font Size: A A A

Directory and Search Menu

  • Apply Now
  • A to Z
  • Calendar
  • Contact
  • Directories

Portals

  • Prospective students
  • Current students
  • Alumni & Friends

Menu

  • About Us
  • Academic Programs
  • Career Services
  • Citizen Lawyer Program
  • Continuing Legal Ed.
  • International Programs
  • Journals & Student Groups
  • Faculty
  • Library
  • Clinical Law Programs
  • Centers and Programs
  • Give to Iowa Law
  • News and Events
  • Subscribe to the Docket

An Innovative Approach to Teaching Innovation: Professor Hovenkamp writes new case book and gives it away for free

Innovative approach to teaching innovation

Law professor writes new casebook, gives it away for free
By:
Tom Snee | 2012.05.15 | 08:17 AM

Herb Hovenkamp understands that textbooks are expensive and law students don’t have a lot of money. Which is why he decided to give away his new book for free.

Hovenkamp, professor of law in the University of Iowa College of Law, wrote his free open source casebook for a class he taught last spring semester, Innovation and Competition Policy. It’s not the first book he’s written. With 14 titles to his credit dating to 1978, mostly about antitrust law and business competition policy, he’s a publishing veteran.

herb hovenkamp
Herbert Hovenkamp

But when he started writing the casebook for his new class, he thought about how much it would cost his students if he went through the traditional publishing process that gives him no control to set the price. Similar books on the market cost well over $100, and he didn’t want to force his students to pay that much for a casebook.

So instead of going through the time-consuming and expensive traditional publication route, he put the new text online as an open source book. It’s available free not only to his own students, but to any student, professor, scholar, attorney, or judge around the world looking to learn more about how American commercial law impacts business innovation.

Hovenkamp says he doesn’t know of any other law professors who have written their own open source textbooks or casebooks. A few are considering it, he says, but none have actually done it.

The book takes a wide-ranging look at its topic, examining not only the impacts of antitrust and intellectual property law, but also things like market structure, the impact of the technology, net neutrality, and digital copyright.

Hovenkamp says the open source book has an advantage over traditional bound publishing because it was ready for use as soon as he was finished writing, editing, and loading it to the Web. No waiting several months for layout, galley review and printing and binding.

The book also focuses directly on what he needs and isn’t filled with dozens or hundreds of pages unnecessary for his class. The chapters can also be easily updated before the start of each semester to reflect new court decisions or legal thinking. One of the difficulties with traditional books, especially in a field as fluid as competition policy, is that they become increasingly obsolete with every new decision or law until their next revision.

The book was reviewed favorably by the American Bar Association, which called it “an innovative approach to teaching innovation,” in its Antitrust Source publication.

Hovenkamp says that his students liked the book because more and more of them prefer to do as much of their reading as they can on their laptops or tablets, and an e-book facilitates that.

And they especially liked the price.

“I’m always conscious of the unacceptably high costs students have to pay for books in law school, especially casebooks,” says Hovenkamp. “I don’t want to force them to pay money they don’t have to pay.”

Since it’s available to anyone, the book has also caught on outside the UI law school. Hovenkamp says it’s been downloaded almost 1,000 times, even though his class had only 37 students.

The casebook, Innovation and Competition Policy: Cases and Materials—An Open Source Casebook is available online and at no charge at www.uiowa.edu/~ibl/InnovationCompetitionPolicyCasebook.shtml.

Contacts

Tom Snee, University Communication and Marketing, office: 319-384-0010; cell: 319-541-8434
May 18, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Jay Byers (Class of 1996): The Man with the Plan for Des Moines (Des Moines Register, May 12, 2012)

May 18, 2012 | Filed Under news-profile | Leave a Comment 

Hasti Barahmand (’12): A Voice for Troubled Youth

May 11, 2012 | Filed Under news-profile | Leave a Comment 

Clerkship Program Matches Students to Small Town Law Practices (National Law Journal, May 2, 2012)

Clerkship Program Matches Students to Small Town Law Practices (National Law Journal, May 2, 2012)

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202551075142&Clerkships_match_students_to_small_town_law_practices&slreturn=1

May 3, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Congratulations to Professor Adrien Wing – 2012 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence Recipient

Professor Adrien Wing has been chosen by the Selection Committee to receive a 2012 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence.   This award is one of the highest honors the University bestows and recognizes faculty achievement in teaching, scholarship and service.  Please join us in congratulating Professor Wing on this great honor and extending our sincere thanks for all she does and will do for the College of Law and the University of Iowa.

May 1, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Professor Yockey Comments on Wal-Mart’s Mexican Bribery Investigation

An investigation started this week by the Department of Justice into allegations that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. paid bribes to Mexico government officials may have an impact on the retailer beyond the court room, says a University of Iowa law professor.

Research from Joseph Yockey, an expert on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that Wal-Mart may have violated, suggests that how companies handle such investigations can raise a variety of internal management and governance concerns.

Read More at http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/04/ui-law-professor-looks-possible-impact-wal-marts-mexican-bribery-investigation

April 25, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Professor Onwuachi-Willig in Room for Debate: “The Definition of Marriage Bends Toward Justice”(NY Times, April 25, 2012)

Professor Onwuachi-Willig in Room for Debate: “The Definition of Marriage Bends Toward Justice”(NY Times, April 25, 2012)
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/24/are-family-values-outdated/the-definition-of-marriage-bends-toward-justice

April 25, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Congratulations to Amy Beier (3L), 2011-12 Hancher-Finkbine Medallion Award Winner, and Ryan Melcher (3L), 2011-12 Distinguished Student Leadership Certificate Winner

Congratulations to Amy Beier (3L), 2011-12 Hancher-Finkbine Medallion Award Winner, and Ryan Melcher (3L), 2011-12 Distinguished Student Leadership Certificate Winner

Read more at http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/04/hawks-admire

April 25, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Prestigious Huit Award presented to Professor Onwuachi-Willig

Professor Angela Onwuachi-Willig received the M.L. Huit Faculty Award on the 95th anniversary of the 2012 Finkbine Dinner. The University of Iowa honored outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni at one of the university’s most prestigious award ceremonies. The M.L. Huit Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to, concern for, and interaction with students. [Read More]

April 25, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

UICIFD Explains the European Sovereign Debt Crisis in a New E-Book Section

UICIFD Explains the European Sovereign Debt Crisis in a New E-Book Section

See http://ebook.law.uiowa.edu/ebook/uicifd-ebook/part-six-european-sovereign-debt-crisis

April 23, 2012 | Filed Under news-newsbox | Leave a Comment 

Next Page →

  • Links

    • Academic Calendar
    • Calendar
    • © The University of Iowa 2009. All rights reserved.
    • Non-discrimination Statement
    • Terms of Use
    • Powered by WordPress