Posted: October 27th, 2020
By: Kyle Tatich
Inspired by the 2014 South Park episode regarding the Washington Redskins and its trademark controversy, Virginia’s Philip Martin McCaulay began filing applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), hopeful for a potential payday if a name change became necessary for the NFL’s franchise in Washington, D.C. That day came in July 2020, following a wave of anti-racist protests sparked by the death of George Floyd on May 25. The July announcement that Pro Football Inc. and majority owner Dan Snyder would move on from the 86-year-old nickname of “Redskins” launched McCaulay and his many trademark applications and registrations into the national spotlight.
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Posted: October 1st, 2020
By: R. Daniel Johnson
There is no question that the Coronavirus pandemic has and will continue to drastically alter the business world. Even in this uncertainty, some companies are experiencing more confidence and profits than ever before. Amazon has gained over $570 Billion in market capitalization this year. Its stock has risen 63.3 percent and is now trading for $3,000 a share. Clorox has experienced organic sales growth of over 24 percent. Peloton reported revenue growth of 77 percent. But these success stories are few and far between as CNBC has reported that over 7.5 Million companies are at risk of closing their doors every day. Despite the looming closure that many companies are facing due to the pandemic, some companies have thrived. The massive success of these companies have led many to fear monopolization and antitrust issues.
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Posted: September 21st, 2020
By: Tianna Larson
Robinhood has come under fire once again, this time for failing to properly disclose its payment for order flow practices. The trouble comes after recent enhancements to the order flow disclosure requirements, reflecting the SEC’s concern about the practice.[1] While controversial, order flow revenue supports most brokerage firms’ ability to provide free or low-commission trades to retail investors. In a crude sense, the practice reflects a steal-from-the-rich ethos. However, a recent SEC proposal[2] threatens the retail order flow internalization dynamic and could impact the continuity of free trading services.
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Posted: September 15th, 2020
By: Haodi Dong
On July 16, Europe’s highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), released a landmark decision in Schrems II, complicating the process of transferring personal data from the EU to the US. CJEU struck down the EU-US Privacy Shield, an agreement reached between the EU, Switzerland, and the US in 2016.
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Posted: September 8th, 2020
By: Jaren Butts
Facial recognition technologies use algorithms derived from copyrighted sources that create a “faceprint” to identify or verify an individual’s identity. The use of facial recognition has become increasingly prevalent, such as on Facebook to “tag” friends, at airports for easy check-in, and on cell phones for authentication purposes. Until recently, facial recognition was also commonly used by law enforcement for general surveillance and to identify wanted or suspected persons.
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Posted: August 25th, 2020
By: John Stevelinck, Jr.
Earlier this summer, California took a tremendous step toward cleaner air when the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) passed the Advanced Clean Truck regulation (“ACT”). The purpose of ACT is to further California’s goal of improving air quality and reducing harmful emissions produced by heavy-duty diesel engines.
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Posted: August 21st, 2020
By: Ashley Willard
Purchasing your next furry family member from a pet store may soon become a relic of the past. In October 2017, California became the first state to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits, unless they originated from an animal shelter or rescue group. The measure is intended to encourage adoption and to deal a blow to puppy mills, which are notorious for mistreating the animals they breed. However, opponents of the ban have raised a variety of concerns—driving small business owners out of business, limiting consumer choice, and motivating consumers to order their dogs from unregulated sellers online. As the retail pet ban debate has begun to pick up steam and start trending across the country, these arguments have framed the discussion on how best to promote the welfare of our nation’s animals.
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Posted: August 19th, 2020
By: Gabe Marx
The sports world has gone head-to-head with the NCAA for over a decade, arguing that college athletes should be allowed to benefit fully for their on-field success in the form of compensation for their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). Despite consistent pushback, both legal and societal, the battle for NIL compensation has been slow developing as the NCAA’s amateurism rules have long prevented athletes from receiving such compensation. In the past month, however, the five largest and most impactful NCAA athletic conferences known as “the Power 5” (Big 10, SEC, Big 12, Pac 12, and ACC) joined forces to produce a new piece of legislation entitled the “Student-Athlete Equity Act of 2020,” once again spurring the debate about the NIL rights of student-athletes.
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Posted: August 13th, 2020
By: Jezenya Renteria
Many activities once done solely in-person have gone online. Brick-and-mortar stores gave way to e-commerce, and social media gave people a sense of connection without meeting in person. With the progression of technology and artificial intelligence, it seemed inevitable that the healthcare industry would be the next to follow suit. Promulgated by COVID-19, telemedicine has emerged as a necessary alternative to face-to-face consultations. The question frequently posed, however, is whether it is a sustainable option that will withstand the test of time.
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Posted: August 1st, 2020
By: James Hughes
As COVID-19 infections have spiked over the past few months, we have greater reason to focus on accurate, fast, and widespread COVID-19 testing. As of July 30th, the CDC has reported over 52 million tests with a positivity rate of 10%. However, in recent weeks, heightened demand for testing has caused increases in waiting times. On July 27th, Quest Diagnostics reported that the average wait time for non-priority tests has increased from 2-3 days to 7 days; the company’s average turnaround time for top-priority patients is just over 2 days.
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