Blog
California Passes New Revenge Porn Law, but is it Good Enough?
Today, just about everything happens on the Internet. That includes flirting, dating, and breaking up. While ex-lovers with broken hearts have sought revenge for centuries, today the implications are far different. Before the Internet, such revenge may have included...
Just a Playlist… or Something More?
Music streaming service, Spotify, has yet again found itself at odds with a creator in the music industry. This time around, the disagreement centers on a more novel question: Does a compilation constitute copyrightable intellectual property? According to U.K. based...
Regulation Fair Disclosure and Social Media
Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD) was adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2000 to combat the growing practice of disclosing material non-public information to select investors and other interested individuals before disclosing the same...
Nortel Patent Failure Returns to Haunt Google
Last week on October 31st, a nightmare scenario that Google hoped to avoid came to pass. Attorneys for Rockstar Consortium filed suit in the Eastern District of Texas against Google and seven handheld device makers that employ Google's Android operating system on...
$14 Billion for 140 Characters
Twitter is the latest tech company to pursue an initial public offering; its shares are scheduled to begin trading Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TWTR. Twitter took advantage of a of the JOBS Act that allows companies with under $1...
U.S. and Canada Crack Down on Chinese Firms Seeking Stake in North American Telecom
Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry Ltd. announced on Monday that it was abandoning its attempt to sell itself, opting instead to pursue a $1 billion financing arrangement. [1] The move came after Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo Ltd. expressed strong...
Germany and Brazil Object to United States’ Spying using United Nations Procedures
The United States is facing reproach from fellow United Nations members for domestic and international espionage. On November 1st United Nations’ diplomats from Germany and Brazil began circulating a draft resolution appealing to the UN High Commissioner for Human...
Tesla’s Nationwide Tussle with Franchise Laws
How do you buy a car? The answer, with few exceptions (including Ferrari invitation-only sales), is that you go to the dealership. How do you buy Motor Trend’s 2013 Car of the Year, the Tesla Model S? Unfortunately, the answer is, “it depends.” Tesla Motors, operated...
I.Am.Other or I.Am.Same
What at first appears to be a comical lawsuit may raise a credible point when it comes to trademark infringement analysis. This particular situation began with the famous Pharrell Williams (aka Pharrell) seeking to register the trademark, “I Am Other,” with the Patent...
A Commingling of High-Tech and High-Fashion
Angela Ahrendts, the former CEO of Burberry, a global luxury brand that could not have attained its iconic status without Ms. Ahrendts' ability to define, build, and navigate a "fresh and upmarket" for the company, has recently joined Apple as part of its executive...
Google Fiber Opens New Doors, Some Good, Some Questionable
Google Fiber is fast. Wickedly fast. With claims of a coefficient of 100 when compared to today’s average broadband speeds,[i] Fiber could open the door to an entirely new level of efficiency in the legal world. While the Confrontation Clause may mean there is a limit...
Body Cameras for Police Officers
Using video cameras to record what a police officer did is not a new phenomenon. Allegations of racial profiling and other police misconduct as well as corrosion of the public’s confidence in the police had prompted police departments across the country to install...
“Power Down” No More: FAA Panel Recommends Lifting Some Electronics Restrictions on Commercial Flights
At the end of September, an FAA panel released their recommendations on the use of electronic devices on airplanes from the ground to 10,000 feet. The panel stated that electronic device use should be permitted between takeoff and 10,000 feet, including data devices...
Facebook Privacy Settings Causing People to Delete Accounts
Adults and minors alike need to be on the lookout for Facebook’s new privacy policies. Recent changes have been made to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that will give the site permission to use the information of all of its users for commercial...
Hollywood’s Lights May Be Dimming in China
After years of explosive international growth, Hollywood is currently struggling to collect box office revenue from China, the world’s second largest market for films. Blockbuster films including Iron Man 3, Skyfall, The Hobbit, Man of Steel and Star Trek Into...
Hands-On Computer Coding for Children is Working Out Quite Well, but Meanwhile Hands-On Neuroscience Creates Concerns of Making “Psychopaths.”
Lately there’s been a push to get children involved in not just enjoying technology, but in making technology. Whereas a decade ago there was little available on the market for parents looking to engage their children besides grow-your-own rock crystals, there is now...
FTC sets sights on Patent Trolls
On September 28 of this year the Federal Trade Commission voted to seek public comments on proposed information requests to better understand patent troll practices. This move by the FTC marks the first step on the road to possibly regulating patent trolls. Patent...
Palo Alto Requires New Homes to be Pre-Wired for Electric Vehicle Chargers
On September 24, 2013, the Palo Alto City Council voted on a proposed ordinance which would require all new homes built in the City to be pre-wired for electric vehicle (EV) chargers. [1] The ordinance, which was approved unanimously by the City Council, calls for all...
Intel and Sony Race To Change The Face of Internet TV Services
For some time now, the status quo among cable providers has been ripe for an evolution, and it seems increasingly likely the next wave in television consumption is imminent. Both Intel and Sony have plans in the works to introduce live-on-demand streaming of...
Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia’s Devices & Services business
On September 3, Microsoft announced that it will purchase Nokia’s Devices & Services business [1]. Nokia’s stock price has risen close to 60% while Microsoft’s has dropped more than 6% as of September 27. Is this a good strategy for Microsoft? Will the acquisition...
Delete Button for the Internet? New California Law Says Yes
On Monday, September 23, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 568 into law. SB 568 requires “the operator of an Internet Web site, online service, online application, or mobile application to permit a minor who is a registered user of the operator’s...
California Law May Criminalize “Revenge Porn”
Some studies report that as many as one in three people have sent naked photos of themselves. Some will regret their actions much more than others, especially with the increase in these photos being used as “revenge porn.” Revenge porn is a term used to refer to...
The JOBS Act: Pros and Potential Cons
A new era of entrepreneurship in America began this week, as Title II of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”) went into effect on September 23rd. The much ballyhooed act promises to make it easier for startups to obtain funding by allowing...
Composers of Hit Song File Declaratory Judgment Action
Faced with the prospect of copyright infringement lawsuits from Bridgeport Music, Inc. (“Bridgeport”) and Marvin Gaye’s heirs (the “Heirs”), the composers of the multinational hit song “Blurred Lines” filed a declaratory judgment action against Bridgeport and the...
Posts on the MTLR Blog are editorial opinion pieces written by student-editors of the Michigan Technology Law Review. The opinions expressed in these editorial posts are not espoused or endorsed by the University of Michigan or its Law School. To view scholarly Articles and Notes published by the Michigan Technology Law Review, please visit the MTLR home page.