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Full-Text Articles in Consumer Protection Law
Open World Regulation: The Urgent Need For Federal Legislation On Video Game Loot Boxes, Alex Reyes
Open World Regulation: The Urgent Need For Federal Legislation On Video Game Loot Boxes, Alex Reyes
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Loot boxes are items in video games that contain randomized prizes that players can purchase with real-world money. In recent years, loot boxes have come under scrutiny because the relationship between behavior and the underlying mechanics of loot boxes are similar to that of addictive behaviors associated with real-world gambling. Many papers suggest solutions focused on industry changes without direct regulation. However, these papers neglect the enormous profit incentive to maintain a business practice which can have detrimental behavioral effects on children. The United States federal government must take example from a growing number of European countries and ban the …
Who Knew? Refining The "Knowability" Standard For The Future Of Potentially Hazardous Technologies, Scott P. Kennedy
Who Knew? Refining The "Knowability" Standard For The Future Of Potentially Hazardous Technologies, Scott P. Kennedy
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
As consumer technology becomes increasingly complex, so too does the manufacturer’s task in assessing the scope of its duty to warn of potential dangers. A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Rosa v. Taser International, Inc., offers a prime illustration of this challenge through its analysis of a hazard posed by Taser weaponry. The Rosa court highlights a point of uncertainty in this area of law: courts typically determine which hazards were knowable at the time of manufacture as a matter of law, but they sometimes do so in the absence of …
Arbitration Nation: Wireless Service Providers And Class Action Waivers, Alexander J. Casey
Arbitration Nation: Wireless Service Providers And Class Action Waivers, Alexander J. Casey
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
State consumer protection laws protect the public against unfair and deceptive trade practices. Plaintiffs seeking to invoke such consumer protection laws often bring class action suits to vindicate their rights. However, some jurisdictions have recently shown a willingness to enforce contract arbitration clauses that contain class action waivers. Such waivers prevent consumers from invoking class action status, and may also prevent them from enforcing relevant state consumer protection laws. Other courts, by contrast, have held that service contracts containing class action waivers violate relevant state consumer protection laws and are against public policy. Yet another group of courts facing the …
Mobile Marketing Derailed: How Curbing Cell-Phone Spam In Satterfield V. Simon & Schuster May Have Banned Text-Message Advertising, Gareth S. Lacy
Mobile Marketing Derailed: How Curbing Cell-Phone Spam In Satterfield V. Simon & Schuster May Have Banned Text-Message Advertising, Gareth S. Lacy
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The risk of receiving cell-phone spam—in the form of unsolicited text messages—grows as advertisers increasingly target cell-phone users. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) clearly prohibits unsolicited telephone calls made by an automated telephone dialing system (ATDS) without the recipient’s express prior consent. But until the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, it was unclear how TCPA applied to text messages. Simon & Schuster argued their text messages were not “calls” under the TCPA and were not sent by an ATDS. The Ninth Circuit disagreed and held a text message is a “call.” The …