Law Commons^™

Legal Interoperability Issues In International Cooperation Measures To Secure The Maritime Commons, Craig Allen

Books

Contains papers submitted at a workshop sponsored by the William B. Ruger Chair of National Security Economics, Newport, Rhode Island 6-8 November, 2006.

Clicking Away The Competition: The Legal Ramifications Of Click Fraud For Companies That Offer Pay Per Click Advertising Services, Daniel L. Hadjinian

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Two businesses that advertise online, Lane's Gifts and Collectibles and Advanced Internet Technologies, recently filed lawsuits against Google, and other intermediaries that offer sponsored advertising services. The companies allege that these intermediaries failed to adequately protect them against "click fraud." Click fraud refers to the practice whereby competitors and other persons may click to view an online ad with no intention of buying, learning about the advertiser's services, or engaging in any other action that the ad aims to achieve. Plaintiffs allege that the intermediaries breached their contractual duties by charging the companies whose ads they hosted for fraudulent clicks, …

Hiding Evidence From The Boss: Attorney-Client Privilege And Company Computers, Kelcey Nichols

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Recent court decisions in In re Asia Global Crossing, Ltd., People v. Jiang, and Curto v. Medical World Communications have held that attorney-client privilege can protect certain information located on an employer-issued computer from disclosure if the employee had a reasonable expectation of privacy. This Article provides a brief background on attorney-client privilege and explores the factors courts consider when determining whether an employee has this reasonable expectation. These factors include the scope of employer monitoring, the employer-employee agreement pertaining to the computer, the presence of password-protection, the location of the computer, and the relevancy of the evidence …

To Serve And Protect: Do Businesses Have A Legal Duty To Protect Collections Of Personal Information?, Derek A. Bishop

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Commercial, governmental, and nonprofit organizations are more frequently reporting instances of data security breaches. This has, in turn, raised fears of identity theft. In some limited instances, companies that maintain large amounts of personal information—such as credit reporting agencies—have been subject to statutory duties to protect that personal information. In some instances, such legislation has also permitted a private cause of action for breach of these duties. Legislatures have expanded these statutes to encompass, at least to a limited degree, all business entities that collect personal information. Recent precedent indicates that courts may follow this trend by declaring security breaches …

Uwlaw, Fall 2006, Vol. 54

Alumni Magazines

Cover story: Beyond Billable Hours: Our Legacy of Public Service, featuring Tom Foley, Jim Ellis, Fawn Sharp, Erman Rajagukguk, the Gates Scholarship Program, the Afghan Legal Educators Project, and the Law School Clinics.

From the Dean: Taking the Broad View of Public Service, page 2

Alumni Awards Recognize Outstanding Achievement, page 3 (Gregory Gorder '85, Service Recognition Award; the Honorable Robert Bryan '58, Jonathan Bridge '76, and Scott Lukins '54, Distinguished Alumni Awards; photo)

Meet Arley Harrell '73, President of the UW Law School Alumni Association, page 4, photo

Prosterman Awarded Kravis Prize [Henry R. Kravis Prize for Leadership, with …

Unequal Rights: The Fourteenth Amendment And De Facto Parentage, Adam K. Ake

Washington Law Review

Faced with an unprecedented number of children born into non-traditional family arrangements, courts across the country are struggling to preserve relationships between same-sex partners and their partners' biological children after those non-marital relationships end. This Comment argues that the Fourteenth Amendment limits the extent to which courts can intrude on the parental rights of a natural or adoptive parent in an attempt to provide remedies for non-parent partners, who are usually legal strangers to the children under applicable statutory schemes. U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence implicitly recognizes hierarchical tiers of parental rights. Under this framework natural and adoptive parents have superior …

Enjoys Long Walks On The Beach: Washington's Public Trust Doctrine And The Right Of Pedestrian Passage Over Private Tidelands, Ewa M. Davison

Washington Law Review

Under Washington's public trust doctrine, the state retains a jus publicum interest in tidelands, regardless of ownership. This interest obligates the state to protect the public rights encompassed within the jus publicum: navigation, fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing, and corollary recreational activities. The state satisfies this duty so long as its actions do not circumscribe public access to those resources, including tidelands, traditionally protected by the public trust doctrine. The title to any tidelands property sold into private ownership is similarly burdened; a private tidelands owner may not utilize property in a way that would compromise the state's jus …

(Whatever Happended To) The Ada's "Record Of" Prong(?), Alex B. Long

Washington Law Review

Of the three prongs in the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA) definition of disability, the "record of" prong is far less likely to be used by ADA plaintiffs in claiming protection under the Act than are the actual disability and "regarded as" prongs. Between the years 2000 and 2005, ADA and Rehabilitation Act plaintiffs who alleged employment discrimination in federal court relied upon the "record of" prong less than one-third as often as either the actual and "regarded as" prongs in claiming disability status. When they did rely on the "record of" prong, ADA plaintiffs did not enjoy any greater …

Appellate Review Of Discovery Orders In Federal Court: A Suggested Approach For Handling Privilege Claims, Cassandra Burke Robertson

Washington Law Review

The federal circuit courts of appeals have generally recognized that a party suffers real hardship when the district court erroneously orders it to disclose privileged information. Review of the disclosure order after final judgment is usually an insufficient remedy; once the information has been disclosed, it can never again be fully confidential. Consequently, the courts have struggled to provide a mechanism by which such orders can be immediately appealed. However, privilege orders presenting novel questions of law or issues of first impression do not clearly fit within the doctrinal requirements of the most common methods of interlocutory review. Appellate courts …

Breaking Down Barriers To U.S. Investment In Vietnam's Real Estate Market, Stephanie L. Strike

Washington International Law Journal

Despite great progress in Vietnam’s general investment environment, barriers exist which impede U.S. investment in Vietnam’s real estate market. While Vietnam remains a socialist country, drastic liberalization of its market structure and investment laws have made Vietnam a more attractive environment for most U.S. investors. However, barriers remain for U.S. investors seeking to invest in Vietnam’s real estate, specifically property developers wishing to build tourism complexes. These barriers include weak transportation infrastructure, financial and humanitarian issues posed by site clearance, and lack of accountability in the real estate licensing system. To facilitate U.S. investment in Vietnam’s real estate, Vietnam should …

Constitutional Adjudication In Post-1997 Hong Kong, Albert H.Y. Chen

Washington International Law Journal

In July 1997, the British colony of Hong Kong was returned to the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). It became a Special Administrative Region (“SAR”) of the PRC in accordance with the concept of “one country, two systems” embodied by the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. The constitutional instrument of Hong Kong’s new legal and political system is the Basic Law of the SAR of Hong Kong, enacted by the National People’s Congress of the PRC and effective as of July 1997. Under colonial rule, Hong Kong inherited a British-style legal system. English common law formed the foundation, and the …

If I Had A Hammer: The Oecd Guidelines For Multinational Enterprises As Another Tool To Protect Indigenous Rights To Land, Heather Bowman

Washington International Law Journal

As developing countries embrace market economies, a primary source of investment is in the form of foreign direct investment through action by Multinational Enterprises (“Multinationals”) inside a country’s borders. Activity by a Multinational is often regulated only by the host country, which may place minimal restrictions on it for fear of losing investment. This places the country’s people and environment at risk. Indigenous peoples affected by poorly planned or managed development have no opportunity to change plans before they are enacted, and have little chance to obtain reparation for damages suffered. A way of addressing this lack of participation in …

The Judicial Application Of The Causation Test Of The False Statement Doctrine In Securities Litigation In China, Ling Dai

Washington International Law Journal

As part of the reform of China’s centrally planned economy, one of the primary purposes in establishing a stock market was to help state-owned enterprises raise sufficient capital from the public. The protection of investors’ interests was not essential in the initial contemplation of securities laws, though the listed companies have a duty of disclosure under the 1998 Securities Law. After the Supreme People’s Court promulgated its judicial interpretation of the false statement doctrine in civil securities cases in 2002, the lower courts started to interpret and apply the elements of the false statement doctrine in securities cases brought by …

Water Privatization In The Philippines: The Need To Implement The Human Right To Water, Sarah I. Hale

Washington International Law Journal

Water is widely recognized as an essential element to sustain life, yet attaining universal access to clean drinking water remains a perplexing issue throughout the lesser-developed world. In 1997, with backing from private investment and the World Bank, the Philippine government privatized the municipal water utility of Manila in an effort to improve service and promote efficiency. Nearly ten years later, privatization has failed to produce results and instead has engendered a contentious and polemical debate about the merits of privatization. Indeed, for policy makers, the case study of Manila has become a focal point in the debate about whether …

Aiming Straight: The Use Of Indigenous Customary Law To Protect Traditional Cultural Expressions, Meghana Raorane

Washington International Law Journal

Globalization has led to the propagation of traditional cultural expressions of indigenous peoples outside their communities. Consequently, the question of how these expressions should be protected has acquired heightened significance. Commentators have proposed using existing intellectual property regimes and sui generis solutions. This Comment advocates a third solution, the use of indigenous customary laws of indigenous peoples to protect their particular traditional cultural expressions. Indigenous customary laws ensure effective protection of the traditional cultural expressions of indigenous peoples. The assumption that existing intellectual property regimes provide the only available protection is erroneous and constrains the development of effective solutions. Western …

The Tonle Sap: Reconsideration Of The Laws Governing Cambodia's Most Important Fishery, Ian J. Mensher

Washington International Law Journal

The Tonle Sap Basin is not only Cambodia’s largest inland fishery, but also the source of food and income for roughly one million Cambodians. Its biodiversity is unrivaled within Southeast Asia, and its sustainability is vital to the socioeconomic and political stability in the region. However, Cambodia’s current fishery, forestry, and land laws do not adequately protect the Tonle Sap Basin from over-fishing and the introduction of sedimentation and pollution caused by increasing development. The laws do not create or reflect a model for sustainable fishing and development. Both the laws currently in force and proposed legislation fail to limit …

The Influential Legacy Of Dutch Islamic Policy On The Formation Of Zakat (Alms) Law In Modern Indonesia, Arskal Salim

Washington International Law Journal

This article attempts to trace the influence of the colonial legacy in the formation of zakat (alms) policy in modern Indonesia. The article argues that the influence of the Dutch Islamic policy has gradually diminished as the process of Islamization of Indonesia has deepened. As early as the 19th century, Snouck Hurgronje played a key role in developing the Dutch zakat policy, which focused on the colonial government preventing the payment of zakat from being compulsory. During the first two decades after Indonesia's independence in 1945, the zakat policy as derived from colonial times continued without much change. However, by …

Don't Send That E-Mail To A Minor!: Compliance With State Child Protection Registry Statutes, Laura Dunlop

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

In July of 2004, Michigan and Utah enacted child protection registry laws that prohibit businesses from sending e-mail advertisements for certain types of goods and services to “contact points” (e.g. individual or school e-mail domains) listed on registries maintained by each state. The prohibited goods and services include alcohol, tobacco, pornography, and illegal drugs. This Article summarizes these statutes and provides guidance to businesses concerning statutory compliance. The Article also highlights certain concerns about the scope and ambiguities in the statutory language. Despite ongoing debate surrounding these statutes, companies that choose to market via the Internet must understand their statutory …

The Union Workplace Meets Big Brother: Advising Clients On Employer Conduct With Regard To Hidden Surveillance, Jamila Asha Johnson

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Hidden cameras may guide a union employer to find employee misconduct, but at what cost? Since the late 1990s, two federal appeals courts and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have required employers to bargain with unions before using hidden video surveillance to observe employees. Until more recently, however, it was less apparent how lawyers should advise clients when an employer wished to use hidden cameras or had already installed non-disclosed video surveillance. In August 2005, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decided a case surrounding surveillance at an Anheuser-Busch facility, which provided further guidance on these issues. This Article …

Podcasting Pop Songs?: Licensing Concerns With Podcasts That Contain Mainstream Music, Jared Barrett

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Podcasting is a new distribution medium that allows a vast array of users to transmit audio or video programs (“podcasts”) to wide audiences. Typically, recipients use handheld devices, such as an iPod, or personal computer to capture and retain a podcast for later playback. Podcasts are diverse in form and content, ranging from talk-radio shows to political speeches to educational programs. One area of content that has been slow to develop, however, is the inclusion of mainstream music in podcasts. Many podcasters have avoided the use of mainstream music altogether because of difficulties in determining how podcasting music fits within …

Broadening The Scope Of Electronic Reproductions: The Interpretation Of Section 201(C) In Faulkner V. National Geographic Enterprises Inc., Shan Sivalingam

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

This Article analyzes the implications of the recent decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Faulkner v. National Geographic Enterprises Inc. The court interpreted § 201(c) of the federal Copyright Act to permit National Geographic to compile print issues of its magazine into a CD-ROM digital archive without explicit permission from freelance authors who contributed to the print issues. The court’s decision has raised concern among freelance journalists and photographers who contribute works to newspapers and other periodicals that compile copyrighted works. This Article outlines significant features of the Faulkner decision and analyzes it …

Recordings, Transcripts, And Translations As Evidence, Clifford S. Fishman

Washington Law Review

Secretly recorded conversations often play a vital role in criminal trials. However, circumstances such as background noise, accidents, regional or national idioms, jargon, or code may make it difficult for a jury to hear or understand what was said—even if all participants were speaking English. Thus, a recording's value as evidence will often depend on whether an accurate transcript may be distributed to the jury. This Article discusses several legal issues, including: Who should prepare a transcript? What should it contain? How should its accuracy be determined, and by whom? Should the transcript be considered evidence, or only an "aid …

Congressional Power To Regulate Noncommercial Activity Overseas: Interstate Commerce Clause Precedent Indicates Constitutional Limitations On Foreign Commerce Clause Authority, Jeff Christensen

Washington Law Review

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled any statutes criminalizing the conduct of Americans overseas unconstitutional under the Foreign Commerce Clause, three U.S. Courts of Appeals decisions use the concept of enumerated powers—important in U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate statutes grounded in the Interstate Commerce Clause—to suggest limitations on Congress's Foreign Commerce Clause power. In two decisions, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits employed the U.S. Supreme Court's Interstate Commerce Clause framework when analyzing statutes under the Foreign Commerce Clause. In so doing, these courts suggest that Foreign Commerce Clause power is …

Washington's Title Match: The Single-Subject And Subject-In-Title Rules Of Article Ii, Section 19 Of The Washington State Constitution, Dustin Buehler

Washington Law Review

Article II, section 19 of the Washington State Constitution provides that "[n]o bill shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title." This provision contains two rules. First, an act violates the single-subject rule if it has a general title and its provisions lack rational unity, or if it has a restrictive title and contains provisions not fairly within the scope of that title. Second, an act violates the subject-in-title rule if the plain language of its title does not indicate the scope and purpose of the bill to an inquiring mind, or if it …

Strengthening Auditor Independence: Reestablishing Audits As Control And Premium Signaling Mechanisms, Sean M. O'Connor

Washington Law Review

As recent scandals have demonstrated, ensuring the independence of auditors from the publicly traded clients whose books they inspect is one of the most vexing problems in the financial world today. Arguably, the imposition of a mandatory audit system through the 1930s federal securities laws created the modem problem of auditor independence. The core issue is that the statutory audit is simply a commodified cost of doing business for issuers that imposes an impossible obligation to serve an unspecified "investing public" on the auditors. Yet, this investing public neither hires, fires, nor controls the auditors. Instead, the audit relationship is …

A Failure Of Expression: How The Provisions Of The U.S. Bankruptcy Code Fail To Abrogate Tribal Sovereign Immunity, Greggory W. Dalton

Washington Law Review

Sections 106(a) and 101(27) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code use the general phrase "other foreign or domestic government" to abrogate sovereign immunity without specifically referencing Indian tribes. The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet decided whether these sections of the Code abrogate tribal sovereign immunity, and lower court decisions have come to varying conclusions. As a general rule, Indian tribes are immune from suit due to their inherent sovereignty. Congress, however, may abrogate the sovereign immunity of tribes by unequivocally stating its intent to do so in a statute. When interpreting abrogation provisions in a statute, courts have only found …

Judicial Intervention In International Arbitration: A Comparative Study Of The Scope Of The New York Convention In U.S. And Chinese Courts, Jian Zhou

Washington International Law Journal

The New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards has been praised as one of the most efficient and powerful multilateral legal instruments in promoting international commercial arbitration. The implementation of the Convention, however, depends heavily on the domestic legal mechanisms of contracting states. By strategically adjusting its scope, local courts may expand or limit the benefits of the Convention in a significant way. The comparison between the practices of United States and Chinese courts present two extreme examples of this scope issue. There is considerable room to improve the domestic implementation of the Convention in …

Cnooc-Unocal And The Wto: Discriminatory Rules In The China Protocol Are A Latent Threat To The Rule Of Law In The Dispute Settlement Understanding, Thomas P. Holt

Washington International Law Journal

In the summer of 2005, the Chinese state-owned oil company CNOOC, Ltd. (“CNOOC”) attempted to purchase American-owned Unocal Corporation on very favorable terms. There was a serious problem with the merger, however—the U.S. Congress was not about to let the People’s Republic of China (“China”) buy up an American company, no matter how much it was willing to pay. Following a period of increasingly heated rhetoric about the deal, the U.S. Congressman representing competitor Chevron Corporation’s home district inserted a provision in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that was intended to, and did, scuttle the deal. The U.S. Congress’ …

To Charge Or Not To Charge, That Is Discretion: The Problem Of Prosecutorial Discretion In Chile, And Japan's Solution, Kirtland C. Marsh

Washington International Law Journal

Chile’s recent criminal procedure reform is an ambitious program to bring greater transparency, fairness, and effectiveness to the country’s legal system. However, the success of the reform is not assured. To a great extent, the reform’s success will depend on the new national Office of the Public Prosecutor’s ability to enforce laws and direct law enforcement within the confines of the new system. Prosecutors must balance the interests of the Chilean public’s demands for order and convictions with the reform’s underlying principles of impartiality and enhanced rights for defendants. If prosecutors resort to the excesses used by investigating judges under …

China International Economic Trade Arbitration Commission In 2006: New Rules, Same Results?, Benjamin O. Kostrzewa

Washington International Law Journal

In May of 2005, the China International Economic Trade Arbitration Commission (“CIETAC”) was updated with new rules designed to bring it into conformity with international arbitration standards. The rules were the most recent efforts by the Chinese government to provide foreign companies with an alternative to the Chinese judiciary, which is often considered parochial, unsophisticated, and unable to handle modern business conflicts. The new rules cure many of the problems associated with arbitration in China and have created a predominantly fair and professional dispute resolution forum. Currently, CIETAC suffers more from award collection problems rather than problems in its rules …