Monday, October 15, 2012, by Samantha Surles In early October, the Digital States Survey for 2012, conducted by the Center for Digital Government, gave North Carolina a B- in government technology practices. The Digital States survey is released every two years and stands as the longest-running measure of state use of technology. The criteria used …
Sunday, October 14, 2012, by Anne Marie Tosco On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, the Supreme Court declined to review the lower court ruling in Hepting v. AT&T. In doing so, it upheld Congress’s retroactive immunity law as constitutional. This decision immunized telecommunications firms that performed warrantless wiretapping at the government’s behest from legal consequences. Hepting …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012, by Katherine Street NC Business Court Judge Rejects the First Attempt to Litigate Under N.C. Gen Stat. § 62-350 Communications companies, such as those providing telephone, cable television, and internet services, have used electric utility infrastructure for decades to access their customers. When the communications services are provided via transmission through …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012, by Eli Timberg Bitcoin is the most unique, and arguably the most important, of new online currencies that are growing in popularity. The fast ascension of Bitcoin, a currency unregulated by either a government or corporation, brings with it a new frontier for online consumers; a world free from credit card …
Friday, October 5, 2012, by Seiko Okada An exercise or a posture is not copyrightable under the Copyright Act. Whether specific sequences of movements are copyrightable has not, however, been entirely clear. The Copyright Office now has taken an official stance in an effort to resolve that question. Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram Yoga, …
Friday, October 5, 2012 by Lauren Powers India, considered by many to be the “Pharmacy of the Third World,” has built a reputation for manufacturing cheaper generic versions of expensive branded pharmaceuticals. Following the amendment of its patent laws in 2005, India has been forced by multinational pharmaceutical companies to reconsider the strictness of these …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012 by Kaitlin Powers On Friday September 28, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a release announcing that it unanimously approved a proposal to shift use of public airwaves currently allocated for broadcast television to the realm of high-speed wireless broadband networks. The FCC is now seeking comments and additional suggestions by …
Monday, October 1, 2012 by Cara Richards There has been an ongoing battle in Texas between landowners and pipeline companies. A large amount of oil in Texas needs to be moved to refineries on the gulf coast and the most effective way of transporting the oil is through pipelines. In order to construct these pipelines, …
Saturday, September 29, 2012, by Anu Madan The controversial anti-Islam film trailer, “Innocence of Muslims,” has spawned violent protests and unrest spread throughout the Muslim world. The fourteen-minute trailer, which depicts Muhammad as a womanizer, fool, and child molester, remains posted on YouTube, despite objections from White House administrators. YouTube has refused to take down …
Friday, September 28, 2012, by Ashley McAlarney Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill, SB 1298, into law this Tuesday that allows the operation of “driverless cars” in the California for testing purposes. The state Department of Motor Vehicles is now required to develop safety regulations for the cars by 2015, which will include the stipulation …
