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Articles 1981 - 2010 of 4056

Full-Text Articles in Communications Law

Stern Penalties: How The Federal Communications Commission And Congress Look To Crackdown On Indecent Broadcasting, Geoffrey Rosenblat Jan 2006

Stern Penalties: How The Federal Communications Commission And Congress Look To Crackdown On Indecent Broadcasting, Geoffrey Rosenblat

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal (1994 - )

No abstract provided.


Vicarious Liability And The Private University Student Press, Nancy Whitmore Jan 2006

Vicarious Liability And The Private University Student Press, Nancy Whitmore

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Once described as a quintessential marketplace of ideas by the Supreme Court of the United States, the academic marketplace has been criticized recently for institutionalizing a left-leaning ideology within its curriculum and academic discourse. As a result, national activists and organizations have been calling on state legislatures and university administrators to adopt policies and report on steps taken to encourage intellectual diversity and protect political and cultural minorities from faculty bias and academic retribution in the classroom and other university settings. But who would win a constitutional showdown between the academy and those seeking to infuse academic discourse with alternative …


In The Service Of Secrets: The U.S. Supreme Court Revisits Totten, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 475 (2006), Douglas Kash, Matthew Indrisano Jan 2006

In The Service Of Secrets: The U.S. Supreme Court Revisits Totten, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 475 (2006), Douglas Kash, Matthew Indrisano

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.


From Legally Blonde To Miss Congeniality: The Femininity Conundrum, Anna M. Archer Jan 2006

From Legally Blonde To Miss Congeniality: The Femininity Conundrum, Anna M. Archer

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that popular movies like Legally Blonde and Miss Congeniality perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes by depicting women as needing to conform to traditional notions of femininity or masculinity to succeed in male-dominated professions. These portrayals contradict the protections provided by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex. The article contends that such films send the wrong message by suggesting women must change themselves to fit societal expectations rather than challenging those expectations.


Anticipating Regulation Of New Telecommunications Technologies: An Argument For The European Model, Jessica Finley Jan 2006

Anticipating Regulation Of New Telecommunications Technologies: An Argument For The European Model, Jessica Finley

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This paper argues that the United States should look to the European Community in order to rework its telecommunications regulatory structure. More specifically, the United States should reconsider its current system of regulating various telecommunications sectors separately and follow the European Commission by developing a "single regulatory framework." By regulating the telecommunications transmission separately from telecommunications content, the United States can better anticipate emerging technologies rather than struggling to catch up with new technologies as they exceed the reach of the current regulatory framework. Part II will discuss the U.S. and European telecommunications regulatory frameworks. Part III will discuss the …


Rationalizing Software Patents: Suggestions For A Livable System, Shane Glynn Jan 2006

Rationalizing Software Patents: Suggestions For A Livable System, Shane Glynn

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In examining the historical development of software as patentable subject matter, the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit, the Patent and Trademark Office's regulations and guidelines, and the application of these rules in the legal and business community, this article explores the deficiencies of the current US software patent system. The article argues that by increasing patent examiners' knowledge of computer science and publishing domestic patent applications to allow competitors to search for relevant prior art, the US software patent system can be significantly improved.


The Rave Act: A Specious Solution To The Serious Problem Of Increased Ecstasy Distribution: Is It Unconstitutionally Overbroad, Erin Treacy Jan 2006

The Rave Act: A Specious Solution To The Serious Problem Of Increased Ecstasy Distribution: Is It Unconstitutionally Overbroad, Erin Treacy

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The RAVE Act was designed to thwart use and distribution of the illegal street drug ecstasy by holding the owner of a nightclub or other venue criminally responsible for any illegal drug-related activities that occur at an electronic music concert held on his or her property. This article argues that the RAVE act is unconstitutionally overbroad because it has a real and substantial impact on the First Amendment rights of electronic music concert performers and attendees. The article further argues that the RAVE act has driven electronic music concerts underground, making them less regulated than if held in legitimate commercial …


Catching A Black Cat In A Dark Room: Evaluating The Shortcomings Of Federal And State Anti-Spyware Legislation, Josh Sugnet Jan 2006

Catching A Black Cat In A Dark Room: Evaluating The Shortcomings Of Federal And State Anti-Spyware Legislation, Josh Sugnet

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note analyzes state anti-spyware legislation and the latest federal anti-spyware bill, considering criticism raised and evaluating their potential to be effective in stopping spyware. The note concludes that these laws are best aimed at regulating the use of adware, the allegedly more legitimate commercial type of spyware, but do little to protect users from more malicious types of spyware authored by hackers and cyber-criminals. Also, the federal government must regulate the software industry to ensure that a competitive market for technological solutions to these security problems exists. Only by coupling law enforcement with effective industry regulation can the federal …


A Minor Conundrum: Contracting With Minors In Canada For Film And Television Producers, Bob Tarantino Jan 2006

A Minor Conundrum: Contracting With Minors In Canada For Film And Television Producers, Bob Tarantino

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Concerns surrounding the enforcement of a contract with minors have plagued the entertainment industry, particularly in the areas of film and television. Amidst a confusing hodgepodge of laws, various North American jurisdictions have responded with a series of judicial decisions and legislative initiatives. These changes have increased marketplace certainty for the benefit of film producers and the minors with which they do business. The Canadian province of Ontario, however, remains without the benefit of such a regime of laws, creating uncertainty in Ontario's film and television marketplace. If Ontario wishes to develop as a major film and television production center, …


At The Intersection Of Comic Books And Third World Working Conditions: Is It Time To Re-Examine The Role Of Commercial Interests In The Regulation Of Expression, David Kohler Jan 2006

At The Intersection Of Comic Books And Third World Working Conditions: Is It Time To Re-Examine The Role Of Commercial Interests In The Regulation Of Expression, David Kohler

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article examines how a speaker's commercial interests factor into evaluating First Amendment protection. The author criticizes the current state of the law in the United States, which forces courts to draw categorical distinctions between commercial and noncommercial speech which are largely artificial, unwieldy, and likely unworkable. The article suggests a new approach that largely jettisons any attempt to draw broad categorical distinctions based on the underlying commercial motivation for communication and, instead, evaluates such expression in the same way that other kinds of fully protected speech are evaluated.


From Hockey Gloves To Handcuffs: The Need For Criminal Sanctions In Professional Ice Hockey, Tracey Oh Jan 2006

From Hockey Gloves To Handcuffs: The Need For Criminal Sanctions In Professional Ice Hockey, Tracey Oh

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Citing recent on-ice incidents, this article argues that the level of violence in the National Hockey League (NHL) has grown out of control. The NHL's sanctions have been unable to deter the steadily increasing amount of violence in the sport. The article argues that allowing courts to intervene and impose criminal sanctions against on-ice offenders would send a strong message to the players, and promote a sense of social responsibility.


I Always Feel Like Someone Is Watching Me: A Technological Solution For Online Privacy, David Goldman Jan 2006

I Always Feel Like Someone Is Watching Me: A Technological Solution For Online Privacy, David Goldman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article develops the concept for a technological solution to the problem of online privacy. While most proposals endeavor to come to a consensus upon either a common definition or a common value system for privacy, the author instead proposes that the ultimate goal of an automated transaction should simply be to make optimal use of the online market. Rather than define privacy, the government should instead encourage trust, which will result in the maximum benefits for the economy as a whole.


The Conceptual Game In Copyright, Lior Zemer Jan 2006

The Conceptual Game In Copyright, Lior Zemer

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article examines the nature of copyright as a concept and discusses the benefits that can be derived from understanding copyright as a vague conceptual framework, or, alternatively as an arsenal of competing interpretations and permutations, rendering its meaning essentially contested. The best way to make meaningful progress in the way we approach and think of copyright is by admitting into our discourse on copyright alternative approaches to ownership which emphasizes the public interest. We can protect the integrity of the copyright discourse by ensuring that no single voice can exclude other voices, and allow sufficient conceptual flexibility to permit …


Amending Its Anti-Paparazzi Statute: California's Latest Baby Step In Its Attempt To Curb The Aggressive Paparazzi, Lisa Vance Jan 2006

Amending Its Anti-Paparazzi Statute: California's Latest Baby Step In Its Attempt To Curb The Aggressive Paparazzi, Lisa Vance

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The financial rewards of celebrity photos have driven the paparazzi to increasingly dangerous tactics, often endangering celebrities and others in their pursuit of a valuable photo. In response to this danger, California amended its anti-paparazzi statute in 2005. The amended statute provides stiff penalties, including punitive and treble damages, and allows a celebrity to recover these damages for assault. However, assault requires the intent to cause apprehension of imminent contact, and much of the outrageous conduct of the paparazzi does not evidence this sort of intent. If California is serious about curbing improper behavior by the paparazzi, it should penalize …


Faulting San Andreas: The Call To Arms For Sensible Regulation Of Violent Video Games, Jessica Williams Jan 2006

Faulting San Andreas: The Call To Arms For Sensible Regulation Of Violent Video Games, Jessica Williams

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Video game violence has escalated to shocking limits. Murder and sex are glorified in modern games. California Assembly Bill 1179 is the latest attempt to curb the sale of video games encouraging this type of violence. Because it is improbable that current social science research will be able to prove the causal connections necessary to satisfy the Brandenburg standard for regulating free speech, AB 1179 violates the First Amendment rights of California's citizens. In the future, increased parental controls and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's active role in enforcing compliance with its rating system will be the most effective means …


Out Of Thin Air: Using First Amendment Public Forum Analysis To Redeem American Broadcasting Regulation, Anthony E. Varona Jan 2006

Out Of Thin Air: Using First Amendment Public Forum Analysis To Redeem American Broadcasting Regulation, Anthony E. Varona

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

American television and radio broadcasters are uniquely privileged among Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensees. Exalted as public trustees by the 1934 Communications Act, broadcasters pay virtually nothing for the use of their channels of public radiofrequency spectrum, unlike many other FCC licensees who have paid billions of dollars for similar digital spectrum. Congress envisioned a social contract of sorts between broadcast licensees and the communities they served. In exchange for their free licenses, broadcast stations were charged with providing a platform for a "free marketplace of ideas" that would cultivate a democratically engaged and enlightened citizenry through the broadcasting of …


Race, Media Consolidation, And Online Content: The Lack Of Substitutes Available To Media Consumers Of Color, Leonard M. Baynes Jan 2006

Race, Media Consolidation, And Online Content: The Lack Of Substitutes Available To Media Consumers Of Color, Leonard M. Baynes

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

In its 2003 media ownership proceedings, the FCC relied on the existence of the Internet to provide justification for radically relaxing the FCC ownership rules. These rules limited the national audience reach of the broadcast licensees and the cross-ownership of different media properties by broadcasters and newspapers. In relaxing these rules, the FCC failed to recognize that a media submarket for African Americans and Latinos/as existed. This separate market is evidenced by the different television viewing habits of African Americans and Latinos/as as compared to Whites and Billboard magazine's delineation of R&B/urban music radio stations as a separate radio station …


Not From Concentrate? Media Regulation At The Turn Of The Millennium M Arch 18-19, 2005, Journal Of Law Reform Jan 2006

Not From Concentrate? Media Regulation At The Turn Of The Millennium M Arch 18-19, 2005, Journal Of Law Reform

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Transcript from a March 2005 Symposium held in the University of Michigan Law School, Hutchins Hall.


Blocked Airwaves: Using Legislation To Make Non-Compete Clauses Unenforceable In The Broadcast Industry And The Potential Effects Of Proposed Legislation In Pennsylvania, Cristin T. Kist Jan 2006

Blocked Airwaves: Using Legislation To Make Non-Compete Clauses Unenforceable In The Broadcast Industry And The Potential Effects Of Proposed Legislation In Pennsylvania, Cristin T. Kist

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal (1994 - )

No abstract provided.


Shopping Badly: Cognitive Biases, Communications, And The Fallacy Of The Marketplace Of Ideas, Derek E. Bambauer Jan 2006

Shopping Badly: Cognitive Biases, Communications, And The Fallacy Of The Marketplace Of Ideas, Derek E. Bambauer

University of Colorado Law Review

The model of the "marketplace of ideas" governs critical decisions in American jurisprudence on regulating communications. This theory holds that, over time, we collectively process ideas and information to separate truth from falsehood. State intervention is therefore unnecessary and undesirable, for it may prevent us from discovering inelegant but useful ideas. However, research in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics shows that we operate with significant, persistent perceptual biases that undercut this model's assumptions. The marketplace model errs in describing how we interact with information; accordingly, it cannot reliably assess when regulation is desirable. We should discard the marketplace of ideas …


A Model For Emergency Service Of Voip Certification And Labeling, Tom Lookabaugh, Patrick S. Ryan, Douglas C. Sicker Jan 2006

A Model For Emergency Service Of Voip Certification And Labeling, Tom Lookabaugh, Patrick S. Ryan, Douglas C. Sicker

Federal Communications Law Journal

The diffusion of VoIP technology promises revolutionary changes to a century old model of voice telephony. Though these changes bring extraordinary opportunities, they also bring challenging policy implications for businesses and regulators. In this Article, the Authors examine the technical difficulties of providing the same quality and dependability of emergency services in VoIP based telephony as consumers have come to expect from PSTN-based telephone networks. Given the technical complexity and heterogeneity of VolP, the Authors propose industry self-regulation through an advanced certification framework as a more effective alternative to direct government regulation. After surveying a number of successful self-regulatory regimes, …


Costs And Consequences Of Federal Telecommunications Regulations, Jerry Ellig Jan 2006

Costs And Consequences Of Federal Telecommunications Regulations, Jerry Ellig

Federal Communications Law Journal

Federal regulation of telecommunication profoundly affects United States consumers, determining what services are priced above and below cost, what kinds of technologies and services are offered and when, and what firms are allowed to compete. In this Article, the Author surveys the voluminous literature on the economic costs and outcomes of these regulations, focusing predominantly on the effects of regulation on prices, quantity, quality of service, and overall consumer and social welfare. The Author estimates costs and assesses outcomes for ten types of federal telecommunications regulated activity: telecommunications regulatory spending, long-distance access charges, universal service funding, local number portability, enhanced …


The Continuing Role Of State Policy, Jeffrey A. Hart Jan 2006

The Continuing Role Of State Policy, Jeffrey A. Hart

Federal Communications Law Journal

A review of Hernan Galperin's New Television, Old Politics: The Transition to Digital TV in the United States and Britain, Cambridge University Press, 2004. Based on comparative case studies in Britain and the United States, this book analyzes the transition to digital television in both countries, considers governmental regulatory strategies, and focuses on the impact of various factors, including political influence and market and technological changes.


Why Stovepipe Regulation No Longer Works: An Essay On The Need For A New Market-Oriented Communications Policy, Randolph J. May Jan 2006

Why Stovepipe Regulation No Longer Works: An Essay On The Need For A New Market-Oriented Communications Policy, Randolph J. May

Federal Communications Law Journal

In the ten years since the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the telecommunications industry has undergone profound technological and marketplace changes. May argues that the "techno-functional constructs" of the statute regulate services based on increasingly obsolete definitions. This Article argues that those changes have undermined the "stovepipe" regulatory scheme of the 1996 Act. In an increasingly diverse and competitive marketplace, the "stovepipe" model of regulation should be left in the dustbin of history. Instead, May argues that a new market-oriented regulatory regime focusing on consumer welfare through the application of antitrust principles should form the basis of a new regulatory model.


Measuring Media Market Diversity: Concentration, Importance, And Pluralism, Brian C. Hill Jan 2006

Measuring Media Market Diversity: Concentration, Importance, And Pluralism, Brian C. Hill

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Third Circuit's rejection of the FCC's application of its Diversity Index in setting Cross-Media Limits in Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC represented a significant setback for the FCC's media ownership policies. This Article argues that the FCC's Diversity Index is fatally flawed because it fails to simultaneously account for two assumptions shared by the FCC and the Third Circuit: diversity in a media market increases with ownership concentration, and an individual entity's contribution to diversity increases with the weighted market shares of that entity's outlets. The Author proposes an alternative index that does satisfy both assumptions before applying the …


Communications Policy For 2006 And Beyond, Reed H. Hundt, Gregory L. Rosston Jan 2006

Communications Policy For 2006 And Beyond, Reed H. Hundt, Gregory L. Rosston

Federal Communications Law Journal

In this Article, the Authors propose sweeping changes to the current telecommunications regulatory regime. With impending reform in telecommunications laws, the Authors argue that an important first step is the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to examine and recommend implementation of more market-oriented communications policy. Through maximizing the operation of the markets, the authors argue that communications policy will better serve its goals of increasing business productivity and consumer welfare through the better services and lower prices. Important steps to achieve optimal market operation include deregulating retail prices where multifirm competition is available, minimizing the cost of public property …


Masthead Vol.58 No.1 (2006) Jan 2006

Masthead Vol.58 No.1 (2006)

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Editor's Note, R. Matthew Warner Jan 2006

Editor's Note, R. Matthew Warner

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Toward A Limited Right Of Access To Jury Deliberations, Torrence Lewis Jan 2006

Toward A Limited Right Of Access To Jury Deliberations, Torrence Lewis

Federal Communications Law Journal

Jury deliberations receive extensive protection from public examination. These protections make jury deliberations much less accessible to the public than most other governmental deliberations. This Comment examines the constitutional, common law, and statutory protections for jury deliberations and the dangers that these protections seek to prevent. The Author argues that a limited post-verdict right of access to jury deliberations could restore public faith in the jury and could eventually improve the quality of jury deliberations. The Author suggests a possible framework that would provide the public with a limited right of access and still address the primary concerns that led …


Open Video Systems: Too Much Regulation Too Late?, Michael Botein Jan 2006

Open Video Systems: Too Much Regulation Too Late?, Michael Botein

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.