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Full-Text Articles in Law

Antitrust Issues In The Settlement Of Patent Disputes, Part Iii, Thomas B. Leary Jan 2007

Antitrust Issues In The Settlement Of Patent Disputes, Part Iii, Thomas B. Leary

Seattle University Law Review

Once again, I will address the issue of litigation settlements between companies that hold patents on pharmaceutical products (sometimes "pioneers") and would-be generic entrants ("generics") who challenge the validity of the patent and/or a claim of infringement. This discussion will focus on the Tamoxifen opinion, with passing reference to other decisions. Obviously, reasonable people can disagree on these issues, but I still believe the Commission's approach in Schering was correct.


Fostering Economic Growth In The High-Technology Field: Washington Should Abandon Its Recognition Of The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, Sarah J. Taylor Jan 2007

Fostering Economic Growth In The High-Technology Field: Washington Should Abandon Its Recognition Of The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, Sarah J. Taylor

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment discusses the history and need for trade secret law, while providing an overview of Washington's current application of trade secret law. This Part also notes the risks associated with enforcing a valid trade secret misappropriation claim. Part III addresses the history and importance of noncompetition agreements, as well as their inherent conflict with the notion of employee mobility. Washington's recognition of reasonable noncompetition agreements is also discussed. Part IV discusses the modem application of the doctrine of inevitable disclosure, as well as the benefits and costs of recognizing the doctrine in Washington. Finally, Part V …


Hipaa Hypocrisy And The Case For Enforcing Federal Privacy Standards Under State Law, Daniel J. Oates Jan 2007

Hipaa Hypocrisy And The Case For Enforcing Federal Privacy Standards Under State Law, Daniel J. Oates

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment summarizes the background of the HIPAA statute as an attempted solution to the privacy problem described above, including its legislative history and HHS promulgation of administrative rules. Next, Part III addresses the agency-imposed limitations on the scope of the statute. The Secretary's decision to rely solely on an administrative complaint process, combined with the government's narrow interpretation of the statute granting third parties immunity from penalties, has undermined enforcement of the privacy provision. Accordingly, Part IV discusses previous attempts to circumvent the administrative limitations by creating a private right of action and the reasons these …


Corporations And Commercial Speech, Ron Collins, Mark Lopez, Tamara Piety, David Vladeck Jan 2007

Corporations And Commercial Speech, Ron Collins, Mark Lopez, Tamara Piety, David Vladeck

Seattle University Law Review

Today's discussion will be about a rather famous case-actually, a non-case, Nike v. Kasky.


Volume Index, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2007

Volume Index, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

This Article analyzes and examines the Supreme Court's Morse v. Frederick opinion and, in particular, how it has been interpreted expansively by some courts to the point where it may someday become the censorship exception that swallows the rule of Tinker. Part II focuses on the concurring opinion of Justice Alito in Morse paying close attention to the language in his opinion that the Fifth Circuit seized upon and exploited in Ponce. Part III then provides greater detail on how Justice Alito's opinion has been used—arguably, misused and abused—by lower courts in contexts outside of the realm of …


"Original Acts," "Meager Offspring," And Titles In A Bill's Family Tree: A Legislative Drafter's Perspective On City Of Fircrest V. Jensen, Kristen L. Fraser Jan 2007

"Original Acts," "Meager Offspring," And Titles In A Bill's Family Tree: A Legislative Drafter's Perspective On City Of Fircrest V. Jensen, Kristen L. Fraser

Seattle University Law Review

This Article takes a closer look at the "dark and bloody ground" of City of Fircrest v. Jenson from the perspective of a legislative drafter, and discusses several flaws in the Fircrest plurality's approach. First, by focusing on the title of an "original act," the plurality's resurrection of the St. Paul analysis (under which the title of an "act" may be used to determine whether a subsequent "amendatory act" complies with the subject-in-title requirement of Article II, section 19 of the state constitution) conflicts with legislative use and implementation of Article II, section 19. Second, Fircrest and St. Paul thwart …


Dueling Federalists: Supreme Court Decisions With Multiple Opinions Citing The Federalist, 1986-2007, Matthew J. Festa Jan 2007

Dueling Federalists: Supreme Court Decisions With Multiple Opinions Citing The Federalist, 1986-2007, Matthew J. Festa

Seattle University Law Review

This Article examines the use of history in legal interpretation through an empirical analysis of one of the most prominent examples of historical evidence in law: citations to The Federalist in Supreme Court Justices' published opinions. In particular, the Article examines a phenomenon that has occurred frequently over the last two decades, but has thus far been virtually ignored: the citation by different Justices to the same historical source (such as The Federalist) to support divergent or opposing historical interpretations of legal meaning. Although the use of historical evidence in constitutional interpretation is itself much debated, The Federalist continues …


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2007

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Chinks In The Armor: Municipal Authority To Enact Shoreline Permit Moratoria After Biggers V. City Of Bainbridge Island, Ryan M. Carson Jan 2007

Chinks In The Armor: Municipal Authority To Enact Shoreline Permit Moratoria After Biggers V. City Of Bainbridge Island, Ryan M. Carson

Seattle University Law Review

Why would a relatively mundane dispute over what amounts to a few cubic yards of concrete warrant the extensive discussion encom passed in this Note? This dispute gives rise to a fundamental question about power: What is the scope of municipal power under one of Washington's most important environmental protection laws? Additionally, questions arise about competing normative values within environmental protection, property rights, and responsible land use and development. Placed against a backdrop of growing contentiousness surrounding these issues in Washington politics, the relevance and timeliness of these questions cannot be doubted.


The U.S. Attorney Firings Of 2006: Main Justice's Centralization Efforts In Historical Context, James Eisenstein Jan 2007

The U.S. Attorney Firings Of 2006: Main Justice's Centralization Efforts In Historical Context, James Eisenstein

Seattle University Law Review

The media, the political establishment, and the federal criminal jus-community's focus on the compelling story of the firings is hardly surprising. The details emerged over a period of many months through leaks, internal Department of Justice (DOJ) emails, press releases, interviews, and dramatic congressional testimony. The media's focus on the firings obscured their deeper significance with regard to the nature of the relations between the DOJ and its ninety-three United States Attorneys' Offices (USAOs). This Article addresses this omission by looking at the consequences of these events for the balance struck between central control by Main Justice in Washington and …


Train Wreck At The Justice Department: An Eyewitness Account, John Mckay Jan 2007

Train Wreck At The Justice Department: An Eyewitness Account, John Mckay

Seattle University Law Review

In a series of early morning phone calls on December 7, 2006, seven United States Attorneys were ordered to resign. Despite initial denials, it would later be revealed that two other U.S. Attorneys had also been ordered to submit their resignations, bringing the total number to nine. Each was given no explanation for the dismissal and most were led to believe that they alone were being dismissed, raising the specter of unstated wrongdoing and encouraging silent departures. Those dismissed uniformly cited the maxim that they "served at the pleasure of the President" and most sought to avoid publicly disputing the …


Serving The "Apparently Under The Influence" Patron: The Ramifications Of Barrett V. Lucky Seven Saloon, Inc., Kathryn M. Knudsen Jan 2007

Serving The "Apparently Under The Influence" Patron: The Ramifications Of Barrett V. Lucky Seven Saloon, Inc., Kathryn M. Knudsen

Seattle University Law Review

In Barrett v. Lucky Seven Saloon, Inc., the Washington Supreme Court erroneously expanded commercial vendor liability to third parties who are injured in automobile accidents by a patron who drives while impaired. This decision flies in the face of Washington vendor liability jurisprudence, which has shown a reluctance to hold vendors liable for negligently serving alcohol; prior to Barrett, courts would not do so unless the patron was a minor or was "obviously intoxicated." Nevertheless, Barrett rejected the common law "obviously intoxicated" rule in exchange for a new form of civil liability based on a criminal statute that …


The Importance Of History To The Design Of Competition Policy Strategy: The Federal Trade Commission And Intellectual Property Law, William E. Kovacic Jan 2007

The Importance Of History To The Design Of Competition Policy Strategy: The Federal Trade Commission And Intellectual Property Law, William E. Kovacic

Seattle University Law Review

The Article's framework for considering the value of history in shaping strategy is the effort of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to apply its competition policy powers to issues involving intellectual property (IP). The Article chooses the example of intellectual property because of its importance to the modern work of the FTC and the increasingly significant place that intellectual property and, more generally, technology-driven innovation hold in the field of competition policy. To provide context for the discussion, Part II of the Article presents a profile of the FTC's modern competition policy initiatives concerning intellectual property. Part III then reviews …


The Robinson-Patman Act And Consumer Welfare: Has Volvo Reconciled Them?, John B. Kirkwood Jan 2007

The Robinson-Patman Act And Consumer Welfare: Has Volvo Reconciled Them?, John B. Kirkwood

Seattle University Law Review

In this article, I address that broader question. In Part II, I summarize the facts and opinions in Volvo, particularly the final section of the majority opinion where the Court observed that Volvo's discrimination was procompetitive. In Part III, I review the growing consensus in antitrust law that the fundamental goal of the antitrust statutes (other than the Robinson-Patman Act) is to promote consumer welfare. Today when most courts say that a practice furthers competition, they mean that it improves consumer welfare-specifically, the welfare of consumers in the relevant market. In Part IV, I use that interpretation of …


Independent Ink At The Crossroads Of Antitrust And Intellectual Property Law: The Court's Holding Regarding Market Power In Cases Involving Patents And Implications In Cases Involving Copyrights, Leonard J. Feldman, Rima J. Alaily, Chad D. Farrell Jan 2007

Independent Ink At The Crossroads Of Antitrust And Intellectual Property Law: The Court's Holding Regarding Market Power In Cases Involving Patents And Implications In Cases Involving Copyrights, Leonard J. Feldman, Rima J. Alaily, Chad D. Farrell

Seattle University Law Review

By eliminating the market power presumption for patent holders, Independent Ink calls into question the presumption's continued validity for tying arrangements involving copyrights. While the Court's holding directly applies only to patents, we present three reasons why, after Independent Ink, the presumption can no longer be viable in antitrust lawsuits challenging a tying arrangement involving a copyrighted product. First, the Court's rationale for eliminating the presumption including citations to extensive academic writings, agency guidelines, and legislative amendments precludes the presumption's continued application in any other context. Second, copyrights are significantly less likely than patents to confer market power because …


Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz Jan 2007

Unauthorized Annexing Of An Artist's World: An Argument For Creator-Assignee Standing To Sue For Copyright Infringement, Karen A. Skretkowicz

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment surveys the contemporary status of copyright law regarding a creator-assignee's standing to sue for infringement and the bases for allowing a creator-assignee to bring an infringement action. Part II begins the discussion with a review of the general principles of copyright law, including its constitutional and statutory frameworks, its underlying policies, and the moral rights doctrine. Part III continues with an overview of the general constitutional standing principles and real party in interest prerequisites. It then outlines the statutory and judicial limits on standing to sue under copyright law. Part IV discusses the issue of assignee standing in …


Legal Reading And Success In Law School: An Empirical Study, Leah M. Christensen Jan 2007

Legal Reading And Success In Law School: An Empirical Study, Leah M. Christensen

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Article describes the cognitive challenges of legal reading. Part III discusses the prior reading studies that have examined how individuals read legal text. Part IV describes the present study, including its participants, the think aloud procedure, and the methodology used to collect, analyze, and interpret the data. Part V sets out the results of the study and explains the various conclusions that might be drawn from them. Finally, Part VI presents examples of the reading strategies that the most successful law students use and offers observations on how to incorporate these strategies into the legal classroom.


Beyond Chevron'S Domain: Agency Interpretations Of Statutory Procedural Provisions, Melissa M. Berry Jan 2007

Beyond Chevron'S Domain: Agency Interpretations Of Statutory Procedural Provisions, Melissa M. Berry

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of the Article outlines the procedures required by the APA for agency adjudications. Part III discusses the three primary approaches that courts have followed to determine what triggers formal adjudicatory procedures and introduces the Chevron doctrine. Part IV examines how courts review agency interpretations of statutory provisions under Chevron and its progeny and explores two issues on the fringes of Chevron's domain-interpretations of agency jurisdiction and judicial review provisions-and the concerns that they raise. Next, using lessons from these analogous issues, Part V analyzes similar concerns about congressional intent, institutional competency, agency self-interest, and fairness in the …


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2007

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Private Attorneys General V. "War Profiteers": Applying The False Claims Act To Security Contractors In Iraq, Bryan Terry Jan 2007

Private Attorneys General V. "War Profiteers": Applying The False Claims Act To Security Contractors In Iraq, Bryan Terry

Seattle University Law Review

In order to provide context for the Custer Battles court's opinion, Part II of this Note generally describes the FCA and the policies behind its qui tam provision, discusses policy rationales behind the use of private security contractors by the U.S. government, and highlights how security contractors like Custer Battles fit into that picture within the reality of present-day Iraq. Part III examines the reasoning of the Custer Battles court, and Part IV critiques that reasoning and the application of precedent in this case. Part V proposes an alternative to the court's reasoning which more closely aligns with the interests …


Panelist Biographies, Introduction By Dana Gold, Editor's Note, Dana L. Gold Jan 2007

Panelist Biographies, Introduction By Dana Gold, Editor's Note, Dana L. Gold

Seattle University Law Review

This conference brought together nationally recognized scholars, attorneys, policymakers and activists from across the country who represent a depth of knowledge and range of viewpoints necessary to explore the intersection of corporate and First Amendment law. This discussion was sometimes heated, frequently politically surprising, and always robust. In this symposium issue, the Seattle University Law Review has captured the presentations and exchanges at this unique, multidisciplinary conference.


The Corporatization Of Communication, Eric Chiappinelli, Adam Candeub, Jeffrey Chester, Lawrence Soley Jan 2007

The Corporatization Of Communication, Eric Chiappinelli, Adam Candeub, Jeffrey Chester, Lawrence Soley

Seattle University Law Review

Our next panel discusses the corporatization of communication.


Keynote Speech, Mark Crispin Miller Jan 2007

Keynote Speech, Mark Crispin Miller

Seattle University Law Review

Corporations tend to work against immediate contact. They tend to discourage familial bonds and popular interaction. They are allergic to democracy. Because corporations are usually in the business of selling deviations of various kinds, they tend to want a world in which each one of us is completely walled off in a portable, wonderful land of communication technology. Corporations want a world where everything is done for us. A world where everything is presented to us through a corporate medium, so that what once looked like satire is now commonly represented as an admirable ideal. To that end, I am …


After Thirty Years, Is It Time To Change The Vehicle Inventory Search Doctrine?, Nicholas B. Stampfli Jan 2007

After Thirty Years, Is It Time To Change The Vehicle Inventory Search Doctrine?, Nicholas B. Stampfli

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment will describe the inventory search as it has developed in the Supreme Court's jurisprudence in order to provide background and understanding of the procedure as it stands today. Part III will address the difficulties in applying the Supreme Court's approach by comparing the differences in police department policies. Part IV will then closely examine Washington's somewhat laudable approach to inventory searches, the limits the state has placed on the scope of inventory searches, and the steps the state has taken to impose a consent requirement. Last, Part V will suggest much needed reforms for Washington …


Racially Restrictive Covenants In The State Of Washington: A Primer For Practitioners, Rajeev Majumdar Jan 2007

Racially Restrictive Covenants In The State Of Washington: A Primer For Practitioners, Rajeev Majumdar

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment will begin by examining the history of racially restrictive covenants, specifically the nature of covenants and the role of the federal government in both spreading and hindering the usage of such covenants. Part III will discuss the legal underpinnings of what makes such covenants unenforceable in Washington, and the best processes an attorney can use to remove them. Part IV will discuss a recent case that has significantly altered the collateral consequences of attempting to destroy racially restrictive covenants upon other associated covenants. As a result, those seeking to retain the benefits of other covenants …


Washington's Way: Dispersed Enforcement Of Growth Management Controls And The Crucial Role Of Ngos, Henry W. Mcgee, Jr. Jan 2007

Washington's Way: Dispersed Enforcement Of Growth Management Controls And The Crucial Role Of Ngos, Henry W. Mcgee, Jr.

Seattle University Law Review

Though there is a valuable and extensive collection of literature on prawl efforts in both states, this Article examines Washington's Growth Management Act and the critical role that NGOs play in supporting the GMA. Specifically, this Article looks at Washington's GMA from three perspectives-legal, historical, and empirical and proposes that NGOs are vital to the GMA's enforcement. Because NGOs are so critical to the enforcement of the GMA, the question of how the courts interpret the scope of authority of growth management hearing boards when deciding growth management cases becomes very important. A decrease in the authority of the hearing …


Live And Learn: Depoliticizing The Interim Appointments Of U.S. Attorneys, Laurie L. Levenson Jan 2007

Live And Learn: Depoliticizing The Interim Appointments Of U.S. Attorneys, Laurie L. Levenson

Seattle University Law Review

Following the U.S. Attorney purge of 2006-2007, it is time to reassess the approach used to appoint interim U.S. Attorneys. Recent events have taught us how quickly U.S. Attorneys can become political pawns. Indeed, this scandal has jeopardized the credibility of federal prosecutors, disillusioned career prosecutors in those positions, and called into question the separation between professionalism and politics in the enforcement of our federal laws. To restore confidence in U.S. Attorneys Offices, a reexamination of the interim appointment process is critical so that the mistakes of 2006 are not repeated.


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2007

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Patent Ships Sail An Antitrust Sea, Joseph Scott Miller Jan 2007

Patent Ships Sail An Antitrust Sea, Joseph Scott Miller

Seattle University Law Review

The deeper truths evoked by patent ships sailing an antitrust sea are three. First, free competition is the pervasive, baseline reality, the background norm; patent protection is the temporary, partial exception. Second, we grasp both patent and antitrust policy with a common science: economics. Third, although neither patent nor antitrust law doctrines are good tools for fixing fundamental problems in the other body of law, both bodies of law help us better understand the shortcomings of the other. I explore these ideas in turn, below.


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2007

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.