Computer Law Commons^™

L'Affaire Huntsman C. Soderbergh Ou Le Droit D'Expurger Les Films, René Pépin

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Deux éléments nous motivent. D’abord, comme on le devine, la technologie évolue à un rythme rapide en ce domaine. On n’en est plus au temps où les films étaient produits unique- ment sur une véritable pellicule de plastique qu’un censeur pouvait insérer dans une machine qui lui permettait littéralement de couper des parties indésirables et de recoller les embouts. L’informatique a envahi ce domaine. Il y a maintenant des logiciels sophistiqués qui agissent comme interface entre un disque DVD et l’écran, permettant au consommateur de choisir lui-même les séquences qui seront enlevées dans un film. On comprend que ceci pose …

Rising Governmental Use Of Biometric Technology: An Analysis Of The United States Visitor And Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program, Lisa Madelon Campbell

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article explores increased governmental interest in the use of biometric measurements as a means of identifying individuals and tracing their movements. Private industries, of course, are equally interested in biometrics, and often similarly capable of collecting and storing biometric information. For example, merchants in the United Kingdom require customers who pay by cheque to provide a thumbprint as an additional security measure against potential fraud. The issues raised by the use of biometrics in the private sector are somewhat different than those that arise in the public context. This article explores the increased reli- ance upon individual biometric measurements …

Virtual Playgrounds And Buddybots: A Data-Minefield For Tweens, Valerie Steeves, Ian R. Kerr

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article examines the online places where tweens play, chat, and hang out. We argue that the vision behind these places is defined by commercial imperatives that seek to embed surveillance deeper and deeper into children’s playgrounds and social interactions. Online marketers do more than implant branded products into a child’s play; they collect the minute details of a child’s life so they can build a ‘‘relationship’’ of ‘‘trust’’ between the child and brand. Although marketing to children is not new, a networked environment magnifies the effect on a child’s identity because it opens up a child’s private online spaces …

I Click, You Click, We All Click - But Do We Have A Contract? A Case Comment On Aspenceri.Com V. Paysystems, Charles Morgan

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

It is trite to say that e-commerce has exploded over the last several years. Canadian individuals and businesses are entering into thousands and thousands of contracts online all the time. Yet, oddly enough, there is surprisingly little legal certainty or consistency regarding an essential legal question: what approach to online contract formation will create a binding legal contract? Such legal uncertainty is unfortunate, since buyers need to know when to ‘‘beware’’, merchants need to be able to manage risk, and courts need to have clear guidelines in order to be able to render informed, coherent decisions.

The issue of online …

Intelligent Agents: Authors, Makers, And Owners Of Computer-Generated Works In Canadian Copyright Law, Rex M. Shoyama

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The central objective of this article is to propose a clarification of copyright law as applied to works created by intelligent agents. In Part I, the concepts of artificial intelligence and intelligent agents are introduced. Part II identifies the challenges that are presented to the tests of originality and authorship in the application of copyright to works generated by intelligent agents. It is argued that works created by intelligent agents may meet the tests of originality and authorship. It is also argued that the con- cepts of ‘‘author’’, ‘‘owner’’, and ‘‘maker’’ are distinct from one another in Canadian copyright law. …

Who Controls The Controllers? Jon Festinger's Video Game Law (Markham: Lexisnexis Canada Inc., 2005), Steve Coughlan

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Biotechnology Unglued: Science, Society, And Social Cohesion By Michael D. Mehta, Ed. (Vancouver: Ubc Press, 2005), Chidi Oguamanam

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In Biotechnology Unglued, Mehta and his thirteen-member interdisciplinary team, comprising mainly of social scientists using a number of ‘‘case studies’’, explore in nine essays ‘‘how advances in agricultural, medical, and forensic biotechnology may threaten the social cohesiveness of different kinds of communities and at different scales’’. In a way, the project is a successful attempt to underscore the theme of (and imperative for) social accountability of science and bio/technological innovations. This 208-page collection of nine essays in a corresponding number of chapters is a remarkable effort. It is a departure from the traditional concerns regarding biotechnology innovations which, hitherto, emphasized …

Review Of Eloïse Gratton's Internet And Wireless Privacy: A Legal Guide To Global Business Practices (Toronto: Cch Canadian Limited, 2003), David T.S. Fraser

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

2005 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Bench Memorandum, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 69 (2005), Richard C. Balough, Pirya Krishnamoorthy Venkat, Douglas Maclean, Larisa V. Morgan, Michael Rogalski

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Genetic Use Restriction (Or Terminator) Technologies (Gurts) In Agricultural Biotechnology: The Limits Of Technological Alternatives To Intellectual Property, Chidi Oguamanam

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article examines the adequacy of terminator technology as a potential substitute for traditional intellectual property. It acknowledges that the technology provides a stronger protection and reward mechanism than that offered by the traditional intellectual property rights regime. However, terminator technology or any other technology for that matter, is outside the pantheon of intellectual property regimes. Fundamentally, terminator is a technological answer to the quest by private sector interests to improve appropriability of returns on investments in agrobiotech. It potentially represents a panacea to the long standing industry struggle over the profitability of private research in agrobiotech and the need …

Yours For Keeps: Mgm V. Grokster, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 209 (2005), Max Stul Oppenheimer

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Millions of people download billions of music files over the Internet, using peer-to-peer ("P2P") services such as Grokster, StreamCast, Morpheus, and Kazaa. This practice has been challenged as violative of copyright and, it has been argued, the magnitude of copyright violations facilitated by P2P services justifies banning the services entirely. This argument has been based on the assumption that most transfers over P2P services violate copyright. The starting point for this discussion is the recent decision of the United States Supreme Court to grant the certiorari petition of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios et al. to review the Ninth Circuit decision in MGM …

Law And Order In Cyberspace: A Case Study Of Cyberspace Governance In Hong Kong, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 249 (2005), Kam C. Wong, Georgiana Wong

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Hong Kong, an international finance center, has been enjoying great benefits generated by computer-mediated communication ("CMC") in the new Information Age. On the other hand with the rapid and advanced development in technology, Hong Kong's economy is increasingly and irreversibly relying, and made dependent upon CMC and the Internet to operate, because the Internet has become a catalyst of reform and development in other arenas including social, cultural, and public policy. The Information Age raises new criminality concerns as it aggregates traditional criminal problems since great amounts of data are transmitted by and stored on computers is beyond imagination and …

European Spectrum Management Principles, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 277 (2005), Patrick S. Ryan

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Any discussion of European policies is a complicated one, in part because the word "Europe" means different things to different people. At the present time, the European Union has expanded to twenty-five countries and more countries may become provisional members within the next years. These countries represent a multitude of cultures, languages, and legal traditions so talking about a "European" approach to a given matter is to risk making inherently flawed generalizations about diverse peoples, cultures, and systems. However, one generalization is rather safe to assert: the traditional regulatory model in Europe has been based on a state-run monopoly structure …

The Convention On Cybercrime: A Harmonized Implementation Of International Penal Law: What Prospects For Procedural Due Process?, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 329 (2005), Miriam F. Miquelon-Weismann

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The CoE Convention on cybercrime provides a treaty-based framework that imposes on the participating nations the obligation to enact legislation criminalizing certain conduct related to computer systems, create investigative procedures and ensure their availability to domestic law enforcement authorities to investigate cybercrime offenses, including procedures to obtain electronic evidence in all of its forms and create a regime of broad international cooperation, including assistance in extradition of fugitives sought for crimes identified under the CoE Convention. Since there is no internationally recognized legal definition of computer crime, this article briefly presents the generally recognized categories of cybercrime and then proceeds …

Age Verification In The 21st Century: Swiping Away Your Privacy, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 363 (2005), John T. Cross

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Today a lot of private businesses have adopted the practice of driver's license swiping where proof of age or security issues arise. This practice has beneficial uses for both private entities, in identifying underage persons and those with fake identification, and law enforcement. However, the problem arise when the private sector, businesses are not using the information to merely identify underage customers or those with fake identification but store the information encoded on the barcode in a computer database. No federal laws and very few state laws regulate the collection and use of this information while the private sector is …

Pennsylvania And Pornography: Cdt V. Pappert Offers A New Approach To Criminal Liability, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 411 (2005), John Spence

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The rapid expansion of information technology in the past few years has left states and the Federal government struggling desperately to keep up and many of the laws attempting to regulate the Internet and information technology show a lack of understanding how the affected technology actually works and could possibly the growth and distribution of new ideas and inventions even incapacitate the Internet. One area in particular that has been the subject of widespread concern and attention is online pornography, a business that few people only realize just how big it truly is. This article focuses on the recent District …

Regulating Minors' Access To Pornography Via The Internet: What Options Do Congress Have Left?, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 453 (2005), Jacob A. Sosnay

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

As with most innovations that have world-altering capabilities, the Internet is not without its very own dark side. This Internet's ugly side represented by are the thousands of Web sites devoted to the procurement and dissemination of pornographic material. Although, undoubtedly, in a free society, people are entitled to have access to such material if they so desire it is also generally accepted there is not only a great need, but an uncompromisable duty to protect minors from, and prevent access to, this potentially harmful imagery. This Comment discusses the several recent attempts made by Congress to regulate the accessibility …

Foreword, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 485 (2005), Leslie Ann Reis

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

The 2000 Presidential Election Shattered The Myth That Every Vote Is Counted, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 491 (2005), Richard C. Balough

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

A lot of things have changed since the early memories of going into the voting booth, which at that time was the old mechanical machines, and pulled those levers down. It was taught that you have to vote because each vote was going to make a difference, each vote was going to be recorded and tallied. The voting which was done on Election Day, the way one voted was going to affect our democracy. Of course during that time there were also a lot of other things happening that ran counter to this ideal, stories including police intimidation especially in …

Florida's Post 2000 Voting Systems Overhaul: The Road To Perdition, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 497 (2005), Lida Rodriguez-Taseff

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In early 2001, after the disastrous election of 2000, Florida decided to revamp its voting systems, as well as its elections laws, because it did not want another disaster. The “Electronic Voting Systems Act” (the “Act”), ostensibly modernized Florida’s outdated voting machines by authorizing the use of “electronic and electromechanical voting systems in which votes are registered electronically or are tabulated on automatic tabulating equipment or data processing equipment” prohibiting any apparatus or device “for the piercing of ballots by the voter”. Central to the recount process overhaul was the introduction in Florida of a whole new type of voting …

E-Voting: A Tale Of Lost Votes, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 509 (2005), Lillie Coney

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In order for the United States to avoid another Constitutional crisis due to the failure of voting technology it must address the weaknesses of paperless direct recording electronic (“DRE”) voting machines. Many policymakers hold the belief that the Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) would save the nation from the threat of another election-sponsored Constitutional crisis because it would, among other objectives, replace outdated voting machines with new electronic voting technology. This belief was disproved a number of times during the 2002 and 2004 primary and general election seasons. As it was revealed by the Carteret County, North Carolina November 2, …

"Electronic Voting Rights And The Dmca: Another Blast From The Digital Pirates Or A Final Wake Up Call For Reform?", 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 533 (2005), Doris E. Long

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Electronic voting machines are the new version of pirated music. Like digital music, electronic voting was designed to make voting rights easily available to the masses. However, technology has once again demonstrated how easy it is to circumvent a good idea through better “hacker” technology. In reality, any electronic voting software can be hacked no matter how good the encryption technology protecting it. The issue is not creating a fool-proof anti-circumvention system – an impossible task – but creating the necessary digital safeguards to make circumvention difficult, to make security breaches more readily detectable, and to provide back-up systems to …

The Machinery Of Democracy: Voting Technology In November 2004, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 553 (2005), Doug Chapin

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In general Election Day of 2004 proceeded surprisingly smoothly and although some problems were reported, by and large they were best characterized as “no big and lots of littles.” In the end, the margins of victory in most races during the 2004 election exceeded the margin of litigation, meaning the trouble that arose in many states would most likely not have changed the outcome. In the immediate aftermath of Election Day, however, a closer look at experiences around the country revealed widespread problems that, while immaterial to the outcome of the election, nonetheless indicate that much remains to be done …

2004 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Bench Memorandum, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 563 (2005), Patricia Gerdes, Tim Scahill, Otto Shragal, Richard C. Balough, Leslie Ann Reis

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

2004 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Petitioner, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 587 (2005), Ryan Dry, Angela Hamilton, Jason Newman

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

2004 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Respondent, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 633 (2005), Ashley S. Kamphaus, Michelle M. Prince, Jon Paul Carroll

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

Distributed Security: Preventing Cybercrime, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 659 (2005), Susan W. Brenner, Leo L. Clarke

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article focuses on the modern development of cybercrime and how the current law enforcement model is inadequate to prevent and enforce computer-mediated crime. Specifically the article argues that the nation-states can better control the problem of cybercrime by replacing the current law enforcement model with that of a system of “distributed” security that uses criminal sanctions to employ reasonable measures to prevent and the perpetration of cybercrime. The article begins by defining the terms “law enforcement”, “crime”, and “cybercrime” and then moves on to discuss how the current model of law enforcement, as it stands today, is inept to …

The Legal Status Of Software, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 711 (2005), Daniel B. Garrie

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article by cyberlaw specialist Daniel B. Garrie is intended to serve as a guide for judges to ensure that judicial decisions reflect an understanding of software’s multiple facets and its relation to the boundaries of the law. The article is designed to provide a high-level overview of software and then examine software in greater depth for specific legal areas likely to spawn legal disputes directly involving software. Included within the article are a brief overview of the current legal framework evolving with respect to software development (including an examination of the 2005 Supreme Court case Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. …

Lights, Camera, Action: Video Cameras As Tools Of Justice, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 771 (2005), Matthew D. Thurlow

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In the continuing effort to convict only the guilty and free only the innocent increasing attention has focused on criminal confessions. Long a source of controversy, confessions are imperfect instruments with which to determine guilt or innocence. Police coerce confessions, and suspects under disabilities and without legal representation confess to crimes they did not commit. However, videotaping confessions and interrogations may be one way to improve the accuracy of this powerful piece of evidence. Whether used in interrogation rooms, during traffic stops, or as hand-held devices, video cameras have the potential to reduce the risks of wrongful convictions and, by …

Software Patents On Both Sides Of The Atlantic, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 815 (2005), Jack George Abid

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This comment addresses and analyzes the state of software patentability in the United States (“U.S.”) and European Union (“E.U.”). This comment discusses policies that drive changes and developments in patent law, the technical background of software, and the non-patent intellectual property protection for software. The comment further addresses the judicial precedent and the situation surrounding software patents in the U.S. and the legal situation in the E.U., including proposed changes in the Software Patent Directive. Finally, the article discusses common criticisms of current U.S. policies on software patentability by exposing the problems created by these policies and suggests corrective policies …