Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Government Surveillance Accountability: The Failures Of Contemporary Canadian Interception Reports, Christopher Parsons, Adam Molnar

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Real time electronic government surveillance is recognized as amongst the most intrusive types of government activity upon private citizens’ lives. There are usually stringent warranting practices that must be met prior to law enforcement or security agencies engaging in such domestic surveillance. In Canada, federal and provincial governments must report annually on these practices when they are conducted by law enforcement or the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, disclosing how often such warrants are sought and granted, the types of crimes such surveillance is directed towards, and the efficacy of such surveillance in being used as evidence and securing convictions.

This …

Masthead, Editor In Chief

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

The Tortoise And The Hare Of International Data Privacy Law: Can The United States Catch Up To Rising Global Standards?, Matthew Humerick

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

Technological developments spur the development of big data on a global scale. The breadth of data companies collect, maintain, process, and transmit affects nearly every country and organization around the world. Inherent to big data are issues of data protection and transfers to third countries. While many jurisdictions emphasize the importance of protecting consumer data, such as the European Union, others, like the United States, do not. To circumvent this issue, the United States and European Union contracted around data privacy standard discrepancies through the Safe Harbor Agreement, which eased cross-border data transfers. However, the Court of Justice of the …

Masthead

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Deepfake Videos: When Seeing Isn't Believing, Holly Kathleen Hall

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

Videos, known as deepfakes, use readily available software to create a work that shows people saying and doing things they may never have uttered or engaged in. The technology making the videos appear very authentic is advancing at such a rate that people may not be able to detect if the videos are fact or fiction. Given the hasty acceptance of other forms of fake news in society, deepfake videos have the ability to affect the nature of information the public receives about candidates and policies. This study examines the potential use of deepfake videos in the democratic process, analyzes …

Ng9-1-1, Cybersecurity, And Contributions To The Model Framework For A Secure National Infrastructure, Andrew Jackson Coley

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

9-1-1 call networks form the foundation of emergency communications infrastructure. However, a lack of funding and taking such networks for granted has led to a gradual yet predictable outdating of this critical infrastructure. Fortunately, recent efforts have acknowledged as such, and dedicated public safety officials have worked to update 9-1-1 systems to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).
NG9-1-1 is an IP-based network with 21^stcentury technology capable of handling increased call volume, more resilient networks, and providing significantly more data to first responders, among litany of other advancements. With this much needed advancement comes the responsibilities of ensuring a secure …

Alexa, Who Owns My Pillow Talk? Contracting, Collaterizing, And Monetizing Consumer Privacy Through Voice-Captured Personal Data, Anne Logsdon Smith

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

With over one-fourth of households in the U.S. alone now using voice-activated digital assistant devices such as Amazon’s Echo (better known as “Alexa”) and Google’s Home, companies are recording and transmitting record volumes of voice data from the privacy of people’s homes to servers across the globe. These devices capture conversations about everything from online shopping to food preferences to entertainment recommendations to bedtime stories, and even phone and appliance use. With “Big Data” and business analytics expected to be a $203 billion-plus industry by 2020, companies are racing to acquire and leverage consumer data by selling it, licensing it, …

The Missing Hyperlink — An Empirical Study: Can Canadian Laws Effectively Protect Consumers Purchasing Online?, Mariella Montplaisir

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Canadian consumer protection legislation applicable to online transactions generally works by a two-pronged method: first, private international law rules ensure that in most cases, consumers can sue in their home province under that province’s law; and, second, a wide range of substantive obligations are imposed on merchants, and failure to comply with these obligations provides consumers with a right of cancellation. This study considers the private international law rules applicable to online consumer contracts, and discusses the unique jurisdictional challenges presented by online transactions. This study also provides an overview of Canadian legislation applicable to online consumer transactions, and examines …

Social Media Threats: Examining The Canadian Criminal Law Response, Benjamin Perrin

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This article begins by discussing the legislative history, essential elements, and purpose of the threats offence in s. 264.1(1) of the Criminal Code. It then analyzes major reported Canadian judicial decisions dealing with social media threats, based on the five themes identified above. Finally, this article concludes by highlighting the implications and limitations of this study, as well as areas for future research.

Public Authority Liability And The Regulation Of Nanotechnology: A European Perspective, Nina Natalia Baranowska

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper argues that in certain circumstances public authorities should be liable for regulating nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an emerging field of technology that enables to control shape and size of various structures, devices and systems at nanometer scale on which one nanometer is equal to one-billionth of a meter. In spite of being a nascent field of science and technology, its scope of application – in the food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, construction, textile, electronics, and agricultural industries – is expanding rapidly. The risks associated to nanotechnology, however, and its long-term consequences are still largely unknown, particularly in regards to its health …

The Aleph Bet: Debating Metaphors For Information, Data Handling And The Right To Be Forgotten, Chris Prince, Micheal Vonn, Lex Gill

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Court rulings in the European Union (EU) have now established that individuals may seek erasure of personal information posted online. Typically, this involves de-indexing a website from search results, and in some instances the removal of content from primary sources sites. This has, in turn, led to debate around both the logistics and the unintended consequences of removing information online, and subsequent discussions have grappled with a range of images and metaphors to map that new legal reality. This essay surveys that debate, the imagery it employs, and the various logics associated with these metaphors.

Back To The Future: Reviving The Use Of Video Link Evidence In Canadian Criminal Courts, Helena Gluzman

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Section 714.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada allows for witnesses and victims to testify remotely via video link, within Canada. The legal test embedded within this provision — “appropriate in all the circumstances” — has led to inconsistent application across the country. Some jurists have embraced the flexibility provided by the video link process. Others have expressed reluctance, articulating the position that in-court testimony is to be preferred and permitting the use of video link evidence only in exceptional circumstances. R. v. S.D.L. is the first treatment of s. 714.1 by an appellate court. The Nova Scotia Court of …

The Political Economy Of Celebrity Rights, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

This essay discusses how the right of publicity became such a robust property right — much more far-reaching than analogous rights in copyright or trademark. One cannot explain the accretion of celebrity publicity rights as a matter of legal logic or simple reaction to the growing economic value of celebrity endorsements. Instead, the essay explains the right's expansion from the perspective of political economy. Critical innovations to the right of publicity occurred in the particular political environment of the 1980s and 1990s. Despite some groups' resistance to new, specialized entitlements for celebrities, the conditions were right for a particular coalition …

Table Of Contents

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Disentangling The Right Of Publicity, Eric E. Johnson

Northwestern University Law Review

Despite the increasing importance attached to the right of publicity, its doctrinal scope has yet to be clearly articulated. The right of publicity supposedly allows a cause of action for the commercial exploitation of a person’s name, voice, or image. The inconvenient reality, however, is that only a tiny fraction of such instances are truly actionable. This Article tackles the mismatch between the blackletter doctrine and the shape of the case law, and it aims to elucidate, in straightforward terms, what the right of publicity actually is.

This Article explains how, in the absence of a clear enunciation of its …

Is Your Health Data Really Private? The Need To Update Hipaa Regulations To Incorporate Third-Party And Non-Covered Entities, Latena Hazard

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

This note argues that the current framework that governs health care applications and consumer privacy is slacking and outlines strategies to ensure protection against third party accessibility of information that consumers deem private.

Table Of Contents

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Masthead

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Section 337 Of The Tariff Act Of 1930 And Its Impacts On China, Yiqing Yin

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (“Section 337”) is one of the statutes that prohibit unfair trade or unfair competition in importation, and it aims at protecting intellectual property at the United States borders. Because of the international impacts of Section 337 and the injunctive nature of its remedies, the application of the statute has profound impacts on the trade between U.S. and other countries.

China is a country that has enormous trade with the U.S and imports large amounts of goods to the U.S. each year. Moreover, the weak intellectual property protection in China has been a serious …

Examining The Legalization Of Daily Fantasy Sports, Mark Dourmashkin

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

How Might The Supreme Court, If It Reviews The Federal Communication's 2015 Open Internet Order, Utilize The Chevron And Arbitrary And Capricious Tests?, John B. Meisel

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

The article focuses on two Supreme Court decisions, King v. Burwell and FCC v. Fox Televisions Stations, Inc., that provide diametrically different models for how deferential a court should be when it reviews administrative action. The former case addresses how deferential a court should be for an agency’s statutory interpretation of an ambiguous statute for a question that has significant economic and political effects but Congress had not expressly delegated the question to the agency. The latter case addresses how deferential a court should be when an agency’s changes a policy that is within its statutory authority. These two …

#Cautionbusinesses: Using Competitors' Hashtags Could Possibly Lead To Trademark Infringement, Debbie Chu

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Candidate Appearances, Equal Time, And The Fcc's Online Public File Database: Empirical Data On Tv Station Compliance During The 2016 Presidential Primary, Christopher Terry

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

Following the appearances of presidential candidates Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on episodes of Saturday Night Live, local television affiliates were required to upload documents related to the appearances to the FCC’s online public file database. After discussing the FCC’s database, the Bona Fide News Exception and the modern application of Section 315’s Equal Time Requirements, this study examines the compliance by the local NBC affiliates in the top 100 television markets with the public file requirements for candidate appearances and subsequent equal time requests as a test of station compliance with the requirements of the FCC’s online …

Protecting Privacy In The Era Of Smart Toys: Does Hello Barbie Have A Duty To Report, Corinne Moini

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Nobody Puts Blockchain In A Corner: The Disruptive Role Of Blockchain Technology In The Financial Services Industry And Current Regulatory Issues, Elizabeth Sara Ross

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

This Note examines the disruptive effects that distributed ledger technology will have on payment systems and the financial services industry. It discusses how financial technology companies and banks will need to adapt to ensure that American consumers and banks, as well as the American economy at large, remain secure and efficient within an increasingly online and global financial system. This Note argues that the disjointed digital currency licensing regimes and complex landscape of state-by-state money transmission licensing directly threaten to stifle innovation, capital formation, consumer protection, and national cybersecurity. To ensure the U.S. remains competitive in the global financial revolution, …

Looking Backward, Moving Forward: What Must Be Remembered When Resolving The Right To Be Forgotten, Katherine Stewart

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

In May 2014, the European Court of Justice decided Google Spain v. AEPD and González and granted citizens the right to be forgotten, rather, the right to request any search engine offering services to European consumers to remove certain results displayed after a search of a citizen’s name. This decision has also resulted in an ongoing battle between Google and the Commission Nationale de l’Infomatique et des Libertés (CNIL), France’s data protection authority. The CNIL believes that Google must apply the right to be forgotten to all domains worldwide, including Google.com. Google, however, has been reluctant to do so, given …

Trust: A Model For Disclosure In Patent Law, Ari Ezra Waldman

Indiana Law Journal

How to draw the line between public and private is a foundational, first-principles question of privacy law, but the answer has implications for intellectual property, as well. This project is one in a series of papers about first-person disclosures of information in the privacy and intellectual property law contexts, and it defines the boundary between public and nonpublic information through the lens of social science —namely, principles of trust.

Patent law’s public use bar confronts the question of whether legal protection should extend to information previously disclosed to a small group of people. I present evidence that shows that current …

Having An Affair May Shorten Your Life: The Ashley Madison Suicides, Sakinah N. Jones

Georgia State University Law Review

Ashley Madison is an online dating service originally designed for people in committed relationships who want to cheat on their partners. In 2015, the website claimed to be “100% discreet.” Ashley Madison’s FAQs promised that its users would never compromise their “safety, privacy or security” and would never have to reveal their identities unless they chose to.

Ashley Madison’s concept attracted over forty million ostensibly anonymous members to its site. In July 2015, a group calling itself The Impact Team (Impact) hacked into Ashley Madison’s parent company, Avid Life Media, Inc. (Avid Life), breaching its security walls and reaching directly …

Civil Liberty Or National Security: The Battle Over Iphone Encryption, Karen Lowell

Georgia State University Law Review

On June 5, 2013, Edward Snowden released what would be the first of many documents exposing the vast breadth of electronic surveillance the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) had been conducting on millions of United States citizens. Although the federal agencies had legal authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to collect metadata from companies such as Verizon, many Americans considered this data collection to be a massive invasion of privacy.

Equipped with the knowledge of sweeping domestic surveillance programs, citizens and technology firms fighting for strong privacy and security protection, have started …

Manhattan_Project.Exe: A Nuclear Option For The Digital Age, David Laton

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

This article explores the possible implications and consequences arising from the use of an artificial intelligence construct as a weapon of mass destruction. The digital age has ushered in many technological advances, as well as certain dangers. Chief among these pitfalls is the lack of reliable security found in critical information technology systems. These security gaps can give cybercriminals unauthorized access to highly sensitive computer networks that control the very infrastructure of the United States. Cyberattacks are rising in both frequency and severity and the response by the U.S. has been ineffective. A cyber-weapon of mass destruction (CWMD) implementing an …