Law Commons^™

Shape Mark (Trade Dress) Distinctiveness: A Comparative Inquiry Into U.S. And E.U. Trademark Law, Qadir Qeidary

William & Mary Business Law Review

Nowadays, the increasing application of visual elements, as non-traditional trademarks, to convey commercial information has brought about some new challenges to pioneer legal systems. In this regard, the question of shape marks’ (trade dress) distinctiveness has also caused some hot debates in U.S. and EU trademark law. Indeed, the most challenging legal question before those legal jurisdictions is about the method of transplanting the concept of trademark distinctiveness into the mechanism through which shape marks, as visual mediums, perform a trademark communicative function. Technically, the indefinite nature of shape marks or trade dress marks and lack of a definitive or …

Black Lives Matter Abroad, Too: Proposed Solutions To The Racialized Policing Of Ethiopian Jews In Israel, Samy Abdallah

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

This Note will first discuss the presence of Ethiopian Jews in Israel, and then compare their stature and rights (or lack thereof) to another insular group in Israel—Arab Palestinians. Finally, this Note will discuss possible solutions and remedies to these fatal police shootings. Considering that the possibility of criminal liability for officers is low, this Note will argue that both civil remedies and additional training for police are necessary to avert future shootings of Ethiopian Jews.

Who Will Save The Redheads? Towards An Anti-Bully Theory Of Judicial Review And Protection Of Democracy, Yaniv Roznai

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Democracy is in crisis throughout the world. And courts play a key role within this process as a main target of populist leaders and in light of their ability to hinder administrative, legal, and constitutional changes. Focusing on the ability of courts to block constitutional changes, this Article analyzes the main tensions situated at the heart of democratic erosion processes around the world: the conflict between substantive and formal notions of democracy; a conflict between believers and nonbelievers that courts can save democracy; and the tension between strategic and legal considerations courts consider when they face pressure from political branches. …

The Protection Of Free Choice And The Right To Passivity: Applying The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination To Physical Examinations And Documents' Submission, Rinat Kitai-Sangero

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

This Article addresses the question of whether the privilege against selfincrimination should cover physical examinations as well as the obligation to submit documents. This question requires a serious examination of the justifications underlying the privilege against self-incrimination and is of particular relevance in the current age of technological progress that expands the powers assigned to law enforcement agencies to access knowledge and thoughts stored in individuals’ minds. After addressing the comparative law regarding the applicability of the privilege against selfincrimination to physical examinations and to the obligation to submit documents and discussing key justifications for the privilege against self-incrimination, dividing …

Toolkit Or Tinderbox? When Legal Systems Interface Conflict, Christie S. Warren

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Look At Plea Bargaining In Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, And The United States, Carol A. Brook, Bruno Fiannaca, David Harvey, Paul Marcus, Jenny Mcewan, Renee Pomerance

William & Mary Law Review

In a world where the vast majority of criminal cases are resolved through some means other than the popularly depicted criminal trial, it is fundamental to a comprehensive understanding of comparative criminal procedure to study and appreciate the different mechanisms for criminal case resolution in different nations. This Article developed through a series of conversations (and ultimately a panel discussion) between six international criminal justice professionals - practicing attorneys, scholars, and judges - regarding the nature and effects of plea bargaining (and its comparative substitutes) in their respective countries. Providing a comparative look at different mechanisms for criminal case resolution, …

Plea Bargaining And Disclosure In Germany And The United States: Comparative Lessons, Jenia I. Turner

William & Mary Law Review

This Article analyzes recent trends in plea bargaining and disclosure of evidence in Germany and the United States. Over the last two decades, a number of U.S. jurisdictions have adopted rules requiring broader and earlier discovery in criminal cases. This development reflects a growing consensus that, in a system that resolves most of its cases through guilty pleas, early and extensive disclosure is necessary to ensure fair and informed outcomes.

The introduction of broader discovery in criminal cases in the United States aligns American rulesmore closely with longstanding German rules on access to the investigative file. At the same time, …

Congress's (Limited) Power To Represent Itself In Court, Tara Leigh Grove, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

Scholars and jurists have long assumed that, when the executive branch declines to defend a federal statute, Congress may intervene in federal court to defend the law. When invalidating the Defense of Marriage Act, for example, no Supreme Court Justice challenged the authority of the House of Representatives to defend federal laws in at least some circumstances. At the same time, in recent litigation over the Fast and Furious gun-running case, the Department of Justice asserted that the House could not go to court to enforce a subpoena against the executive. In this Article, we seek to challenge both claims. …

Judges Talking To Jurors In Criminal Cases: Why U.S. Judges Do It So Differently From Just About Everyone Else, Paul Marcus

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Company Law In The European Union And The United States: A Comparative Analysis Of The Impact Of The Eu Freedoms Of Establishment And Capital And The U.S. Interstate Commerce Clause, Christoph Allmendinger

William & Mary Business Law Review

Since the decision of the European Court of Justice in the Centros case, it has become popular in company law to draw comparisons between the United States economic constitution and the Single European Market. Since then, fears of a European “Delaware Effect,” which would create a “race to the bottom,” have hounded the debate on European company law. In this discussion, however, the unique constitutional framework of both the EU and the U.S. is seldom regarded. This constitutional framework, nevertheless, determines the behavior of both the legislators at state level and the market participants. This Article compares the impact of …

Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference Journal, Volume 1, William & Mary Law School

Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Journal

Comparative Property Rights

October 14-15, 2011

Panel 1: Legal Protection of Property Rights: A Comparative Look

Panel 2: Reflections on Justice O'Connor's Important Property Rights Decisions

Panel 3: Property as an Instrument of Social Policy

Panel 4: Culture and Property

Panel 5: Property as an Economic Institution

Panel 6: Property Rights and the Environment

Our Exceptional Constitution, Timothy Zick

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

Comparative And Noncomparative Justice: Some Guidelines For Constitutional Adjudication, Raleigh Hannah Levine, Russell Pannier

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Australia And The United States: Two Common Criminal Justice Systems Uncommonly At Odds, Paul Marcus, Vicki Waye

Faculty Publications

At first glance the criminal justice systems of Australia and the United States look strikingly similar. With common law roots from England, they both emphasize the adversary system, the roleof the advocate, the presumption of innocence, and an appeals process. Upon closer reflection,however, they appear starkly different. From both Australian and U.S. perspectives, the authorsexplore those differences, examining important features such as the exclusion of evidence, rules regarding interrogation, the entrapment defense, and the open nature of trials. The Article concludes with an analysis of the reasons for those differences, reasons that heavily relate back to the founding of the …

The Advantages Of The Civil Law Judiciary As The Model For Emerging Legal Systems, Charles H. Koch Jr.

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hans Kelsen And The Logic Of Legal Systems, Michael S. Green

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Towards A Payments System Law For Developing And Transition Economies, Raj Bhala

Faculty Publications

This paper examines the legal foundations of large-value credit transfer systems and the importance of certainty, efficiency, and fairness in funds transfer law. A case study is presented to highlight key terminology and concepts. Thereafter, five particularly noteworthy legal rules are discussed in the context of the case study: (1) a rule defining the scope of the law; (2) a rule establishing when the rights and obligations of parties to a funds transfer are triggered; (3) a receiver finality rule; (4) a rule assigning liability for interloper fraud; and (5) a money-back guarantee rule, coupled with provisions on discharge. Finally, …

Foreword: O Canada, William W. Van Alstyne

Faculty Publications

This forward, written ten years after the adoption of the Constitution of Canada, draws sharp comparisons between Canada’s constitution and the United States’ original governing document, the Articles of Confederation.

Civil Appeals: English And American Approaches Compared, Delmar Karlen

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

English Natural Justice And American Due Process: An Analytical Comparison, Frederick F. Shauer

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Executive And Judicial Powers Under The Constitutions Of Argentina And The United States, Alexander W. Weddell

James Goold Cutler Lecture

No abstract provided.

Newspaper Copyright, Joseph M. Cormack

Faculty Publications

This is a report upon the state of the American law prepared for submission to the International Congress of Comparative Law to be held at The Hague, August 2nd to 6th., 1932. The report was prepared at the request of the American committee of the Interiationad Academy of Comparative Law, and is published with the approval of the Academy. The national reports are to form the basis of a general report, not exceeding xo,ooo words in length, covering the general state of the law in regard to the particular topic. Because of the limitations thus involved, it has been necessary …