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Mario Marini
“I Have a Bad Feeling About This”1 (or, Music Streaming & Copyright: Where Are We Now?)

Welcome back to part four, the final installation, of my yearlong series discussing select aspects of music streaming. Today, I’d like to consider where all of this leaves us and what the future might hold. I think it’s safe to say that change happens rapidly these days, whether we want it, are ready for it, or not, and the music industry is not immune from that premise. So, let’s tie it all together and, as a point of personal privilege, I’ll share my own thoughts.

Opinion
Paige Trent
Solar Tariffs Threaten the Deployment of Solar in the U.S. and the Attainment of Clean Energy Goals

The Biden Administration’s target of 100 percent renewable power by 2035 involves rapidly increasing solar energy in the U.S. Solar energy involves heavy imports from countries that have current manufacturing and mining capacity as the U.S. has little to none. The solar energy outlook is positive; however, a recent proposed revival of a U.S. solar tariff could entirely derail climate goals and wreak havoc on the industry.

Opinion
Kat McCarthy
Algorithms to Patents: Can AI Systems Truly Invent?

As AI technologies become more prevalent in virtually every industry, debates regarding the legal and ethical implications of AI are emerging as well. Moreover, many of these discussions concern AI creations in respect to intellectual property law. For instance, using AI to innovate has raised questions as to whether AI systems can be listed as the inventor on a patent application. The issue has already reached the courts, particularly whether patent law requires an inventor to be a “natural person.” The court's view on the issue has evolved in recent years, and we can expect to see an ongoing debate about whether AI can be listed as an inventor.

Opinion
Ross Stone
Will Teens Loss Access to Social Media?

Does social media present a danger to the safety and mental health of children? Many government officials across the nation believe so. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently signed the Social Media Safety Act, which will substantially limit teen access to social media this September. The Act will prevent Arkansas children under the age of 18 from creating accounts on various social media platforms without parental consent. Specifically, the Act intends to restrict teen use with Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok according to Tyler Dees, an Arkansas state senator.

Opinion
Adrian Radilla
Why Banning TikTok is Doomed to Fail

Recent headlines make it no secret that there is a fervent bipartisan appetite to ban the use of TikTok in the United States. James Lewis, Senior Vice President for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, recently told POLITCO, “I don’t really care what Congress writes, or what the administration writes. They’re not going to ban TikTok.”

Opinion
Marissa Ulmer
AI Bias in Health Care

With artificial intelligence becoming more prevalent in society, it may come as a shock to none that AI is making its way into the field of health care. AI in this setting essentially analyzes data, and makes predictions based on that data. While AI is supposed to bring precision and efficiency, it’s also brought a worrying amount of bias to the health care field. The ACLU published the article, Algorithms Are Making Decisions About Health Care, Which May Only Worsen Medical Racism, which details the issue at hand.

Opinion
Tyler Parker
Joke or Threat? Emojis in the Courtroom

Did you send an emoji today? Probably. Emojis are “small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication (as in text messages, email, and social media) to express the emotional attitude of the writer, convey information succinctly, communicate a message playfully without using words, etc.” Specifically, these wordless communications include emoticons (keyboard-generated), emojis (computer-generated), and other communications (GIFs, JPEGs, memes, and pictures).

Opinion
Andrea Lim
Alternative Legal Service Providers: The Law Firm’s New Best Friend

Law firm culture is changing, whether we like it or not. With the rise of artificial intelligence, there has been much discussion on exactly how this new technology will change the legal world in general as we know it. The biggest development has been the rise of alternative legal service providers.

Opinion
Neriah Licata
What Came First: the Chicken, the Egg, or the Cell

Lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat or cultivated meat, could be coming to people’s plates as early as this year. So far only Singapore has approved cultivated meat for retail sale. However, in November 2022, the U.S. FDA approved a lab-grown chicken breast by UPSIDE Foods for human consumption. UPSIDE Foods still needs to be inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). However, the FDA approval is a hopeful first step for the cultivated meat industry.

Opinion
Cooper Karras
Beast or Misunderstood Prince? Internet Archive Denied Fair Use Claim

The Southern District of New York issued an important ruling on an issue that is as old as time; however, this tale does not center on a conflict between a book loving princess and her misunderstood, transformed prince. This conflict, instead, centers on a group of book publishers who sued the nonprofit Internet Archive (IA) for scanning and lending digital copies of copyrighted books. Whether you view IA as the misunderstood prince merely trying to promote fair use access to digital materials or an infringing beast undermining copyright protections, the development and implications of this holding has the potential to meaningfully impact copyright law.

Opinion
Tra'Vaysha Green
... So, I Guess Not. Here’s Why I am Bummed About That.

On the last episode of Tra’Vaysha’s thoughts, I pondered why and why not AI-created works should receive Copyright protection. A LOT has happened since that article, and the answer to my admittedly philosophical question has been answered, and I have to say I am bummed about the answer. Still, the short version is that back in 2019, The United States Copyright Office denied registration of artwork created by Creativity Machine, an AI algorithm. Fast forward to February of this year, and The US Copyright Office Review Board affirmed that original decision.

Opinion
Josh Magnussen
Summary of “The Rise of Automated Investment Advice: Can Robo-Advisors Rescue the Retail Market?”

Benjamin P. Edwards’ article The Rise of Automated Investment Advice: Can Robo- Advisors Rescue the Retail Market? is a short review of the changing landscape of automated investment tools being used in directing retirement accounts.

Opinion
Brendan Kelly
Artificial Intelligence and Copyright

The rapid expansion, evolution, and acceptance of artificial intelligence has resulted in questions being raised faster than they are answered. The law, as a general principle, is not a fast-moving entity, nor is it one that readily adapts to new challenges. The quick evolution of artificial intelligence and its uses leaves the law open to interpretation and potential abuse. In the world of artificial intelligence: how does the law distinguish protections for artificial intelligence only created works and human created works, made with the assistance of a computer program?

Opinion
Michel Curry
Metaverse Based Education

Imagine it's Monday morning, school starts in 30 minutes, and you finally decide to get out of bed and put on your virtual headset. Once the headset is on you log in to your first-period class, where you find yourself in a virtual classroom surrounded by classmates, chairs, a desk, and a whiteboard. As you wait for class to begin, you decide to customize your avatar and socialize with your classmates. The teacher then logs in and proceeds to teach class. This is only an example of what the future of education could look like with the metaverse.

Opinion
Kurt Jacobs
The FDA and Tissue-Based Products

Human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) such induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been used for decades and still have expanding potential. But the use of naturally occurring materials, and patient derived materials complicate the regulatory landscape for this area of technology.

Opinion
Patrick Anglin
Supreme Court to Decide if Tech Giants Should be Liable for What Users Post

In February 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases that have the full attention of tech giants, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google – to name just a few. The cases at hand are Gonzales v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh. The issue at hand in both cases are similar and address a question that has perplexed legal experts throughout the 21st century; can tech companies be held liable for the content published by its users? The arguments of both sides hinge on the interpretation of 47 U.S.C. § 230, or Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (“the CDA”).

Opinion
Paige Trent
Sustaining a New Industry: Securing Critical Minerals for Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is making a comeback in the United States as Electric Vehicle (EV) financial incentives are luring major market players towards domestic production. Panasonic, GM and LG, Toyota, Zinc8, Ion Storage Systems, along with others are leveraging these incentives by expanding and building manufacturing factories for EV batteries across the country. Although this new economic development is promising, it comes with challenges; EV batteries require critical minerals which raise concerns surrounding availability, human rights, and environmental impacts.

Opinion
Ross Stone
FCC Investigating the Accuracy of the National Broadband Map

Individuals living in rural areas have long struggled to obtain sufficient internet access. Approximately 20% of rural Americans lacked broadband to conveniently enjoy services such as Netflix, Zoom, and telehealth in 2020. In order to access the internet, these individuals often have to travel to the nearest town to continue their everyday activities. As more jobs and schools are rapidly relying on internet access in post-COVID America, the concern of broadband availability only continues to grow.

Opinion
Marissa Ulmer
The Dangers That Deepfakes Pose towards Women

You wake up to your phone buzzing. Upon checking, you see that you have been sent what is seemingly a video of yourself. You’re doing things in the video that you have no recollection of doing. It’s hyper realistic, though, you know that you were in no such video, and that this must have been edited somehow. Still, the masses of people that have seen this video are unable to tell the difference between what is real, and what is fake. This is the reality that women, and other vulnerable demographics of the population face as deepfakes become more prevalent in our society. One of the most common crimes that’s being found as deepfakes continue are women being edited to appear in nonconsensual deepfake pornography videos.

Opinion
Bree O'Neal
The Digital Era

Digitization is a hallmark of the 21st century. Companies are beginning to target consumers through digital ads to keep engagement up. Increased engagement through screentime increases the likelihood a consumer is going to be influenced by an ad. Data sharing and tracking further help companies achieve their goals by utilizing targeted ads based on a consumers search history, daily media/ internet patterns and/or conversations.

Opinion
Mario Marini
Copyright Office Seeks to Close Apparent Loophole in Music Modernization Act

Welcome back to part three of this ongoing series discussing select aspects of music streaming. Today, we survey an upcoming rule from the Copyright Office seeking to overturn a policy created by the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

Opinion
Adrian Radilla
What Machines Can Teach Us: New Study Finds IRS Audits Black Taxpayers at Higher Rates

A recently unveiled study has concluded Black taxpayers are 2.9 to 4.7 times more likely to be audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) than their non-Black counterparts. This troubling finding again raises important questions about structural bias in the American tax and legal system.

Opinion
Kat McCarthy
ChatGPT Progress on Legal Analysis

Since the release of ChatGPT, researchers have tested the performance of the OpenAI- powered chatbot on high-level academic exams. Law professors at the University of Minnesota used ChatGPT to produce final exam answers for constitutional law - federalism and separation of powers, employee benefits, taxation, and torts. ChatGPT scored a C+ average across all exams which would be sufficient to earn a J.D.

Opinion
Tyler Parker
Social but Not Too Social: Judicial Social Media Ethics

Along with four billion people, judges regularly venture into a worldwide phenomenon: social media. However, a judge’s use of social media can present unclear ethical issues. Many users quickly add friends to their accounts, post publicly, and double-tap the like button with ease. But for a judge, likes and other social media communications require thoughtful considerations.

Opinion
John Robertson
The Constitutional Grey in Black Mirror’s White Christmas

What if we could take a 1:1 scan of your brain and turn you into an AI? It would have all of your memories and feelings as well as your exact personality. In fact, unless you told it, it wouldn’t know it wasn’t you. Black Mirror explores such technology through creations like: the perfect dating app, digital immortality, or eliciting psychologically tortured confessions. The last one of these is the focus of White Christmas, my favorite Black Mirror episode, which has always left me with one question: How was any of this constitutional?

Opinion
Andrea Lim
All Eyes on Hermès Int’l. v. Rothschild

The fashion world seems to be at constant battle with the metaverse. This new digital landscape has given individuals the opportunity to blur the line of what exactly is allowed before hitting a trademark or copyright wall.  As more fashion v. metaverse litigation rise, the more we understand how to navigate this new world. Most notably, all eyes are on the ongoing trial of Hermès Int’l. v. Rothschild.

Opinion
Josh Magnussen
Artificial Intelligence and Copyright

Copyright is a complex and ever-changing area of the law, more so than many other areas based on the need for copyright to stay up to date with the latest technology. This need for evolution dates all the way back to 1884 when the Supreme Court was tasked with deciding whether copyright covered the newly invented technology of photography. Fast forward to today, the newest hot topic in the long line of copyright disputes is how to tackle works created by artificial intelligence (AI).

Opinion
Brendan Kelly
The Consumer’s Right to Repair

When a consumer makes a purchase in full, they own the right to do as they chose with their new items, right? Wrong. Warranties and guarantees will often only go so far as giving a consumer the right to an “authorized” repair. This means that consumers must abide by manufacturer rules on how to go about getting a repair. It is often almost as expensive to repair an old device as it is to upgrade to a new one, so it is obvious consumers should just upgrade to a new device, right? Again, wrong. Consumers and advocates alike are often faced with these decisions, thus the movement for right to repair laws has taken off in recent years. Right to repair is a basic movement; if a consumer owns a good, they should be able to repair it.

Opinion
Neriah Licata
ChatGPT, Esq.

On November 30, 2022, the San Francisco-based OpenAI made the ChatGPT chat box available for free public testing. In its own words, ChatGPT is an “AI language model developed by OpenAI, designed to respond to user input in a conversational manner.” ChatGPT has the ability to access a vast amount of text data and does not have emotions or personal experiences but exists solely to assist and communicate with humans through text. While those in the legal practice are now trying to utilize ChatGPT, how much should we rely on an AI bot?

Opinion
Kurt Jacobs
Generic Skinny labels and Pioneer Secondary Patents Impact on Pharmaceuticals

Our current patent system does allow for generic drug use for older inventions with expired patent terms. And the secondary patents that are problematic are able to be challenged in the USPTO review processes. But frequently the secondary patents are not challenged. Often because patent challenges are considered cost prohibitive or are ineffective against drugs with a thicket of patents protecting them. Instead, skinny labels are used where the drug approval is based on usage for the expired patent applications only.

Opinion
Cooper Karras
Important Questions in AI Image Generator Lawsuits

Today a new philosophical issue challenges legislatures and courts to determine how, and whether, works generated via artificial intelligence (AI) should receive copyright protection. Another crucial question to be answered surrounding AI generated works is how the courts should react when a machine infringes on the valid copyright of an actual person.

Opinion
Patrick Anglin
Crypto Crimes: Looking at Sam Bankman-Fried’s Illegal Campaign Donations

Sam Bankman-Fried has made headlines recently following allegations of the misappropriation of funds from FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange which he co-founded that recently filed for bankruptcy. Bankman-Fried’s alleged illegal activity resulted in the loss of $8 billion of customer money; he has been charged with various federal crimes surrounding the customer investments, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.

Opinion
Michel Curry
Adidas Vs. Thom Browne

Four stripes vs. three stripes. Luxury vs mainstream. The trademark battle between Adidas and Thom Browne has finally concluded. After a nine-day trial, Thom Browne was not found liable for damages or profits made from sales of its products.

Opinion
Tra'Vaysha Green
So, AI Can Make Creative Works. Do They Get Copyright Protection Now?

Movies made us believe that artificial intelligence would take over the world, and I never believed in that hype. I specifically never believed technology would ever advance to the point of independent artistic or sophisticated creation needed to take over the world. However, I am now going back to that belief.

Opinion
Paige Trent
Building Electrification Policies: An Opportunity for Local and State Governments to Curb Harmful Emissions While Promoting Environmental Justice

Methane gas is a major source of climate pollution in the United States, and as a result, a shift from using fossil fuels to electricity for heating and cooking has become necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The energy usage of buildings is a prime target for curbing emissions, as gas combustion in buildings produces at least 10 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas pollution. The shift away from gas-fueled heaters, boilers, and stoves -- to all-electric heating and appliances powered by solar, wind, and other sources of zero-carbon electricity -- assists in mitigating the climate crisis by protecting the health and safety of the public and promoting equity. So far, 90 cities and counties located in 12 states and Washington, D.C. have adopted policies requiring or encouraging electrification in buildings.

Opinion
Ross Stone
Are Twitter’s Layoffs Legal

Big tech companies play a crucial role in everyday life. Individuals around the world interact with their family and friends on Facebook, follow their favorite trends on Twitter, and purchase a variety of goods on Amazon. Unfortunately, these companies have laid off tens of thousands of workers over the past couple of weeks.

Opinion
Tyler Parker
Digital Discrimination: Who’s Excluded?

How often do you order food online or with an app? Probably often. The United States is one of the most prominent delivery markets in the world. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online orders have skyrocketed. For many these services provide great convenience, but for customers like Guillermo Robles, these “services” create steep disadvantages.

Opinion
Adrian Radilla
Elon Musk, Welcome to the Internet

After months of legal drama, on October 28th, Elon Musk finally took control of Twitter as its CEO. According to Musk, his acquisition was spurred by his belief that Twitter can be a “platform for free speech around the globe.” However, his plan to usher in a new era of digital free speech has so far materialized into chaos.

Opinion
Marissa Ulmer
Printing a Home

While housing insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or lack of housing in general continues to be an issue for many citizens globally, a new idea has emerged as a potential solution. Though it may still be in its early stages, some believe that 3-D printing is the solution to housing that is not only affordable, but also has less of an impact on the environment than traditional construction.

Opinion
John Robertson
Twitter's Responsibility for Terroristic Rhetoric

Oh Twitter — the omnipresent social media leviathan where comedy is once again legal and speech will now, allegedly, be regulated by the government’s standard -- what would we have without you? According to parties in two cases granted cert in October, we’d at least have fewer terrorist attacks. While these cases ask the Court to determine social media’s level of responsibility for terroristic rhetoric and radicalization that happens on their platforms, they also give the Court a chance to tackle one former president’s occasional nemesis: 47 U.S.C. §230.

Opinion
Bree O'Neal
Look Ma, No Hands: Self-Driving Vehicle Capabilities and Malfunctions.

In modern times, automobiles have become more and more technologically advanced. In 2013, the idea of having a Bluetooth sound system was exciting and new. Now, automobiles have enhanced features including assisted breaking, adaptive cruise control, and advanced self- driving capabilities. Automobiles today are more technologically equipped and more intelligent when it comes to driving on the road. Drivers now have additional safeguards to help ensure that, in the event the driver is not paying attention, an accident will be prevented. With all of these added features, have automobiles become more trustworthy than the driver? How much reliance should a driver have on an automobile to perform in unexpected situations?

Opinion
Kurt Jacobs
Restrictions on export of Integrated Circuits from U.S. to China

Recent action by the Biden administration has sought to reduce exports and limit the exchange of technology and experience from the United States to China related to Integrated Circuits and semiconductor chips. While most consumer semiconductor applications are concerned with personal computers and smartphones, semiconductor chips can play a key role in smart weapons, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, and AI for military intelligence. Because of this, an advantage in semiconductor chip technology can have national security implications. The economic impact of restricting the export of technology with consumer and commercial usage should be concerning. However, it is not surprising considering the rising tensions caused by economic competition, geopolitical positioning and cyberattacks attempting to steal trade secrets of U.S. companies.

Opinion
Mario Marini
Music Streaming Payouts: Is User-Centric the Future?

In this post, I will take a look at an oft- discussed royalty payment method known as “user-centric” and compare it to the industry standard “pro-rata” formula. Both methods are complex and can’t easily be consolidated into a static sentence or two. Instead, by the end of this I hope you will understand the basic differences and why different parties might prefer one over the other.

Opinion
Kat McCarthy
AirTag and Anti-tracking Legislation

AirTag helps users track their personal items, such as keys, wallets, purses, backpacks, luggage, and more. In February 2022, Apple released a statement regarding AirTag and unwanted tracking. AirTag was designed to help people find their personal belongings, but Apple’s statement addressed “reports of bad actors attempting to misuse AirTag for malicious or criminal purposes.”

Opinion
Andrea Lim
Can I Legally Employ Minors For my League of Legends eSports Team?

eSports is on the rise and on the fast track to become one of the biggest industries in the world. eSports is — in the simplest terms — competitive, organized video gaming. Like traditional sports, eSports involves teams competing against one another. Additionally, different eSports players have different skillsets like traditional athletes or sports player, but in eSports, the skillset is the type of video game they play. This competitive gaming space has seen a growing industry rise with large gaming competitions that sell out arenas and stadiums. In 2020, the eSports industry raked in a revenue of about $1.1 billion and is projected to bring in $1.8 billion in 2022. However, with such a large industry, many different legal issues emerge.

Opinion
Joshua Magnussen
How Artificial Intelligence Can Cause Discrimination in Hiring

Discrimination in hiring is an unfortunate historical fact that many employers have tried to distance themselves from since the passing of Title VII. Internal policies of discrimination aside, some employers have turned to a believed-to-be unbiased decision maker: big data. However, algorithms and AI might not be as infallible as could be expected from our technological advancements. Many factors might contribute to discrimination in data-driven decisions, such as errors in the underlying data, programmer coding choices, unrepresentative samples, or the selection of variables for exclusion or inclusion.

Opinion
Neriah Licata
Genome Editing: Just because we can, should we

Genome editing is a powerful tool that can significantly benefit the medical field. CRISPR technology makes this tool more efficient, simple, and cheaper. The technology can be applied directly in embryos, which reduces the time required to modify target genes compared to other gene-targeting technologies. Eliminating genes that cause genetic diseases such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis is one of the uses CRISPR has the potential for. CRISPR-Cas9 is very programmable and allows for rapid prototyping of different therapeutic approaches. This leads to faster development cycles compared to other genome editing approaches.

Opinion
Brendan Kelly
Digital Age without a Digital Shield: America’s Lack of Privacy Laws

You often hear the phrase, “if you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product,” but what does that really mean? Data and data privacy mean many things across different platforms, on social media your likes, searches, and interactions create an opportunity for targeted ads, so they are collected to be sold. However, other industries store your information as well; for example, a bank collects your social security number, phone number, email, and physical address, as well as a list of every transaction you make. What do the banks, or any other institutions, do with this information, and how do they protect it? 

Opinion
Cooper Karras
Fraud in Technology: The Charging of Former Nikola Corp. CEO Trevor Milton

When you hear the phrase ‘fraud in technology,’ what do you think of? Do you think of simple spam emails promising you wealth, or maybe even a social media ‘bot’ trying to lure you into a scam? Perhaps you picture a suave conman who pulls you in with a convincing story. Although, most people might not associate prominent CEOs of mainstream and promising technology companies with such common swindlers and cheats, recent high-profile examples have shown that seeing is not always believing.

Opinion
Tra’Vaysha Green
Creators v. YouTube: Fair Use Needs to Be Analyzed by Humans

If you ask me, YouTube is the most incredible technological creation ever. I say that as someone who both creates content on YouTube and someone who spends way more hours on it per week than I am proud to admit. What was once a simple platform for sharing videos in 2005 has expanded to a billion-dollar platform. YouTube reported more than a 30% revenue growth in just four years. It generated $28.8 billion in 2021, a 46% increase from 2020. 3 Think about that the next time you watch your next How-To or gaming video.

Opinion
Michel Curry
Do I Need a Lawyer?

With time passing and technology advancing, the duties of lawyers are ever changing. Specifically, some tasks lawyers normally perform, or tasks that people would normally go to lawyers for, can now be done by the average person at a less substantial price. This being said, what should or could people go to lawyers for, and what are these less expensive self-help alternatives that are now available for people to use?

Opinion
Patrick Anglin
Twitter, Inc. v. Musk: A Multi-Billion Dollar Soap Opera

Elon Musk, the moody, enigmatic billionaire who seems to find himself at the center of a new controversy every week, is a well-known figure in the technology industry. Popular for bringing electronic cars into the mainstream with Tesla, Inc., Musk has made headlines for most of 2022 concerning his offer to acquire Twitter, Inc., one of the most popular social media companies at the moment.

Opinion
Marissa Ulmer
The Citizenship of Sophia

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in our society, from self-driving cars to smart assistants, an interesting issue has emerged for the legal community to debate. Should robots receive legal personhood, and if so, what are the implications of that decision? One way to examine this is through an example of a robot that already has citizenship. The British Council published an article specifically about this robot, Should Robots be Citizens, detailing her origin, and perhaps the future of citizenship for robots.

Opinion
Paige Trent
Keeping the Lights On: Harmonizing Clean Energy and Grid Reliability Goals in the United States Electricity Regulatory System

As Hurricane Ian swept through Florida last week, around 1.5 million people were without power at one point. More outages continue as the hurricane ravages through the Carolinas. Warming waters from climate change and low vertical wind shear create stronger storms. An unprecedented number of hurricanes rated Category 4 or above have hit the United States since 2017. Although not much can be done to ensure the electrical grid can withstand over 150 mph winds and almost 20 inches of rain, decarbonization is necessary to further prevent destruction and handle other extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and cold snaps.

Opinion
Ross Stone
SCOTUS Expected to Hear Controversial Social Media Law

As social media becomes increasingly prominent, tech companies are presented with rising pressures from legislatures throughout the nation. Various public officials argue that conservative speech is unjustly limited on major platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. On the contrary, tech companies assert that censorship is necessary for the public benefit as the presence of hate speech and misinformation is vast on their platforms. While First Amendment arguments from both sides create a murky outlook concerning online speech, the Supreme Court of the United States is presumed to hear a case which may define the bounds of online speech for the coming decades.

Opinion
John Robertson
Curing Gridlock: How the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is a first step to solving the nation’s 21st century energy issues.

Within the core of President Roosevelt’s New Deal was a visionary plan to electrify rural America. The Rural Electrification Act (REA), passed on May 20, 1936, provided federal funding to build a network of electrical infrastructure to serve America’s growing agrarian heart. Instead of funding large utility companies to tackle this unique problem, the act allowed the farmers themselves to form co-ops that received the REA funding and handled construction. The co-ops and the REA were a huge success, with nearly 900 of the original co-ops still serving their customers to this day.

Opinion
Tyler Parker
Don’t Click Send.... Yet: The NLRB’s Impact on Your Work Email Account

Employees attempting to unionize or organize via their company email account should tread carefully. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employers cannot interfere with an employees’ right to self-organize or their ability to discuss matters related to their employment status. However, in 2019, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the Trump administration, ruled that private employees do not have a statutory right to discuss self- organization matters using their work email accounts unless there are no other viable options. Stated another way, an employer generally can restrict an employee’s use of their work email concerning union-related activities.

Opinion
Kurt Jacobs
Anticipation of Secrecy Orders and Their Impact on Innovators: When Private Inventions are Restricted Like State Secrets

To the chagrin of backyard nuclear energy enthusiasts, there are instances where national security interests outweigh the interests of intellectual property rights. The United States Patent and Trademark Office grants patent rights to qualifying inventions, but the government limits the patenting and intellectual property rights of technologies sensitive to national security interests through secrecy orders. Secrecy order restrictions prevent patenting, related patent publications, and limit foreign filing.

Opinion
Cooper Karras
The New Legislative Steps Towards a Zero Emission Roadway

Federal and State governments commonly set a variety of goals to address the volume of carbon emissions produced by gas-powered vehicles. One goal typically found in executive orders and legislative initiatives is to curb the sale of gas-powered vehicles and to promote the purchase of electric or zero-emission vehicles. Until late August 2022, many initiatives were just that, goals. Taking a key step forward to reduce auto emissions, California has codified an effective ban on the selling of gas-powered cars by 2035, and the seventeen states that typically adopt California’s auto-emissions standards are expected to follow suit.

Opinion
Adrian Radilla
Don’t Get Pwn’d: GTA 6 Leak Should Remind Companies of Increasing Cyber Risks

On September 18, 2022, Rockstar Games fell victim to a massive leak of its highly anticipated video game, Grand Theft Auto 6, when a hacker uploaded dozens of videos of the game’s early production footage online. Rockstar Games subsequently confirmed the veracity of the leak in a press release stating that they had fallen victim to an unauthorized network intrusion. While Rockstar has said they do not anticipate long-term harm caused by the intrusion, the leak should serve as a wake-up call to companies of the risks associated with weak cybersecurity measures.

Opinion
Bree O’Neal
Nike Sues StockX over Authentication and NFT Concerns

For some, nothing compares to getting the latest Air Jordan 1 Retro, or Travis Scott x Nike collaboration. The hype surrounding certain sneakers, brands, and styles has consumers waiting in line for hours, or creating multiple profiles on the SNKRS app (Nike’s shoe app) just to try and get their hands on the latest sneaker drop. The rise of social media has only fueled the hype around collectible sneakers as consumers are eager to post their success of “copping” the latest sought after shoe for the world to see. Before the creation of online platform apps, consumers would wait in line for hours or try to stay informed about where and when the latest sneaker drop was going to take place.

Opinion
Kathryn McCarthy
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications

Emerging developments in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field have the potential to solve many existing global healthcare challenges. In 2019, the World Medical Association acknowledged the broad potential of AI and suggested “augmented intelligence” as a narrow form of AI to emphasize its support. In addition, recent studies regarding the intersection of AI and the medical field have shown “promising results in dermatological diagnosis of skin cancer, in predicting the risk of emergency admissions, or in detecting breast cancer, outperforming radiology practitioners.” However, it is outwardly difficult to develop ethical and regulatory frameworks as healthcare AI progresses.

Opinion
Mario Marini
An Important Start: Music Industry Strikes Five-Year Deal With Streamers

As a professional musician, you will find no love lost between myself and music streaming services. In my opinion, it is wonderful that more people can experience more music more conveniently. But as digital consumption becomes the overwhelming consumer preference, it is crucial that creatives get a fair deal.

Opinion
Joshua Magnussen
Alternative Approaches to Online Privacy

Online privacy is an issue often discussed but rarely acted upon. A majority of Americans are concerned about the collection and use of their personal data. However, how many people actually go out of their way to protect their online presence?

Opinion
Neriah Licata
Which Green Matters More: The Environmental Impacts of Ohio’s New Intel Fab

While this new Intel manufacturing site is extremely beneficial for Ohio and the US semiconductor field, there is an environmental concern for New Albany and Jersey Township. Semiconductor chips permeate almost every facet of modern life, and the current shortage emphasizes the need for a new manufacturing site. However, for this new site to be built, the Ohio EPA needs to grant multiple permits including a wetlands permit and a draft air permit.

Opinion
Brendan Kelly
California’s Model for Consumer Rights in the Digital Age

Internet users often click and accept their fair share of user agreements, privacy policies, and cookie policies. By agreeing to these often one sided policies, users are likely blindly agreeing to their data being stored, shared, or sold without a complete understanding of the process. What happens to consumer data, and who is responsible when it ends up in the hands of bad actors? The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) attempts to answer these questions and help consumers understand their rights when it comes to their personal data.

Opinion
Andrea Lim
Trademark Squatters Beware: How Fashion Trademarks Translate to the Metaverse

The metaverse is the new wave of technology. This virtual landscape has expanded drastically in the past few years as it extends to all aspects of our lives, even the legal industry. The metaverse can be described as a mix of different virtual reality spaces, each with “its own access, avatars, interactions and currency.” Out of all industries that have tapped into this new real estate, one industry has been on the forefront: fashion.

Opinion
Tra’Vaysha Green
Technology To the Rescue: The Benefits of the CHIPS and Science Acts

Back in 2020, when advancements in technology and science weren’t the most pressing issue that faced the United States, the Biden-Harris Administration implemented an industrial strategy to revitalize domestic manufacturing. This strategy was projected to create good-paying American jobs, strengthen American supply chains, and accelerate future industries. Fast forward to August 2022, this plan is set to come into effect with President Biden signing into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Acts of 2022.

Opinion
Michel Curry
Blockchain Technology and the Legal Field

In a world changing daily, staying at the forefront of technology and innovation is key for most major industries. The legal field may not be seen as a leader in implementing new technology, but new technology, such as blockchain technology, can still be implemented in the legal field. Through the use of blockchain technology, the legal field can not only save time and money but also improve overall operational efficiency.

Opinion
Patrick Anglin
Combatting the Climate Crisis Through Renewable Energy Tax Credits

Legislators are combatting the climate crisis head-on through means that some may find to be unconventional: codified tax credits.

2023
Max D’Ercole
A Modern Space Race: How Recent Investment into AI Signifies the Brand-New Global Race by Max D'Ercole

As we now enter the 21st Century, a new technological race has begun. Instead of being pushed to explore the infinite vacuum of space, engineers are now scrambling to conquer the new endless frontier of artificial intelligence. 

2023
Darian Fautz
Why Actors Are Afraid of Artificial Intelligence by Darian Fautz

Artificial intelligence is causing disruptions and controversy in many career fields. One of the most publicized disruptions, at the moment, is in the entertainment industry. Unionized writers and actors have been striking throughout the summer as they attempt to negotiate better contracts with film and television studios.

2023
Kristen Adams
Fashion Faux Pas? Increasing Allegations Against Shein for Intellectual Property Theft and Copyright Infringement by Kristen Adams

Three independent designers have filed this complaint in the California federal court in which they claim Shein’s repeated copyright infringements are so aggressive they could amount to racketeering.This lawsuit alleges not only that Shein has engaged in large-scale intellectual property theft but it also criticizes how Shein uses technology, specifically AI, to contribute to these infringements.