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Full-Text Articles in Law
New Tech, Old Problem: The Rise Of Virtual Rent-To-Own Agreements, Carrie Floyd
New Tech, Old Problem: The Rise Of Virtual Rent-To-Own Agreements, Carrie Floyd
Fellow, Adjunct, Lecturer, and Research Scholar Works
This Article explores how fintech has disrupted the traditional rent-to-own (RTO) industry, giving rise to new, virtual RTO agreements (VirTOs). These VirTOs have enabled the RTO industry to expand into the service industry and to markets for products not traditionally associated with rentals, such as vehicle repairs, pet ownership, and medical devices. This Article analyzes this development.
RTO agreements purport to rent products to a consumer until the conclusion of a set number of renewable rental payments, at which point ownership transfers. The fundamental characteristic of these agreements – and why they are not regulated as loans – are that …
The Commodification Of Cryptocurrency, Neil Tiwari
The Commodification Of Cryptocurrency, Neil Tiwari
Michigan Law Review
Cryptocurrencies are digital tokens built on blockchain technology. This allows for a product that is fully decentralized, with no need for a third-party intermediary like a government or financial institution. Cryptocurrency creators use initial coin offerings (ICOs) to raise capital to build their tokens. Cryptocurrency ICOs are problematic because they do not fit neatly within either of two traditional categories—securities or commodities. Each of these categories has their own regulatory agency: the SEC for securities and the CFTC for commodities. At first blush, ICOs seem to be a sale of securities subject to regulation by the SEC, but this is …
Goldstein's Curse, James J. White
Goldstein's Curse, James J. White
Articles
ON April 16, 1980, a man using the name Marvin Goldstein opened a bank account at a Baltimore branch of Union Trust Company. He deposited $15,000 in cash. He told the branch manager that he planned to establish a Baltimore office of his father's New York business, "Goldstein's Precious Metals and Stones." Goldstein identified himself with a New Jersey driver's license and gave a bank reference from New York. On May 6, Goldstein deposited a check for $880,000 at another Union Trust branch near the branch where he had opened the account. Words on this check indicated that it was …
Industrial Policy: Diverting Resources From The Winners, Edwin L. Harper, Lehmann K. Li Jr.
Industrial Policy: Diverting Resources From The Winners, Edwin L. Harper, Lehmann K. Li Jr.
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article argues that the various forms of industrial policy currently being proposed are inappropriate for the United States (U.S.). They would fail not only on economic grounds, but on political grounds as well. The article outlines the appropriate role for government in the economy.
Efts: Consumer Protection Under The Ucc, Susan E. Jinnett
Efts: Consumer Protection Under The Ucc, Susan E. Jinnett
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
In view of the economic significance of the payments system, the laws governing it must be equitable and comprehensive. The development of the commercial law applicable to EFTS's, however, currently lags behind the growth of these systems. Threats to the integrity of EFTS's stem from lost, stolen, or forged access cards, illegal taps into communication lines, physical impairment of the equipment, or improper programming. The legal rights and liabilities of consumers where the integrity of an EFTS has been breached remains unclear, in part because the status of EFTS's under current law is uncertain. The rights of the parties involved …