By Misa Bretschneider

Last Wednesday marked another chapter in the clash between 3D printing and copyright law. Square Enix, the Japanese game developer behind Final Fantasy VII, devastated gaming fans when it pulled the plug on the sale of fan-made, 3D-printed Final Fantasy VII figures. When Joaquin Baldwin decided to use 3D printing technology to recreate and sell high-quality figures of the game’s most popular characters on Shapeways (a marketplace for user-designed 3D-printed objects), the figures started selling like hotcakes. However, Square Enix soon learned of Baldwin’s efforts and sent a DMCA takedown notice to Shapeways. Adhering to its takedown policies, Shapeways promptly removed the merchandise from Baldwin’s profile “[i]n order to comply with the DMCA and protect intellectual property right owners”.

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The Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts (LTA Journal) has published its Summer 2013 Issue. The LTA Journal publishes concise legal analysis aimed at practicing attorneys on a quarterly basis.

The issue’s first article, by Managing Submissions Editor Caitlin Forsyth, is “Repairing the Antibiotic Pipeline: Can the GAIN Act Do It?” The article explores the GAIN Act, which incentivizes pharmaceutical companies to invest in antibiotic research and development, and suggests why the Act may not solve the growing antibiotic resistance problem.

Articles Editor Matthew Fredrickson contributed the second article, “Conformity in Confusion: Applying a Common Analysis to Wikipedia-Based Jury Misconduct.” The article discusses the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s decision inUnited States v. Lawson, a case of first impression about a juror’s use of Wikipedia during deliberations and the presumption of prejudice.

Managing Operations Editor Chelsey Heindel wrote the third article, “Medical Advances, Criminal Disadvantages: The Tension Between Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy and Criminal HIV Exposure Laws in the Workplace.” The article addresses a 1988 exposure law which criminalizes intentionally exposing individuals to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The article highlights the stark contrast between the exposure law and the technological advances in HIV treatment, and considers the ways in which state legislatures and legal practitioners can simultaneously encourage responsible HIV treatment while honoring the utilitarian justifications underpinning criminal exposure laws.

The issue’s fourth article was written by Associate Editor-in-Chief of Production, Christopher Young. The article is titled “A First Amendment Defense to the Federal Cyberstalking Statute in the Age of Twitter” and suggests invoking the overbreadth doctrine to exonerate a client who is charged with violating the federal cyberstalking statute.

See the full issue here: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/1273/9WJLTAno1Complete.pdf?sequence=1

By Abby St. Hilaire

Every week millions of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices are sent over allegedly infringing works. Recently, the zealous search for infringement led to the rather amusing result of Microsoft filing DMCA takedown notices against… Microsoft.  Well, more accurately, a company hired by Microsoft filed the takedown notices. As amusing as Microsoft’s mistake may be, the company isn’t alone in filing erroneous charges of copyright infringement.

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By Shira Zucker

This August, Judge Amos Mazzant of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Texas ruled in SEC v. Shavers that Bitcoins are a currency, and as such, they are subject to federal regulation.

Bitcoin, an algorithm-based electronic currency not backed by any real asset, can be bought and sold, and is often traded as an investment. Bitcoin can also be obtained by “mining” or performing complex mathematical equations to crack its code. For Bitcoin users and enthusiasts, the virtual currency has long been—at least functionally—real.  Nonetheless, Judge Mazzant’s ruling may have far-reaching legal ramifications for Bitcoin users and businesses, from tax planning and securities regulation to intellectual property litigation.

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How your consumer data might one day make you a mint – so long as you’re willing to share.

By Annie Allison

Privacy is the topic du-jour this summer. Ever since Edward Snowden’s revelations that the NSA has been prying into our private lives, the nation has been on heightened alert for data-snatchers. Adding insult to injury, data-snooping isn’t just a game for big government. Some, if not most, of our favorite brands, icons and industries are grabbing our data unbeknownst to us – and turning that data into profit.

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