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Full-Text Articles in Law

Artificial Intelligence: Application Today And Implications Tomorrow, Sean Semmler, Zeeve Rose Dec 2017

Artificial Intelligence: Application Today And Implications Tomorrow, Sean Semmler, Zeeve Rose

Duke Law & Technology Review

This paper analyzes the applications of artificial intelligence to the legal industry, specifically in the fields of legal research and contract drafting. First, it will look at the implications of artificial intelligence (A.I.) for the current practice of law. Second, it will delve into the future implications of A.I. on law firms and the possible regulatory challenges that come with A.I. The proliferation of A.I. in the legal sphere will give laymen (clients) access to the information and services traditionally provided exclusively by attorneys. With an increase in access to these services will come a change in the role that …


Slave To The Algorithm? Why A 'Right To An Explanation' Is Probably Not The Remedy You Are Looking For, Lilian Edwards, Michael Veale Dec 2017

Slave To The Algorithm? Why A 'Right To An Explanation' Is Probably Not The Remedy You Are Looking For, Lilian Edwards, Michael Veale

Duke Law & Technology Review

Algorithms, particularly machine learning (ML) algorithms, are increasingly important to individuals’ lives, but have caused a range of concerns revolving mainly around unfairness, discrimination and opacity. Transparency in the form of a “right to an explanation” has emerged as a compellingly attractive remedy since it intuitively promises to open the algorithmic “black box” to promote challenge, redress, and hopefully heightened accountability. Amidst the general furore over algorithmic bias we describe, any remedy in a storm has looked attractive. However, we argue that a right to an explanation in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is unlikely to present a …


Collection Of Cryptocurrency Customer-Information: Tax Enforcement Mechanism Or Invasion Of Privacy?, Austin Elliott Nov 2017

Collection Of Cryptocurrency Customer-Information: Tax Enforcement Mechanism Or Invasion Of Privacy?, Austin Elliott

Duke Law & Technology Review

After granting permission to the Internal Revenue Service to serve a digital exchange company a summons for user information, the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California created some uncertainty regarding the privacy of cryptocurrencies. The IRS views this information gathering as necessary for monitoring compliance with Notice 2014-21, which classifies cryptocurrencies as property for tax purposes. Cryptocurrency users, however, view the attempt for information as an infringement on their privacy rights and are seeking legal protection. This Issue Brief investigates the future tax implications of Notice 2014-21 and considers possible routes the cryptocurrency market can take to …


Embryos As Patients? Medical Provider Duties In The Age Of Crispr/Cas9, G. Edward Powell Iii May 2017

Embryos As Patients? Medical Provider Duties In The Age Of Crispr/Cas9, G. Edward Powell Iii

Duke Law & Technology Review

The CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering platform is the first method of gene editing that could potentially be used to treat genetic disorders in human embryos. No past therapies, genetic or otherwise, have been intended or used to treat disorders in existent embryos. Past procedures performed on embryos have exclusively involved creation and implantation (e.g., in-vitro fertilization) or screening and selection of already-healthy embryos (e.g., preimplantation genetic diagnosis). A CRISPR/Cas9 treatment would evade medical malpractice law due to the early stage of the intervention and the fact that it is not a treatment for the mother. In most jurisdictions, medical professionals owe …


Outer Space: The Final Frontier Or The Final Battlefield?, Emily Taft May 2017

Outer Space: The Final Frontier Or The Final Battlefield?, Emily Taft

Duke Law & Technology Review

Current law concerning the militarization and weaponization of outer space is inadequate for present times. The increased implementation of “dual-use” space technologies poses obstacles for the demilitarization of space. This paper examines how far the militarization of space should be taken and also whether weapons of any kind should be placed in space. Further steps must be taken in international space law to attempt to keep the militarization and weaponization of space under control in order to promote and maintain a free outer space for research and exploration.


Damned Lies & Criminal Sentencing Using Evidence-Based Tools, John Lightbourne May 2017

Damned Lies & Criminal Sentencing Using Evidence-Based Tools, John Lightbourne

Duke Law & Technology Review

The boom of big data and predictive analytics has revolutionized business. eHarmony matches customers based on shared likes and expectations for romance, and Target uses similar methods to strategically push its products on shoppers. Courts and Departments of Corrections have also sought to employ similar tools. However, the use of data analytics in sentencing raises a host of constitutional concerns. In State v. Loomis, the Wisconsin Supreme Court was faced with whether the use of an actuarial risk assessment tool based on a proprietary formula violates a defendant’s right to due process where the defendant could not review how the …


The Licensing Function Of Patent Intermediaries, John E. Dubiansky May 2017

The Licensing Function Of Patent Intermediaries, John E. Dubiansky

Duke Law & Technology Review

The contemporary patent marketplace is a complex ecosystem comprised of innovators and manufacturers who are often connected by a varied group of intermediaries. While there are a variety of intermediary business models—such as patent assertion entities and defensive aggregators—each facilitates a variant of a similar licensing transaction, connecting a set of patents held by a patent owner with a product or service offered by a prospective licensee. One explanation for the prevalence of intermediaries is that they engage in practices tantamount to arbitrage, acquiring patents and then licensing them at a profit because they enjoy greater success in patent litigation …


Seeking Rights, Not Rent: How Litigation Finance Can Help Break Music Copyright's Precedent Gridlock, Glenn E. Chappell May 2017

Seeking Rights, Not Rent: How Litigation Finance Can Help Break Music Copyright's Precedent Gridlock, Glenn E. Chappell

Duke Law & Technology Review

Since its inception, litigation finance has steadily grown in prevalence and popularity in the United States. While many scholars have examined its merits, few have considered litigation finance specifically in the context of copyright law. This is most unfortunate, for there, a vicious cycle has taken hold: high litigation costs discourage many market participants from taking cases to trial or summary judgment in order to vindicate their legal rights, even when they have strong cases. Thus, parties settle almost every case, which in turn prevents resolution of longstanding precedential questions in critical areas of copyright law. The legal uncertainty resulting …


Increasing Copyright Protection For Social Media Users By Expanding Social Media Platforms' Rights, Ryan Wichtowski May 2017

Increasing Copyright Protection For Social Media Users By Expanding Social Media Platforms' Rights, Ryan Wichtowski

Duke Law & Technology Review

Social media platforms allow users to share their creative works with the world. Users take great advantage of this functionality, as Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Snapchat, and WhatsApp users alone uploaded 1.8 billion photos per day in 2014. Under the terms of service and terms of use agreements of most U.S. based social media platforms, users retain ownership of this content, since they only grant social media platforms nonexclusive licenses to their content. While nonexclusive licenses protect users vis-à-vis the social media platforms, these licenses preclude social media platforms from bringing copyright infringement claims on behalf of their users against infringers …


Law Firm Cybersecurity: The State Of Preventative And Remedial Regulation Governing Data Breaches In The Legal Profession, Madelyn Tarr May 2017

Law Firm Cybersecurity: The State Of Preventative And Remedial Regulation Governing Data Breaches In The Legal Profession, Madelyn Tarr

Duke Law & Technology Review

With the looming threat of the next hacking scandal, data protection efforts in law firms are becoming increasingly crucial in maintaining client confidentiality. This paper addresses ethical and legal issues arising with data storage and privacy in law firms. The American Bar Association’s Model Rules present an ethical standard for cybersecurity measures, which many states have adopted and interpreted. Other than state legislation mandating timely disclosure after a data breach, few legal standards govern law firm data breaches. As technology advances rapidly, the law must address preventative and remedial measures more effectively to protect clients from data breaches caused by …


The Dawn Of Fully Automated Contract Drafting: Machine Learning Breathes New Life Into A Decades-Old Promise, Kathryn D. Betts, Kyle R. Jaep Mar 2017

The Dawn Of Fully Automated Contract Drafting: Machine Learning Breathes New Life Into A Decades-Old Promise, Kathryn D. Betts, Kyle R. Jaep

Duke Law & Technology Review

Technological advances within contract drafting software have seemingly plateaued. Despite the decades-long hopes and promises of many commentators, critics doubt this technology will ever fully automate the drafting process. But, while there has been a lack of innovation in contract drafting software, technological advances have continued to improve contract review and analysis programs. “Machine learning,” the leading innovative force in these areas, has proven incredibly efficient, performing in mere minutes tasks that would otherwise take a team of lawyers tens of hours. Some contract drafting programs have already experimented with machine learning capabilities, and this technology may pave the way …


Sec Reporting Requirements For Publicly Traded Companies Should Not Be Expanded Despite Advancements In Information Technology, Lindsey Kell Mar 2017

Sec Reporting Requirements For Publicly Traded Companies Should Not Be Expanded Despite Advancements In Information Technology, Lindsey Kell

Duke Law & Technology Review

Advancements in information technology allow information to be collected and analyzed quickly within a corporation. As a result, technology also allows the quicker release of information to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)—much quicker than the Form 10-K and Form 10-Q releases that are currently required for publicly traded companies. Although publicly traded companies must also disclose certain significant events in Form 8-K, the reporting requirements for publicly traded companies are not nearly as expansive as they could be considering the easy access these companies have to their business information. Even with this in mind, the SEC is well into a …


Websites As Facilities Under Ada Title Iii, Ryan C. Brunner Mar 2017

Websites As Facilities Under Ada Title Iii, Ryan C. Brunner

Duke Law & Technology Review

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires public accommodations—private entities that offer goods or services to the public—to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. There is an ongoing debate about whether Title III applies to websites that offer services to the public, but this debate may be resolved in the coming years by litigation or Department of Justice regulations. Assuming for the sake of argument that Title III will eventually be applied to websites, the next inquiry is what that application should look like. The regulatory definition of “facilities” should be amended to include nonphysical places of public …


Schools, Speech, And Smartphones: Online Speech And The Evolution Of The Tinker Standard, Aleaha Jones Feb 2017

Schools, Speech, And Smartphones: Online Speech And The Evolution Of The Tinker Standard, Aleaha Jones

Duke Law & Technology Review

Under the Supreme Court’s holding in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, public schools may only restrict student speech where the speech is reasonably forecasted to cause a “substantial and material disruption.” With online forums calling into question who may control speech and forecast its impact, the circuit courts have granted public schools broad authority to monitor, and punish, their students for online activity that occurs off-campus. The Supreme Court recently declined the opportunity to reverse this disturbing trend by denying certiorari for Bell v. Itawamba County. As a result, questions remain unanswered regarding students’ right to free …


What's In A Name: Cable Systems, Filmon, And Judicial Consideration Of The Applicability Of The Copyright Act's Compulsory License To Online Broadcasters Of Cable Content, Kathryn M. Boyd Feb 2017

What's In A Name: Cable Systems, Filmon, And Judicial Consideration Of The Applicability Of The Copyright Act's Compulsory License To Online Broadcasters Of Cable Content, Kathryn M. Boyd

Duke Law & Technology Review

The way we consume media today is vastly different from the way media was consumed in 1976, when the Copyright Act created the compulsory license for cable systems. The compulsory license allowed cable systems, as defined by the Copyright Act, to pay a set fee for the right to air television programming rather than working out individual deals with each group that owned the copyright in the programming, and helped make television more widely accessible to the viewing public. FilmOn, a company that uses a mini-antenna system to capture and retransmit broadcast network signals, is now seeking access to the …


Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy And The Regulation Of Reproductive Genetic Technologies In The United States, Bob Zhao Jan 2017

Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy And The Regulation Of Reproductive Genetic Technologies In The United States, Bob Zhao

Duke Law & Technology Review

The ability to alter the genes of future generations no longer belongs in the realm of science fiction. The genetic modification capabilities of modern science are advancing rapidly. Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) represents the first crossing of the germline barrier in humans, and as of February 2015, it is the first procedure of its kind to be legalized in the Western world. How Congress decides to regulate MRT will influence future regulation of all genetic manipulation technologies. This brief argues that the current patchwork regulatory framework established in the United States is insufficient to deal with the complex issues MRT …


Flying Under The Radar: Low-Altitude Local Drone Use And The Reentry Of Property Rights, Kenneth Maher Jan 2017

Flying Under The Radar: Low-Altitude Local Drone Use And The Reentry Of Property Rights, Kenneth Maher

Duke Law & Technology Review

The characteristics and capabilities of civilian drones have proliferated in recent years, giving rise to a burgeoning industry. The popular media and academic literature have predominantly focused on privacy concerns, devoting considerably less attention to the regulatory challenges created by the new technology. Congress instructed the FAA to integrate drones into the National Airspace System in 2012, but rulemaking delays and a moratorium on commercial uses hampered the industry and withheld benefits from the public. Final regulations are now in place, but the new rules revive legal uncertainty over the constitutional limits of federal authority and the ambiguous vertical bounds …


Copyright Severability: The Hurdle Between 3d-Printing And Mass Crowdsourced Innovation, Alan Fu Jan 2017

Copyright Severability: The Hurdle Between 3d-Printing And Mass Crowdsourced Innovation, Alan Fu

Duke Law & Technology Review

3D-printing is gradually becoming widely accessible to the population, and with accessibility come enthusiasm, participation, and ingenuity. Its continued development reflects a potential surge in technological advancement, bestowing on any person with a computer and the right software the ability to design and create. So far, the utilitarian benefits of designs such as blueprints, schematics, and CAD files have always been safeguarded from copyright over-protection through the doctrine of copyright severability. However, the doctrine is applied inconsistently across different circuits and different factual scenarios. This inconsistency can chill innovation by making it impossible to distinguish aesthetic designs protected by copyright …