Computers have entrenched themselves in American life. The United States Census Bureau confirmed this assumption in 2015 when it found that 78% of American households own a laptop or desktop computer. Americans also carry around portable computers every day in the form of either a smart phone, tablet, or other handheld wireless devices. Constantly having …
Radric Davis—better known as Gucci Mane—is one busy guy. In addition to putting out new music in 2017, he launched a line of shoes with Reebok® and his own clothing line. With his recent expansion into fashion, why isn’t he the subject of trademark dilution suit by fashion giant, Gucci? Generally, trademark dilution can be …
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that profanity can be trademarked and that the provision §1052(a) of the United States Code forbidding the registration of such a trademark is an unconstitutional limitation on the freedom of speech. Section 2(a) prohibits the registration of trademarks that comprise of “immoral, deceptive, …
In a world with increasing reliance on technology, it is unsurprising that computer algorithms are now being used to predict crime. Many have seen the movie Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise, in which a futuristic society has abolished all murder due to its ability to harness individuals’ psychic powers to predict killings before they even …
In the wake of consequential 2016 election, during which artificial intelligence was used to potentially influence voters, deeper questions about AI present themselves—one of which is: can AI threaten human rights? The answer is most certainly a resounding yes, because it already has. To be clear, this is not a suggestion that robots are, on …
In 2016, retail giants such as Walmart, Lowes, Target, and Home Depot lost $200 million worth of stolen goods to organized crime in Tennessee alone. This amounted to $14 million in lost sales tax revenue for the state, so the legislature took notice. What they discovered was a network of criminals using gift cards to …
From the outside looking in, the music industry could not be doing any better. In 2017, the music industry: saw its first double digit growth in sales and revenue in almost twenty years, streaming services brought in $883.9 billion in royalties, and paid music subscriptions more than doubled, now accounting for at least 22.6 million …
South Dakota’s Attorney General has filed the first of an expected wave of state petitions asking the Supreme Court to reconsider an opinion from 1992, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, that restricts states’ ability to tax remote retailers. Similar “kill- Quill” lawsuits are pending in the state courts in Alabama, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Quill …
In this month’s fake news, President Trump sought refuge in Twitter: “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!” Specifically, Trump tweeted “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate …
Starting next year, it is likely that New York City will be the nation’s latest urban area to serve as a test ground for autonomous driving technology. The development followed New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the state is now accepting applications for autonomous vehicle testing on public roadways. So far, General Motors has …