Law Commons^™

Transsexuals And Critical Gender Theory: The Possibility Of A Restroom Labeled Other, Terry S. Kogan

UC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Son Of Son Of Sam: Trashing Popular Media And Criminalizing Crime-Related Expression, David Sternbach

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

When the Supreme Court struck down New York's "Son of Sam" statute on First Amendment grounds, it nonetheless found that states have "an undisputed compelling interest in ensuring that criminals do not profit from their crimes." The Court in effect invited states and lower courts to find less restrictive means to restrict crime-related expression, yet declined to address the question of how, or whether, expression-related income can be considered profit from crime. This Article examines that question, and discusses judicially-imposed restrictions on receipt of payment for expression deemed to be crime-related, including fines intended to forestall sales of stories by …

Curing The Inequitable Conduct Plague In Patent Litigation, Glenn E. Von Tersch

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The defense of unenforceability due to inequitable conduct in patent infringement suits has become an absolute plague. Senior Judge Nichols of the Federal Circuit said as much ten years ago, and the problem still remains. Because of the expense of litigating such a defense, patent owners settle valid infringement claims for cents on the dollar, while infringers suffer little more than the slight risk of sanctions. This Note defines inequitable conduct in patent prosecution, details the consequences of inequitable conduct, and describes the restricted method available for curing inequitable conduct. Next, the author describes the problems with the current state …

In Tribute, Frederic L. Kirgis

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Choosing Federal Judges In The Second Clinton Administration, Carl Tobias

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

One of the critical responsibilities which the Constitution entrusts to the President of the United States is the appointment of federal judges. The Chief Executive nominates, and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints these officials who enjoy life tenure and must resolve disputes which implicate the basic freedoms of America's inhabitants. President Clinton's careful discharge of this crucial duty may well have yielded the foremost success of his first term in office.

When Governor Clinton was campaigning for the presidency in 1992, he promised to name as judges women and men who would be very intelligent, possess …

Law And Order In Cyberspace: Washington Report, Nicholas W. Allard, David A. Kass

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Electronic commerce in cyberspace faces an uncertain legal environment. In many instances the laws that will shape the future growth and development of electronic commerce have yet to be written. Gaps in the regulatory framework, and rules from other contexts that are made obsolete by cyberspace technology, promote chaotic market conditions and impede innovation. Today, business activity or interaction with people which employs 19th and 20th Century communication technology is governed by an array of civil and criminal laws. It is, however, not at all clear which existing legal rules do or ought to apply to markets in cyberspace. From …

Privacy And The Internet, Maureen S. Dorney

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article provides an overview of United States privacy status and regulations governing privacy issues and recent European privacy initiatives. The author explores how, in the absence of an overarching regulatory framework, steps have been taken by government and industry to address consumers concerns about privacy and the Internet.

Professor Rudolf B. Schlesinger, Mary Kay Kane

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Tribute, Mary Kay Kane

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fundamental Rights On The Infobahn: Regulating The Delivery Of Internet Related Services Within The European Union, Patrick G. Crago

UC Law SF International Law Review

The European Union (EU), and its Member States, is currently struggling with the question of if and/or how to regulate the rapidly expanding content and services available over the Internet, an international communications medium. Some Member States are unilaterally acting to regulate the delivery of Internet related services, while other Member States are still debating whether they should regulate. The EU continues to study the issue, proposing that the Member States cooperate together to resolve the issue.

This Note posits that as a result of the uniquely international nature of the Internet, and the cultural, political, and social issues its …

The Committee On The Regions And The Role Of Regional Governments In The European Union, Naomi Roht-Arriaza

UC Law SF International Law Review

The process of European integration has been accompanied by a movement towards decentralization and devolution of power in many states within the European Union (EU). Subnational governments like L.nder, regions, or autonomous communities are seeking increased participation in the design and implementation of EU policies and in EU-level institutions. This Article explores the role of regions within the EU. It considers why subnational governments have assumed a growing role in European affairs, summarizes the mechanisms available in the most decentralized states for subnational input into EU policy formulation and implementation. It then focuses on the institutional mechanisms devised to allow …

To Judge Between The Nations: Post Cold War Transformations In National Security And Separation Of Powers--Beating Nuclear Swords Into Plowshares In An Imperfectly Competitive World, Antonio F. Perez

UC Law SF International Law Review

This Article describes the conflicting policy interests the U.S. government pursued in relation to its nonproliferation interest, on the one hand, in the security of excess Russian weapons-usable nuclear material and protectionist trade interests, on the other in preventing importation of low-cost Russian uranium and the conditions for privatization of the Government-owned corporation processing uranium for use in nuclear power reactors. The Article draws on recent national security literature to argue that both the nonproliferation and protectionist interests involve national security concerns; it then employs public choice theory to demonstrate that the Executive Branch is more likely than Congress to …

In Honor Of Stefan A. Riesenfeld, Lori Fisler Damrosch

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

International Human Rights Law In United States Courts: Professor Riesenfeld's Contributions, Namoi Roht-Arriaza

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reconcilable Differences--The Interpretation Of Multilingual Treaties, Dinah Shelton

UC Law SF International Law Review

The practice of authenticating treaties in several languages has grown in recent decades as multilateral agreements are concluded in the six official languages of the United Nations or the corresponding number of official languages of other sponsoring organizations. Problems of translation errors, ambiguities, and deliberate differences lead to conflicts over the content of obligations and rights contained in the treaties. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides some guidance to interpreting texts authenticated in several languages, but more effort is needed during negotiations to avoid discordant texts. In addition, the author proposes that greater recourse be had to …

Helms-Burton: The Canadian View, Kim Campbell

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Helms-Burton Act And Transnational Legal Process, William S. Dodge

UC Law SF International Law Review

Since its April 1996 passage, the Helms-Burton Act has raised the controversial issue of prescriptive jurisdiction over foreign companies through domestic legislation. The Act has two stated purposes: first, to speed the replacement of the Castro regime with a democratic government in Cuba; and second, to protect the rights of U.S. nationals whose property was expropriated by the Cuban government. Titles I and II address the first stated goal by implementing certain restrictions on the executive office in its relations with and regarding Cuba. Titles IMI and IV address the second stated goal. Title III, in particular, garners the most …

Exporting Ethics: Lessons From Russia's Attempt To Regulate Federal Lobbying, Jason D. Kaune

UC Law SF International Law Review

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. experts have attempted to assist the Russian Federation in developing legal means to control and regulate lobbying. Faced with rampant corruption and the lack of a democratic tradition, the Russian government must address questions concerning lobbying that have troubled the United States for decades.

Mr. Kaune analyzes the 1995 attempt to export the U.S. model of regulating business-government contracts through a Russian federal law on lobbying. Although that attempt failed, the effort provides a number of lessons about both lobbying in Russia and relations between Russia and the United States.

The Five Bases Of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction And The Failure Of The Presumption Against Extraterritoriality, Wade Estey

UC Law SF International Law Review

A nation can exercise two types of jurisdiction: territorial and extraterritorial. The exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction elicits controversy because of possible international law conflicts. The United States applies a presumption against extraterritorial application of domestic law. However, the presumption of extraterritorial application ignores the propriety of its use.

This Note revises the presumption upon reviewing various statutory and case law applications of extraterritorial jurisdiction in the United States. This Note also proposes a new paradigm for proper use of extraterritorial jurisdiction. The new paradigm posits that the presumption against extraterritorial jurisdiction can be rebutted in five situations: (1) Nationality Jurisdiction, …

The Nationality Of Claims Principle Of Public International Law And The Helms-Burton Act, Robert L. Muse

UC Law SF International Law Review

The Helms-Burton act is more than a vehicle for claimants of confiscated Cuban property; it seeks an international moratorium on investment in Cuba to force political change. This use of law to promote foreign policy objectives violates established principles of international law and is at odds with customary government policy.

Mr. Muse argues that the Act violates the nationality of claims principle by providing a right of action in federal courts to Cuban property claimants who were Cuban citizens at the time of confiscation. The vast majority of potential claimants under Title Ill were not U.S. citizens in 1959. Further, …

United States-Brazil Bilateral Income Tax Treaty Negotiations, Richard Mitchell

UC Law SF International Law Review

Nearly fifty years of intermittent negotiations between the United States and Brazil have failed to produce an income tax agreement acceptable to both nations. Negotiations between the two nations have recently been renewed and the possibility of an acceptable bilateral income tax treaty appears promising. However, two difficult issues remain resolved. The first and traditional sticking point is tax sparing. Brazil would like to see the United States offer tax sparing. In addition, the taxation of fees for technical services has recently emerged as a source of disagreement between the two nations.

This Note will (1) argue that a U.S.-Brazil …

Judicial Review And Constitutional Stability: A Sociology Of The U.S. Model And Its Collapse In Argentina, Jonathan Miller

UC Law SF International Law Review

A basic trend toward review exercised by a judicial or quasijudicial organ is unquestioned in the modem world today. The most obvious reason for the rise of judicial review is that pluralist societies require a respected institution to resolve disputes over interpretation and application of the rules binding them together. Second, absence of a judicial arbiter risks the transformation of reasonable constitutional disagreements into festering political disputes which threaten the legitimacy of those in power. Third, pluralist societies require organs able to legitimate or disapprove fundamental change when faced with groups prejudiced by the changes.

Despite extensive scholarship on judicial …

Sifting Through The Wreckage Of Abc Reportage: Little Victories, Big Defeats & (And) Unbridled Media Arrogance, Clay Calvert

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article analyzes two recent high-profile cases involving investigative journalism by ABC News. It points out journalistic victories achieved in both cases that ultimately were overshadowed by other events. The Article also critiques the arrogance on the part of some journalists who flaunt generally applicable legal principles and cloak themselves in the First Amendment and the "right-to-know" justification for their actions. The author argues that journalists must provide both courts and the public with well reasoned explanations for their news gathering tactics if they want to expand the boundaries of First Amendment protection and boost journalistic credibility in the eyes …

Definite Confusion Over Likely Confusion, James W. Soong

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The U.S. circuit courts disagree on whether the likelihood of confusion determination in trademark law is a question of fact, law, or both. While the likelihood of confusion issue divides the circuits, scholarly commentary has been substantially uniform. Many legal commentators have argued that the likelihood of confusion determination should be deemed a question of fact for various reasons. In contrast, this Article proposes that the ultimate likelihood of confusion determination should be a question of law because of legal and policy considerations. This Article borrows the reasoning of recent Supreme Court precedent deciding that patent claim construction is a …

Limitations On Claims Of Ownership And Claims For Royalties, Donald E. Biederman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Should Trade Secret Appropriation Be Criminalized, I. Neel Chatterjee

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Trade secret law is a rapidly developing and increasingly popular system of intellectual property which strikes a tenuous balance between individual profit benefit through secrecy and maximization of social welfare. In doing so, trade secret law adopts some property-based and some liability-based principles. This Article argues that criminalizing trade secret appropriation unjustifiably extends protection as a property-based concept beyond economically efficient goals. The author concludes that punitive damages within the context of civil liability are a more economically efficient means to deter unauthorized use of trade secrets and "socially blameworthy" conduct.

The Fairness In Musical Licensing Act: The Tavern Bill Casts A Shadow, Julie B. Raines

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Fairness in Musical Licensing Act, now pending before Congress, would allow restaurants owners and other businesses to play copyrighted music in their place of business without paying royalties or licensing fees to the copyright owner. This Article discusses the Fairness Act in the context of the 1976 Copyright Act and analyzes the effect of the Fairness Act on the future of the music industry if it passes into law. This Article also offers other possible solutions to the underlying conflicts that the Fairness Act seeks to remedy. The author concludes that the Fairness Act unreasonably exempts a large group …

Forgive Us Our Press Passes, Daniel Schorr

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Patent Opinions, Privileges, And The Advice Of Counsel Defense To Claims Of Willfull Patent Infringement: Litigation Counsel Caught In The Crossfire, Michael M. Markman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The interests advanced by the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrines are a subject of frequent debate. Scholars and practitioners agree, however, that both forms of discovery protection must be waived in certain circumstances. One such situation is where a client asserts the "advice of counsel" as a defense. In the arena of patent litigation, the waiver of discovery protection arises where the alleged patent infringer asserts the advice of counsel defense to claims of willful patent infringement.

The scope of waiver of discovery protections upon asserting the advice of counsel defense to claims of willful patent infringement is expanding …

Sex Online: Is This Adultery, Christina Tavella Hall

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Should online infidelity be included as grounds for divorce in modern adultery statutes? This Note explores the history of divorce law and evaluates the possibilities of alleging online adultery as a sustainable reason for divorce. The author concludes that, in light of the normative goals of divorce law, the courts are an improper venue for addressing online affairs. Thus, online affairs, though possibly detrimental to marriage, are not "adultery" for legal purposes and therefore should not constitute adequate grounds for divorce in fault-based divorce proceedings.