Posts by blrme
Put Down Your Phone: How Official Communications on Private Networks are Posing Compliance Problems
By: Griffin Wray With the ever-increasing use of personal phones, social media, and email, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, financial firms are repeatedly and inadvertently violating regulatory recordkeeping requirements. Because employees are discussing official business on private channels, the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, and other regulators have issued numerous fines and warnings regarding the use of…
Read MoreWhen to Start the Clock: Battle of the Statute of Limitations in the Copyright Act
By: Sarah Benjamin The Copyright Act establishes a three year statute of limitations.[1] However, courts are split on how to decipher when exactly the timeframe for a claimant to bring a claim stops.[2] The discovery rule, which many courts apply, begins the tolling of the clock at the time the plaintiff knew or should have…
Read MoreBeyond Shoes: Exploring Nike’s Flyknit Patents and Their Market Implications
By: Megan Brosnan After decades of dedicated research, Nike introduced its groundbreaking Flyknit technology in 2012, marking a transformative moment in the evolution of contemporary running shoe design.[1] The impact of this innovation is evident in the extensive portfolio of over three hundred patents that Nike now holds for its Flyknit technology.[2] By leveraging “strong…
Read MoreUniversal Music Suit: The Future of Generative AI Software in the Music Industry
By: Vincent Alfieri Universal Music Group has recently filed a lawsuit against Anthropic PBC, an Amazon backed startup, alleging that the company’s Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) chatbot infringes on the lyrics from multiple copyrighted songs.[1] Universal’s complaint contains numerous side-by-side comparisons of the chatbot’s generated lyrics and the lyrics from copyrighted works.[2] When directed by a…
Read MoreThe FTC’s Plan to Throw Away “Junk Fees” in New Proposed Rule
By: Kevin Quintanilla A big win may come soon to consumers due to the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) new proposed rule to ban junk fees.[1] Junk fees refer to hidden costs or extra charges that a consumer must pay, oftentimes substantially increasing the total price of a product or service.[2] These fees are frequently not…
Read MoreHow Social Media Influencers may be Violating Depression-Era Securities Laws
By: Seth Bilbrey With venture capital firms and other investment companies flocking to social media to promote investment projects, courts are being forced to look at a depression era securities law to determine what exactly a “seller” is.[1] The 1933 Securities Act (“Securities Act”) has allowed investors who have purchased unregistered securities, or who were…
Read MoreCareful How You Use Your AI: How the NO FAKES ACT Can Alter the Digital Landscape for Celebrities
By: Hannah Lief The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2023, also known as the NO FAKES ACT, is a bipartisan proposal that is designed to create a uniform right to publicity, protecting a celebrity’s voice, image, and visual likeliness.[1] It was introduced by four U.S. senators in a draft federal…
Read MoreThe Supreme Court Gets Moody: SCOTUS to Settle the Circuit Split on Content Moderation and the First Amendment
By: Dalia Wrocherinsky On September 29th, 2023, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to NetChoice v. Attorney General[1] and NetChoice v. Paxton[2], cases from Florida and Texas in which the trade associations Net Choice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association challenged the states’ new content moderation laws. In 2021, Florida[3] and Texas[4] passed laws restricting…
Read MoreMicro[chip] Problems Leading to Macro Issues: Dwindling U.S.-China Relations in the Face of U.S. Executive Order Ban of Chinese Investments
By: Aissatou Touré The U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) describes U.S.-China relations as tense.[1] One of the U.S.’s main trading partners is China, but the concern over China’s rapid military expansion and development has caused concern and challenges to its U.S. counterpart.[2] In August 2023, President Biden passed an executive order addressing U.S. investments in…
Read MoreComing Soon: “Doing Business” in California Will Require Companies to Disclose Climate Risk and Emissions Reports
By: Madison Olson On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 253 and SB 261.[1] This “Climate Accountability Package” will require companies, specifically those with over $1 billion in revenue – whether private or public – that “do business” in California to disclose Scope 1, Scope 2,…
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