Law Commons^™

Service Of Process Via Social Media: Exploring The Use Of Social Media Platforms To Provide Notice To Defendants In Civil Cases In Belgium, Cedric Vanleenhove

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

In common law systems, there has recently been a trend to permit plaintiffs to serve process on defendants through social media networks. This trend raises the following question: Is this form of service also beneficial in civil law countries-in particular, Belgium? To answer this question, this Article analyzes the conditions under which this type of service has been allowed by US courts, where most of the new development has occurred. This Article concludes that social media service may be a valuable additional means of notice when the defendant does not have a known address. In such circumstances, Belgian law currently …

Amended Rules, Amended Pleadings: How The Abrogation Of Form 18 Politicized Direct Infringement Patent Pleading, Nick Baniel

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Since the abrogation of Form 18, the template for pleading direct infringement of patents, district courts have struggled to assess exactly what a plaintiff must assert in pleadings to survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. In place of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 84, courts have developed multiple standards to assess pleading sufficiency. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has provided little guidance when given the opportunity to resolve this division, leaving uncertainty for litigants and judges. Using data collected from opinions on motions to dismiss during 2016 and 2017, this Note …

Dance Like No One Is Watching, Post Like Everyone Is: The Accessibility Of "Private" Social Media Content In Civil Litigation, Nicole A. Keefe

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

An increasing amount of information about an individual manifests in online activity, specifically through the use of the numerous social media platforms available today. Though these platforms offer users the ability to shield content behind various degrees of privacy options, even the most private information might be accessed in the course of robust legal proceedings. This Note analyzes the accessibility of private social media content in civil litigation through the vehicles of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and the Federal Rules of Evidence. The solution suggests methods for incorporating this new technological medium …

Man Versus Machine Review: The Showdown Between Hordes Of Discovery Lawyers And A Computer-Utilizing Predictive-Coding Technology, Nicholas Barry

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The discovery process is regularly capturing millions of pages of documents. Electronic storage is making storing documents cheaper and easier. When litigation begins, however, sorting through this massive amount of electronically stored information is costly and time intensive. Keyword searches are a start to managing the growing amount of electronic documents, but the discovery process is still falling behind in efficiency. Predictive coding could change all that.

Predictive coding is capable of solving the time-intensive nature (and resultant growing cost) of processing discovery documents. Predictive coding is faster, cheaper, and more accurate than traditional linear document review, the current "gold …

The Information Black Hole: Managing The Issues Arising From The Increase In Electronic Data Discovery In Litigation, Tracey L. Boyd

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note explores the problems that the increase in electronic data discovery has created in litigation. In particular, this Note centers on the issue of cost-allocation involved when discovery includes electronically stored information. Part II of this Note contains a background discussion of the technical and legal aspects of the discovery of electronic information. It examines the different types of electronically stored data, the innate differences between traditional discovery and electronic discovery, and analyzes the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as they apply to the discovery of electronically stored information. Next, this Note discusses several early cases in which courts …