Internet Law Commons^™

Asterisk Revisited: Debating A Right Of Reply On Search Results, Frank Pasquale

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Network Neutrality And The False Promise Of Zero-Price Regulation, C. Scott Hemphill

Center for Contract and Economic Organization

This Article examines zero-price regulation, the major distinguishing feature of many modern "network neutrality" proposals. A zero-price rule prohibits a broadband Internet access provider from charging an application or content provider (collectively, "content provider") to send information to consumers. The Article differentiates two access provider strategies thought to justify a zero-price rule. Exclusion is anticompetitive behavior that harms a content provider to favor its rival. Extraction is a toll imposed upon content providers to raise revenue. Neither strategy raises policy concerns that justify implementation of a broad zero-price rule. First, there is no economic exclusion argument that justifies the zero-price …

The “Two-Tiered” Approach To E-Discovery: Has Rule 26(B)(2)(B) Fulfilled Its Promise?, Thomas Y. Allman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

We have now had more than a year to assess the impact of the 2006 Amendments of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“the Amendments”) on discovery of electronically stored information. At the core of these provisions is the “two-tiered” discovery process. Under Rule 26(b)(2)(B), restyled as “Specific Limitations on Electronically Stored Information,” a party is permitted to utilize information from “reasonably accessible” sources of electronically stored information to respond to all forms of discovery without seeking information from inaccessible sources, provided that they are identified. Reasonably accessible sources are those which are available without “undue burden or cost.”

Introduction: Contains Cover, Table Of Contents, Letter From The Editor, And Masthead, Bridget Murray

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The Richmond Journal of Law and Technology is proud to present the second issue of the 2008–2009 academic school year. Our authors analyze a variety of controversial legal topics that are at the forefront of debates regarding the intersection of technology and law.

Hidden Costs Of The Wireless Broadband Lifestyle: Comparing Consumer Protections In The United States, Canada, And The European Union, Renee Dopplick

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Spurred by relatively inexpensive and widely available retail equipment and increased residential Internet penetration, consumer demand for more wireless broadband options continues at a rapid rate. Now, with consumers increasingly looking for mobile Internet interconnectivity over greater distances and with greater flexibility, technology companies are pushing the next generation of wireless broadband technologies with the promise of freeing consumers from location-based Internet access. These newer technologies can provide robust video and audio capabilities, such as digital television, on-demand video, and VoIP on a variety of digital devices. Yet, the rise of wireless

broadband networks and the roll-out of new technologies …

User-Generated Content And Virtual Worlds, Greg Lastowka

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Many legal commentators have claimed that virtual worlds owe their popularity to their focus on user-generated content and user creativity. While this is true in part and authorial freedom may draw consumers to virtual worlds, user-generated content can also pose risks to virtual world business from both an aesthetic and legal perspective. A significant tension exists between permitting participants to create content freely and building a successful virtual environment. In some instances, user-generated content can overwhelm virtual worlds. The future of user-generated content in virtual worlds is not clear, given the significant practical and legal problems that accompany user-generated content.

Just Click Submit: The Collection, Dissemination, And Tagging Of Personally Identifying Information, Corey Ciocchetti

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

As the twenty-first century bustles forward, the e-commerce arena becomes an ever more dangerous place. On a daily basis, Websites collect vast amounts of personally identifying information (PHII) and mine it in sophisticated databases to discover consumer trends and desires. This process provides many benefits--such as tailored Web sites and relevant marketing--that few Web surfers would care to do without. However, serious threats lurk in cyberspace and are enhanced by consumers who continue to submit vast amounts of information in a state of relative unawareness. Not wanting to miss out on their Web surfing experience, visitors submit their personal information …

Xiaoning V. Yahoo! Inc.'S Invocation Of The Alien Tort Statute: An Important Issue But An Improper Vehicle, Denae Thomas

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

U.S.-based Internet service providers (ISPs) are faced with a dilemma when operating in countries with restrictive Internet speech laws: should they comply with these governments' demands for personally identifying information of Internet dissidents or respect their own country's dedication to free speech and refuse to comply? On behalf of Chinese dissidents who were imprisoned for violating Chinese speech laws, human rights advocates have invoked the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) in an attempt to hold ISPs accountable for their acquiescence with the Chinese government's demands. This Note examines one such case, Xiaoning v. Yahoo! Inc., and ultimately concludes that, while the …

Information Policy For The Library Of Babel, James Grimmelmann

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The image of Borges's Library of Babel, which contains all possible books, is haunting and suggestive. This essay asks what we would do if we were advising a Federal Library Commission on how to deal with the Library's vast holdings and overwhelming disorganization. This thought exercise provides a set of sensible principles for information policy in an age of extreme informational abundance.

Prediction Markets And The First Amendment, Miriam A. Cherry, Robert L. Rogers

Faculty Publications

The continuing development of prediction markets is important because of their success in foretelling the future in politics, economics, and science. In this article, we identify the expressive elements inherent in prediction markets and explore how legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 might harm such predictive speech. This article is the first to explore First Amendment protections for prediction markets in such depth, and in so doing, we distinguish prediction markets from other regulated areas such as gambling, commodities, and securities trading. The article’s examination of prediction markets also illustrates the limitations of current commercial …

Bill Graham Archives V. Dorling Kindersley Limited : The Ever-Changing Face Of The Fair Use Defense, Christina Alvarado

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

No abstract provided.

Recent Developments In Us Copyright Law – Part Ii, Caselaw: Exclusive Rights On The Ebb?, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

The 1976 Act announces broad exclusive rights, offset by a myriad of specific exemptions, and one wide exception for "fair use." In words and intent, the exclusive rights are capacious, but new technologies may have caused some of the general phrases to become more constraining than might have been expected from a text whose drafters took pains to make forward-looking. Thus, the scope of the reproduction right turns on the meaning of "copy;" the reach of the distribution right on "distribute copies" and "transfer of ownership;" the range of the public performance right on "public" and "perform." Entrepreneurs and users …

Introduction: Contains Cover, Table Of Contents, Letter From The Editor, And Masthead, Eileen R. Geller

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The Richmond Journal of Law and Technology is proud to present its final issue of the 2007–2008 academic school year. Our authors tackle a number of emerging issues in ways we think you’ll find especially interesting.

Introduction: Contains Cover, Table Of Contents, Letter From The Editor, And Masthead, Bridget Murray

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The Richmond Journal of Law and Technology is proud to present its first issue of the 2008–2009 academic school year. Our authors assess a variety of controversial legal topics that embrace the intersection of technology and law.

Perfect Enforcement Of Law: When To Limit And When To Use Technology, Christina M. Mulligan

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Road safety cameras can photograph your car running red lights. Some bars record information on driver’s licenses to establish that their patrons are old enough to drink. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) uses automated web crawlers to try to find illegal copies of mp3s, and iTunes embeds personal identifying information in the tracks of every song you buy.

Rural Telehealth Networks: Saving Lives Through Increased Connectivity, Ann Weilbaecher

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

How Illinois Is Using Telemedicine To Improve Health Care Access In Rural Communities, Holly Carnell

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Digital Divide: Improving Broadband Access For Rural Americans, Brian Witkowski

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Youtube Viewers Become Unwitting Players In Google-Viacom Litigation, Bill Tasch

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Shattering And Moving Beyond The Gutenberg Paradigm: The Dawn Of The Electronic Will, Joseph Karl Grant

Journal Publications

Legislators in Nevada have already acted to modernize the law of wills. This Article advocates that other states follow their lead and depart from what is described as the "Gutenberg Paradigm" by adopting similar legislation and embracing electronic technology. Part One of this Article explores the history of print and the emergence of the "Gutenberg Paradigm." Part Two examines the history and policy underpinnings of will execution formalities, and the role of the "writing" requirement. Part Three explores the use of electronic wills as conforming and nonconforming testamentary instruments. Part Three, also, highlights some of the pitfalls and shortcomings of …

The Google Dilemma, James Grimmelmann

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Open Code Governance, Danielle K. Citron

Faculty Scholarship

Automated information systems offer an opportunity to improve the democratic legitimacy of the administrative state. Today, agencies transfer crucial responsibilities to computer systems. Computers gather and interpret important information. For instance, electronic machines record and calculate votes. Automated systems execute policy and render decisions about important individual rights, such as a person's eligibility for public benefits. Computer systems store sensitive personal information. These systems' closed architecture, however, shields vital agency decisions from view. No one can see how a system operates without a software program's source code. Closed code hides programming errors that disenfranchise voters, under-count communities for the census, …

Technological Due Process, Danielle K. Citron

Faculty Scholarship

Distinct and complementary procedures for adjudications and rulemaking lie at the heart of twentieth-century administrative law. Due process required agencies to provide individuals notice and an opportunity to be heard. Agencies could foreclose policy issues that individuals might otherwise raise in adjudications through public rulemaking. One system allowed focused advocacy; the other featured broad participation. Each procedural regime compensated for the normative limits of the other. Both depended on clear statements of reason.

The dichotomy between these procedural regimes has become outmoded. This century's automated decision-making systems collapse individual adjudications into rulemaking while adhering to the procedural safeguards of neither. …

Government Data Mining: The Need For A Legal Framework, Fred H. Cate

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The article examines the government's growing appetite for collecting personal data. Often justified on the basis of protecting national security, government data mining programs sweep up data collected through hundreds of regulatory and administrative programs, and combine them with huge datasets obtained from industry. The result is an aggregation of personal data - the "digital footprints" of individual lives - never before seen. These data warehouses are then used to determine who can work and participate in Social Security programs, who can board airplanes and enter government buildings, and who is likely to pose a threat in the future, even …

Hacking Into International Humanitarian Law: The Principles Of Distinction And Neutrality In The Age Of Cyber Warfare, Jeffrey T.G. Kelsey

Michigan Law Review

Cyber warfare is an emerging form of warfare not explicitly addressed by existing international law. While most agree that legal restrictions should apply to cyber warfare, the international community has yet to reach consensus on how international humanitarian law ("IHL") applies to this new form of conflict. After providing an overview of the global Internet structure and outlining several cyber warfare scenarios, this Note argues that violations of the traditional principles of distinction and neutrality are more likely to occur in cyber warfare than in conventional warfare. States have strong incentives to engage in prohibited cyber attacks, despite the risk …

Fourth Amendment Protection For Stored E-Mail, Patricia L. Bellia, Susan Freiwald

Journal Articles

The question of whether and how the Fourth Amendment regulates government access to stored e-mail remains open and pressing. A panel of the Sixth Circuit recently held in Warshak v. United States, 490 F.3d 455 (6th Cir. 2007), that users generally retain a reasonable expectation of privacy in the e-mails they store with their Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which implies that government agents must generally acquire a warrant before they may compel ISPs to disclose their users' stored e-mails. The Sixth Circuit, however, is reconsidering the case en banc. This Article examines the nature of stored e-mail surveillance and argues …

Internet Nondiscrimination Principles: Commercial Ethics For Carriers And Search Engines, Frank Pasquale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Next Frontier For Network Neutrality, Philip J. Weiser

Publications

The challenge for policymakers evaluating calls to institute some form of network neutrality regulation is to bring reasoned analysis to bear on a topic that continues to generate more heat than light and that many telecommunications companies appear to believe will just fade away. Over the fall of 2007, the hopes of broadband providers that broadband networks could escape any form of regulatory oversight were dealt a blow when it was revealed that Comcast had degraded the experience of some users of Bittorent (a peer-to-peer application) and engaged in an undisclosed form of network management. This incident, as well as …

The Memory Gap In Surveillance Law, Patricia L. Bellia

Journal Articles

U.S. information privacy laws contain a memory gap: they regulate the collection and disclosure of certain kinds of information, but they say little about its retention. This memory gap has ever-increasing significance for the structure of government surveillance law. Under current doctrine, the Fourth Amendment generally requires government agents to meet high standards before directly and prospectively gathering a target's communications. The law takes a dramatically different approach to indirect, surveillance-like activities, such as the compelled production of communications from a third party, even when those activities yield the same information as, or more information than, direct surveillance activities. Because …

Why We Are Outraged: An Economic Analysis Of Internet Gambling, Frank Vandall

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

While domestic casinos and lotteries take in about $84.7 billion a year; internet gambling is worth about $12 billion. By comparison, movies bring in about $23.24 billion a year. Fifty-two percent of the population gambles. Although all but two states (Utah and Hawaii) permit gambling of some sort, none license internet gambling. It is therefore illegal in all 50 states. Estimates suggest that only 1% of the population engages in internet gambling.