Law Commons^™

Combating Fake News With “Reasonable Standards”, Tawanna D. Lee

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Fake news is an intractable concern around the globe, sowing division and distrust in institutions, and undermining election integrity. This Article analyzes the spectrum of private and public regulation of “fake news” from comparative law and normative perspectives. In the United States, combating fake news shares surprising bipartisan support in an ever-divided political landscape. While several proposals have emerged that would strip Internet media companies of the liability shield for third-party content, it is unlikely that they would survive the seemingly insurmountable First Amendment scrutiny. This Article argues for a different tact—an amendment to the Communications Decency Act that addresses …

Litigators And Dealmakers: A Comprehensive Critique Of The California Labor Commission’S Solis Decision And The Talent Agencies Act In The Context Of The 2018-2019 Wga-Ata Packaging Dispute, Tyler J. Emerson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Wake Up Or Get Woke: The Paradox Of America’S Diplomatic Export Of Hip Hop, Kalen M. Coleman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

A Post For Change: Social Media And The Unethical Dissemination Of Nonconsensual Pornography, Cecilia Grimaldi

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

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UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

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UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Going “All In” After Murphy V. Ncaa: An Approach For California To Legalize Sports Gambling, Kailey J. Walsh

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

When people think of sports gambling, they think of Las Vegas. Until recently, Nevada was the only state where one could legally place bets on sporting events. However, since the recent Supreme Court decision, Murphy v. NCAA, states are now in control when it comes to deciding whether or not to legalize sports gambling. As a result of the Murphy v. NCAA decision, some states have started to pass legislation to allow its citizens to legally place bets on certain sporting events. The driving force to legalize sports gambling stems from states’ desires to increase revenue through the taxation of …

This Is No Laughing Matter: How Should Comedians Be Able To Protect Their Jokes?, Sarah Gamblin

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note will discuss the current state of protection for jokes and comedy. As it is now, the only protection comics have is self-help, meaning comedians take punishing thefts into their own hands. This note will dive into the reasons why the current legislature and courts refuse to recognize jokes as copyrightable. Specifically, why many believe that jokes to not meet the qualifications of being an expression, as well as the fear that protecting jokes will lead to chilled speech.

Additionally, this note shall discuss the ways jokes could be protected under the current legal scheme, including trademark and state …

Leveraging The Ilo For Human Rights And Workers’ Rights In International Sporting Events, Dantam Le

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Sports majorly impact the world, and millions of fans from all over the globe rally together with pride to watch their countries compete on the world’s stage in international sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Studies suggest that mega sporting events help host cities gain an influx of resources from the central government relative to non-host cities in the same country, and that this may be particularly important in periods of economic recession and resource scarcity. Sports play a central role in quality education for all, and sports have been found to advance public health, …

The Shield And The Sword: The Press Between The Public Interest And The Illegal Interception Of Private Communications, Andres Calderon

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Journalism is not only under the attack of fake news and post-truth politics. Its main enemy comes from within. Malpractices of journalism such as the fabrication of sources and fake stories and illegal intrusion in people’s privacy are part of the equation that leads to people’s distrust in news organization.

This article addresses two very related topics that, nevertheless, have not been sufficiently studied as part of the same phenomenon: the reporter’s privilege to protect his sources’ identity and its connection with a journalist’s involvement in the illegal hacking or interception of private communications.

After reviewing most relevant case laws …

Corruption And College Sports: A Love Story, Andrea Cristiani Closa

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

College sports are a staple of American tradition, bringing in hundreds of millions of viewers each year. Fans from all over the country root for their team’s success and hope they will be the ones to take home the national championship each year. Increasingly, however, college sports have been in the public eye for a very different reason: corruption. The National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (“NCAA”) Amateurism Rule, which prohibits student-athletes from receiving compensation, has contributed to this ongoing corruption. The NCAA insists upon its student-athletes remaining amateurs, even though its own rule is damaging the integrity of college sports. Players, …

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UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Are College Football Players Being Promised Big Nfl Bucks And Being Shortchanged In The Classroom And On The Field?, Melanie Navarro

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Football is America’s pastime. Over one hundred million people tuned in to watch this year’s Super Bowl. Sundays during football season are spent in front of a television rooting for our favorite teams. Football has been an integral part of American culture for over 120 years. But in recent years, football has lost yardage. Information regarding the causal link between head injuries on the football field and degenerative brain diseases has come to light. Thousands of former National Football League (“NFL”) players took part in a highly publicized class-action lawsuit against the league. Players alleged that the NFL knew of …

Enemy Of The People: The Ghost Of The F.C.C. Fairness Doctrine In The Age Of Alternative Facts, Ian Klein

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The FCC Fairness Doctrine required that all major broadcasting outlets spend equal time covering both sides of all controversial issues of national importance. The Fairness Doctrine remained the standard for decades before it stopped being enforced during the Reagan administration, and was removed from the Federal Register during the Obama administration. Since the Fairness Doctrine’s disappearance, the perception by conservatives and progressives alike has been that major media outlets display overt biases towards one political affiliation or the other. As it becomes harder to determine real news from “fake news,” Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low. An …

Forum Delegation: The Birth And Transposition Of A New Approach To Public Forum Doctrine, Brett Johnson, Shane C. Epping

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This paper introduces and explores the concept of forum delegation: the power of government officials to suggest which forums to allow speakers to use. The concept is born out of a recent legal battle between the University of Minnesota and conservative speaker Ben Shapiro, in which the UMN required Shapiro to speak in a venue away from the heart of campus due to concerns over the school’s ability to provide adequate security for the event. The paper first analyzes the UMN case to assess the constitutionality of forum delegation in the context of regulating speech and public universities. Next, it …

Harvey Of Hollywood: The Face That Launched A Thousand Stories, Sara Khorasani

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In the fall of 2017, the world was shaken by allegations of sexual misconduct against one of Hollywood’s high-powered movie moguls. The Harvey Weinstein scandal exposed countless accounts of sexual harassment and abuse, along with the settlement agreements that had kept them covered for decades. Since then, social movements have helped knock Harvey off his Hollywood throne and shed light upon a major concern plaguing the entertainment industry. This paper seeks to address how to effectively change an industry that has long bred a systemic culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. Under the accepted norms of Hollywood, victims of sexual …

Youtube, K-Pop, And The Emergence Of Content Copycats, Sam Quach

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

YouTube is the internet’s largest and most recognized video streaming platform; the website has millions of daily active users from all over the world and hosts billions of videos. With so much content being hosted on the website, YouTube has developed basic protocol when it comes to copyright issues, including a standardized system for dealing with copyright infringement. But with such a large audience and technology constantly growing and changing, YouTube is constantly faced with new problems. Among content on YouTube, Korean entertainment and pop music (commonly referred to as K-Pop) has quickly become one of the largest markets, with …

Mixed Messages: How The Free Press Has A Responsibility To We The People At The Marketplace Of Ideas, Addison O’Donnell

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Free Press makes possible a fair democracy. It exerts influence on our communities and our consciences, principally in the form of reporting facts through its account of events, endorsing certain viewpoints through editorials, and ultimately producing the “first rough draft of history.” How the public responds to the Free Press speaks to the historic and continued expectation that many different voices should present divergent messages and allow the people to decide which message is the truth. Risks taken by the Free Press in the name of truth enable the theory of our Constitution to endure by facilitating the unbridled …

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UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Lost In A Novelty Mug: U.S. Telecom, The Fcc, And Policy Resolution For Net Neutrality, Christopher Terry, Scott Memmel, Ashley Turacek

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This paper traces the history of net neutrality and the judicial reviews of the Federal Communication Commission’s multiple attempts at regulation, including the agency’s 2006 guidelines overturned in Comcast v. FCC, the 2010 rules overturned in Verizon v. FCC, and the FCC’s reclassification of broadband in its 2015 net neutrality rules, as well as the contemporary battles over the agency’s decision in November of 2017 to repeal the 2015 rules. As the FCC continues to wrestle with net neutrality and open internet regulations, the agency engaged in a series of continuing delays to impede a potential U.S. Supreme Court review …

Moral Rights For Musical Compositions In The United States:It’S Not Just Fair, It’S An Obligation, Becca E. Davis

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This paper seeks to establish that the United States has a quasi-obligation to enact comprehensive moral rights legislation to remain compliant with the minimum protection standards set forth by the Berne Convention of 1886. In order to alleviate the anticipated economic and societal concerns stemming from this idea, this paper presents musical compositions as the initial work of authorship to receive moral rights, gradually easing the United States’ transition into full compliance with the Berne Convention. Part I of this paper will cover a brief history of music law in the United States, focusing on how the exclusive rights granted …

Legalizing Federal Sports Gambling Laws: You Got To Know When To Hold’Em, Robert Shawhan

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This paper addresses the current federal laws that prohibits sports gambling. It argues that the introduction of a well-regulated and transparent gambling industry may serve greater protections than what is provided by the law. Politicians are sensibly acknowledging the realities of sports gambling and its benefits. The current political climate, under a Trump Presidency, is ideal for legalizing this form of gambling. Part I of this note will reflect on the most recent history of sports gambling laws. It will draw on New Jersey’s legal struggles, the sports evolution of Las Vegas, and the relevant Daily Fantasy Sports controversy. Part …

From Satirical To Satyrical: When Is A Joke Actionable?, Sandra Davidson Scott

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This Article was selected from Volume 13, Number 2 of the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal. In light of President Donald Trump’s threats to change the current libel law, this Article was selected to address topics including Jerry Falwell’s unsuccessful suit against Hustler magazine, the public figure/private person distinction, commercial appropriation for name and likeness, and the opinion/fact distinction. The Article concludes that courts show more sensitivity to commercial than personal injury and fail to appreciate that satire can damage reputation by raising suspicions that statements are based on facts that are merely stretched.

#Ncaa Vs. Student Athletes: An Empirical Analysis Of Ncaa Social Media Policies, Elizabeth M. Heintzelman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article argues that the NCAA and its universities should not have any form of social media policy as it creates First and Fourth Amendment violations, as well as a liability for both the NCAA and its member schools. A social media policy should not limit constitutional rights, but rather any policy should educate the youth about important issues such as cyber-bullying, versus limiting constitutional rights. This article will focus on several issues: 1) whether the relationship between the NCAA and its student athletes constitutes an employer-employee relationship; 2) an evaluation of the social media policies concerning private employers and …

Droit De Suite, Copyright’S First Sale Doctrine And Preemption Of State Law, David E. Shipley

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The primary focus of this article is whether California’s forty-year old droit de suite statute; the California Resale Royalty Act (CRRA), is subject to federal preemption under the Copyright Act. This issue is now being litigated in the Ninth Circuit, and this article concludes that the CRRA is preempted under section 301(a) of the Copyright Act and under the Supremacy Clause because it at odds with copyright’s well-established first sale doctrine.

The basic idea of droit de suite is that each time an artist’s work is resold by a dealer or auction house, the artist is entitled to a royalty, …

Can I Play Too? Transgender Student Athletes’ Inclusion In “Because Of Sex”, Paul Jones

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article seeks to explore what remedies may be available to transgender student athletes in today's changing legal field. The law is scant as to whether transgender student athletes must be allowed to play on the sex-segregated teams which correspond with their gender identity. New legislation may not be needed. Title VII and Title IX may offer protections for transgender student athletes. The legislative and judicial tools already exist.

Several federal courts have included gender identity under Title VII, yet Title VII currently only protects people who are considered to be employees. There is now a movement across college campuses …

The Pre-1972 Sound Recordings Landscape: A Need For A Uniform Federal Copyright Scheme, P. Dylan Jensen

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Since the rapid expansion of the Internet in the 1990s and through the 2000s, Internet entrepreneurs and technology companies continue to discover new ways to offer music online for free. A large portion of the music offered by these services was created prior to 1972, the year the Sound Recordings Act of 1971 established as the cut-off for federal copyright protection. These pre-1972 sound recordings are covered by a patchwork of state and common law, which varies greatly from state to state. Though some music services have shielded themselves with the safe harbor provision offered to Online Service Providers ("OSPs") …

Will The Federal Communications Commission’S 2015 Open Internet Order Receive Chevron Deference?, John Meisel

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") decided to reclassify broadband Internet service as a telecommunications service subject to Title II regulations contained in the Communications Act. This decision is currently under review by a three­ person panel of judges for the D.C. Circuit. A key question in the review will be whether the FCC's reclassification decision is eligible for Chevron deference. The answer to this question will likely be based on lessons learned from similar cases dealing with Chevron deference that the Supreme Court has addressed. For instance, the fact that the reclassification decision is likely to be characterized …

There’S No R In Smoking: A Modified Rating System To Curb Adolescent Smoking, Amanda E. Beckwith

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Smoking is the most common preventable causes of death in the United States and costs society billions of dollars each year. Most smokers become addicted at a young age, but often have no legal remedy from smoke-related injuries. Smoking in movies is a significant factor in the initiation of youth smoking, yet the Motion Picture Association of America ("MPAA") does not factor "smoking" into movie ratings. This note argues that in order to reduce the harmful effects of youth smoking, movies with depictions of cigarettes should be rated R. In order to pressure the MPAA into making this change, potential …

Protecting Journalists From Politically Motivated Claims Of Espionage Under International Law, Allison Brinkerhoff

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Currently, there is not a uniform international standard for the protection of journalists against politically motivated claims of espionage, and this void allows governments to cloak politically motivated claims of espionage as a "national security threats." The purpose of this article is to propose amending the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ("ICCPR"), to remove the void, by making Article 19 a nonderogated right for journalists who are reporting and participating in political expression.