Science and Technology Law Commons^™

Patent Eligibility And Investment, David O. Taylor

Cardozo Law Review

Have the Supreme Court's recent patent eligibility cases changed the behavior of venture capital and private equity investment firms, and if so how? This Article provides empirical data about investors' answers to those important questions. Analyzing responses to a survey of475 investors at firms investing in various industries and at various stages of funding, this Article explores how the Court's recent cases have influenced these firms' decisions to invest in companies developing technology. The survey results reveal investors' overwhelming belief that patent eligibility is an important consideration in investment decision making, and that reduced patent eligibility makes it less likely …

When A Picture Is Not Worth A Thousand Words: Why Emojis Should Not Satisfy The Statute Of Frauds' Writing Requirement, Moshe Berliner

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Patent Enforcement In Cyberterritories, Daniel Harris Brean

Cardozo Law Review

3D printing technology has exposed a gap in patent protection. Thanks to 3D printers, physical products can be created and sold digitally in the form of CAD files, and consumers printing the products are effectively manufacturers. But current law would treat a product patent as being directly infringed only when the physical product is made, used, offered for sale, or sold, making it difficult to target the digital source of the infringement. While past scholarship has fashioned new legal constructs to close this gap (e.g., expanding patent eligibility or extending infringement case law) this Article considers whether a proper, analogous …

The Courtroom Turned Classroom: A Model Procedure For Educating The Gatekeepers Of Expert Evidence In Complex Toxic Tort Cases, Izabelle Tully

Cardozo Law Review

This Note maintains that in order for Rule 702 and the Daubert standard to have their intended effect, judges need more guidance and structure in how they approach scientific admissibility decisions. An analysis of how courts following Daubert currently address novel science, specifically in toxic tort cases where some members of the scientific community label causation evidence as junk science, supports this argument. This Note will focus on procedures courts have used to make gatekeeping decisions. From a study of these procedures, this Note will suggest a model framework that courts should employ to tackle novel science issues in mass …

Pretext And Justification: Republicanism, Policing, And Race, Ekow N. Yankah

Cardozo Law Review

On April 4, 2015, Police Officer Michael Slager gunned down Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina with a cool that resembled target practice. Scott's name joined a heartbreaking list of men of color killed by unjustified police violence. The video of the incident also broadcast to the world the spectacular violence always lurking beneath the surface of daily interactions between police and men of color.

The "Black Lives Matter" movement has fiercely insisted Scott's death not be viewed as an isolated incident but understood as woven into the fabric of American policing. American policing harms individual people of color, …

Familial Searching: How Implementing Minimum Safeguards Ensures Constitutionally-Permissible Use Of This Powerful Investigative Tool, Alexandra Nieto

Cardozo Law Review

This Note supports the adoption of Familial DNA Search Policies. by states that have not yet taken a position on the issue. Part I of this Note provides background on the role of Familial Searches in criminal investigations. This includes a discussion on the nature of Familial Searches, why they are useful, and the current state of the law. Part I also considers the different guidelines and protections in existing Familial Search Policies, as well as states' policies regulating their DNA databases. Part II discusses the Fourth Amendment and equal protection concerns implicated by Familial Searches and how a court …

War Torts, Autonomous Weapon Systems, And Liability: Why A Limited Strict Liability Tort Regime Should Be Implemented, Elizabeth Fuzaylova

Cardozo Law Review

Part I of this Note will discuss the evolution of Al from early computer models in the 1980s to sophisticated and standalone thinking machines in today's world, while touching on some of the drawbacks. It will also discuss the evolution of Al within the military, encompassing the current state of the debate over the use of autonomous weapons. Further, it explores the already proposed regulatory changes that surround Al and their hypothetical impacts on military Al and autonomous weapon systems. Part 11 first delves into factors to consider in regulating autonomous weapon systems. It then analyzes whether an Al machine …

Conspiracy: Contemporary Gang Policing And Prosecutions, Keegan Stephan

Cardozo Law Review

Part I of this Note reviews gang policing before Morales, explains the vagueness, equal protection, and policy and custom doctrines that helped shape gang policing, and details the practices of contemporary gang policing. Part II argues that contemporary gang policing violates equal protection under the innovative showing of discriminatory intent found in Floyd v. City of New York, and that contemporary gang policing violates both prongs of the vagueness doctrine when viewed in its totality-at least where it is proscribed by statute. Part III notes that the vagueness doctrine has historically been applied only to statutory law and …

A Fish Out Of Water: Why The Gao's Approach To Finding Agency Propaganda Is Inadequate In The Social Media Age, Jennifer Pierce

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Artificial Intelligence Systems Produce Inventions: An Alternative Model For Patent Law At The 3a Era, Shlomit Yanisky Ravid, Xiaoqiong (Jackie) Liu

Cardozo Law Review

Currently, robots, Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning systems (hereinafter referred to collectively as AI or AI systems) can create inventions, which, had they been created by humans, would be eligible for patent protection. This Article addresses the patentability of these inventions created by AI systems. We argue that traditional patent law has become outdated, inapplicable, and irrelevant with respect to inventions created by AI systems. We call on policy makers to rethink current patent law governing AI systems and replace it with tools more applicable to the new (3A) era of advanced, automated, and autonomous AI systems. Our argument is …

Artificially Intelligent Lawyers: Updating The Model Rules Of Professional Conduct In Accordance With The New Technological Era, Katherine Medianik

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing The Dao: The Need For Legal Recognition And The Application Of Securities Laws To Decentralized Organizations, Laila Metjahic

Cardozo Law Review

This Note will begin with background information on the construction of a blockchain and its function in decentralized organizations like the DAO, followed by a discussion on smart contracts and their role in decentralized organizations and the DAO. This Note will then analyze the legal status of partnerships and joint ventures. This Note proposes that the U.S. legal system must clarify the legal status of these organizations and as such should classify the DAO as a general partnership. Assuming the DAO is a general partnership, the question arises as to whether shareholders in the DAO have interests that would be …

How Subterranean Regulation Hinders Innovation In Assisted Reproductive Technology, Myrisha S. Lewis

Cardozo Law Review

Most scholars believe assisted reproductive technology is subject only to minimal regulation, especially by the federal government. This belief I contend, is wrong. In this Article, I examine agency documents, statements by officials, and letters that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent to physicians and researchers over the past fifteen years to reveal an overlooked regulatory program. The FDA has been targeting new forms of assisted reproductive technology that involve small genetic modifications (advanced assisted reproductive technologies or AARTs) through regulatory actions that receive little public, media, or scholarly attention. I term this method of regulation "subterranean …

Intellectual Property Channeling For Digital Works, Lucas S. Osborn

Cardozo Law Review

Market economies are based on free competition, which can include copying. Yet intellectual property protection in the United States prohibits copying in certain circumstances to incentivize innovation and creativity. New breeds of digital works are challenging our historical application of intellectual property law. These include certain categories of software programs as well as digital manufacturing files. These new works look deceptively like works from a previous era and thus, courts might languorously treat them as they have older works. This would be a mistake. This Article analyzes these works in terms of existing intellectual property doctrine and constructs a normative …

"Too Big To Foia": How Agencies Avoid Compliance With The Freedom Of Information Act, Stephanie Alvarez-Jones

Cardozo Law Review

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), while foundational for promoting government transparency, faces significant challenges in its administration, particularly through the judicially created "undue burden" claim, which allows agencies to evade disclosure. The note argues that courts' deference to agencies' claims of undue burden undermines FOIA's purpose of promoting openness. It proposes reforms, such as a public interest sliding scale, to balance the burden on agencies against the public's right to know, ensuring FOIA remains an effective tool for accountability.

Universal Design: Stop Banning Laptops!, Ruth Colker

Cardozo Law Review

The article argues that banning laptops in university classrooms, particularly in law schools, is unnecessary and counterproductive. The author advocates for a permissive laptop policy as part of Universal Design principles, which aim to create inclusive learning environments. While acknowledging concerns about distractions and note-taking effectiveness, the author presents empirical data suggesting that laptop use does not harm academic performance and can benefit students with disabilities without stigmatizing them.

Making Accessible Futures: From The Capitol Crawl To #Cripthevote, Faye Ginsburg, Rayna Rapp

Cardozo Law Review

The article examines the evolving recognition and integration of disability rights in American society, emphasizing the transformative impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the cultural shift towards inclusivity. It highlights the growing demographic presence of individuals with disabilities, the role of activism, and the importance of inclusive design and representation in media and politics. The authors argue that while significant progress has been made, ongoing advocacy is crucial to address persistent challenges and ensure the full recognition of disability as a valued aspect of human diversity.

Human Torts, Lisa J. Laplante

Cardozo Law Review

Human Torts is the first article to describe how ordinary municipal tort lawsuits in the United States provide essential remedies for human rights abuses. Despite the rising level of hate crimes, bullying, corporate malfeasance, and other private acts that result in great harm and can lead to civil litigation, American scholars have never explored how everyday tort claims grounded in purely domestic common law doctrine between private, non-state actors are in fact human rights claims even if never pleaded as such in U.S. courts. Framing tort litigation as a form of human rights protection may appear to be a novel …

Fighting The Troll Toll: The Case For Judicial Review Of The U.S.P.T.O. Director's Denial Of A Petition To Institute An Inter Partes Review, Renoj Zachariah

Cardozo Law Review

The note challenges the Federal Circuit's ruling in St. Jude Medical, LLC v. Volcano Corp., which held that the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) decision to deny an Inter Partes Review (IPR) is final and non-appealable under 35 U.S.C. § 314(d). Arguing that this ruling misinterprets the statute and undermines the goals of the America Invents Act (AIA), the article advocates for judicial review of such decisions to ensure fairness, prevent abuse of discretion, and align IPR proceedings with administrative law principles. It also highlights the inconsistency in allowing judicial review for Covered Business Method …

A Principled Strategy For Addressing The Incarceration Crisis: Redefining Excessive Imprisonment As A Human Rights Abuse, Mirko Bagaric, Sandeep Gopalan, Marissa R. Florio

Cardozo Law Review

In July 2015, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to visit a U.S. prison. The visit was largely symbolic. What is not symbolic is the reason for the visit. Sentencing policy and practice in the United States is fundamentally broken, to the point that it is an intellectual and normative wasteland. This has resulted in the United States becoming the world's most (gratuitously) punitive country. The imprisonment of over two million Americans is perhaps the most pressing domestic moral issue of our time. Further, the prison system is in a state of crisis due to the unsustainable cost …

Property Interests In Digital Assets: The Rise Of Digital Feudalism, Natalie M. Banta

Cardozo Law Review

The emergence of digital assets has created a host of new legal questions regarding their status as a property interest. Digital assets consist of intangible interests like e-mail accounts, social media accounts, reward points, and electronic media. These assets seem like a property interest, but because digital assets are a creature of contract, private contracts determine whether an owner can use, sell, transfer, exclude, donate, or dispose of the asset in a testamentary instrument. These digital asset contracts often take an unprecedented step of prohibiting or severely limiting the transfer of digital assets after death. By unilaterally eviscerating a long …

Achieving The Promise Of Assistive Technology: Why Assistive Technology Evaluations Are Essential For Compliance With The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Alexandra Abend

Cardozo Law Review

The note advocates for a more rigorous and proactive approach to incorporating assistive technology (AT) in special education, arguing that it is essential for ensuring students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It critiques the current legal standard established by Rowley as insufficient, calling for a higher threshold that prioritizes maximizing educational opportunities. The analysis emphasizes the importance of comprehensive AT evaluations and the need for systemic improvements to prevent procedural violations and ensure effective implementation of AT in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

3d Printing The Road Ahead: The Digitization Of Products When Public Safety Meets Intellectual Property Rights-A New Model, Shlomit Yanisky-Ravid, Kenneth S. Kwan

Cardozo Law Review

This Article addresses the threats of 3D printing to both the physical and legal world. Not only does 3D printing impact products protected by intellectual property rights, it also poses risk, threats, and challenges to many other regimes, including products governed by product liability and criminal laws, which consequently threatens public safety. 3D printing virtually possesses threats to medical devices and products, threats to legal and illegal drugs, threats to human organs, threats to the food industry, and to the transportation industry, including cars, trains, and aircrafts. Ultimately, 3D printing also threatens environmental protection, workplace protections, households, and even the …

Bitcoin Versus Regulated Payment Systems: What Gives?, Lawrence J. Trautman, Alvin C. Harrell

Cardozo Law Review

The article explores the evolution and challenges of virtual currencies like Bitcoin, highlighting their potential to transform traditional payment systems while posing significant regulatory and jurisdictional difficulties. It argues that while virtual currencies offer benefits such as reduced transaction costs and financial inclusion, their decentralized nature and association with illicit activities necessitate a balanced approach to regulation. The article emphasizes the importance of adapting legal frameworks to accommodate innovation while addressing risks, ensuring a stable environment for virtual currencies to coexist with traditional monetary systems.

Technological Opacity, Predictability, And Self-Driving Cars, Harry Surden, Mary-Anne Williams

Cardozo Law Review

Autonomous or "self-driving" cars are vehicles that drive themselves without human supervision or input. Because of safety benefits that they are expected to bring, autonomous vehicles are likely to become more common. Notably, for the first time, people will share a physical environment with computer-controlled machines that can both direct their own activities and that have considerable range of movement. This represents a distinct change from our current context. Today people share physical spaces either with machines that have free range of movement, but are controlled by people (e.g. automobiles) or with machines that are controlled by computers, but highly …

A New Use For An Old License: Who Owns The Right?, Barbara D. Griff

Cardozo Law Review

In order to establish this referential background, this Note begins in Part I with a look at historic new use cases focusing on whether a grant of dramatic rights included motion picture rights, whether a grant of silent motion picture rights included rights to talkies, and whether motion picture rights included television rights. Part I continues with a survey of the current landscape and provides an overview of cases involving a grant of motion picture or television rights seeking to include videocassette rights when the original contract was signed prior to the invention or popularization of the video cassette recorder …

[email protected] - “Owning A Bitchin’ ” Corporate Trademark As An Internet Address - Infringement?, James West Marcovitz

Cardozo Law Review

Is the unauthorized use of a famous trademark as an Internet address infringement? In other words, to what extent may an individual, business, or corporation use another's trade or service mark. The Lanham Act prohibits the use of "any reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of a registered mark in connection with the sale, offering for sale, distribution, or advertising of any goods or services ... [which] is likely to cause confusion" as to the source of the goods or services in question. This Note examines whether the Lanham Act, in its current form, can be used to enjoin the …

Ideology Between Fiction And Fantasy, Slavoj Zizek

Cardozo Law Review

In his movie version of Franz Kafka's The Trial, Orson Welles accomplished an exemplary anti-obscurantist operation by way of reinterpreting the place and the function of the famous parable on "the door of the Law." In the film, we hear it twice: at the very beginning, it serves as a kind of prologue, read and accompanied by (faked) ancient engravings projected from lantern-slides; then, shortly before the end, it is told to Josef K., not by the priest (as in the novel), but by K.'s lawyer (played by Welles himself) who unexpectedly joins the priest and K. in the …

Daubert V. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Epistemiology And Legal Process, Margaret G. Farrell

Cardozo Law Review

Justice Blackmun's majority opinion in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. acknowledges that law and science have different goals, but it fails to recognize the implications of those differences for legal process. Recent increases in the scientifically-based claims brought in the federal courts, and in the size and complexity of the litigation in which such claims are made, have raised the stakes in the debate. At the same time, scientific concepts of relativity, uncertainty, and multiple causation are at odds with simple, legal notions about fact-finding and cause and effect. This disparity between legal and scientific understandings over the admission …

On The Relevance Of The Admissibility Of Scientific Evidence: Tort System Outcomes Are Principally Determined By Lawyers’ Rates Of Return, Lester Brickman

Cardozo Law Review

The attention generated by Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reflects the perceived importance of the issue of the admissibility of scientific evidence in tort litigation. In products liability litigation, whether claimants prevail often depends upon expert testimony presented on the issue of causation. Unless a claimant is able to have the expert's testimony admitted, there will be little or no chance of prevailing. Thus, though it is disputed whether Daubert will extend or contract tort liability, it is undisputed that its importance lies in its impact on the scope of tort liability.