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Full-Text Articles in Law
Throwing The Flag On Pay-For-Play: The O'Bannon Ruling And The Future Of Paid Student-Athletes, Joseph Davison
Throwing The Flag On Pay-For-Play: The O'Bannon Ruling And The Future Of Paid Student-Athletes, Joseph Davison
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
A group of former and current football and men’s basketball players, led by ex-UCLA basketball star Edward O’Bannon, brought an antitrust suit against the NCAA in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Their goal was to obtain an injunction ending the NCAA’s rules preventing players from being paid for the use of their names, images, or likenesses. Relying in large part on a 1984 Supreme Court case, NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, the NCAA claimed that there are specific procompetitive justifications for the restrictions, namely, amateurism and competitive balance. The …
The Wooly-Mammoth In The Room: The Patentability Of Animals Brought Back From Extinction Through Cloning And Genetic Engineering, Miriam Ricanne Swedlow
The Wooly-Mammoth In The Room: The Patentability Of Animals Brought Back From Extinction Through Cloning And Genetic Engineering, Miriam Ricanne Swedlow
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Advances and success in cloning and genetic engineering may mean passenger pigeons, dodos, gastric-brooding frogs, thylacines, woolly mammoths, and other extinct species will once again grace this planet. As de-extinction becomes a reality, it is uncertain whether these animals are patent eligible. Diamond v. Chakrabarty opened the door to cloning multicellular organisms. Since then, the U.S. Patent Office’s Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences has found “non-naturally occurring, man-made organisms including animals” to be patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Because the initial case challenging this decision failed on procedural grounds, the underlying legal issue has not been …
The Limits Of The Freedom Act's Amicus Curiae, Chad Squitieri
The Limits Of The Freedom Act's Amicus Curiae, Chad Squitieri
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The federal government’s power to engage in surveillance for national security purposes is extensive. In an effort to reform the current national surveillance regime, scholars have called for, among other things, the creation of a “special advocate” to counter the government’s arguments before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Feeling political pressure to improve an ever-unpopular national surveillance regime, lawmakers passed the USA FREEDOM Act (“Freedom Act”). Section 401 of the Freedom Act provides for the creation of an “amicus curiae,” a position that differs from earlier conceptions of a “special advocate” in important respects. This Essay examines those differences, and …
The Dmca Rulemaking Mechanism: Fail Or Safe?, Maryna Koberidze
The Dmca Rulemaking Mechanism: Fail Or Safe?, Maryna Koberidze
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
This Article analyzes seventeen years under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) rulemaking mechanism and suggests changes to reinforce its successes while remedying its failures. Part I briefly discusses the legislative history of the rulemaking mechanism and policy justifications for its adoption within the DMCA scheme. Part II reviews legal and evidentiary standards of the rulemaking and recent changes to its administrative procedure. Part III provides an overview of the prior rulemakings and their impact on non-infringing uses, with a particular focus on the “e-book” and “cellphone unlocking” exemptions. Part IV applauds the Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation Act of …
Paying For Nude Celebrities: Testing The Outer Limits Of Roommates.Com, Accusearch, And Section 230 Immunity, Christian Kaiser
Paying For Nude Celebrities: Testing The Outer Limits Of Roommates.Com, Accusearch, And Section 230 Immunity, Christian Kaiser
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Internet is a powerful tool that promotes commerce, free thought, and free speech. It is these exact values that Congress sought to solidify when it passed Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The Internet also has a dark side, which is filled with obscenities, pornography, and illegal activity. In order to protect positive values and activities on the Internet, Congress decided to incentivize websites to police the content posted by their users. This was done by providing broad immunity from lawsuits based on content posted by third parties. But this immunity is not absolute. In the Fair Housing …
Real-Time Sports Data And The First Amendment, Ryan M. Rodenberg, John T. Holden, Asa D. Brown
Real-Time Sports Data And The First Amendment, Ryan M. Rodenberg, John T. Holden, Asa D. Brown
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Technological advancements have created an emergent challenge for organizations attempting to monetize real-time information. Real-time data as a commodity is especially relevant in the sports industry. Sports leagues increasingly seek to control the dissemination of real-time data in conjunction with lucrative distribution agreements. We analyze the legal status of real-time sports data under both intellectual property law and the First Amendment, with our case-by-case analysis extending to spectators, gamblers, journalists, and non-gambling entrepreneurs. Although we conclude that the First Amendment protections are broad across all four categories, particularly when the underlying sporting event takes place on public land, we find …
From Inwood To Internet And Beyond: Assessing The Web Host-User Relationship In Contributory Online Trademark Infringement, Julie Liu
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
While courts have created a doctrine of contributory trademark infringement in response to the expansion of goods and services from brick-and-mortar to the Internet, the exact duties of web hosts under the rule are not yet clear. Despite judicial attempts to carve out new standards to define traditional requirements, the application of these standards remains inconsistent and has left unresolved ambiguities. The disparities between the standards may be balanced through an analysis of the affirmative duties imposed by the law on online service providers, as well as a closer look at the relationship between a service provider and user. This …
Graffitti And The Visual Artists Rights Act, Amy Wang
Graffitti And The Visual Artists Rights Act, Amy Wang
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Common adornments on the sides of freight trains, highway underpasses, and dark alleyways, aerosol paint designs now also boast recent appearances on high-fashion runways, in Top 40 music videos, and even at sophisticated art auctions. Graffiti, by any other name, is still generally associated with gang activity. However, the acceptance of street art by pop culture has legitimized spray painting as another expression of modern art and aerosol artists have proven they deserve recognition. Nonetheless, while intellectual property law extends protection to benefit other artists, its application is limited as a recourse for graffiti artists. Why? Because the irony of …
Open Legal Educational Materials: The Frequently Asked Questions, James Boyle, Jennifer Jenkins
Open Legal Educational Materials: The Frequently Asked Questions, James Boyle, Jennifer Jenkins
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
There has been considerable discussion in academic circles about the possibility of moving toward open educational materials—those which may be shared, copied and altered freely, without permission or fee. Legal education is particularly ripe for such a transition, as many of the source materials—including federal statutes and cases—are in the public domain. In this article, we discuss our experience producing an open casebook and statutory supplement on Intellectual Property Law, and answer many of the frequently asked questions about the project. Obviously, open coursebooks are less expensive and more convenient for students. But we found that they also offer pedagogical …
Can Law Students Disrupt The Market For High-Priced Textbooks?, Jane K. Winn
Can Law Students Disrupt The Market For High-Priced Textbooks?, Jane K. Winn
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance legal education through technological innovation and collaboration. With its eLangdell Press project, CALI publishes American law school textbooks in open access, royalty-free form, offering faculty authors compensation equivalent to what most law school textbook authors would earn in royalties from a traditional full-price publisher. I am writing a new sales textbook and “agreements supplement” based on contemporary business practice that I will publish in open access form with CALI’s eLangdell Press. Relatively few other American legal academics publish in open access form, however, suggesting …
The Idea Of The Casebook: Pedagogy, Prestige, And Trusty Platforms, Joseph Scott Miller, Lydia Pallas Loren
The Idea Of The Casebook: Pedagogy, Prestige, And Trusty Platforms, Joseph Scott Miller, Lydia Pallas Loren
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Independently published, electronically delivered books have been the future of the law school casebook for some time now. Are they destined to remain so? We sketch an e-casebook typology then highlight some features of law professor culture which suggest that, although e-casebook offerings will surely expand, the trust credential that the traditional publishers provide plays a durable, central role in the market for course materials that law professors create.
Self-Publishing An Electronic Casebook Benefited Our Readers—And Us, Eric Goldman, Rebecca Tushnet
Self-Publishing An Electronic Casebook Benefited Our Readers—And Us, Eric Goldman, Rebecca Tushnet
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Self-publishing our electronic casebook, Advertising and Marketing Law: Cases & Materials, wasn’t some grand ambition to disrupt legal publishing. Our goal was more modest: we wanted to make available materials for a course we strongly believe should be widely taught in law school. Electronic self-publishing advanced that goal in two key ways. First, it allowed us to keep the price of the materials low. Second, we bypassed gatekeepers who may have degraded the casebook’s content and slowed the growth of an advertising law professors’ community.
Travelers Beware: Tort Liability In The Sharing Economy, Talia G. Loucks
Travelers Beware: Tort Liability In The Sharing Economy, Talia G. Loucks
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Participation in the sharing economy makes consumers’ lives easier. From the rental of a house or room via room share sites like Airbnb to getting a ride around the city using rideshare apps such as Uber and Lyft, travelers have found less traditional and more affordable ways to explore. With these innovations, however, come risks for users. For example, Airbnb hosts do not owe guests the same duties as a hotel operator. Additionally, drivers’ insurance policies may not apply when operating for profit through a rideshare program. This Article examines the current liability issues that arise in the sharing economy. …
The Other Side Of The Coin: The Fec's Move To Approve Crytocurrency's Use And Deny Its Viability, Juliya Ziskina
The Other Side Of The Coin: The Fec's Move To Approve Crytocurrency's Use And Deny Its Viability, Juliya Ziskina
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
This Article examines the implications of the Federal Election Committee’s May 2014 advisory opinion on cryptocurrency’s viability within campaign finance regulation, and U.S. financial regulation more generally. Although the Commissioners sharply disagreed on whether Bitcoin is a cash or in-kind contribution, they voted unanimously to allow political committees to accept Bitcoin donations. Moreover, all the Commissioners agreed that Bitcoin donors must disclose their names, addresses, and occupations. While many view this decision as pushing Bitcoin and cryptocurrency further toward legitimacy, in actuality it undermines one of cryptocurrency’s distinct functionalities: pseudonymity. Paradoxically, while it approves the use of Bitcoin in campaign …
Markman Twenty Years Later: Twenty Years Of Unintended Consequences, Jerry A. Riedinger
Markman Twenty Years Later: Twenty Years Of Unintended Consequences, Jerry A. Riedinger
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Federal Circuit’s Markman decision removed juries from the claim interpretation process, thereby revolutionizing patent law. Designed to provide greater certainty and predictability, Markman nevertheless produced unintended consequences, increasing ambiguity and complexity. By declaring claim interpretation an entirely legal issue, the Federal Circuit imposed intricate and even contradictory rules, many resulting from the Federal Circuit’s long insistence that no issues of fact existed, so that claim construction was entirely subject to de novo review. The uncertainty was compounded by rules focused on semantic quibbles unrelated to what was invented. Increased burdens and continuing uncertainty followed.
Drone Drain: How The Faa Can Avoid Draining (And Instead Spur) The American Drone Industry By Adding Nuance To Its Draft Small Uas Rules, Brooks Lindsay
Drone Drain: How The Faa Can Avoid Draining (And Instead Spur) The American Drone Industry By Adding Nuance To Its Draft Small Uas Rules, Brooks Lindsay
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The Federal Aviation Administration has done much right in the past few months with its draft small UAS rules, but should add nuance to the draft to avoid draining America’s nascent drone industry. This Article, which was submitted as an official comment to the FAA by the University of Washington’s world-renowned College of Engineering, recommends five essential modifications to enable American competitiveness in this field. First, the FAA should maintain the line-of-sight requirement as a baseline, but allow uses beyond line-of-sight for pilots and aircraft certified to fly with First-Person View or autonomous technology. Second, the FAA should create exceptions …
Standing Room Only: Madstad Engineering And The Potential To Challenge The Constitutionality Of The America Invents Act's "First-Inventor-To-File" Patenting System, Christopher J. Ferrell
Standing Room Only: Madstad Engineering And The Potential To Challenge The Constitutionality Of The America Invents Act's "First-Inventor-To-File" Patenting System, Christopher J. Ferrell
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
In 2011, the Leahy–Smith America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law, bringing significant changes to the Patent Act of 1952. Arguably, the most substantial change was the demise of the “American approach” to patent law: the “first-to-invent” patent filing system. Congress, by enacting the AIA, changed America's patent system from “first-to-invent” to “first-inventor-to-file,” sparking controversy among patent scholars and practitioners, with some individuals arguing that this change was unconstitutional. Recently, the Federal Circuit faced an issue of first impression when an inventor challenged the constitutionality of the first-inventor-to-file provisions of the AIA, and by extension the AIA as a …
Radio Revolution: The Local Community Radio Act's Expansion Of Possibilities For Low-Power Fm Stations, Jeffrey M. Echert
Radio Revolution: The Local Community Radio Act's Expansion Of Possibilities For Low-Power Fm Stations, Jeffrey M. Echert
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
This Article explores the struggle to establish low-power FM radio stations on airwaves already crowded with full-power stations. Historically, urban markets have provided few opportunities for low-power stations due to third-adjacent channel protections—there are only so many frequencies available in a given city. The Local Community Radio Act of 2010 gives new stations an advantage in the debate by eroding these protections. In October of 2013, the FCC opened the application window for new low-power stations—only the second window since the inception of low-power FM in 2001. During the window, the FCC received 2,800 applications, including eighty-one from Washington State. …
The Anti-Clone Wars: Towards A Reinvigoration Of The Doctrine Of Patent Misuse And The Per Se Illegality Of Anti-Cloning Provisions, Patrick Holvey
The Anti-Clone Wars: Towards A Reinvigoration Of The Doctrine Of Patent Misuse And The Per Se Illegality Of Anti-Cloning Provisions, Patrick Holvey
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
Patent misuse, a once-valuable doctrine used to remove anticompetitive actions enabled by patent grants from the marketplace, has been relatively disfavored by the courts for some time. Recent licensing practices by certain major players within the high-technology marketplace, however, provide an excellent opportunity for the doctrine to be reinvigorated and applied. Apple, Inc., through its attempts to prevent competitors from “cloning” its products, has become an anticompetitive force that appears to have impermissibly leveraged its patent portfolio in order to extract contractual protections of non-patented subject matter through “anti-cloning” provisions, improperly broadening the scope of its patent grants. This Article …
The Code-Based Interpretation Of Authorization: An Incomplete Picture, Nicholas R. Ulrich
The Code-Based Interpretation Of Authorization: An Incomplete Picture, Nicholas R. Ulrich
Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts
The definition of authorization under the Stored Communications Act raises questions about implied authorization in situations where someone fails to secure an email account properly. The few cases that have addressed this issue under the federal act or its state equivalents have not created a bright-line rule. Instead, the question of authorization has been highly fact-dependent. Two leading interpretive theories have emerged on the question of authorization: the code-based theory and the trespass theory. While the code-based interpretation of authorization seems pleasing because it appears to provide highly predictive outcomes, it fails in some circumstances. This failure is especially obvious …