By: Mayra Neimerck The “Blurred Lines” legal drama that began in August 2013 has finally come to its legal end. A federal jury ruled that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams’s smash hit had infringed on the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up,” and subsequently awarded more than $7.3 million to… Read More “Blurred Lines” Copyright Case: Should it be Reversed?
By: Chris Mills Video game live streaming has become an immensely popular form of entertainment over the past few years. The world of competitive video gaming has also been growing exponentially. A new brand of celebrity has been born from this, one that rarely has to leave their apartment to gain their international fame.… Read More “SWATTING” A dangerous new trend that pits law enforcement against unsuspecting gamers
By: Samantha Keefe Mars One is a Dutch non-profit (or so they state) organization that claims they will be sending four people on a one-way trip to Mars. Every two years after the initial launch, the organization will continue to send four people up, with the goal of starting a new colony on Mars. The… Read More Mars One—a Trip to Mars or a Trip to the Courtroom?
By: Emily O’Toole There have been disturbing legal events in the state of Indiana regarding the equality of all citizens. Governor Mike Pence signed a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”(https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/568#document-f6915f8f) into law. This bill purports to expand the religious freedoms of businesses. The Bill infringes on the rights of a state or local government to substantially burden… Read More Big Tech Companies Use their Position to Stand-up for Gay Rights in America
Written By: Nico Pingaro Many Internet companies limit access to their customers’ accounts to the account holder due to federal privacy law. When an account holder dies, estate executors generally have to seek a court order to access the account. This is usually expensive, time consuming, and frivolous. However, under a Delaware law… Read More A Digital Presence from the Grave
Written By: Kaleigh Fitzpatrick On Tuesday, January 27, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) called on technology companies selling Internet-connected devices to institute comprehensive measures to protect users’ data security and privacy. The report, entitled “Internet of Things: Privacy and Security in a Connected World,” urged companies to make data protection a top priority because… Read More FTC Urges Internet of Things Companies to Better Protect Data, Says Not Time for New Legislation
Written By: Joseph Rinaldi Cyberbullying, a form of bullying that involves the use of electronic technology such as cell phones, computers and communication tools including social media sites, has become quite prevalent in the United States. Victims of cyberbullying can be more likely to use drugs or alcohol, abandon attending school, and have lower… Read More Public Act 098-0129: Preventing Cyberbullying or Bullying Students’ Right to Privacy?
Written By: Jerry Chapin The last thing one should expect when sitting at home with their doors locked and shades drawn is for the United States government to be watching their every move. It’s safe to say that most of us have accepted the fact that advances in satellite technology and high tech… Read More New Radar Technology Used by Law Enforcement Presents Privacy Concerns
Written By: Erik Boos What happens to your Facebook or your Gmail account if you die or become incapacitated? Did you read your Terms of Service agreement? Many of these social media and email service providers expressly prohibit anyone but the account holder from accessing these services. This prohibition applies to your spouse, next… Read More What to Know About Digital Assets
(Folders vs. Metadata by John Norris is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 ) By: Rajat Bhardwaj A bill amending the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act of 1979 was recently introduced in the House of Representative of Australia’s Parliament. This bill marks yet another initiative by governments to ensure national security though surveillance of Internet… Read More Australia's Data Retention Amendment
By: Nicole Cocozza Is music art? In a recent TIME article, Taylor Swift (“Swift), an American singer, answers in the affirmative. Swift states, “Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable.” Such opinion is what led Swift from pulling all her music from Spotify. Spotify is a popular… Read More Shake It Off -Taylor Swift v. Spotify
By: Michael O’Brien At this moment, you are able to access the Internet via your phone, tablet, or computer and surf the web or watch videos at relatively the same speed as everyone else. But what if in the near future you were unable to stream videos from your best friend’s blog as fast… Read More The Fast Lane Should Only Apply to Highways, not the Internet
By: Marion Goodsell The JHTL blog frequently covers privacy issues. The contributors explore the legal consequences of forfeited information and consider the beneficial uses of data against losses in privacy and the risk of opportunistic use. I have read these thoughtful pieces, but still use free apps and social media. If I can ignore… Read More Swan Song for the Open Road
POSTED BY Emily O’Toole Article I Section 8 of The United States Constitution provides Congress with the authority to regulate and coin money in Clause 5. Clause 6 also grants Congress the authority to punish those that create counterfeit money. The ability to punish counterfeiters, however, is contingent on the ability to catch counterfeiters. … Read More ¬Could The Invention Of A New Printer Ink Made With Colloidal Photonic Crystals Be The Latest Defense To The Age Old Battle Against Counterfeit Currency?
POSTED BY Christopher Mills On June 5, 2013, The Guardian reported that the US government, specifically the NSA, had been listening into the phone calls, reading the text messages and even reading emails of U.S. citizens. This revelation changed how many Americans perceived their right to privacy from the government in relation to the use… Read More Justice Department Mimics NSA Search Techniques
By: Rebecca Rubin Walking in downtown Boston after retrieving your morning coffee, you probably glance at your phone two or three times and review your latest Facebook notification. Notifications are all well and good when you expect them, but what if you were walking around in the mall and every single store floods you with… Read More Beacon Sheds Light on Virtual Coupons and Privacy Woes
By: Jessica Gonzalez In 2012, The Dark Knight Rises was released, producing mass Batman hysteria across the country. The infamous Catwoman, also known as Selina Kyle, had her eye on a particular piece of software the characters referred to as “clean slate.” The program could erase Kyle’s criminal history from every computer database in the… Read More Can a fictional product infringe on a ‘real world’ trademark?
By: Andrew Glenny Medical professionals are occasionally confronted with barriers to ideal treatment for patients caused by patents. These cases are usually caused by inability to use certain prescriptions or methods due to a patent that claims them. This problem is usually alleviated with the licensing of that product to be distributed in hospitals. One… Read More Gene Patents in Canada
By: Samantha Keefe Earlier this week Apple unveiled its new app “Apple Pay.” With just a tap of the thumb, some iPhone users are now able to pay for many in-store purchases using their smart phones. With just a simple download of the iOS 8.1 software, those who have the new iPhone 6 or iPhone… Read More Apple Pay: Triumph or Fluke?
POSTED BY Olivia Vache As our community fears a rampant spread of Ebola, plane sabotage, and global climate change, the U.S. Appeals Court has decided that the next new terror in the American market is grains. I am not one to say that obesity isn’t a problem in the U.S., however this is not what the… Read More Grain-Dust, the next lethal weapon
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