Communications Law Commons^™

The Illusion Of Inclusion: The False Promise Of The New Governance Project For Content Moderation, Brenda Dvoskin

Scholarship@WashULaw

Because private companies now control the most prominent communication platforms, the most pressing question in the field of content moderation is how to ensure that the governance of public discourse responds to public values. The prevailing approach, given that the state cannot regulate speech directly, is that state regulation can be substituted with audited self-regulation, broad stakeholder participation, and negotiated rulemaking. In this model, which this article refers to as the “new governance model for content moderation,” companies include advocates as representatives of the public in their processes to govern online speech. Ideally, they negotiate policy goals and share responsibility …

If It Was Good Enough To Work Against The Nazis . . . : Revitalizing The Foreign Agents Registration Act To Regulate Modern Foreign Electioneering, Troy Mccurry

Catholic University Law Review

News headlines from the 2016 election to the present have described an ongoing political scandal that is unmatched in modern history: continued attempts of foreign interference in U.S. elections. It is fairly obvious that the United States lacks adequate restrictions to prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections. It therefore needs a law that—while passing constitutional scrutiny—prohibits more foreign political activity than what is currently covered, especially in relation to social media. This should be a simple and effective legislative fix, a return to the core aspects of the original Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) that focuses on potential electioneering of …

Masthead

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Artificial Authorship On The Big Screen: Regulating Ai In Scriptwriting, Cassie Larson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

While the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) offers exciting, new creative possibilities for the entertainment industry, it also threatens to replace or undercompensate the humans who have been at the backbone of the industry since its inception. AI’s increasing ability to generate human-quality content raises concerns about job displacement and copyright ownership for scriptwriters. While the recent Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike secured several protections, the unique and rapidly evolving nature of AI requires that further legal safeguards be created. This Note argues for additional regulations to ensure that AI remains a collaborative tool for scriptwriters and not a …

Toxic Minimalism On The “Yolo” Court: The Supreme Court’S Dangerous Muddle In First Amendment And Speech-Adjacent Law, Matthew D. Bunker, Emily Erickson

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Pack Your Bags…We’Re Moving To The Public Domain: The Expiration Of Copyright Terms And Its Implications On Future Protection, Sophie Ganion

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The following Note addresses the expiration of copyright terms for a multitude of creative works and the various implications of that expiration for their future IP protection. It explores the conflicting perspectives of stakeholders, from the excitement of artists and everyday creatives versus the concerns of industry leaders about the potential erosion of their copyright monopolies. Drawing from landmark cases like Baker v. Selden and Dastar Corporation v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., this Note highlights the complex questions surrounding copyright expiration and the strategic use of trademark protection. The Note emphasizes the necessity for coherent legal frameworks to ensure …

Frand Arbitration Will Destroy Frand, Barbara Lauriat

Michigan Technology Law Review

Standard essential patent-licensing disputes have been raising the costs of business in the telecommunications industry for over a decade. As technology and interconnectivity extend beyond mobile phones into the Internet of Things (“IoT”), the number of these disputes will only increase. While many academics, policymakers, and stakeholders support arbitration to resolve these disputes, this article warns of the potential long-term consequences of doing so on a large scale.

Standard Setting Organizations usually require the owners of patented technology included in industry standards to commit to licensing on Fair, Reasonable, and Non-discriminatory (“FRAND”) terms to avoid potential abuse of their market …

The Sec As An Entrepreneurial Enforcer, James J. Park

Northwestern University Law Review

The truth of disclosures by public companies is policed by both private plaintiffs and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The courts and many commentators have viewed the SEC as a more responsible enforcer than private litigants. Entrepreneurial enforcers with a profit motive have an incentive to advance questionable legal theories to expand the reach of Rule 10b-5, the primary federal prohibition of securities fraud. In contrast, the conventional view is that a public enforcer will bring straightforward cases against public companies. This Article argues that this perception is dated, and that the SEC has become more entrepreneurial in its …

Cran V. Mtc Ltd And Others (Sa 822022) 2024 Nasc 6 (13 March 2024), Dunia P. Zongwe

SAIPAR Case Review

This piece focuses on the Namibian Supreme Court's decision concerning the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia's (CRAN) discretionary powers to levy regulatory fees. The judgment upholds the constitutionality of the amended Section 23 of the Communications Act of Namibia, which provides guidelines for setting these fees. The commentary commends the Court's sophisticated understanding of regulatory governance, balancing legislative oversight with administrative expertise. However, it also points out inefficiencies in the current fee-setting mechanism, particularly the lack of collaborative input from stakeholders and the risk for potential regulatory costs being pased on to consumers in an already oligopolistic market. Legislative reforms …

Information Accountability Foundation Names Two Maurer Faculty To Leadership Positions, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

he Information Accountability Foundation (IAF) has appointed two Indiana University Maurer School of Law faculty to lead the organization.

Fred H. Cate, a distinguished professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law, was named the nonprofit think tank’s new executive director, while Stan Crosley, an adjunct faculty member and 1994 graduate of the Law School, was appointed chief policy strategist.

Founded in 2013, the IAF works with global regulators and industry executives to promote organizational accountability, data stewardship, and data ethics. Its mission is to help regulators and responsible companies better understand the challenges around Artificial Intelligence and data governance …

The Implications Of Section 230 For Black Communities, Spencer Overton, Catherine Powell

William & Mary Law Review

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act generally immunizes online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, and Uber from liability for third-party user content (for example, posts, comments, and videos) and for moderation of that content. This Article addresses an important issue overlooked by both defenders and critics of Section 230: the implications of the law and proposed reforms for Black communities in particular. By relieving tech platforms of most legal liability for third-party content, Section 230 helps facilitate Black social activism, entrepreneurship, and artistic creativity. Section 230 also relieves platforms of most legal liability for content moderation, which boosts …

A Wrong In Search Of A Duty: Public Nuisance, Social Media And The Youth Mental Health Crisis, Charles Bachmann

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that social media companies should be held accountable for their role in the youth mental health crisis through the legal framework of public nuisance law. Drawing parallels to successful cases against tobacco and opioid companies, the author contends that social media platforms, by prioritizing profits over user well-being, contribute to widespread harm such as anxiety, depression, and suicide among youth. While acknowledging concerns about judicial overreach and the challenges of proving causation, the note advocates for judicial intervention as a necessary corrective in the absence of effective legislative action.

The Evolution Of International Communications Technology And Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Regulation, Shaun B. Spencer

Nevada Law Journal

In October 2022, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order imposing limits on its interception of foreign citizens’ communications. This self-imposed limitation came nearly a decade after the Snowden disclosures and the resulting European Union opposition to transferring EU data to the United States. But prior disclosures of U.S. surveillance practices in the 1970s and 1980s had not produced enough international pressure to prompt the United States to impose restrictions on itself. This Article examines why the outcome was different after the Snowden disclosures. The Article returns to the origins of modern U.S. surveillance law in the 1970s and traces …

Child Privacy In The Digital Era: Is Coppa Enough?, Melannie Sandoval

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

Children growing up in the digital age are experiencing an entirely different world than their parents once did. While most adults’ first online experience occurred on a bulky desktop computer, today’s children are born into a society that is largely digitized and where online accessibility is at the swipe of a pocket-sized smartphone. Despite the many benefits that this generation of children enjoys due to the increased access to the internet and innovative technology, parents, child advocates, and privacy experts caution against the dangers that arise when children enter the digital landscape.

Part I of this paper delves into children’s …

Rising Internet Shutdowns In India: A Legal Analysis, Shrutanjaya Bhardwaj, Nakul Nayak, Raja Venkata Krishna Dandamudi, Sarvjeet Singh, Veda Handa

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

The central theme of this paper is to critically study the interplay of internet shutdowns with the right to freedom of speech and expression. A study of this nature is necessitated by India’s abysmal record with inter- net shutdowns. We must hence begin examining Internet shutdowns seriously within the Indian constitutional framework. In the recent judgment of Anuradha Bhasin, the Supreme Court has accepted that Article 19(1)(a) protects the right to disseminate and receive information through the internet. Therefore, the constitutional validity of every internet shutdown would have to be tested (at least) against the three standards ordinarily applied …

Sharing Of Children’S Health Data By Health Professionals And Parents – A Consideration Of Legal Duties, Dr. Carolyn Johnston

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Children’s health data such as blood pressure, X-rays and written notes of medical examinations are produced in a clinical setting through health professionals’ interaction with their minor patients. Health care practitioners owe legal and professional obligations not to disclose such information without consent or other legally recognised authorisation. With the increasing advent of data generated by patients themselves from wearable devices such as continuous glucose monitors and health apps, the patient, or parents, have initial control of the data and decide who to share it with. Where wearable devices have been provided to parents by the child’s health care provider …

Conceptualizing An International Framework For Active Private Cyber Defence, Arindrajit Basu, Elonnai Hickok

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Private sector cyber defence mechanisms are emerging despite existing legislation outlawing use of active defence by individuals and non-state entities. Thus, a key window exists for policy-makers in the possibility of establishing a framework for existing APCD practices that would enable optimal utilisation of private sector capabilities for securing cyber-space at an organizational and national level. This must happen in consonance with circumscribing their operations within the boundaries of the rule of law, both in terms of domestic legislation and international law. This paper seeks to unpack the complexities that underscore each of these challenges and identify avenues towards resolving …

Facing Up To The Risks Of Automated Facial-Recognition Technologies In Indian Law Enforcement, Ameen Jauhar

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Within the larger discourse of risk mitigation of emerging technologies, the ever-expanding deployment of automated facial recognition technology (‘AFRT’) has garnered much skepticism. In India too, there has been a reported rise of states and law enforcement officials enthusiastically resorting to the use of AFRT.

The author will first delve into some of the controversial risks associated with AFRT, analysing them through the lens of Article 21 and the principle of due process under the Indian Constitution. The paper will then identify some of the regulatory solutions that are currently part of the discourse on minimising risks of AFRT and …

Fitting The Communication Forum To The Mediation Fuss: Choosing The Appropriate Communication Mode For Mediation In The Post-Pandemic World, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mediations have shifted dramatically from face-to-face settings to the virtual realm, resulting in the widespread acceptance of using virtual communication channels, including videoconferencing, audio calls, and text messaging. With the waning of the pandemic, mediators and parties presently face a plethora of choices in fitting their mediation to the appropriate communication channel. Thus, having an accurate, evidence-based understanding of different communication modes’ impact on mediation is necessary to design an optimal mediation process. Some decades ago, Sander and Goldberg formulated the phrase “fitting the forum to the fuss” to describe the process of choosing the most …

A Diversity Of Adequacy: The European Commission's 11-Country Adequacy Review, Lauren Macievic

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.