Computer Law Commons^™

"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 …

First Amendment Implications For E-Mail Threats: Are There Any Free Speech Protections?, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 845 (2005), Joshua Azriel

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

In this article, Azriel explores how the First Amendment protects or does not provide protections to threatening e-mail communications. The article begins by examining seminal U.S. Supreme Court cases that dealt with threatening speech. The factors that provide the First Amendment protections are described, as well as the particular facts of each case and the Court’s findings. Azriel then looks at the Federal Threat Law and the factors that are enunciated in that legislation with regard to the protections afforded threatening communications, in addition to federal court cases that have interpreted the statute. The article then looks at several cases …

The Failure Of The Rule Of Law In Cyberspace?: Reorienting The Normative Debate On Borders And Territorial Sovereignty, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 1 (2005), H. Brian Holland

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

The purpose of this article is to suggest a different perspective on the issue of extraterritorial regulation in cyberspace. The article begins by outlining the Johnson-Post-Goldsmith debate which addressed the significance and legitimacy of physical, geographically-defined borders and territorial sovereignty in the regulation of cyberspace. The debate focused primarily on two areas of disagreement: First, whether and to what extent the architecture of the Internet is borderless or boundary-destroying, so as to be resistant to regulatory regimes grounded in territorial authority; and second, whether and to what extent a nation may legitimately exercise its regulatory power extraterritorially, particularly in the …

No Place To Hide, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 35 (2005), Robert J. O'Harrow Jr.

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

Robert O’Harrow, Jr., a reporter on the financial and investigative team of the Washington Post, recipient of the 2003 Carnegie Melon and Cyber Security Reporting Award, and Pulitzer Prize finalist, lectures on topics from his recent book, No Place to Hide. He discusses how data mining began as a way for marketing companies to gain information about consumers and, as technology evolved, developed into a way for the government to monitor its citizens. O’Harrow contends that since the government is using private companies to collect this data, it skirts regulation and accountability for privacy infringements. After discussing the problems concerning …

Do We Really Have No Place To Hide?, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 57 (2005), Matthew Hector

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

This article is a book review of No Place to Hide, by Robert O’Harrow. The author begins his analysis of No Place to Hide by addressing concerns raised by O’Harrow regarding the balance between the private data aggregators like ChoicePoint and Acxiom and government investigators in reference to the goal of informational privacy policies. The author then goes into a detailed discussion of O’Harrow’s examination of the reasons for drafting the U.S. Patriot Act. Finally, the author discusses the central issue raised in No Place to Hide, and that is the unlimited ability to access certain information on the Internet …

2005 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For Petitioner, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 97 (2005), Allyson Bennett, Christina Dallen, David Kestenbaum

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

2005 John Marshall International Moot Court Competition In Information Technology And Privacy Law: Brief For The Respondent, 24 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 133 (2005), Cherish M. Keller, Elaine Wyder-Harshman

UIC John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law

No abstract provided.

New Federal And Provincial Personal Information Protection Legislation And Its Impact On Physicians And Public Hospitals, Evguania Prokopieva

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The focus of this article is to examine the implications of the new federal and Ontario personal data protection legislation for physicians and public hospitals. This article also inquires into whether the new legislation will contribute to the protection of patient privacy. By ‘‘physician’’ I mean a doctor in a broad sense – i.e., ‘‘a person who has been educated, trained, and licensed to practice the art and science of medicine’’. This will include family doctors, paediatricians, psychiatrists, surgeons, and other medical doctors covered by the Regulated Health Professions Act. By the term ‘‘public hospitals’’ I will refer to not-for-profit …

"Tpms": A Perfect Storm For Consumers: Replies To Professor Geist, Barry Sookman

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article has its origins in an article written by Professor Michael Geist and published in the Toronto Star entitled ‘‘‘TPMs’: A perfect storm for consumers’’. Following the publication of the article, John Gregory made a posting to the e-commerce listserv he moderates asking if anyone had any comments to the article. I responded on February 13, 2005 with a reply to John’s request. Professor Geist replied to my comments on February 17, 2005. On March 9, 2005 I posted a further reply to Professor Geist. The article set out below is based substantially on my two postings to John …

Nothing New Under The Sun? A Technologically Rational Doctrine Of Fourth Amendment Search, Stephen E. Henderson

Faculty Articles

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. Yet as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court, the Amendment places no restriction on police combing through financial records; telephone, e-mail and website transactional records; or garbage left for collection. Indeed there is no protection for any information knowingly provided to a third party, because the provider is said to retain no reasonable expectation of privacy in that information. As technology dictates that more and more of our personal lives are available to anyone equipped to receive them, and as social norms dictate that more and …

A Quick And Inexpensive System For Resolving Peer-To-Peer Copyright Disputes, Mark A. Lemley, R. Anthony Reese

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Knowledge Assets: Can Law Reform Help?, Margaret Ann Wilkinson, Mark Perry

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper asks whether there is a need for law-makers to aid in the efficient transition to a new knowledge-based economic and social environment through the use of intellectual property devices. The use of such devices was effective in assisting with the transition to an industrial society that, combined with developments in commercial law and secured transactions, further fuelled economic growth in Canada. Can these disparate areas of law be brought together to provide opportunities for the growth of knowledge-based business? The Law Commission of Canada instigated a two-part investigation into these questions. The investigation culminated in the Commission's report …

Whazup With The Whois?, Sheldon Burshtein

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The WHOIS is a database directory of domain names and relevant contact information maintained by each top-level domain (TLD) registry, which lists all relevant registrant contact information for each domain name registration. Through its contracts, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires registries and registrars to collect and display technical information and contact details for all registrants. The WHOIS is an important component of the domain name system (DNS). The WHOIS is used for a wide variety of purposes by registries, registrars, registrants, law enforcement authorities, consumers, and the general public. The WHOIS may enable identification of …

A Review Of Canadian Radiocommunications Law Around "Jammers", Tyson Macauley

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This comment argues that the Radiocommunications Act should be amended to relax the prohibition on specific types of ‘‘smart’’ jamming in the Industry Science Medicine (ISM) bands. Specifically, the legislation requires increased flexibility and granularity to accom- modate new wireless technologies in the ISM bands — particularly wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies like IEEEE 802.11b/IEEE 802.11g (WiFi), and IEEE 802.11a (henceforth collectively know as ‘‘ISM radios’’).

The availability of cheap, mass-produced ISM radios hardware and the proliferation of applications using the ISM spectrum bands of 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz present a variety of security and privacy concerns that cannot be effectively addressed …

Fundamentals Of Information Technology By Sunny Handa (Markham: Lexisnexis Canada Inc., 2004), Barbara Darby

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

In the early 1990s, I purchased my first stereo with a CD player. I found myself trapped in a conversation with someone who tried to convince me that it was utter folly not to buy a turntable, because CD technology simply couldn’t replicate the ‘‘warmth’’ of vinyl. Had I only Handa’s book to hand, I could have provided a straight- forward and understandable explanation for why my records were well enough left in my parents’ basement; although ‘‘digitization . . . fails to record all characteristics of analog data, even at the highest finite sampling rate . . . Complete …

Thinking Outside The Pandora's Box: Why The Dmca Is Unconstitutional Under Article I §8 Of The U.S. Constitution, Joshua L. Schwartz

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Governing By Negotiation: The Internet Naming System, Tamar Frankel

Faculty Scholarship

This Article is about the governance of the Internet naming system. The subject is fascinating, not simply because the naming system is an important system affecting the Internet, although it is; and not because the Internet is important, although it is. The subject is fascinating because it offers a rare opportunity to examine and learn from the evolution of an incoherent governance structure. The naming system is special in that it is the product of a new technology; it reflects the changes and pressures brought by the new technology, and involves the interests of government and private entities, domestic and …

Will Video Kill The Radio Star? Visual Learning And The Use Of Display Technology In The Law School Classroom, Fred Galves

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Privacy Of Genetic Information In Canada: A Brief Examination Of The Legal And Ethical Tools That Should Frame Canada's Regulatory Response, Stephen Orr

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article investigates the legal and ethical tools that should inform Canada's regulation of the privacy of genetic information. We are the first generation faced with resolving the unique challenges presented by genetic information. Unfortunately, the patchwork of instruments that could regulate genetic information in Canada is insufficient. The prospect of Canadians increasingly generating genetic information without a satisfactory structure for protecting the information is rather alarming. It is therefore important that we commit to reexamining regulations regarding genetic information. Different loci of governance will likely be required. Canada should look to international law and comparative law for inspiration regarding …

Video Surveillance, Evidence And Pipeda: A Comment On Ferenszy V. Mci Medical Clinic, Anne Uteck

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

One of the most common uses of surveillance is in the area of evidence gathering for investigation by litigators. Private investigators have long been retained for this purpose, and law enforcement officers routinely utilize surveillance devices to assist in the prosecution of a crime. The admissibility of video surveillance evidence obtained by private and government investigators is obviously not a new issue. What has come to the fore- front is the application of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act in the context of video surveillance evidence, and its impact on civil litigators. Privacy interests inherent in the collection, …

Case Comment: Society Of Composers, Authors And Music Publishers Of Canada V. Canadian Association Of Internet Service Providers, Barry Sookman

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

The exponential growth of the Internet has raised serious issues related to liability for copyright infringement. Who should compensate authors and publishers for the use of their works? What activities constitute infringement? Are Internet intermediaries such as Internet service providers (ISPs) liable for infringement when they provide connectivity to subscribers, when they provide hosting services, or when they use caching technologies? Where does infringement occur? Is the scope of the Copyright Act limited to acts of infringement that occur wholly within Canada or does the Act apply to acts that take place partly in Canada and partly outside of Canada? …

Three Years Under The Pipeda: A Disappointing Beginning, Christopher Berzins

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

As of January 1, 2004, after a three-year phase-in period, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) came fully into force. Although considerable uncertainty currently prevails due to unanticipated events such as the resignation and replacement of Commissioner George Radwanski and the late constitutional challenge by Quebec, there is now sufficient experience with the legislation to begin to assess how the PIPEDA is working. It is also a timely juncture to do so with the extension of the legislation to the provincially regulated private sector.