Matt Kellogg ’11 is the 2010 recipient of the Robert C. Watson Award from the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) for his paper “The Problem of Fictional Facts: Idea, Expression, and Copyright’s Balance Between Author Incentive and Public Interest.” The paper will also be published in the upcoming spring issue of the Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA.

The Watson Award, established to encourage interest in IP issues, recognizes law school students who demonstrate original, creative thought, as well as a thorough knowledge of the IP field. Kellogg accepted his award in October 2010 at AIPLA’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Kellogg’s paper focuses on the concept of “fictional facts,” the narrative building blocks that an author uses to create plots, characters, and settings in a work of fiction. the paper considers whether and to what extent fictional facts are protected under copyright law, identifying ways in which courts can add clarity and consistency to such decisions.

Kellogg’s interest in intellectual property has been a longtime passion, which he explored firsthand while working at random House and Google before coming to Stanford Law School. After graduation, Kellogg plans to join the San Francisco office of Covington & Burling LLP, where he will work on copyright-related matters.