By: Patrick T. Wilson*| Guest Writer

Concerns about the spread of automation and the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace are growing. Companies like Uber are hard at work developing technology that would allow for pilotless trucks. Ultimately, a switch to self-driving solutions could displace nearly 300,000 truckers per year. Uber purchased the autonomous trucking company, Otto, with that goal in mind. Otto is developing a solution that will reduce or eliminate the need for humans. While they have encountered some technical and legal challenges, as the technology matures, it will pose a threat to trucker’s job security. Since many truckers enjoy the benefit of labor protections, a good question to address is how do labor rights interact with the drive for automation?

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By: Kaylen Loflin*| Guest Writer

As production costs continue to rise and car sales continue to fall, Ford, the nation’s second largest automaker, plans to move production of the Focus from its Michigan Assembly Plant to China. Demand for small cars continues to drop as consumers are less fuel conscious due to low gas prices and now opt for larger, less fuel efficient SUVs. While car sales accounted for more than 50% of the United States auto sale market in 2012, as of this year cars only account for 37%. Specifically for Ford, the American-made Focus sales have fallen 22% this year, but its full-size F-series pickup truck remains the best-selling U.S. vehicle. Ford is not the first automaker to move production to China, but Ford’s decision highlights the shift in global auto production as building cars in China for the U.S. market becomes more common.

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By: Evan Reid*| Guest Writer

The latest in a string of government cyberhackings targeted the CIA. The trove of hacked files, code-named “Vault 7,” details how the CIA can hack into Apple and Android devices to gather text and voice messages before they are encrypted. The files also reveal the CIA’s capabilities to hack into Smart TVs and vehicle control systems, including models from Jeep. The hackers subsequently released the compromised content to WikiLeaks, which published the highly sensitive material on March 7th. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the hacking “a major concern.”

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By: Mike Garrigan*| Guest Writer

When Dewey & LeBoeuf declared bankruptcy in 2012, it was the largest “big law” failure in U.S. history. On paper, Dewey & LeBoeuf portrayed itself as a booming, large-scale law firm. In reality, the firm was collapsing under the weight of immense debt and false promises.

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By: Corri Hopkins *| Guest Writer

“This image has internet meme potential,” mocked a popular internet blogger. Shortly thereafter, McMansionHell author, Kate Wagner, learned that Zillow.com was not in on the joke.

McMansionHell is a popular blog known for sarcastic commentary on “ugly houses that became ubiquitous before (and after) the bubble burst.” Wagner is a twenty-three year old architecture student at Johns Hopkins University. Her blog superimposes witty commentary onto real estate listing photos “to educate the masses about architectural concepts, urban planning, environmentalism, and history by making examples out of the places we love to hate the most: the suburbs.” Think: Perez Hilton takes on an Architectural Digest tumblr. Many of the photos Wagner uses, however, come from the listing website Zillow.com.

On June 26, 2017, Zillow sent Wagner a cease-and-desist letter, which demanded that she stop using Zillow for any purpose, and that she delete all images from McMansionHell that originated on Zillow. Among other things, Zillow’s letter specifically alleged that, by using and modifying images downloaded from Zillow, Wagner infringed on the rights of the copyright holders of the images under 17 U.S.C. § 107.

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By: Andrew Homer *| Guest Writer

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cannot deny the registration of a trademark because some may find the mark disparaging or offensive. The case that led to the ruling, Matal v. Tam, upended a 70-year-old tradition of federal trademark law found in 15 U.S.C. §1052 (a) and commonly named the disparagement clause. The Court holding that the disparagement clause is unconstitutional will have broad reaching effects to other aspects of intellectual property law and the nature of the corporation.

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By: Maureen Gallagher *| Guest Writer

In an era of rising regulation, the super-rich are turning to a different vehicle to steer their massive wealth – the family office. More than just the room in the house with a computer, the family office is a way for individuals to manage their wealth and lives while operating under the radar and away from regulatory scrutiny. Family offices are proliferating and often poaching talented senior officers from big banks to run their operations. Included in these ranks are the family offices of Oprah Winfrey, hedge-fund manager William Ackman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

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By: Samantha Tracy*| Guest Writer

Amongst a background of uncertain environmental policy changes, Juliana v. United States has fossil fuel trade organizations running from the courtroom.

Businesses join trade associations for a myriad of reasons: networking opportunities, effecting change in an area or industry, and learning about new trends and developments. Businesses small and large can enjoy the benefits trade organizations offer such as invitations to meetings, access to industry publications, and occasions to market their businesses. Within the fossil fuel industry, trade associations tend to focus on promoting members’ interests in legislation, public policy, and safety. These organizations handle everything from immigration reform to labor relations, international trade policies to domestic tax codes. Several trade associations have switched their attention towards tackling a critical environmental law case … against children.

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By: Michael Johnson*| Guest Writer

There are various reasons, both legitimate and illegitimate, why individuals buy properties through limited liability companies (“LLCs”). Property acquisitions via both legal and illegal methods affect real estate markets. Surely, we cannot sink into the naivety of believing that all individuals buying property through LLCs do so legitimately.  To what extent, however, are we willing to compromise the privacy of legitimate uses of LLCs that may inadvertently raise the market prices of real estate to expose illegitimate uses? Property transactions in the United States have historically been quasi-public in nature. The disclosures, evidenced via deeds and other public records, provide disclosure about the property’s history, value, and ownership. When a property is bought through an LLC, however, the owner of the LLC can remain “completely” anonymous. It is difficult to track the origins of an LLC because it requires research spanning multiple jurisdictions and the level of information available to the public varies widely.

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By: Brandon Kroll*| Guest Writer

If you have ever eaten at McDonald’s, Burger King, or Outback Steakhouse, then you have probably eaten the meat of JBS, the world’s largest meat producer. JBS is a global company that was started in Brazil in 1953. Since then, the beef and chicken giant has been aggressively expanding its reaches all over the globe. However, JBS finds itself under fire for bribing politicians in Brazil, most notably Brazilian President Michel Temer. This made news after Joesley Batista, the former chairman of JBS, told prosecutors that the company had paid politicians bribes in exchange for “taxpayer-subsidized loans and other favors.”  Batista subsequently stepped down from his position in the company.

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