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Patent Cases Pending as of January 1, 2015
January 4, 2015
In November, I wrote about a decline in patent suits pending in district court. Using Lex Machina, I recently put together...
January 4, 2015
In November, I wrote about a decline in patent suits pending in district court. Using Lex Machina, I recently put together...
Law School Enrollments at Lowest in Three Decades
January 4, 2015
According to the American Bar Association, law school enrollment is at a record low—the lowest in nearly three decades. Law school enrollment has been steadily declining, and that trend continued this fall. According to the American Bar Association, enrollment dropped close to 7 percent from 2013. The New York Times reports that enrollment has declined 17.5 percent from 2010, during which record-breaking enrollment was reported. Enrollment is at the lowest point since 1987—a time during which...
January 4, 2015
According to the American Bar Association, law school enrollment is at a record low—the lowest in nearly three decades. Law school enrollment has been steadily declining, and that trend continued this fall. According to the American Bar Association, enrollment dropped close to 7 percent from 2013. The New York Times reports that enrollment has declined 17.5 percent from 2010, during which record-breaking enrollment was reported. Enrollment is at the lowest point since 1987—a time during which...
NLRB Modifies Arbitration Deferral Standard
January 4, 2015
Yesterday, the NLRB issued a decision in Babcock & Wilcox, which changed its approach to arbitration deferral. Under the Board's...
January 4, 2015
Yesterday, the NLRB issued a decision in Babcock & Wilcox, which changed its approach to arbitration deferral. Under the Board's...
Marriott Says It Only Wants to Block Personal Wi-Fi in Conference, Meeting Spaces
January 3, 2015
Hotel chain Marriott International tried to stem the flow of complaints about its personal Wi-Fi blocking plan Tuesday, saying that it doesn’t want to limit guests’ ability to get online in their rooms but would like to block networks in its conference or meeting spaces. The company issued a statement Tuesday trying to clarify its request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to block Wi-Fi devices on its property. In October, the agency fined Marriott $600,000 for using...
January 3, 2015
Hotel chain Marriott International tried to stem the flow of complaints about its personal Wi-Fi blocking plan Tuesday, saying that it doesn’t want to limit guests’ ability to get online in their rooms but would like to block networks in its conference or meeting spaces. The company issued a statement Tuesday trying to clarify its request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to block Wi-Fi devices on its property. In October, the agency fined Marriott $600,000 for using...
Go With the Crowd, as Long as the Right People are in It
January 3, 2015
Given the popularity of social media and the ease at which huge numbers of people can be contacted easily, there’s more news about the “wisdom of the crowd.” It’s thought that with enough people thinking about or working on something, the better the outcome. That’s not necessarily the case and something you need to watch out for if a group of people are making decisions for your client. You may be able to get involved and help your client head in the right direction. This notion of group...
January 3, 2015
Given the popularity of social media and the ease at which huge numbers of people can be contacted easily, there’s more news about the “wisdom of the crowd.” It’s thought that with enough people thinking about or working on something, the better the outcome. That’s not necessarily the case and something you need to watch out for if a group of people are making decisions for your client. You may be able to get involved and help your client head in the right direction. This notion of group...
The Potential of the Supreme Court’s Electronic Filing System For Legal Analytics
January 3, 2015
On these pages I have ranted for years about PACER, and its absurd practice of charging per page. Beyond the impact on access to justice–how can it be that people need to pay to view public records–the balkanized approach of PACER makes legal analytics extremely difficult. Researchers have had to develop elaborate scrapers of dozens of different sites, that often change without notice, all while paying a dime a page. Sophisticated natural language processing was developed to deal with different...
January 3, 2015
On these pages I have ranted for years about PACER, and its absurd practice of charging per page. Beyond the impact on access to justice–how can it be that people need to pay to view public records–the balkanized approach of PACER makes legal analytics extremely difficult. Researchers have had to develop elaborate scrapers of dozens of different sites, that often change without notice, all while paying a dime a page. Sophisticated natural language processing was developed to deal with different...
Computer Whiz Raises $33,000 to Pay Legal Expenses in Fight with United Airlines
January 2, 2015
Atari Zaman, 22, a computer expert, developed a website called Skiplagged. Under this website, Zaman searched for cost effective airfares and especially a type of cheap airfare called Hidden City, which was not liked by the airlines. In December 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit making an attempt to shut down his website. In the lawsuit, United Airlines and Orbitz called Zaman's website as 'unfair competition' and said that Skiplagged promoted 'strictly prohibited travels'. They...
January 2, 2015
Atari Zaman, 22, a computer expert, developed a website called Skiplagged. Under this website, Zaman searched for cost effective airfares and especially a type of cheap airfare called Hidden City, which was not liked by the airlines. In December 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit making an attempt to shut down his website. In the lawsuit, United Airlines and Orbitz called Zaman's website as 'unfair competition' and said that Skiplagged promoted 'strictly prohibited travels'. They...
China Uses “Great Firewall” to Block Gmail
January 2, 2015
“Data from Google shows traffic to Gmail dropping to zero from Chinese servers” which is part of China’s strategy “to block Google, wherever it is, in hopes of causing users enough frustration that they migrate to services like Baidu, a Chinese company that has a popular search engine here, that adhere to party rules” as reported in the New York Times. Apparently Gmail was blocked beginning on Friday December 26, 2014 “and has ignited anger and frustration among many Internet users...
January 2, 2015
“Data from Google shows traffic to Gmail dropping to zero from Chinese servers” which is part of China’s strategy “to block Google, wherever it is, in hopes of causing users enough frustration that they migrate to services like Baidu, a Chinese company that has a popular search engine here, that adhere to party rules” as reported in the New York Times. Apparently Gmail was blocked beginning on Friday December 26, 2014 “and has ignited anger and frustration among many Internet users...
Blaming the Mediator: Mediator Coercion and Mediator Testimony Cases
January 2, 2015
There is little case law detailing the legal consequences of mediator coercion or other misconduct. In theory, mediators risk complaints and legal action under the theories of civil liability, criminal liability, or the complaint mechanisms of the mediator referral structures or voluntary mediator memberships. Scholars debate the absence of legal action against mediators without true consensus. There are no reported cases where a mediator paid damages to a party, but in dozens of cases, parties...
January 2, 2015
There is little case law detailing the legal consequences of mediator coercion or other misconduct. In theory, mediators risk complaints and legal action under the theories of civil liability, criminal liability, or the complaint mechanisms of the mediator referral structures or voluntary mediator memberships. Scholars debate the absence of legal action against mediators without true consensus. There are no reported cases where a mediator paid damages to a party, but in dozens of cases, parties...
Reflecting on Mediation as a New Year Beckons…..
January 1, 2015
As 2014 comes to an end, it is good to reflect. How privileged many of us are. I often remark to others that my “job”...
January 1, 2015
As 2014 comes to an end, it is good to reflect. How privileged many of us are. I often remark to others that my “job”...
