Law Commons^™

Couriers Without Luggage: Negotiable Instruments And Digital Signatures, Jane Kaufman Winn

Articles

Prior to the very recent explosion of interest in the Internet, for decades electronic commerce had been conducted on a large scale over closed networks. Since the late 1960s, billions of dollars in funds transfers have been executed over networked computer systems such as the Federal Reserve Wire Network (Fedwire), Clearing House Interbank Payment System (CHIPS), and the automated clearing house system (ACH); billions of dollars of goods have been sold over electronic data interchange networks. These closed, proprietary networks were built during the era of mainframe computer systems and are now being challenged by open networks of distributed client-server …

Integrating Alternative Dispute Resolution (Adr) Into The Curriculum At The University Of Washington School Of Law: A Report And Reflections, Lea B. Vaughn

Articles

The essay is framed in two basic parts. In the first part, it describes the program of integration that was undertaken at the University of Washington during the 1995-1997 period of the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) grant. After describing the context in which these curricular changes were made, it describes the changes in years one and two of the grant program. Additional changes that have occurred subsequent to the final grant report in October 1997 also will be summarized. One of the lessons that emerges from our experience is that change will be an incremental, long …

An Economic Analysis Of Intellectual Property Rights: Justifications And Problems Of Exclusive Rights, Incentives To Generate Information, And The Alternative Of A Government Run Reward System, Steve Calandrillo

Articles

This article examines and questions the traditional justifications for intellectual property (I.P.) rights in America (focusing on copyright and patent law), and explores incentives necessary to induce the creation of these works of information. I conclude that changes are needed to I.P. law in order to best foster society's dual goals of 1) promoting incentives to create I.P. works (such as currently patented drugs), while also 2) maximizing distribution of those products to all consumers who would stand to gain (and not merely those who can afford the monopoly price charged). Hence, I suggest the creation of a Government-Run Reward …

Criminal Procedure -- Venue -- Third Circuit Finds Venue For Firearms Charge Improper In District Where Only Predicate Offense Occurred -- United States V. Palma-Ruedas, Peter Nicolas

Articles

No abstract provided.

Using Creativity To Fight A $60 Billion Consumer Problem—Counterfeit Goods, Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Maxim H. Waldbaum

Articles

For centuries, consumers have been willing to pay exorbitant prices for unique or premiumquality goods. Throughout the evolution of the "designer label" market, counterfeiters have lurked in the shadows of the economic landscape. Thus, the problem of counterfeit goods represents nothing new in the global economy.

Yearning For Lake Wobegon: The Quest For The Best Test At The Expense Of The Best Education, Lisa Kelly

Articles

This article first will outline the various tests or assessments. Next, recent federal and state mandates for standardized testing of elementary school children will be examined. Then, the educational literature will be reviewed to expose the dangers of testing, particularly in the early grades. Finally, I will urge that the Clinton administration, Congress, and the states step back from this manner of securing educational adequacy. These governmental policies are rooted in the stated intention of guaranteeing that all schools are doing right by all of the children. However, early testing fosters the opposite result-educational inequity through tracking, retention, and the …

Justice Rabinowitz And Personal Freedom: Evolving A Constitutional Framework, Jeff M. Feldman

Articles

This Article honors the contributions former Chief Justice Jay Rabinowitz has made to Alaskan jurisprudence in the areas of individual privacy and freedom of expression. It begins by tracing the development of the Alaska Supreme Court’s protection of individual rights above and beyond that provided by the federal courts.The Article then provides a thorough analysis of two decisions authored by Justice Rabinowitz, Breese v. Smith and Ravin v. State, which have laid the foundation for heightened protection of privacy and freedom of expression rights in Alaska. Next, the Article discusses the influence and application of these two cases on …

The License Is The Product: Comments On The Promise Of Article 2b For Software And Information Licensing, Robert W. Gomulkiewicz

Articles

Article 2B promises to draw together contract principles for software and information licensing that, at present, are spread among various bodies of law.

This Article argues that Article 2B must affirm industry standard licensing practices in order to prove beneficial. For example, Article 2B's affirmation of industry standard mass market licensing is important for both publishers and end users. Article 2B must also provide the flexibility to accommodate new distribution and licensing models that will arise as electronic commerce matures. Any other approach would fundamentally disrupt the software and information industries.

Moreover, this Article urges the drafters of Article 2B …

Federalism In The Era Of International Standards: Federal And State Government Regulation Of Merchant Vessels In The United States (Part I), Craig H. Allen

Articles

In examining federalism issues relevant to merchant vessels, this article will distinguish between those laws and regulations governing liability for harm and those which regulate safety. Federalism questions arise most frequently in the former, private, maritime law domain, when courts are called upon to determine judicial jurisdiction and the extent to which state law may be applied to adjudicate liability and damages in cases falling within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction. Less frequently, the federalism debate focuses on public maritime law, when states seek to regulate commercial vessel safety or vessel-source pollution.

This article will begin with an examination of …

Federalism In The Era Of International Standards: Federal And State Government Regulation Of Merchant Vessels In The United States (Part Ii), Craig H. Allen

Articles

No abstract provided.

Open Systems, Free Markets, And Regulation Of Internet Commerce, Jane Kaufman Winn

Articles

Can commercial transactions conducted over the Internet be regulated by existing commercial law doctrines? Many promoters of Internet commerce argue that business done over open computer networks such as the Internet will require a new regulatory framework In fact, many issues raised by Internet commerce have already been considered at length in the context of electronic commerce conducted over closed computer networks, such as those used in financial markets.

One of the most hotly debated issues regarding the regulation of Internet commerce is the question of what would be the online equivalent of a signature. Some have argued that, because …

Regulating The Use Of The Internet In Securities Markets, Jane Kaufman Winn

Articles

As use of the Internet and other new technologies in securities continues to expand, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and self-regulatory organizations (SROs) within the securities industry have continued their efforts to adapt their existing regulations to these developments. Although regulators in the United States have provided guidance to market participants on many issues, many other important questions under U.S. securities law remain unanswered.

Guidance regard to securities law in other jurisdictions is almost non-existent, though transnational organizations, such as the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), are working to remedy this situation. I

n 1997 and 1998, the …

The Supreme Court, 1997 Term -- Leading Cases -- Federal Statutes And Regulations -- Americans With Disabilities Act -- Asymptomatic Hiv, Peter Nicolas

Articles

No abstract provided.

Secrets And Lies? Swiss Banks And International Human Rights, Anita Ramasastry

Articles

This Article explores the relationship of Swiss banks and their tradition of bank secrecy to the activities of a particular group of depositors: war criminals and other human rights violators. The Article focuses on litigation brought in U.S. courts by plaintiffs seeking access to Swiss bank deposits made by the Nazis and Ferdinand Marcos. The Article examines the possibility of holding banks accountable under international law for assisting a customer who has committed a serious breach of international law. Part I introduces the role of bank secrecy in the current litigation. Part 11 describes the Swiss tradition of bank secrecy. …

The De Minimus Exemption Of Stored Value Cards From Regulation E: An Invitation To Fraud?, Sean M. O'Connor

Articles

How valuable is $100? To a student? To a single unemployed parent? To a well-compensated professional? The Federal Reserve Board apparently believes that the potential loss of $100 is not a tremendous burden on anyone. In a recently proposed rule, the Board exempts stored value cards[that contain less than $100 from the same regulations that protect consumers from most types of fraud associated with ATM, debit, and credit cards. Regulation E (Reg E) currently regulates the electronic funds transfers (EFTs) that are at the heart of ATM/debit/credit card transactions by requiring printed receipts, error resolution procedures, periodic statements, initial disclosure …

Islamic Law As A Source Of Constitutional Law In Egypt: The Constitutionalization Of The Sharia In A Modern Arab State, Clark B. Lombardi

Articles

No abstract provided.