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Opinionated Software, Meiring De Villiers
Opinionated Software, Meiring De Villiers
Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law
Information security is an important and urgent priority in the computer systems of corporations, governments, and private users. Malevolent software, such as computer viruses and worms, constantly threatens the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of digital information. Virus detection software announces the presence of a virus in a program by issuing a virus alert. A virus alert presents two conflicting legal issues. A virus alert, as a statement on an issue of great public concern, merits protection under the First Amendment. The reputational interest of a plaintiff disparaged by a virus alert, on the other hand, merits protection under the law …
The New Software Jurisprudence And The Faltering First Amendment, Liam S. O'Melinn
The New Software Jurisprudence And The Faltering First Amendment, Liam S. O'Melinn
Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law
Given that courts reviewing restrictions on the development and distribution of software are increasingly invoking the First Amendment, it should follow that software will receive strong protection. Yet, while there have been judicial decisions which lend credence to the view that the Constitution can be invoked to protect software, subsequent developments in this area, which I term "the new software jurisprudence" cast severe doubt on the ability of the courts to apply the First Amendment so as to shield software effectively. These developments include the faults of previous strains of First Amendment analysis and then add more, with the ironic …