541 - 550 of 873 results for: LAW

An open and affordable internet is critical to our economy, democracy, and our country's promise of equal opportunity. After the pandemic, everyone agrees on that. How we get there is the hard part. That's what the debate over net neutrality is all about. This class will examine the policy issues, legal frameworks, and key court decisions that shape this crucial debate. At its heart, net neutrality is the idea that we, the people who use the Internet, should be able to decide what we do online. We get to choose what sites to visit, what apps to use, and what videos to watch. Companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T that we pay to get online don't get to influence our choices. The policy and legal fights over net neutrality have been going on for nearly two decades, both in the U.S. and internationally. In 2015, the debate captured U.S. public attention, leading to strong FCC protections and oversight. But in 2017, the FCC eliminated all protections. That set off fights in Congress, the courts, and the states. The FCC is now widely expected to restore net neutrality protections, and there's a strong chance that will happen during Winter quarter (which would be awesome timing). Through lectures, class discussions, and guest speakers, the class will introduce students to the key questions underlying the net neutrality debate so that they can become informed participants. Do we need net neutrality rules, and, if yes, what should they be? What are the options for addressing net neutrality at the FCC, in Congress, and by states? How do court decisions constrain states and the FCC? What effect will the Supreme Court's recent rulings and upcoming cases on the major questions doctrine and Chevron deference have on the FCC's ability to restore net neutrality protections or reclassify broadband as a telecom service? Who should take this class: Anyone who uses the internet. Those interested in internet and technology law, net neutrality, communications law, and appellate litigation. Those interested in seeing admin law in action. Those looking to clerk in the D.C. Circuit. There are no prerequisites for this class. The class is open to first-year law students and graduate students from other schools. To apply for this course, non-law students must complete a Non-Law Student Add Request Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Non-Law Students). After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from the exam section (01) into paper section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Class participation, written assignments, final exam or research paper.

These are unprecedented times for antitrust concerns about the market power and conduct of big technology companies, in particular Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple. The companies face an onslaught of regulatory and judicial scrutiny around the world. In the United States, the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general are all investigating possible anticompetitive practices and/or have filed major antitrust lawsuits. Congress is pursuing multiple investigations, and the House Judiciary Committee released an extensive report last October detailing harms resulting from the alleged dominance of "online platforms." At least six bills have been introduced in Congress to expand or clarify the application of antitrust laws to "Big Tech," and vocal advocates for antitrust scrutiny of Big Tech now occupy important positions in the DOJ, the FTC, and the White House. Elsewhere in the world, the European Commission is investigating and has filed charges, and China's State Administration for Market Regulation has increased its focus on these issues. At the heart of these issues is the impact major tech platforms have on competition, competitors, the economy, our democracy, and on billions of consumers/users. Core to the consideration and resolution of these issues is the question of what role antitrust and competition law should play in addressing those impacts and whether current antitrust theory and enforcement practices are adequate for that role in the US and around the world. This seminar will closely study the development of antitrust and competition law in the United States and Europe and its application to today's digital markets. After an overview of the fundamental laws and theories underlying antitrust law, we will briefly review the evolution of antitrust theory and enforcement over the last 40 years, from the Chicago School to current calls for a "neo-Brandeisian" reinvigoration of antitrust, and the significance of that evolution for how we answer today's most-pressing competition questions. We will consider the unique challenges faced by antitrust analysis in the technology sector through case studies of landmark enforcement actions brought against IBM, Microsoft, Intel, and others. The heart of the seminar will be a close examination and assessment of the antitrust allegations raised in the present wave of investigations and lawsuits. Our analysis will include how antitrust in these contexts should properly evaluate relevant markets involving complex platform businesses, how it should assess market power, whether various acts by large tech companies are anticompetitive/predatory or have countervailing procompetitive justifications, how we should determine the nature and scope of any resulting anticompetitive harm, and what remedies might be appropriate and effective in the event violations of antitrust law have occurred. We will conclude with an analysis of whether there are currently gaps in existing antitrust law and/or theory and what if any changes are needed to better serve the underlying purposes of antitrust (as well as what those purposes are and should be). We will evaluate a variety of pending and potential recommendations for transforming antitrust to more fully address some of the complex issues raised by online platforms and digital markets. Readings will include judicial opinions, litigation documents and evidence, congressional testimony and reports, and legal and economic scholarship. Guests with significant relevant expertise will join several of the classes. The seminar does not require an antitrust background, just an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of how antitrust and competition operate in the unique context of online digital markets. Grading will be based on a series of written reflections, class participation, and a final paper or equivalent written product. Enrollment is limited to 16 students, with consent of the instructors. Students interested in this seminar should submit a consent form with a resume and statement of interest and relevant background to be reviewed by Professors Malone and Rubin.

This course covers all of the basics regarding marketing law and false advertising, a rapidly changing and expanding area of law that dovetails nicely with trademark and copyright law. In this course, we will cover the basics of false advertising claims under the Lanham Act, and also cover enforcement at the state level and by the Federal Trade Commission. We will also study how false advertising law overlaps with areas of privacy law, business torts, and constitutional law, among other areas; and pay close attention to how these areas of law map onto social media, the influencer economy, and the metaverse. Open to students who has taken either intro to IP or trademark law. Limited to 35 students. Elements used in grading: Class participation, paper assignment. Class meets from 2:00 to 4:00 on Thursdays, Jan 12, Jan 19, Jan 26, Feb 2, and Feb 9.

Since the public release of the GNU Linux operating system as Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) more than 25 years ago, the FOSS model and the online social movement driving its success have had a dramatic impact on the tech industry. In this seminar students will master the intellectual property and software licensing law principles that serve as the foundation for open source software, along with the business models and strategy enabling and enabled by open source. This course will give students the tools and skills they will need to navigate a career in the tech sector where open source expertise is a competitive advantage. After developing the legal and business foundation outlined above, students will have the opportunity to apply their new skills in class exercises relating to (i) choosing the right license and governance structure for a start-up company's launch of a new software product; (ii) conducting due diligence as part of an M&A transaction involving FOSS assets; and (iii) interviewing a C-level executive at a VC-backed company that is commercializing open source software. The course will conclude with an exploration of how open source principles are shaping the modern generative AI movement. There are no prerequisites for this class. The class is open to law students and graduate students from other schools. To apply for this course, non-law students must complete a Non-Law Student Add Request Form available on the SLS Registrar's Office website (see Non-Law Students). After the term begins, with consent of the instructor, students accepted into the course can transfer from the exam section (01) into the paper section (02), which meets the R requirement. Elements used in grading: Class participation and either a take-home final exam or research paper.

Digital technologies, globalization and capital markets have dramatically altered the landscape for the production, distribution and consumption of popular music, presenting new challenges for legal ordering through private contracts and public laws. This seminar will introduce students to the most important aspects of industry practice, from the historical roots of popular music in America, to the details of negotiating recording and music publishing agreements, to the operation of music delivery platforms, the valuation of music catalogues, the politics of music lawmaking in America and AI's challenges to music production, along with musical copyright topics, including infringement litigation and termination of transfers. Several class sessions will be led by guest experts from industry and practice, and student writing will include weekly drafting of questions to be addressed by guest speakers, and a research or reflection paper to be presented by each student at the end of the seminar. The instructor and the student must agree whether the student will receive "R" credit. For "R" credit, the paper is substantial and is based on independent research. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, written assignments, final paper. Early Commitment to Enroll Required: Students who receive permission to enroll in the class must email Paul Goldstein paulgold@stanford.edu within 48 hours of receipt to confirm their commitment to enroll. Otherwise, the spot will be filled by a student on the waitlist. Early drop deadline: Students may not drop this course after the first week of class. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete a Consent Application Form available at SLS Registrar https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/.

This course delves into the foundational principles shaping privacy laws around the world, from the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and explores how these laws impact AI and other data-driven technologies. We will discuss real-world applications of data protection principles including notice and transparency, legal basis and consent, individual data rights, automated decision-making, data sharing, and cross-border data transfers. We also will consider broader trends in the global expansion of data protection laws, including the newer waves of AI-specific legislation. This course is taught by Christine Lyon, who brings over 20 years of experience working with Silicon Valley and multinational clients on data privacy and protection, most recently as Partner and Global Co-Head of Data Privacy and Security at Freshfields. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, written assignments.

The entertainment industry is undergoing a period of disruptive transformation. Traditional distribution channels are being disintermediated by powerful new platforms, while technology companies themselves are emerging as dominant content creators. These trends are playing out against the backdrop of a revolution in artificial intelligence that threatens to upend our most basic assumptions around the nature of creative work. This seminar provides a theoretical overview of the bodies of law shaping the entertainment industry in the digital age: right of publicity, First Amendment, defamation, labor, contract, copyright, and trademark. We will also spend time on specialized topics such as over-the-top distribution and music clearance. Students will have the opportunity to explore, in depth, an area of particular interest to them in a final paper for two units. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, final paper.

Communications technologies affect every aspect of civic and commercial life. In the digital age, they are also changing at a blistering pace. How does law and policy keep up? We will explore the frameworks governing wired, wireless, and space communications. In particular, we will consider what past practices mean as technology continues to evolve and how legal and regulatory models can both foster and constrain innovation. Subjects considered will include universal service obligations, network nondiscrimination, spectrum licensing, broadcast media, and satellite services as well as the role of administrative decision-making in developing the future of policies governing these technologies. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, final writing assignment.

This seminar explores the rapidly evolving intersection of AI and national security policy. Taught by Alex Iftimie, deputy general counsel at OpenAI and a former Department of Justice national security official, the course provides students with a grounding in the technical capabilities of frontier AI and the strategic and policy implications for global security. We'll examine evolving U.S. policy on use and regulation of AI, misuses of AI ranging from state-sponsored disinformation to cyber ops, catastrophic-risk preparedness and governance, geopolitical competition between the United States and China, and the strategic importance of data, compute, and energy infrastructure. Guest speakers from industry, civil society, and government will provide real-time perspective on fast-moving developments in the field. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, written assignments.