Monday, April 8, 2013, by Lauren Powers A Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld a Monroe County Superior Court judge’s prohibition of a divorcing couple’s aggressive verbal attacks on each other over Facebook.  The husband, James Lacy, claims that this prohibition violates his First Amendment right of free speech, particularly because he has made serious …

Saturday, April 6, 2013, by Reine Duffy When we use our computers, iPads, phones, or other devices to connect to the Internet, companies are collecting and sharing our personal data. Companies such as Facebook and Google typically store user activity information and end up sharing it with data brokers or advertising networks  Indeed, when Austrian …

Wednesday, April 3, 2013, by Agnieszka Zmuda Most likely wishing this was some kind of April Fools’ joke, Broadcast giants were shocked and disappointed on Monday when the federal appeals court in New York rejected their appeal, ruling in favor of the start-up web-television company, Aereo. Aereo allows its internet subscriber to stream live TV …

Wednesday, April 3, 2013, by Tasneem Dharamsi Not only is the United States is a desirable place to be for individuals, but it is also a desirable place for companies to take root.  In the tech world, Silicon Valley is the place to be for entrepreneurs attempting to make their fortunes.  Interestingly, some of the …

Tuesday, April 2, 2013, by Cara Richards Twenty-eight states and the federal government have enacted laws that provide for automatic  DNA collection when an individual is arrested. The issue that arises with these types of laws is whether it is constitutional to collect DNA samples without a warrant, if the entire purpose is to compare …

Thursday, March 28, 2013, by Kaitlin Powers National groups advocating for disabilities rights assert that online websites should fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that websites should be accessible to disabled persons in an equivalent manner to physical retail locations. While several jurisdictions have rejected the notion that websites fall within the …

Friday, March 8, 2013, by Justin Mann If a manufacturer wants to change the color of its implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, finding that patients like blue more during product demonstrations, what kind of change is this considered?  What needs to be reported to the FDA?  To the public?  What if that same manufacturer finds a supplier with …

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, by Catherine Clodfelter Apple is now proudly announcing that its data center in Maiden, North Carolina, is running off of 100% renewable energy.   Apple has an energy goal that does not stop in Maiden, but extends to every data center and every Apple facility.  Accounting for all facilities worldwide, Apple says …

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, by Seiko Okada The United States Copyright Office is seeking public comments as to whether the U. S. should establish a copyright small claims adjudication system.  Concurrently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) is seeking public comments as to creating a small claims proceeding for patent enforcement. Ideas behind …

Sunday, March 24, 2013, by Neil M. Barnes Traditionally, the US government has taken a serious interest in protecting the correspondences of its citizens. Opening mail addressed to another before the other person has had a chance to receive the mail carries heavy penalties. Even the government does not have limitless access to mail. Typically, …