Law Commons^™

The Return Of A Beloved Franchise: How Video Game Developers And Nil Licensing Brokers Can Use Mediation To Resolve Their Disputes, Nicholas Wynne

CJCR Blog

As of June 30, 2021, the NCAA no longer prohibited collegiate athletes from profiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). This was good news for EA Sports, a sports video game developer, considering that it announced in February of that year that it planned to bring back its college football game. Prior to this news from the NCAA, EA Sports was planning on moving forward with the game without rosters that contained the names, images, or likenesses of any collegiate players, but remained hopeful that NIL rules would change in the future. Luckily for EA Sports, the NCAA rules …

Are Compelled Arbitration Clauses In Coaches’ Contracts With The Nfl Effective And Fair To All Parties?, Andreas Kouzouloglou

CJCR Blog

Employment agreements between football coaches and the NFL grants the NFL commissioner “the full, and complete, and final jurisdiction and authority to arbitrate” various forms of disputes between the two parties. There is one case that is currently being litigated challenging the legality of this arbitration provision. In Flores v. NFL, the plaintiffs attack the clause for being overbroad and unconscionable. Arbitration agreements can be an effective way to settle disputes as an alternative to litigation, but sometimes when there is unequal bargaining power resulting in one entity in complete control of the process, the negative consequences outweigh potential benefits. …

Ups And Teamster: Setting A New Bar For Negotiations And Conflict Resolution, Angel Zheng

CJCR Blog

On July 25th, 2023, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“Teamster”) reached a tentative agreement with United Parcel Service (“UPS”), affecting more than 340,000 UPS workers. A month later, on August 22nd, 86% of the union members voted in favor of ratifying the National Master Agreement. The negotiated agreement not only prevented one of the largest strikes in U.S. history, but also raised the bar for all workers in the labor movement. This entire conflict demonstrates the importance of negotiations and dispute resolution because negotiation was able to help avoid a major strike and negotiate a favorable contract.

This post was …

Navigating The World Of Tiktok Influencers And Using Adr Methods To Negotiate Brand Deals And Contracts, Peri Ayzidor

CJCR Blog

Anyone using social media in the last three years has been exposed to or heard of TikTok. With over 1.4 billion monthly active users, the social media platform TikTok has taken the world by storm. It allows users to create videos lasting from 15 seconds to three minutes, covering thousands of categories, from makeup tutorials to tutoring explanations. The app has been a particular hit for influencers. An influencer is someone who has the power to impact the purchasing decisions of others because of a certain appeal or relationship with the audience. Many influencers have taken advantage of the app’s …

Emerging Stronger: How Uae’S Arbitration System Adapts To Post-Covid International Norms, Jacob Horowitz

CJCR Blog

On September 29th, 2023, the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) published Federal Law No. 15 of 2023 (“Amendment Law”). This law effectively amended Federal Law No. 6 of 2018 On Arbitration (“Arbitration Law”) in a manner that demonstrated the country’s aim to further improve and modernize its arbitration system. Although the Amendment law consisted of numerous changes to UAE’s arbitration system, the most significant was its permittance of modern electronic technologies. In other words, the UAE now allows arbitration hearings to be conducted through technological platforms such as Zoom. This change reflects the post-COVID-19 pandemic trend of preference of virtual hearings …

Strength In Numbers: Negotiating To Mitigate Disputes Between Musicians And Digital Service Providers, Ryan Ashe

CJCR Blog

The music industry landscape was forever changed when it implemented the streaming model. While digital service providers (“DSP”) like Spotify or Apple Music essentially saved the industry from music piracy, the royalty distribution method of these companies has been a major disappointment for songwriters and musicians. Despite providing consistent revenue, most of the revenue earned by DSPs is not shared with musicians. For instance, Spotify retains 30% of every dollar it generates, paying the remaining 70% back to rightsholders as royalties, with 55% of revenue towards record labels and 15% to publishing companies. Despite songwriters and recording artists’ significant contributions …

Aureliano Buendia And President Gustavo Petro: The Impact Of A Dual-Sided Stakeholder And Leader On The Colombian Peace Accords, Samantha Sanchez

CJCR Blog

Colombia has endured a nearly 60-year-long internal conflict between paramilitary groups, and allegedly its own military, costing the lives of countless civilians and setting the country’s post-colonial development back decades. Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating a four-year-long deal with paramilitary groups that terrorized–mainly rural and indigent–neighborhoods for decades. However, many critics thought the award was premature, considering the nearly half a million deaths as a result and the impunity of human-rights offenders. Current struggles in the country prove that those critics may have been likely right.

This post was originally published …

Judge Capell’S Tiktok: A Model To Empower The Public To Be Their Own Conflict Negotiators, Marielle Burnett

CJCR Blog

What if social media platforms were leveraged to empower interested users to resolve their own conflicts without litigation? This is a question that Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Heela Capell is exploring through several online platforms, most notably TikTok.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on November 2, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

How Can The Internal Revenue Service Improve Its Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs To Deliver Better Benefits?, Armando Gonzalez

CJCR Blog

Most individuals and businesses file their tax return(s) and forget about the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) until it’s time to repeat the process the following year. However, sometimes disputes may arise “when a taxpayer fails to agree with an IRS finding, refuses to file a tax return, or refuses to comply with an IRS request for information.” To address some of these disputes, the IRS offers six alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) programs through its Independent Office of Appeals, where mediation is leveraged to avoid costly litigation and lengthy appeals.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict …

Cjcr Publishes Volume 24, Issue 3 (Symposium 2022), Halle Jaffe

CJCR Blog

The Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution—the country’s preeminent legal journal of arbitration, negotiation, mediation, settlement, and restorative justice— published the web edition of Volume 24, Issue 3 (Symposium 2022). The print edition of the issue has also been released.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on September 8, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Cjcr Publishes Volume 24, Issue 2 (Spring 2023), Halle Jaffe

CJCR Blog

The Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution—the country’s preeminent legal journal of arbitration, negotiation, mediation, settlement, and restorative justice—today published the web edition of Volume 24, Issue 2 (Spring 2023). The print edition of the issue has also been released.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on May 10, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Why The Political Peace Process Failed Between The Afghanistan Central Government And The Taliban And How Using Negotiation Could Help Resolve The Conflict, Ross Herman

CJCR Blog

The central government of Afghanistan and the Taliban reached a deadly stalemate, taking around one hundred lives a day from each side between 2018 and 2021. Their failure to reach a peace agreement may be due to the United States’ involvement and conflicting interests between the different Afghan groups.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on May 7, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

California’S Proposed Ban On Mandatory Arbitration Agreements As A Condition Of Employment, Samuel Silverman

CJCR Blog

California is casting uncertainty on the employer’s ability to implement mandatory arbitration agreements on employees. In October 2019, Governor Newson signed Assembly Bill No. 51, which would apply to employment contracts entered, modified, or extended on or after January 1, 2020. This bill created Labor Code Section 432.6, banning mandatory arbitration agreements as a condition of employment in California. This would work around the Federal Arbitration Act, which requires courts to enforce arbitration agreements, preempting the state laws that stood in its way. Critics argue that the process favors employers and discourages prospective employees from bringing legal claims. On the …

To Zoom Or Not To Zoom?: Mediators’ Perspectives On Virtual Mediation, Penina Gershbaum

CJCR Blog

In mediation, conflicting parties meet with a mediator, a neutral party, to help them resolve their dispute. Mediations have traditionally been conducted in person, due to the importance of nonverbal communication in the mediation process. During Covid-19, however, states issued stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the virus. This mandate led to mediations conducted virtually through the use of videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. I interviewed ten mediators who mediate across different areas of law to hear their thoughts on the differences between mediating virtually and in person, difficulties with mediating virtually, and if they will return to in person …

Mlb’S Salary Arbitration: Future Prospects For A Historic Adr Model, Eliott Dosetareh

CJCR Blog

As the oldest major professional sports league in the country, the MLB’s record of salary arbitration has its roots in over 150 years of baseball history. The first Collective Bargaining Agreement or “CBA” was signed by the players union and owners in the early 1970s, creating a process for salary arbitration in which players not yet eligible for free agency would be compensated based upon their seasonal performances.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 30, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

How Nike’S Trademark Infringement Lawsuit Against Kool Kiy & Omi May Benefit From China’S Wuhan Intermediate People’S Court’S Approach To Mediation, Daniel Hyungtae Kim

CJCR Blog

In November 2022, Nike filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Kool Kiy, Omi, and China-based manufacturer Xiamen Wandering Planet, garnering nationwide media attention. Particularly, Wandering Planet was accused of playing an integral role in the infringement by providing the sources to produce knockoff sneakers using Nike’s registered Air Jordan 1 and Dunk trade dress for Kiy and Omi. The manufacturer allegedly “knowingly participate[d] in a scheme to intentionally create confusion in the market place and capitalize on it.” Indeed, some confused consumers could not tell the difference between Kool Kiy’s products and Jordan’s. Nike’s staunch commitment to proceeding with litigation …

Mediation In The Metaverse: The Future Of Online Dispute Resolution?, Miranda Sapoznik

CJCR Blog

The technological revolution was propelled following the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. The wide-spread disruption of everyday functioning highlighted the need for virtual means of connection, consequentially altering communication norms across almost all arenas. Justice systems across the globe were no exception to this shift, as online dispute resolution ("ODR”) became a necessary mechanism to address legal conflicts. As ODR became the new normal in alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”), various digital platforms developed to accommodate the growing need.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 29, 2023. The original post can be …

Confidentiality In Art-Related Adr: A Need For Change?, Olivia Huey

CJCR Blog

Art and cultural heritage disputes can involve a variety of subject matter and “sensitive non-legal issues of a commercial, cultural, ethical, historical, moral, religious, or spiritual nature, while more often than not having a distinct international character. For such complex matters, there has long been conversations about the benefits of using ADR mechanisms instead of traditional litigation to address the issues that are highly relevant and important to the parties, but which courts are often not equipped or designed to address. Art-related disputes often involve not only a variety of private parties such as artists and art dealers but also …

Analyzing Brittney Griner’S Detention And Release, Zachary Knoop

CJCR Blog

Editor’s Note: The following article has two parts. The first part was written prior to the prisoner swap that brought Britney Griner back to America. The second part was added by the author after the swap.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 29, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment, Lizzie Neuburger

CJCR Blog

Mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts are standard, limiting legal remedies available to employees who are sexual harassment and sexual assault victims and serving as a potential barrier to justice. However, the rise of the 2017 #MeToo movement revealed the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, triggering lawmakers to focus on legal reforms for these areas in the workplace.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 25, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Mental Health Matters Act, Not Just Mental Health, Ethan Krantz

CJCR Blog

The Mental Health Matters Act, HR 7780, passed the House on September 29, 2022, by a vote of 220–205. The proposed resolution, currently awaiting a vote in the Senate, authorizes funding for the development of curricula that improve mental health for children, relaxes requirements for required documentation of disabilities, and allocates funding to research workplace stress across all industries in the wake of COVID-19. These provisions characterize bipartisan support to expand mental health resources and services for students and professionals.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 19, 2023. The original post …

Lights, Camera, Mediation: Why Public Figures In The Entertainment Industry Are Turning To Adr Processes To Resolve Their Disputes, Halle Jaffe

CJCR Blog

Imagine walking up the cold, stone stairs leading into a courthouse: your heart is pounding, your palms are sweaty, and you are fearful as to what the judge or jury who patiently await your arrival may decide. To make matters worse, you are surrounded by dozens of flashing lights, reporters are firing questions left and right, and your face will appear on every news outlet in the country within seconds.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 12, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

To Strike Or Not To Strike: The Call For Mandatory Adr In Private Teaching Union Disputes, Jessica Lalehzar

CJCR Blog

In November of 2022, nearly 1,800 adjunct faculty members at The New School in New York City went on a three-week long strike. The strike came after the university “failed to raise wages in pace with inflation,” prompting hundreds of students and faculty to walk out. The strike became the United States’s longest ever by adjunct faculty, which compose 90% of the university’s faculty. Many classes were cancelled as a result, leading to frustration among students and parents during a critical point in the semester. The union representing adjunct faculty, the ACT-UAW Local 7902, faced difficulty in reaching a negotiation …

Web3 And Adr: Is Decentralized Adr The Answer To Blockchain Dispute Resolution?, Avi Kafka

CJCR Blog

We live in a new digital reality. Along with new Web3 foundational technologies and uses like blockchain, DAOs, and the metaverse, new kinds of conflicts arise that courts are not properly situated to handle. With these new technologies come important theoretical and practical discussions on ADR concerning blockchain and smart contracts.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on April 3, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Are Sovereign Citizens More Amenable To The Arbitration Process?, Tyler Fierro

CJCR Blog

While it is impossible to know how many people in the United States identify as “Sovereign Citizens”, the number has boomed since the Covid-19 pandemic and the well-known ‘QAnon’ conspiracy theory. Although there is no centralized organization surrounding Sovereign Citizens nor common beliefs shared by all individuals, the basic conclusion is that the American Government established by the Founding Fathers, under a common law system, was secretly replaced during the U.S. Civil War. According to these conspiracy theorists the replacement government is premised on Admiralty law, or law of international commerce. Given this secret switch, Sovereign Citizens believe the Federal …

Mediating The Mediterranean: The Israeli-Lebanese Maritime Border, Aaron Silverman

CJCR Blog

The governments of Israel and Lebanon have reached a historic U.S.-mediated agreement, putatively putting an end to the countries’ decades-long dispute over their maritime borders and related disputes over access to lucrative natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. The agreement definitively settles the neighboring countries’ maritime boundary, leaving the Karish natural gas field within Israel’s territorial waters and the Qana natural gas field mostly within Lebanon’s territorial waters, with a small portion extending into Israeli waters. Lebanon will pay royalties to Israel on revenues from the Qana field.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution …

Arbitration Clauses In The Field Of Life Science And Cannabis Law, Zachary Chaikin

CJCR Blog

Federally, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) governs the manufacture, importation, possession, and use of drugs. Cannabis is currently included on Schedule I of the CSA, which effectively prohibits profiting from its possession, cultivation, or distribution. However, this stands in direct conflict with certain state laws that expressly allow for the possession, cultivation or distribution of marijuana. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Since then, medical marijuana has been legalized in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The recreational or adult-use of cannabis has been legalized in the District of Columbia and 21 states. The …

Mediation Response Unit Shows Potential As An Alternative 911 Response, Olivia Kalsner Kershen

CJCR Blog

In May 2022, the City of Dayton, Ohio formally launched a new pilot program that sends trained mediators to respond to low emergency 911 calls to de-escalate non-violent conflicts and mediate disputes among community members. This new initiative, called the Mediation Response Unit (MRU), is the first of its kind in the nation as it sends mediation teams to respond to calls without a co-response by police. The idea for the MRU came about through discussions among a Community Engagement Working Group that was formed in 2020 to implement police reforms in the City. The MRU states that its goals …

Cjcr Publishes Volume 24, Issue 1 (Fall 2022), Tanuja Krishna

CJCR Blog

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on February 16, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

The Ongoing Patent Battle Over Crispr/Cas-9, Shifra Ben-Jacob

CJCR Blog

CRISPR/Cas 9 is a bacterial defense system for editing genomes that has been coined one of the most monumental biotechnologies since the discovery of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Since 2012, two research teams, one out of the University of California, Berkeley, and the other from both the Broad Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have been battling an ongoing patent war. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is left to decide who can claim the technology as their own.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on February 2, 2023. The …