Hi Legal!

My name is Tiffany Chin and I am honored and excited to be the chair for Legal ILMUNC 2011. I am currently a senior in the Wharton School here at the University of Pennsylvania, concentrating in Marketing and Management, and pursuing a minor in Music. I have been involved in Model UN for all four years of my college life, as well as my high school life. This year, I am the Chief of Staff for our college conference, UPMUNC, and for ILMUNC 2010, I was also Chair for the Legal committee. This will be my twenty-sixth MUN conference, and I have loved each and every conference I have attended. In my spare time, I like to read Harry Potter books, listen to Harry Potter podcasts, and play the Harry Potter application on my iPhone.

I am so excited to meet all of you, and I cannot wait to hear how the committee will discuss the problems we have decided to focus on. The first topic, the definition of torture, has been in contention for a while, and it seems only prudent that the Legal committee reclassify what torture means. Our second topic, copyright infringement is also pressing for international purposes with regards to intellectual property and piracy.

I would encourage you to the background guide as a starting point for research. However, a successful LEGAL committee will only be possible if you truly explore the topics deeply before conference. If you have any questions about Philadelphia, the University, or Model UN, do not hesitate to contact me.

Cheers,

Tiffany Chin

Chair, Legal
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVII

Hello Delegates,

My name is Diego and I am very excited to be moderating this year¡¯s Legal Committee. It is my goal for the committee to be challenging, engaging, and most of all fun. But the success in achieving those lofty adjectives depends solely on you!

So, about me - I am a senior in the Wharton Business School here at Penn majoring in Finance and Management and Computer Science Engineering in the school of Engineering. I do have free time believe it or not. I was born and raised in Mexico. Seasons were a shocker for me when I came to Philly, I¡¯m not going to lie. I have been involved with Model UN since I was a sophomore in high school, and this will be my 21st conference in one capacity or another. I belong to a fraternity on campus, I used to be on the varsity heavyweight crew team, and I am a Teaching Assistant for Management 100. In my spare hours I love to walk around Philadelphia, practice white-water river-rafting and play intra-mural sports.

This year¡¯s topics promise to foster a lot of debate if you are well prepared. Both topics deal with the delicate lines of legality that the UN has to constantly reassess. This will require a good deal of research prior to the conference, but more importantly, compromise and diplomacy during the sessions. The objective is not to pass any resolution. We want to pass the resolution that suggests the most appropriate and sustainable policy.

If you have any questions about the conference, committee, topics, Philadelphia, Penn, or me, do not hesitate to approach me during conference. I¡¯m looking forward to meeting you and I can¡¯t wait!

Cheers,

Diego Hernandez Diaz

Moderator, Legal
Ivy League Model United Nations Conference XXVII

Topic A

Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement is the unauthorized and illegal use, reproduction, distribution and display of a copyrighted work. Copyright infringement is a global concern that affects various industries, particularly the arts and music industry. Examples of copyright infringement include duplication of a copyrighted CD, DVD, or other form of recorded media, unauthorized downloading of copyrighted files through the Internet, and unauthorized use of text or image from copyrighted material. Copyright infringement has severely impacted the arts and music industry over the past decades. Some of the consequences include decreased revenues for owner of copyright and for artists and reduction in costs of original copyrighted materials in order to compete with inexpensive sale of "pirated" materials. Although worldwide cooperation to fight copyright infringement exists in the form of increased copyright laws and anti-piracy campaigns, the Legal Committee must find ways to implement such laws in order to resolve this problem.

Topic B

Redefining Torture

Torture, as defined by the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity." Torture is one of the most noteworthy forms of human rights violation. Taking place around many countries across the world, torture is not a national or local issue. Torture is pressing global issue and, therefore, it is of extreme importance that the Legal Committee addresses the issue of redefining torture.