Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

Note: Nft Art Heists: Analyzing Nfts Under U.S. Law And International Conventions On Art Theft, Kevin D. Brum

Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies

The non-fungible token (“NFT”) is a type of digital asset that is usually associated with an image and has a unique identifier. An NFT cannot be copied or reproduced, and records of NFT transactions are stored on the blockchain. NFTs are a recent innovation and have swept the world by storm. NFT sales tripled from 2019 to 2020 and DappRadar—the premier platform for hosting decentralized NFT portfolio management applications—estimates that NFT sales hit twenty-five billion dollars in 2021. Many NFTs appear to be artistic works and, either individually or in a collection, can be given away for free, sold for …

Note: Artistic Relevance In Artificial Intelligence? “Roger” That!, Kelly Heilman

Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies

In an era of technological revolution, artificial intelligence is shocking the legal field with its increasing popularity, power, and potential. The limits of property, personhood, and creativity are in question by both the public and the courts, leaving significant ambiguities in the law. Legal standards regarding the regulation of advanced technologies have raised unique and critical substantive questions for intellectual property rights, particularly that of trademarks, where the traditional purpose is source identification between consumers and goods.

Since the 1989 holding in Rogers v. Grimaldi, the use of trademarks for creative purposes, as a matter of First Amendment jurisprudence, …

Law Is In The Bin: New Frontiers In Conceptual Art And Legal Liability, Katelyn E. Doering

Notre Dame Law Review

Part I of this Note begins with a discussion of who Banksy is and why his work is important to this legal debate, finishing with a detailed description of the features of conceptual art that are relevant for legal analysis and an argument that the shredding stunt—the event itself, not the partially shredded canvas—is a work of conceptual art. Part II argues that the unique features of the shredding stunt, and of future works in the same artistic category, present a novel legal problem both for artists and for buyers. This novel problem is explored through the lens of …

Changes Are Not Enough: Problems Persist With Ncaa's Adjudicative Policy, Elizabeth Lombard

Notre Dame Law Review

Recently, the critical eye of the public has focused on the adjudicative and enforcement policy of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Social media sites serve as a testament to the rampant shock and confusion that the general population has harbored with regard to the enforcement and adjudication process on the heels of recent, high-profile cases. Witnessing verified sports reporters and outlets refer to the NCAA as powerless or questioning its purpose or existence altogether is evidence of the NCAA’s trying times in the court of public opinion. On the one hand, and rightfully so, one might think that this …

Lane Violation: Why The Ncaa's Amateurism Rules Have Overstepped Antitrust Protection & How To Correct, Alexander Knuth

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

The NCAA is in the midst of an era that will define the future of collegiate athletics and determine how young people participate in sports for the foreseeable future. This Essay ultimately concludes that both the NCAA and its athletes would benefit from a system that allows for the exploitation of athletes' name, image, or likeness (NIL) rights while preserving the core educational and nonprofessional nature of college sports as a product. Currently the NCAA requires its athletes to maintain a very broadly defined amateur status to remain eligible for competition. The current amateurism definition states that athletes must forego …

The Ncaa's Transfer Conundrum, Christopher J. Gerace

Notre Dame Law Review

This Note articulates a normative framework for analyzing NCAA transfer rules, arguing that a balance must be struck between fairness for student-athletes and appropriate restrictions on transfer rules so as to prevent full-on free agency in collegiate athletics. The Note additionally argues that institutional autonomy over academics is a factor the NCAA must consider along with fairness and prevention of free agency. This Note will not wade into the complicated waters of potential antitrust issues with the NCAA, nor discuss the controversial calls for pay-for-play or unionization for student-athletes—instead, this Note will simply take for granted that it is desirable …

Rejecting The De Minimis Defense To Infringement Of Sound Recording Copyrights, Michael G. Kubik

Notre Dame Law Review

Part I of this Note examines the history of sound recording copyrights, the role of digital sampling in the music industry, and the basic principles and functions of the de minimis defense. Part II carefully dissects the Bridgeport and VMG opinions. Part III then considers the merits of each opinion and concludes that Bridgeport reached the correct conclusion. This argument rests on the statutory scheme of Title 17 of the U.S. Code and the plain text of its applicable provisions, bolstered by their legislative history, giving life to a unique statutory creature that thrives in a manner inconsistent with traditional …

Fairness At A Price: Protecting The Integrity Of Athletic Competitions At The Expense Of Female Athletes, Annie Bach Yen Nguyen

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Ever since women were allowed to compete in the Olympics, they have been subjected to some form of gender verification. Initially, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) required female athletes to present certificates from their doctors confirming that they were in fact women. In 1966, the IOC and the IAAF “decided they couldn’t trust individual nations to certify femininity, and instead implemented a mandatory genital check of every woman competing at international games.” This process was dubbed the “nude parades”. In response to the overwhelming disapproval of such examination, the IOC and IAAF began implementing …

The Vatican View On Sport At The Service Of Humanity, Ed Edmonds

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Participation in sport, particularly the opportunity for children to enjoy and learn through play, is a human right and strongly supported by the goals of Catholic social teaching and the efforts of the Olympic Movement and the United Nations. On October 5-6, 2016, the Vatican held the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference, the first global conference on sport and faith, an initiative promoted by Pope Francis and supported by the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations. This essay focuses on the conference, its vision and goals, and a challenge to use sport to advance human development and …

Amateur Vs. Professional In Cold War Hockey: A Consideration Of Relative Skill Levels And Their Implications For Professional Hockey Today, John Soares

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Americans who follow sports often consider amateur sport inferior, by definition, to the skill level of professionals. This article argues that during the 1970s and 1980s, new competitions between amateur (mainly Soviet and Czechoslovakian) and professional (mostly Canadian and American) hockey teams demonstrated that the amateur game could be as skilled –or even more so – than the professional counterpart. The article considers the problematic nature of “amateurism,” international rules changes that made possible the new amateur-vs.-professional competitions, and the results of some of these Cold War confrontations. It concludes with consideration of the relative merits of styles of play …

Forced Evictions, Homelessness, And Destruction: Summer "Games"? Olympic Violations Of The Right To Adequate Housing In Rio De Janeiro, Leigha C. Crout

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

This article details the violations of the right to housing that took place in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Analyzed under the international, regional, and domestic instruments that enumerate this guarantee, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the Charter and the Declaration of the Rights and Duties of the Organization of American States, and the Constitution of Brazil, the aim of this work is to draw attention to the systematic deprivation of one of the most central human rights in the name of the Games.

Daily Fantasy Sports Go “All In”: The Demise Of American Morals?, James Schwabe

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

The future of Daily Fantasy Sports throughout the United States remains uncertain. Although there have been numerous attempts to double down on the spread of gambling, the growing attraction to gamble has not been suppressed. With the recent proposed legislation and litigation over the legality of Daily Fantasy Sports, a new debate has emerged that implicates America’s desire to protect its “public morals.” Part I of this Note will discuss the intricacies of Daily Fantasy Sports and the allegations against FanDuel and DraftKings as of February 2016. Part II will analyze the current legal framework surrounding global internet gambling and …

Dropping The Ball: The Failure Of The Ncaa To Address Concussions In College Football, K. Adam Pretty

Notre Dame Law Review

Part I of this Note will examine the medical history of concussions, and the growing link between concussions suffered by football players and the development of long-term head injuries. Part II will discuss factors that exacerbate the concussion problem in football, as well as examine how the head injury issue is being addressed by the NCAA, the National Football League (NFL), and state legislatures. Part III will examine the NCAA’s duty to protect student-athlete safety in light of the ongoing litigation against the NCAA, specifically the potential scope of legal liability for head injuries. Part IV will focus on what …

Nigeria And Mali: The Case For Repatriation And Protection Of Cultural Heritage In Post-Colonial Africa, Elizabeth A. Klesmith

Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law

Writing in early 2013, Elizabeth A. Klesmith explores the challenges of African nations in protecting their cultural heritage in the post-colonization era. She identifies two major challenges to the preservation of African cultural heritage: the multi-billion dollar global trade in illicit heritage and, in certain parts of Africa, the threat of destruction of cultural treasures during bouts of sectarian violence. Klesmith discusses these challenges utilizing case studies concerning the cultural treasures of Nigeria and Mali. In the case of Nigeria, the country is striving to reacquire artifacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in the late nineteenth century and recently purchased …