Clinic News

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., yesterday upheld a lower court ruling that allows the marketing of “universal ” remote controls for garage door openers, an important decision that helps pave the way for competition and lower prices in the aftermarket and replacement parts arena.  read more »

In response to Fat Wallet’s letter demanding that Wal-Mart withdraw its subpoena for identifying information about a poster or face sanctions, Wal-Mart backed down. Wal-Mart had sought the identity of the individual who posted Wal-Mart Day After Thanksgiving sales information on the FatWallet site. Megan E. Gray, co-counsel for FatWallet, was not surprised by Wal-Mart’s decision. “You have to call their bluff. Too often people will assert copyright protection when it is clear none exists, just to fall under the broad reach of the DMCA. It is why abuses of the DMCA are so common.”  read more »

In a blatant misuse of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, over the past two weeks, a group of national retailers forced FatWallet.com to remove Day After Thanksgiving sales information from its site. In letters sent to FatWallet, each retailer claimed that the Copyright Act gives it a monopoly over this price data. Today, FatWallet.com challenges those letters as abuses of federal law, insists on damages, and refuses to disclose identifying information on the individuals who posted the sales information.  read more »

Clinic Director Deirdre Mulligan participated on KPPC’s Patt Morrison show, which discusses current public affairs. The major issue put forth on the radio show was how Southern California Edison is pushing to install “smart meters.” The aim of the power utility is to reduce consumer costs when it comes to energy usage.  read more »

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching published “Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law.” This publication argued that law schools should focus more on practical application rather than just teaching theory. The report made several recommendations on how law schools should improve. It placed an emphasis on providing opportunities for students to engage in clinical education, so that they can combine theory with “experience of practice.”

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Larisa Mann, Samuelson Clinic researcher, was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle regarding the role of hip-hop studies in academia. Larisa has been a DJ for 10 years and is currently doing an ethnography on Bay Area rap. She is also a member of the Hip-Hop Studies Working Group, which aims to increase hip-hop studies in academia.  read more »

Director of the Clinic, Deirdre Mulligan, was interviewed by the U.S. News and World Report regarding the intersection of law and technology. The article discussed the increasing presence of technological issues in the law, and what this holds for the future. The article further mentioned how issues regarding copyright, commerce, and privacy must be re-analyzed in order to adapt to the computer age.  read more »

The Recorder published an article emphasizing the importance of clinical experience in molding students into attorneys. The article mentioned several clinics, including the Samuelson Clinic, and how they have devoted more resources to provide practical experience to students. The aim of stressing the importance of clinical experience is to better prepare students after law school.

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The Fresno Bee published an op-ed article written by Deirdre Mulligan and David Snyder regarding the proposed video surveillance cameras in Fresno. The article discussed concerns about privacy and civil liberties, and whether video surveillance will actually reduce crime. The article emphasized the need to protect the privacy of innocent bystanders, as well as the need for a policy manual outlining instructions on how the cameras should be used.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, will join colleagues at five institutions nationwide in a bold, new effort to improve the reliability and trustworthiness of electronic voting technology.

The National Science Foundation today (Monday, Aug. 15) announced that it will provide $7.5 million over five years for the new endeavor called A Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable, and Transparent Elections (ACCURATE). UC Berkeley is expected to receive approximately $1.3 million of the funds.  read more »