Law Commons^™

Welcoming Remarks And Statement Of The Issues, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

The creation, manipulation, transmission, storage, and use of information constitute the United States' and the world's largest economic sector, affecting almost every aspect of business, education, government, and entertainment. The convener of From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law introduces The Annenberg Washington Program forum by noting the proliferation of information technologies and services, the diversity of industries and interests affected, and the number of government entities with jurisdiction, that contribute to both the complexity and the importance of information policy making.

From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law. The Annenberg Washington …

Freedom Of Information And The Eu Data Protection Directive, James R. Maxeiner

Federal Communications Law Journal

Because of advancements in information technology, the tension between protection of privacy and freedom of information has intensified. In the United States this tension is addressed with sector specific laws, like the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Conversely, in Europe, data protection laws of general applicability have existed for two decades. Recently, the Council of Ministers adopted a Common Position in a data protection directive.

The Author analyzes specific provisions of the Directive, primarily focusing on the provisions that address the tension between the right of privacy and the free flow of information within the European Union. Ultimately, the Directive strikes …

Panel Two: Information Policy Making, Allen S. Hammond, Bruce W. Mcconnell, Michael Nelson, Janice Obuchowski, Marc Rotenberg, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

The second panel of From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law addresses the government's response to the policy making challenges presented by information. Panelists from the government and academia explore the question: "How has, and how should, the policy-making process respond to the diversity of issues, interests, and policymakers?" Participants include Fred H. Cate, Allen S. Hammond, Bruce W. McConnell, Michael Nelson, Janice Obuchowski, and Marc Rotenbergaddresses the government's response to the policy making challenges presented by information. Panelists from the government and academia explore the question: "How has, and how should, the policy-making process respond …

Your Life As An Open Book: Has Technology Rendered Personal Privacy Virtually Obsolete?, Sandra Byrd Peterson

Federal Communications Law Journal

As society becomes increasingly automated, the ability of individuals to protect their "information privacy" is practically nonexistent. Information that was once kept on paper in filing cabinets is now on-line in computer databases. At the touch of a computer key, a complete stranger can conveniently access and compile from a variety of different sources a dossier of intimate, personal information about people without their knowledge. Perhaps more shocking is the current lack of legal recourse available to contest the nonconsensual use of personal data.

In this Note, the Author examines the currently loose constitutional and common-law protections and suggests strategies …

Computer Bulletin Board Operator Liability For Users' Infringing Acts, M. David Dobbins

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that a computer bulletin board operator's liability for copyright infringement by users of the bulletin board should be analyzed under the theory of contributory copyright infringement. This Note calls for a standard of liability under contributory copyright infringement that accommodates the competing interests at stake in the resolution of this issue. Part I provides an overview of copyright infringement law and argues that in most situations the operator's actions, viewed independently, do not constitute copyright infringement. Part II explores theories of third-party liability. This Part rejects the doctrine of vicarious liability as an effective means for establishing …

Electronic Mail And Michigan's Public Disclosure Laws: The Argument For Public Access To Governmental Electronic Mail, Daniel F. Hunter

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note explores the potential for citizens to request electronic mail (e-mail) records from government agencies using public disclosure laws, with emphasis on the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). E-mail is a medium that has come to replace both telephone calls and paper documents for many purposes. The applicability of public disclosure laws to e-mail, however, is less than clear. Telephone conversations by public employees for most purposes are confidential, while paper records created by those same employees can be requested under the FOIA. Thus, should public e-mail remain private and confidential or should it be subject to FOIA …

Telecommunications In Transition: Unbundling, Reintegration, And Competition, David J. Teece

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The world economy is experiencing a technological revolution, fueled by rapid advances in microelectronics, optics, and computer science, that in the 1990s and beyond will dramatically change the way people everywhere communicate, learn, and access information and entertainment. This technological revolution has been underway for about a decade. The emergence of a fully-interactive communications network, sometimes referred to as the "Information Superhighway," is now upon us. This highway, made possible by fiber optics and the convergence of several different technologies, is capable of delivering a plethora of new interactive entertainment, informational, and instructional services that are powerful and user-friendly. The …

Adventures In Cyber-Space: Computer Technology And The Arkansas Freedom Of Information Act, Brian G. Brooks

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

White House Electronic Mail And Federal Recordkeeping Law: Press "D" To Delect History, James D. Lewis

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that federal recordkeeping law should promote the preservation of history above all other concerns. First, courts should construe and apply the recordkeeping statutes with this goal in mind. Second, Congress should amend the recordkeeping statutes to correct enforcement deficiencies that leave irresponsible recordkeeping practices unchecked and risk the loss of a historical record of White House decisionmaking. Finally, executive officials should adopt guidelines that identify and preserve historically significant materials regardless of the medium in which they are captured.

Part I of this Note examines the statutes that currently regulate the management and public disclosure of White …

Contracts, Copyright And Preemption In A Digital World, I Trotter Hardy

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Copyright is designed to provide some form of protection against unauthorized use of original informational materials. The rapid shift of information production and distribution to electronic form, with its corresponding ease of copying, naturally makes copyright-dependent industries nervous. Much talk in the news and on the "net" these days is about the future of copyright law, a law developed in an age of print and now perhaps too tied to that medium to have ready application to today's information technology.

Letter From The Editor, Richard P. Klau

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Over the last eight months, several people have asked why we decided to publish The Journal exclusively online. These concerns are not insignificant -- any embrace of a new technology should be made without blinders on. We were excited by the possibilities of publishing online, but the fears that we would not be taken seriously were very real. These fears have, however, been overcome by the enthusiasm which has greeted The Journal.

Overreaching Provisions In Software License Agreements, Michael Liberman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Historically, software license agreements emerged as the most popular means of protection of proprietary rights in computer software. As a common form of contract and trade secret protection, software licenses coexist with other forms of intellectual property rights such as patent and copyright. The importance of these forms of protection has recently increased. Where the licensor fails to consider the implications of the relation between these forms of protection, the licensor's attempts to maximize contractual protection while restricting the licensee's activities regarding the licensed software may result in overreaching. Under these circumstances, a court may invalidate the license agreement in …

Apple V. Microsoft: Virtual Identity In The Gui Wars, Joseph Myers

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The company that controls the interface of the next major operating system will have the ability to set the standards for application software. It was not surprising that Apple Corporation began its fight to stop Windows from being that major operating system after Microsoft Corporation introduced the various versions of its Windows software and announced plans for this program to replace the already widely selling DOS operating system. Unfortunately, Apple chose to conduct this war on the complex and often confusing battleground of copyright law, which ultimately proved to be its downfall.

Computers, Copyright And Substantial Similarity: The Test Reconsidered, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 47 (1995), Jeffrey D. Coulter

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Courts focus on the Substantial Similarity test to determine copyright infringement. They also use testimony from experts and lay people. As a result, there is a tension between preserving artist’s rights and preserving a competitive market. This tension is especially problematic in the context of copyright protection of computer software. Nonetheless, copyright law does protect computer software. Resulting amendments in the Copyright Act defined "computer program" and ensured that copyright protection was extended to all computer programs. The Substantial Similarity test applied to computer programs creates several concerns. Lack of access to expert testimony in the crucial second phase of …

Revising The Copyright Law For Electronic Publishing, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (1995), David J. Loundy

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The Copyright Act has historically been amended to address technological changes. The Act has been shaped to apply to new situations not previously considered by the original authors. Rather than pass a new Copyright Act to address computer programs and technology, the current Act should be repaired. The changes made to the Copyright Act as a result of the CONTU report provide some necessary updating to the Act, but the increasing use of computer technology is demanding additional refinements to the Copyright Act. In order to amend the Copyright Act with the least amount of disruption, the definition of a …

The Mexican Electoral Process: The Perpetuation Of Fraud By Restriction Of Citizen Access To Electoral Information, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 151 (1995), Lawrence E. Root Jr.

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

PRI (Partido Revoluciaonario Institucional) has controlled the Mexican government for over sixty-five years. With a history of facilitating electoral fraud and voter bullying, how could Mexican citizens again vote to keep the PRI in power? Perhaps promises of a clean election and a new, more sophisticated electoral computer were nothing more than promises to defraud Mexican voters in state-of-the-art fashion. In his campaign for the presidency, PRI candidate Salinas mentioned that he hoped the new computer would foster an hones electoral process. Suddenly, the Federal Electoral Commission announced that the multi-million dollar electoral computer system crashed. When the computer system …

Medical Process Patents And Patient Privacy Rights, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 131 (1995), Jeffrey A. Taylor

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The author analyzes the patentability of medical processes and the effect patentability has on the right to privacy essential in a physician-patient relationship. Part II of the comment provides a the legal background on the issue of the patentability of medical processes. Part III examines the impact of enforcing medical process patents and the effect disclosure of medical records has upon the privacy of the physician-patient relationship when owners of patents try to expose patent infringement. Part IV advocates that Congress should amend the Patent Act to preserve patient privacy rights when infringement is investigated. According to the author, such …

Restatement (Second) Of Torts Section 324a: An Innovative Theory Of Recovery For Patients Injured Through Use Or Misuse Of Health Care Information Services, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 73 (1995), Lisa L. Dahm

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The author in this comment discusses how developments in information technology and widespread utilization of technology and software in the patient care context raise the issue of clinical liability for health care information systems vendors. The comment discusses a theory of recovery of tort damages for the negligence of health care information systems vendors under section 324A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts. Section 324A provides in essence that "one who undertakes ... for consideration, to render services to another which he should recognize as necessary for the protection of a third person ... is subject to liability to the …

Steve Jackson Games V. United States Secret Service: The Government's Unauthorized Seizure Of Private E-Mail Warrants More Than The Fifth Circuit's Slap On The Wrist, 14 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 179 (1995), Nicole Giallonardo

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article critiques the Fifth Circuit’s decision in the 1994 case of Steve Jackson Games v. United States Secret Service. When the Secret Service invaded the petitioner’s offices, seizing three computers, 300 computer disks, and other computer equipment essential to the company’s operations, the petitioner sued the Secret Service under the Privacy Protection Act, the Federal Wiretap Act, and the Stored Wire Act. The Western District Court of Texas awarded the petitioner damages under the Privacy Protection Act and the Stored Wire Act, but found that there was no cognizable claim under the Federal Wiretap Act – after which petitioner …

A Lawyer's Roadmap Of The Information Superhighway, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 177 (1995), Mark L. Gordon, Diana J.P. Mckenzie

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article provides an interesting historical look at the early days of the Internet. Giving the article more of the feel of a business journal article than a legal analysis, it introduces the uninitiated to the legal framework surrounding the development of the Internet. The authors begin with a brief overview of the Internet's creation, from a decentralized military and scholarly network to the commercial entity it is today. Moving into a description of who is fueling the growth of the Internet as a commercial endeavor, the authors describe how several large telecommunications companies, including cable television and cellular telephone …

Reinventing The Examination Process For Patent Applications Covering Software-Related Inventions, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 231 (1995), Alan P. Klein

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article examines the issues inherent in patenting software-related inventions, particularly where mathematical algorithms are concerned. Software-related inventions are difficult to patent because they often contain mathematical algorithms, and mathematical algorithms are not patentable subject matter. The PTO recognizes that this approach -- simply identifying the algorithm-containing software as non-patentable -- precludes the need to address the more difficult test of whether software-related inventions are new or not obvious over prior art. The author proposes an improved examination procedure to replace the PTO's current three-step test. The existing PTO examination procedure entails determining whether the claim merely recites a mathematical …

Computer Software: Intellectual Property Protection In The United States And Japan, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 245 (1995), Jack M. Haynes

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Software, and not hardware, forms the interface between computer users and the machines those users operate, thus allowing the users to accomplish their tasks. These software programs, no less than hardware, are in need of intellectual property (IP) protection. The process of creating new programs occurs only through extensive software development, which is often costly and time consuming. Therefore, the need for software IP protection is apparent. This comment helps readers to fully understand the ramifications of the presence or absence of software IP protection, by first examining the overall structure of a computer and the interplay between its various …

Foreword:The National Information Infrastructure, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 175 (1995), George B. Trubow

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

National Information Infrastructure, the Information Superhighway and the Electronic Superhighway are no longer discussions of the past but are omnipresent vocabularies of the day -- envisioning a promise of universal access to the international networks of information and electronic communications. As the nation and the world embrace this concepts and goals, the authors in this issue discuss the need for a roadmap for such infrastructure and the level of governmental oversight as we travel along this superhighway into the future.

Disclosures Of An Adoptee's Hiv Status: A Return To Orphanges And Leper Colonies?, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 343 (1995), Charles Chejfec

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

During the next decade, at least 125,000 children will become orphans of the AIDS epidemic and will need to be cared for by family members, caring adults or extended family members, or be placed in foster care. The movement toward greater disclosure of an adoptee's medical history reveals an almost complete failure to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this area. The adoption process does not provide a specific time when an adoptee's medical conditions are to be disclosed to adopting parents. Although the adoption process did not always serve the child's best interest, today disclosure decisions pertaining to adoption are …

Repetitive Stress Injuries And The Computer Keyboard: If There Still Is No Causal Relationship Between Use And Injury, Is It Wise To Warn?, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 391 (1995), Craig T. Liljestrand

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Computer monitors and keyboards are very common in today’s modern workplace, so it’s no surprise that the fastest growing category of workplace personal injury claims result from repetitive stress injuries (RSIs). Office workers have tried to tie the frequent and regular use of their computer keyboards to various debilitating hand and wrist disorders, and as a result such injuries account for 3/5 of all occupational injuries. Currently it is unclear whether there is a causal relationship between the use of computer keyboards and RSIs and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has suggested that there is no causative …

The Rodney King Beating: Beyond Fair Use: A Broadcaster's Right To Air Copyrighted Videotape As Part Of A Newscast, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 269 (1995), Leslie Ann Reis

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article discusses the copyright implications of news broadcasters using videotape and other images in their newscasts. News broadcasters obtain audio and video materials for use in their broadcasts, and on most occasions they obtain these materials from a variety of sources. The broadcaster cannot infringe on the copyright of the news source unless given permission by the source or decide to use it under the Fair Use Doctrine. However, a newscaster may also use the copyrighted material under a possible exception created by the First Amendment right to freedom of the press. The law that provides a creator with …

Don't Get Caught In The Net: An Intellectual Property Practitioner's Guide To Using The Internet, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 373 (1995), Mark A. Kassel, Joanne Keane Kassel

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The 'Net, AKA the Internet, has quickly become one of the most efficient and prevalent forms of communication. By linking through a common protocol, the Internet connects computer networks worldwide and provide seamless access to information. In this introductory guide to the Internet, the author takes readers -- IP practitioners, general legal practitioners, etc. -- on a tour of the Internet. The Internet began as part of the Defense Department's networking research in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. In a program called ARPANET, the military attempted to design a interlinking computer networks that provides widespread connectivity without the …

Pres-Kap, Inc. V. System One, Direct Access, Inc.: Extending The Reach Of The Long-Arm Statute Through The Internet, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 433 (1995), Michael J. Santisi

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this article, Santisi argues that a Florida court decision regarding personal jurisdiction was wrongly decided. In the case, the Florida Court of Appeals held that a lease contract entered into by Pres-Kap, Inc. (a New York corporation) of a database run by System One Direct Access, Inc. in Florida did not give rise to personal jurisdiction in Florida. Santisi argues that both the minimum contacts and the reasonableness factors of the “purposeful availment” test set forth in Burger King v. Rudzewicz had been satisfied by the facts of the case. Among the important facts were that Pres-Kap derived economic …

A.D.A.M. -- The Computer Generated Cadaver: A New Development In Medical Malpractice And Personal Injury Litigation, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 313 (1995), André M. Thapedi

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

A.D.A.M. is a CD-ROM based, interactive, anatomical program that permits the user to view and observe the anatomical aspect of the human body used in medical schools throughout the United States. A.D.A.M. and its female counterpart E.V.E., use high-resolution graphics and color animation to show views of the human body from every conceivable angle simulating various traumas to the body. Utilizing a mouse, the A.D.A.M. user can "point and click" to reveal the various parts of the human body. Potentially, attorneys can use A.D.A.M. to demonstrate injuries and surgeries to the trier of fact in a trial proceeding. The trial …

E-Mail Stalking: Is Adequate Legal Protection Available?, 13 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 405 (1995), Eileen S. Ross

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Due to the absence of legal protection available to victims of E-mail stalking, it can be very dangerous to interact with strangers on the Internet. Forty-eight states currently have anti-stalking statutes that criminalize stalking but only four of those states have provisions that protect against the crime of E-mail stalking. Even so, federal laws and most state laws have failed to provide adequate protection to victims of E-mail stalking. Perhaps a Model State Anti-Stalking Statute should be introduced which will sufficiently address E-mail stalking in a constitutional manner.