Law Commons^™

Expanding The Ban On Forced Arbitration To Race Claims, Michael Z. Green

Faculty Scholarship

When Congress passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (“EFASASHA”) in March 2022, it signaled a major retreat from the Supreme Court’s broad enforcement of agreements to force employees and consumers to arbitrate discrimination claims. But the failure to cover protected discriminatory classes other than sex, especially race, tempers any exuberance attributable to the passage of EFASASHA. This Article prescribes an approach for employees and consumers to rely upon EFASASHA as a tool to prevent both race and sex discrimination claims from being forced into arbitration by employers and companies. This approach relies upon procedural …

Controlling Moral Hazard In Limited Liability With The Consumer Sales Practices Act, Nathaniel Vargas Gallegos

Journal of Legislation

The few states that have passed the Model Consumer Sales Practices Act have common definitions and case law regarding the definition of a “supplier.” This definition is broad enough to include managers of companies in limited liability entities in the states that have adopted the model act. The practicality is that business principals, owners, and managers can be held personally liable for deceptive practices under the state acts. But this is not a piercing of the corporate veil or of the limited-liability company. This Article is meant to accomplish four purposes: (1) exhibit the origins of the act, (2) show …

Dark Patterns In A Bright World : An Analysis Of The Indian Consumer Legal Architecture, Sandeep Sharma J., Ishita Sharma Dr.

International Journal on Consumer Law and Practice

Dark patterns’ are consumer targeted marketing strategies that capitalize on cognitive biases of consumers’ propelling them to make decisions, contrary to their intended preferences. The term dark patterns coined by user designer Harry Bignull has gained traction recently, due to its correlation with psychological responses that are produced through nudges that are unaligned to the consumers’ original preference. The consumer responses elicited through the use of such dubious nudges have a direct correlation with the way human brain functions. These covert strategies employed by digital marketing platforms capitalize through behavioral science, aimed at their economic growth compromising the consumers’ free, …

Amending Amendments: Digital Colonialism, Bill C-11, And Assessing The Call For Improvement, Kayla Victoria Destiny Clarke

Major Papers

Media scholars Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias (2019) define digital colonialism as the “term for the extension of a global process of extraction that started under colonialism and continues through industrial capitalism, culminating in today's new form: instead of natural resources in labor, what is now being appropriated is human life through its conversion into data” (p. 22). This research will critically analyze the Canadian government’s ill-received Bill C-11: the Amended Consumer Privacy Protection Act by using digital colonialism as a conceptual framework to reveal the Bill’s essential limitations. It will consist of two sections: 1) an in-depth exploration of …

Bankruptcy As Social Safety Net, Pamela Foohey

Online Publications

One in ten Americans have filed bankruptcy at some point during their adult lives. Contrary to the pronouncements of some politicians, these filings do not reflect a series of personal failures and should not be understood as failures of character. Indeed, most of the people who file bankruptcy struggle for years to pay their debts before turning to bankruptcy law and courts for help. And most of the people who file say that they felt shame upon filing. Instead, the bankruptcy filings of millions and millions of people reflect systematic policy choices over the past forty years that have left …

Rage Against The Machine: Reducing Robocall Abuse To Protect At-Risk Consumers, Nicole Egan

University of Massachusetts Law Review

For most people, robocalls are nothing more than an annoying side-effect of owning a cell phone today. But a successful robocall scheme is still capable of wreaking financial and psychological havoc on its victims. Senior citizens and cognitively impaired individuals are often targeted by fraudulent phone calls or texts because they may have trouble understanding how to identify and protect themselves from robocall abuse. This Note proposes a collaborative solution to this problem by calling on the judiciary and legislatures to minimize the amount of robocalls received by American telephone consumers. By adopting a broader understanding of the law and …

Pay-To-Playlist: The Commerce Of Music Streaming, Christopher Buccafusco, Kristelia A. García

Publications

Payola—sometimes referred to as “pay-for-play”—is the undisclosed payment, or acceptance of payment, in cash or in kind, for promotion of a song, album, or artist. Some form of pay-for-play has existed in the music industry since the nineteenth century. Most prominently, the term has been used to refer to the practice of musicians and record labels paying radio DJs to play certain songs in order to boost their popularity and sales. Since the middle of the twentieth century, the FCC has regulated this behavior—ostensibly because of its propensity to harm consumers and competition—by requiring that broadcasters disclose such payments.

As …

The Purchaser's Securities In An Electronic Sale Contract - Part I, Osama Ahmed Bader

UAEU Law Journal

This article analyses the legal provisions that aim to posit the legal regulations necessary for the protection of the purchaser (consumer) via analyzing the French legal provisions and stipulations that address the purchaser as a consumer and via the judicial applications in this regard.

The Bank Civil Liability Regarding Consumer Loans Toward Debtor: A Study Based On Kuwaiti And French Law

UAEU Law Journal

Long ago, the French courts did not hesitate in recognizing the bank's liability toward its debtor based upon its failure to warn the debtor especially when the loan did not fit the debtor's financial ability. As a result of that judicial precedent, the French legislature, recently, adopted the bank's responsibility towards its debtor in providing the loan in the Consumer Protection Act. Therefore, when a contract is concluded between a professional and a consumer (Consumer Loan Contract), the bank is obliged to clarify all financial details to a consumer (debtor). In addition, the bank is obliged to verify the consumer's …

Class Action As Means For Consumer Protection In The French Law And The Extent Of Its Application In The Jordanian Law, Alaa Khasawneh, Maha Khasawneh

UAEU Law Journal

This study examines the class- action as a modern means of protection of consumer rights against unlawful acts of the professionals that lead to injury for a good number of consumers in the same damage or with similar damages issued by the same professional, the victims affected by these damages have the possibility of obtaining total compensation which will be shared among consumers members of the group, this study focus on the issue of the introduction of this action in the legal system of Jordan after a review of the most important models, whether in united States of America legislations …

Defining The Concept Of Both The Consumer And The Professional In The Moroccan And The Comparative Laws, Abdel Rafeia Aloui

UAEU Law Journal

The consumption contract holds on one end the Professional and on the other the Consumer, and given the importance of the conceptual specifically for each of the consumer and professional and the implications for the scope of the law, the problem posed by this subject is: Is it possible to determine the precise and agreed to these concepts and what are the effects of this limitation on the scope of protection afforded by Consumption Law of the consumer as a party is weak in a contractual relationship unequal? Any difference in the selection conceptual parties to the contract consumption means …

The Guarantees Of Consumer Free Consent In Contracts Concluded Remotely: A Comparative Study, Dr.Adnan Sarhan

UAEU Law Journal

resulted from his ignorance weakness arising because of the complication of goods and services that makes their use and risks are not to be realized easily by consumers, but also extends in the recent times to include misleading advertising techniques, the brilliant development in marketing in addition to the coercive nature of recent tools that are used in bargain and contracting. One of these tools is the use of distance selling contacts in addition to the common use of electronic contracts, since a consumer is surprised by a person negotiate and contract by telephone or internet and he does not …

Rethinking Of Consumer's Litigation In Unfair Competition, Eyad Ayed Fatehi Alsamhan

UAEU Law Journal

This Article looks at unfair competition lawsuits from the perspective of litigation, rather than from the subjective study of this field. This study presents a contribution to the field of consumer services law in unfair competition acts by involving consumers in this lawsuit. The consumer’s interest is prioritized and qualifies consumers to act as a litigant in unfair competition acts, which traditionally were only concerns held by the competitor's undertaking trade. This study exhibits European practice and elaborates on their application in Jordan, which serves as an example of countries who lack national consumer’s protection legislation.

Legal System Of Consumer Rights For A Safe Product: A Comparative Study, Dr. Anis Al-Addar

UAEU Law Journal

This research shows the evolution of consumer rights with regards to new risks that are threatening him. In fact, the sale conditions, especially those related to the guarantee of hidden defects, are no longer able to provide adequate protection to the consumer. In recent years, new legislations have been introduced to recognize consumer rights as the weakest party in the contract of consumption. Modern laws assign to the seller several obligations, including the obligation to inform the consumer of potential risks and to ensure its safety against the damage caused by the products. By extrapolating modern consumer laws, it can …

Law Library Blog (January 2021): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Algorithms In Business, Merchant-Consumer Interactions, & Regulation, Tabrez Y. Ebrahim

Faculty Scholarship

The shift towards the use of algorithms in business has transformed merchant–consumer interactions. Products and services are increasingly tailored for consumers through algorithms that collect and analyze vast amounts of data from interconnected devices, digital platforms, and social networks. While traditionally merchants and marketeers have utilized market segmentation, customer demographic profiles, and statistical approaches, the exponential increase in consumer data and computing power enables them to develop and implement algorithmic techniques that change consumer markets and society as a whole. Algorithms enable targeting of consumers more effectively, in real-time, and with high predictive accuracy in pricing and profiling strategies. In …

Show Me The (Data About The) Money!, Nizan Geslevich Packin

Utah Law Review

Information about consumers, their money, and what they do with it is the lifeblood of the flourishing financial technology (“FinTech”) sector. Historically, highly regulated banks jealously protected this data. However, consumers themselves now share their data with businesses more than ever before. These businesses monetize and use the data for countless prospects, often without the consumers’ actual consent. Understanding the dimensions of this recent phenomenon, more and more consumer groups, scholars, and lawmakers have started advocating for consumers to have the ability to control their data as a modern imperative. This ability is tightly linked to the concept of open …

Review Law: New York Defamation Applied To Online Consumer Reviews, Ian Lewis-Slammon

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

In early July 2017, Michelle Levine booked her first and only appointment with gynecologist Dr. Joon Song for an annual exam. Ms. Levine had a dissatisfying experience with the office. She claims that Dr. Song’s office did not follow up with her for almost a month, and that when she called to ask about the results of a blood test, Dr. Song’s staff falsely informed her that she tested positive for herpes. To top it off, Ms. Levine alleges that the office overcharged her. Following this experience, Ms. Levine did what many others do when dissatisfied with a product …

Law School News: Distinguished Research Professor: John Chung 05-24-2020, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The (Unfilled) Fintech Potential, Aluma Zernik

Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies

Part I explores the idea that technology has the utopian potential to significantly improve the way individuals make financial decisions. Part II discusses some existing market failures, while presenting the potential of technological innovation in resolving such failures. Part III presents the realized potential of such innovative products, analyzing the design of credit card comparison websites, financial management tools, and mobile wallets. I will demonstrate the significant benefits of such products, and yet the limited realization of the potential advantages of such services. Part IV presents several explanations for why such potential is not being fully realized. These explanations may …

Champions For Justice 2020, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

The Pharma Perspective: The Double-Edged Sword Of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising, Ela H. Yalcin

Health Law Outlook

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Contracting In Markets, Robert E. Scott

Faculty Scholarship

Traditional economic analysis distinguishes economic organization along three dimensions: firm, contract, and market. This categorization is misleading in any number of respects, but none more so than the assumption that contract and market are separate modes of exchange. In fact, other than barter, which is almost unknown in contemporary commercial transactions, every market transaction is implemented by contract. Thus, in markets the two modes of exchange are inextricably combined. Moreover, the vast majority of contract activity occurs in some form of market, so it does not require much loss of generalization to say that not only are contracts in all …

A Scholarly Life In Vistas: Marshall Shapo's Products Liability, Mary J. Davis

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

To read and reread Professor Marshall Shapo’s products liability scholarship is to learn the important lesson of how to build a body of work that continually sees the same landscape from fresh vistas. Like watching the same landscape from different angles, during different seasons, and over several years, Professor Shapo’s vistas provide us with a remarkably vivid view of the products liability landscape over the past fifty years and beyond. In doing so, he has constructed a vision of the richness and promise of products liability law while continually reminding us to be aware of the vista from which we …

Confiding In Con Men: U.S. Privacy Law, The Gdpr, And Information Fiduciaries, Lindsey Barrett

Seattle University Law Review

In scope, ambition, and animating philosophy, U.S. privacy law and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation are almost diametric opposites. The GDPR’s ambitious individual rights, significant prohibitions, substantive enforcement regime, and broad applicability contrast vividly with a scattershot U.S. regime that generally prioritizes facilitating commerce over protecting individuals, and which has created perverse incentives for industry through anemic enforcement of the few meaningful limitations that do exist. A privacy law that characterizes data collectors as information fiduciaries could coalesce with the commercial focus of U.S. law, while emulating the GDPR’s laudable normative objectives and fortifying U.S. consumer privacy law with a …

Non-Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Programs And Products Liability: How New Ai Products Challenge Existing Liability Models And Pose New Financial Burdens, Greg Swanson

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that the unique relationship between manufacturers, consumers, and their reinforcement learning AI systems challenges existing products liability law models. These traditional models inform how to identify and apportion liability between manufacturers and consumers while exposing litigants to low-dollar tort remedies with inherently high-dollar litigation costs.11 Rather than waiting for AI autonomy, the political and legal communities should be proactive and generate a liability model that recognizes how new AI programs have already redefined the relationship between manufacturer, consumer, and product while challenging the legal and financial burden of prospective consumer-plaintiffs and manufacturer-defendants.

Collaborative Approaches To Blockchain Regulation: The Brooklyn Project Example, Patrick Berarducci

Cleveland State Law Review

Today, I am going to discuss, at a high level, blockchain technology—what it is, what are its unique features that could revolutionize markets and economies, and how it could impact law and regulation. That is a lot to cover—far too much in the time allotted. So I will keep things at a very high level and hopefully pique some interest in everyone to dig deeper on their own.

The Human Element: The Under-Theorized And Underutilized Component Vital To Fostering Blockchain Development, Joshua A.T. Fairfield

Cleveland State Law Review

Blockchain is about one-third math and two-thirds game theory. The math runs on silicon processors. The game theory runs on grey matter. Earlier in this symposium, the last panel essentially asked, "What's different about blockchain and its relationship to humans?" That will be our focus: What is the right relationship between technology and the community that builds it? And, why would we care?

Conceptualizing The Regulation Of Virtual Currencies And Providers: Friction Points In State And Federal Approaches To Regulating Providers Of Payments Execution And Custody Services And Products In The United States, Sarah J. Hughes

Cleveland State Law Review

This essay evaluates the state of regulation by the United States government and State legislatures of participants in emerging virtual-currency businesses. It points to friction points as both the federal government and the States experiment with their own regulatory authority over virtual-currency businesses and provides a taxonomy of differing approaches to regulating such businesses. The essay takes the position that the States need to act in the near term if they wish to maintain their longstanding role as regulators of non-depository providers of financial products and services—or they risk being preempted by Congress or federal regulatory actions. This essay also …

Health Care's Market Bureaucracy, Allison K. Hoffman

All Faculty Scholarship

The last several decades of health law and policy have been built on a foundation of economic theory. This theory supported the proliferation of market-based policies that promised maximum efficiency and minimal bureaucracy. Neither of these promises has been realized. A mounting body of empirical research discussed in this Article makes clear that leading market-based policies are not efficient — they fail to capture what people want. Even more, this Article describes how the struggle to bolster these policies — through constant regulatory, technocratic tinkering that aims to improve the market and the decision-making of consumers in it — has …