News

2024 Oct 01, 2024

(Anti)Trust Issues: The Biden Administration
Is Cracking down on Big Tech. But Will Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta Go the Way of Standard Oil?

“One way to understand this new movement in antitrust is to see it as a check on the power of private companies to control our economy. And, more broadly, life in the 21st century,” Professor Elettra Bietti tells the Harvard Law Bulletin.

Sep 25, 2024

Northeastern Law Announces New Center for Global Law and Justice

Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to announce the launch of a new Center for Global Law and Justice (CGLJ), which employs innovative and collaborative approaches to address the most urgent global challenges of our time.

Sep 25, 2024

Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project Receives $30,000 Grant from Cummings Foundation

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) and Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) have received a $30,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation to support CJTF’s Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project, a collaboration between CLEAR and Northeastern University’s Corrections and Reentry Lab.

Sep 23, 2024

Constitution Day Lecture Dives into the Muddy Reality of Free Speech, Public Health and the First Amendment

Northeastern Global News reports on Professor Claudia Haupt’s Constitution Day speech, which looked at the intersection of free speech, the First Amendment and public health, “an area of law humming with activity.”

Sep 19, 2024

A Prince Documentary Has Been Buried in Legal Disputes. Northeastern Entertainment Law Experts Break Down How Fans Could See It

Professor Alexandra Roberts talks to Northeastern Global News about the variety of legal statutes that could come into play in a battle over the release of the hotly anticipated Prince documentary for Netflix.

Sep 16, 2024

Professor David Simon Joins CLASSICA Research Project on Medical AI and the Law

As a member of the research team at CLASSICA project, an EU-funded project looking at how to deploy cancer classification AI technology in the operating theatre, Professor David Simon will help tackle important legal and ethical challenges posed by AI. #NUSLPride

Sep 06, 2024

Does Social Media Diminish Our Autonomy?

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Sep 03, 2024

This ‘Very Demure’ TikTok Star Is Being ‘Very Mindful’ About Getting Credit

“Jools Lebron’s struggle to capitalize on a catchphrase she popularized is representative of a much larger battle that creators, especially those of color, routinely face,” writes Professor Alexandra Roberts in an opinion piece for MSNBC.

Aug 19, 2024

Could Elon Musk’s X face lawsuits for Grok’s AI images?

Commenting for NBC News, Professor Alexandra Roberts, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity, explains some potential legal aspects around intellectual property and generative AI.

Aug 07, 2024

Free Speech Versus Public Health: The Role of Social Media (Part Two)

Part two of Professor Claudia Haupt’s Bill of Health blog, addresses the role of social media as a public health hazard.

Aug 07, 2024

From Factories to TikTok, How Child Labor Laws Are Struggling To Keep up With the Digital Revolution

Professor Hilary Robinson says Illinois’ first-in-the-nation law requiring compensation of children who appear in their parents’ influencer content is a step in the right direction.

Aug 05, 2024

Why Zillow Gone Wild Is Being Sued for Alleged Copyright Infringement

“The character of the defendant’s use is an important factor, and in this case the use appears to be comment and criticism—and perhaps satire—which are core functions that fair use aspires to protect,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells Fast Company.

Jul 28, 2024

Beyoncé Gives Kamala Harris Her Blessing to Use “Freedom” For Campaign

Vanity Fair quotes Professor Alexandra Roberts’ comments on politicians’ rights when it comes to playing music during rallies, conventions or campaign events.

Jul 25, 2024

Claiming X: Lessons From the Controversial Rebrand That Cost Twitter $3.2 Billion in Brand Value

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), comments for World Trademark Review on X Corp’s brand strategy and the challenges of promoting and protecting a single letter mark.

Jul 23, 2024

Troy Aikman Has Edge in Battle With Lamar Jackson Over No. 8

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), comments for Sportico on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s trademark challenge against Troy Aikman over the number eight.

Jul 16, 2024

Online Privacy and Other Areas Where Supreme Court Rulings Could Reshape Marketing Regulation

Professor Alexandra Roberts tells the Wall Street Journal the Supreme Court’s decision this month in Corner Post v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System may spur legal challenges to disclosure requirements that went into effect years ago.

Jul 01, 2024

Crocs Case at Federal Circuit Set to Shape False Advertising Law

The idea of preemption or false advertising law doesn’t play a role in the Crocs patent case, says Professor Alexandra Roberts, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC).

Jun 28, 2024

Will YouTube’s Attempt To Strike AI Music Deals With Record Labels Change the Music Industry?

“AI will continue to play a role in the music industry with or without legal precedent,” Professor Alexandra Roberts, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC) tells Northeastern Global News. “The technology is already being used in more experimental ways than an AI-generated Drake song.”

Jun 19, 2024

The US Surgeon General Wants a Warning Label on Social Media. Here’s Why This May Not Work, According to Northeastern Experts

“The big problem with compelled disclosures is basically you’re telling the company to tell the consumer that their own product is dangerous,” Professor Claudia Haupt tells Northeastern Global News.

Jun 13, 2024

The AI Voice Revolution is Bigger Than ScarJo

Professor Alexandra Roberts comments on Scarlett Johansson’s recent OpenAI clash and the broader implications of AI technology in the entertainment industry: “Because the synthetic voice doesn’t sound like any one person, individuals are unlikely to succeed on right of publicity or false endorsement claims.”

Jun 13, 2024

Roberts Named Faculty Director of Center for Law, Information and Creativity

Professor Alexandra Roberts, a leading authority on intellectual property and social media, has been named faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), which combines the study of innovation and creativity with the law school’s social justice mission.

May 29, 2024

What’s Next for TikTok? We Asked GBH’s Social Media Strategist

“From a privacy perspective, the data of American individuals is collected, used and abused by a multitude of actors every day all of the time,” Professor Elettra Bietti tells GBH’s Morning Edition. “There is no reason why Americans will or should feel safer in regards to the integrity of their data and of their digital experiences after a TikTok divestment or ban.”

May 28, 2024

Tapestry, Coach Drop Trademark Case Against Gap, Inc. Over COACH Tees

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts comments for The Fashion Lawon the recent trademark clash that pitted retail brand owners Gap, Inc. and Tapestry against one another over Old Navy t-shirts bearing the word COACH.

May 22, 2024

What Are Vampire Facials? Do They Work? And What Went Wrong in the Procedures Linked to HIV?

Professor David Simon says to “do your homework” and rely on medical professionals if considering a vampire facial. “It’s not like buying toilet paper off Amazon.”

May 01, 2024

What’s the Legal Outlook for a US Ban of TikTok

Professor Elettra Bietti joined the Lisa Dent podcast to discuss whether a new law that now requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the popular app or face a country-wide ban is legal.

Apr 17, 2024

Sarah Lageson Joins Northeastern Law as Associate Professor of Criminology/Criminal Justice and Law

Northeastern Law is pleased to announce that Sarah Lageson, an expert on technology, surveillance and data privacy in the criminal legal system will join the Northeastern University community on January 1, 2025, as associate professor of criminology/criminal justice and law with the School of Law and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within the College of Social Sciences.

Apr 17, 2024

David Stein Joins Northeastern Law as Assistant Professor of Law and Computer Science

Northeastern Law is pleased to announce that David Stein will join the Northeastern University community on July 1, 2024, as assistant professor of law and computer science within the School of Law and the Khoury College of Computer Sciences.

Apr 12, 2024

Glorb Is Hitting It Big With AI-Generated Spongebob Raps. But Is It Legal Under Copyright Law?

AI-generated music poses a completely new, increasingly complicated set of legal questions about the nature of creative work, says Professor Alexandra Roberts, a leading authority on intellectual property and social media.

Mar 15, 2024

Is the House’s TikTok Ban Legal? Expert Says It Raises ‘Constitutional Concerns’

The bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the United States is moving toward the Senate, but Professor Elettra Biettie tells Northeastern Global News it could get mired in the courts based on First Amendment concerns.

Feb 27, 2024

Women in AI: Rashida Richardson, Senior Counsel at Mastercard Focusing on AI and Privacy

Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 is featured in TechCrunch’s series of interviews highlighting remarkable women who have contributed to the AI revolution.

Feb 15, 2024

Swift Justice: Students Learn About the Law Through Taylor Swift Cases

“It that it can be easier for students to learn about the law when there’s a common theme or subject to focus on—especially one as well-known as Taylor Swift,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells the ABA Journal. ”Classes that expose them to a wide range of issues like licensing materials, contracts, waivers, insurance forms, etc., set them up to think about different careers.”

Feb 02, 2024

Songs by Taylor Swift, Drake and More Are Starting To Disappear From TikTok. Here’s Why

Professor Alexandra Roberts on the removal of Universal Music Group artists from TikTok: “This is a platform that’s really important for artists. It might not affect established artists as much, but some of them are going to lose revenue streams.”

Jan 26, 2024

Is Palworld, the Latest Gaming Sensation, Guilty of Copyright Infringement Against Pokémon? A Legal Expert Weighs In

Is Palworld just “Pokémon with guns” or is it an original work? Professor Alexandra Roberts says there might be a smoking gun –– it just might not be enough.

Jan 18, 2024

Elettra Bietti Nominated for Prestigious Antitrust Writing Award

Professor Elettra Bietti’s forthcoming Illinois Law Review article, “Structuring Digital Platform Markets: Antitrust and Utilities’ Convergence,” has been nominated in the Best Academic Articles category for the 2024 Antitrust Writing Awards.

Jan 08, 2024

Mickey Mouse Raises Question: What Is the Difference Between Copyright and Trademark? It’s a ‘Gray’ Area, Expert Says

“There are types of uses of Mickey that are now very clearly allowed under copyright law now that “Steamboat Willie” is in the public domain,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells Northeastern Global News. “There are other types of uses that are going to be a little gray, both because the character of Mickey presents some novel challenges under copyright, and because of Disney’s extensive use of Mickey as a trademark.”

Jan 02, 2024

Is Spreading Medical Misinformation a Physician’s Free Speech Right? It’s Complicated

“On platforms like YouTube and TikTok, doctors basically are like any other person,” Professor Claudia Haupt tells the Association of American Medical Colleges. “The underlying principle is that it’s so important to a democracy not to allow the state to restrict free speech that it’s worth living with some terrible advice floating around.”

2023 Dec 06, 2023

How Should TikTok Have Handled the Osama Bin Laden Letter?

“There are numerous examples of “lawful but awful” speech that the First Amendment can’t reach,” Professor Claudia Haupt tells Northeastern Global News.

Dec 04, 2023

Seven Reactions to Biden’s Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence

“At this early stage in the development of US AI policy, the Order’s lack of a coherent vision around “competition” and “innovation”—its simultaneous support for permissionless innovation and for strong government intervention—is both a blessing and a curse,” Professor Elettra Bietti tells the Law and Political Economy (LPE) Project.

Nov 06, 2023

Justices Have Multiple Paths To Doom ‘Trump Too Small’ Trademark

Bloomberg Law quotes Professor Alexandra Roberts on the ‘Trump Too Small’ trademark claim, currently under review by the Supreme Court.

Oct 29, 2023

Ye’s Contract With Adidas Prevented Him From Getting Long-Term Mental Health Treatment

“It feels like Adidas was defining its morals clause in part based upon what they already knew about Ye,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells Fast Company.

Sep 21, 2023

Posts Push Unproven ‘Spike Protein Detoxification’ Regimen

Commenting for The Washington Reporter, Professor Alexandra Roberts says that social media claims about Spike Support or nattokinase could be in the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission, which “has primary responsibility when it comes to the regulation of the truth or falsity of the advertising (besides labeling) of foods, non-prescription drugs, devices, and cosmetics.”

Sep 20, 2023

Inside the Hidden Economy Driving ‘Ozempic TIKTOK,’ Where Weight Loss Influencers Send Referrals to Telehealth Startups in Exchange for Drug Discounts and Cash

Professor Alexandra Roberts comments for Fortune magazine on the hidden economy driving Driving ‘Ozempic TIKTOK,’: “If any representations are false, misleading or unsubstantiated, both the influencer and the company that is paying them to post or paying them commission may be liable under not just FTC law, but also state or federal false advertising law.”

Aug 25, 2023

Regulating Speech About a Drug’s Off-Label Uses

Professor David Simon’s new Emory Law Journal article, “Off-Label Speech,” has received a write-up in Penn State Law’s The Regulatory Review!

Aug 18, 2023

ViiV Healthcare and Doctors Without Borders Tussle Over Contract Terms for an HIV Drug

“Pharma price and purchase agreement secrecy has run amok,” Professor Brook Baker ’76, senior policy analyst for Health GAP tells STAT. “We have mandatory price information on jars of peanut butter in the U.S. but a new shroud of secrecy over contracts worth tens of billions of dollar on life-saving vaccines and medicines. We need transparency, not monopoly-enhancing secrecy.”

Jul 27, 2023

Can Elon Musk Really Use That X Logo for Twitter?

”Given the large user base on Twitter and the number of people following and reporting on this rebrand, I expect it wouldn’t take very long to establish that the new ‘X’ functions as a trademark and consumers associate it with Twitter’s services or brand,” Professor Alex Roberts tells The Verge.

Jul 26, 2023

Elon Musk’s X takes @X Handle from longtime Twitter User

It is possible to trademark a single letter, but doing so will make it harder for Musk’s company to sue for infringement or to avoid lawsuits from other companies that use X, Professor Alexandra Roberts tells NBC News.

Jul 21, 2023

He’s Tried to ‘Liberate’ Colors for Years. His Latest: The ‘Barbiest Pink.’

While Mattel hasn’t registered “Barbie pink,” it can try to restrict people like Semple from using it, Professor Alex Roberts tells The Washington Post.Extensive use of a color or design can form the basis for a trademark claim — or the threat of one — even if a company hasn’t secured official registration.

May 11, 2023

What the Landmark ‘Fitfluencer’ Trial Settlement Means for Online Workout Programs and Their Influencer Founders

Professor Alexandra Roberts comments on the Texas AG’s lawsuit against fitness influencer Brittany Davis which just settled: “Hopefully, it’s going to nudge influencers and the companies that use influencer marketing to pay attention and to fall in line.”

Apr 28, 2023

Surprise Twitter Checkmarks Open Complicated Path to Liability

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts comments on the complicated legal questions over Twitter’s unsolicited blue checkmarks. “Questions that are common to some—but not all—include whether a check constitutes endorsement of the service, whether it qualifies as advertisement of the service,” said Roberts in Bloomberg Law.

Apr 25, 2023

Artificial Intelligence Poised To Hinder, Not Help, Access to Justice

Professor Rashida Richardson discusses the limitations of AI and data on access to justice. “Fundamentally, problems of access to justice are about deeper structural inequities, not access to technology,” said Richardson in this Reuters article.

Apr 17, 2023

How Much Can Duolingo Teach Us?

Professor Rashida Richardson comments on the implications of using A.I. technologies to teach students, “Often what happens with automation is you see the efficiencies…and then the idea is if we just keep automating, it can scale.” But, she added, “I don’t think the use cases can scale in education in the ways that we would want,” in The New Yorker.

Apr 11, 2023

Authority on Wrongful Convictions Says U.S. Judicial System Is Weighted Against Claims of Innocence

Professor Daniel Medwed is working with the Midwest Innocence Project to investigate the Earnest Jackson case and determine whether there are new options to appeal the conviction. “People need to understand more generally that some convictions are shaky and there are innocent people in prison,” Medwed said in The Nebraska Examiner. “We don’t know the number. But all systems designed by humans are fallible.”

Apr 04, 2023

Experts Say Trump Prosecution Far From Sure Thing

Professor Daniel Medwed comments on prosecutions of business falsification crimes as both felonies and misdemeanors in the Trump case, “It is also not unprecedented to tie this type of charge to an alleged campaign finance crime,” he said in the Boston Globe.

Mar 28, 2023

Can People Injured While Skiing Sue the Ski Resorts?

Professor Daniel Medwed discussed the legal liability involved when people get injured on the slopes. “If you’re on that triple diamond black slope when you’re really an intermediate skier, then you might be waiving any potential recourse for injuries against the mountain,” said Medwed in GBH News.

Mar 28, 2023

Haupts’ “AI-generated Medical Advice—GPT and Beyond” Published in JAMA

Professor Claudia Haupts’ latest article with Mason Marks, MD, JD, is “AI-generated Medical Advice—GPT and Beyond,” published in JAMA. The article surveys the medical applications of a generative pretrained transformer (GPT) and considers whether new forms of regulation are necessary to minimize safety and legal risks to patients and clinicians.

Mar 27, 2023

Roberts Wins International Trademark Association’s Ladas Memorial Award

Professor Alexandra Roberts, a leading expert on intellectual property and trademark law, has been awarded the International Trademark Association’s Ladas Memorial Award in the professional category for her article, “A Poetics of Trademark Law,” forthcoming in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal.

Mar 27, 2023

Everyday Injustice Episode 193: Daniel Medwed and the Racism of the Death Penalty

Professor Daniel Medwed discusses the implications of race on the death penalty and the criminal legal system. And efforts to correct some of these problems such as the racial justice act in California and a recent case out of Riverside. “The race of the victim, not the defendant steers cases in the direction of death” said Medwed.

Mar 23, 2023

Swanson Comments on Spain’s Highest Female Inventors Rate, Us Trails Behind

Professor Kara Swanson comments on a recent report that showed women continue to be underrepresented inventors across numerous countries and hold fewer patents on innovations than their male counterparts. “It is important to draw attention to it, because without concerted effort, female creativity will remain outside of patent systems,” Swanson told Law360.

Mar 22, 2023

Red Sox Seek ‘Boston’ Trademark To Control City Name in Sports Sales

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts explains the legal hurdles of MLB teams’ trademark applications for the names of cities, “[The Red Sox’ application is] likely to be met with a failure to function refusal, because the specimens submitted show only ornamental use of ‘Boston,’ not use as a source indicator,” in Sportico.

Mar 21, 2023

New FTC Order Pressures Tech Platforms Over Fraudulent Ads

Professor Alexandra J. Roberts comments on a new Federal Trade Commission order compelling social media and video streaming providers to curb fraudulent advertising. “I think we’ll find that there’s plenty of room for improvement by all of these platforms,” said Roberts in The Wall Street Journal.

Mar 21, 2023

What Protections Do Undocumented Workers Have Against Workplace Abuses?

“Reading these charging documents, it’s a remarkably harrowing and disturbing account of what may have happened there,” said Professor Daniel Medwed in GBH News about allegations against the owner of a chain of Boston area pizzerias, who was charged with the crime of forced labor.

Mar 19, 2023

A Boneless-Wing Lawsuit Ruffles Feathers of Chicken Devotees

“I think the plaintiff here is right when we’re talking about ingredients or quality or we’re talking about light meat versus dark meat,” said Professor Alexandra Roberts in The Wall Street Journal on a boneless-wing lawsuit that accuses Buffalo Wild Wings of false advertising, “That might be something that’s really important to a consumer who’s purchasing something in a category of wings or nuggets or whatever it is.”

Mar 14, 2023

Why Do We Have Jury Duty? And How Reliable Are Juries, Really?

Professor Daniel Medwed talks about the history and the current practice of jury trials in GBH’s Morning Edition, “You get 12 different people from our very diverse country, bring them all together in a room to talk about facts, and essentially a good result will occur. But the practice is much uglier than that, right?”

Mar 05, 2023

Access Denied: Authorities Refuse to Release Records for Maine School Shooter Hoax Calls

“These agencies often seem to try to evade public record disclosure through a web of hyper-technical procedural arguments plus the standard possible ‘interference with ongoing investigation’ policy claims,” said Professor Daniel Medwed in the Press Herald.

Mar 01, 2023

Newest Bone Chilling Details About the Mom Accused of Killing Her 3 Kids

“At this point, it’s a reasonable doubt defense where Kevin Reddington is going to argue that because of the medication, because of her mental health, she couldn’t have premeditated this; it wasn’t a deliberate decision,” says Professor Daniel Medwed in Bestlife.

Feb 28, 2023

When Crypto Goes to Court: Can the Legal System Keep Up?

“It’s a little bit like the Wild West out there, where we’re still trying to figure out how to regulate this industry,” said Professor Daniel Medwed in the GBH Morning Edition about cryptocurrency and the legal landscape surrounding it.

Feb 21, 2023

It’s Just Another Marketing Scheme. ‘De-influencers’ Tell You What To Buy by Telling You What Not To Buy

“I think more cynically, we can think of it in some cases as just another form of influencer marketing,” says Professor Alexandra J. Roberts in Northeastern Global News on “de-influencing,” which urges followers to think twice about impulse-purchasing certain cult-favorite products.

Feb 20, 2023

From the FTC to SCOTUS, the Ad Tech World Has Its Hands Full of Privacy and Policy Issues

Professor Ari Waldman co-authored a new study by the University of Pennsylvania on some of the ways people do and don’t understand how their data is used by companies or what’s legal and not legal under current laws.

Feb 14, 2023

Should 18-Year-olds Be Imprisoned for Life?

Professor Daniel Medwed joined GBH’s Morning Edition to talk about the issue of age and criminal responsibility. “His codefendant, who was 10 days shy of turning 18 and was actually determined to be the one who fired the fatal shot, he actually only got life with the possibility of parole, simply because he was a juvenile,” said Medwed.

Feb 13, 2023

2023 Top Social Justice/Advocacy Book Award

Professor Daniel Medwed’s book, Barred: Why the Innocent Can’t Get Out of Prison,was selected for a 2023 Top Social Justice/Advocacy Book Award by In the Margins, which chooses the best books that illuminate issues of race, class and incarceration or highlight the reality of BIPOC and others living in the margins of society.

Jan 24, 2023

Well-connected and Under Arrest: What Happens When Politicians’ Family Members Go to Court?

Professor Daniel Medwed joined GBH‘s Morning Edition to discuss what it means when a member of a high-profile lawmaker’s family is involved in a legal situation. “There’s certainly an advantage to being from a well-known, well-connected family in the sense that you have access to resources and potentially access to influential people,” said Medwed.

Jan 23, 2023

Adidas’ Recent Trial Loss Unlikely To Deter Brand Enforcement

“While Adidas may lose some cases, its expansive approach to trademark enforcement still has strategic and legal reasoning behind it and is unlikely to change,” said Professor Alexandra J. Roberts, an intellectual property law professor at Northeastern Law, in this Bloomberg article.

Jan 20, 2023

Professor Claudia Haupt’s Article Is Featured in the First Amendment Law Handbook

Professor Claudia Haupt’s article, “Regulating Speech Online: Free Speech Values in Constitutional Frames,” is featured in First Amendment Law Handbook, an annual compendium of notable First Amendment scholarship. The article was first published in the Washington University Law Review.

Jan 18, 2023

Websites Selling Abortion Pills Are Sharing Sensitive Data With Google

“This is an entirely new era,” said Ari Ezra Waldman, a professor of law and computer science at Northeastern Law, in ProPublica. “We’re moving to a modern surveillance state where every website we visit is tracked. We have yet to conceptualize the entire body of laws that could be used to criminalize people getting abortions.”

Jan 18, 2023

Under Armour Scores Trademark Win Against Women’s Wear Brand

“Under Armour successfully convinced a jury that the use of Armorina for women’s athleisure apparel and accessories created a likelihood of confusion among consumers that the Armorina brand was sold by or connected in some way with Under Armour,” said Alexandra J. Roberts, professor of law and media at Northeastern Law, in a Sportico story.

2022 Dec 22, 2022

Q&A: Jonathan Kahn on New Frontiers in Racial Profiling

In an interview with Undark magazine, Professor Jonathan Kahn, a leading authority on biotechnology’s implications for our ideas of identity, rights and citizenship, discusses the use of forensic DNA phenotyping.

Dec 07, 2022

So Far, Elon Musk’s Twitter Files Amount to ‘a Tempest in a Teapot,’ Expert Says

“If most speech is actually taking place on a private platform, then maybe we ought to rethink how we interpret and apply the First Amendment in these spaces,” says Professor Claudia Haupt.

Dec 02, 2022

How Far Can British Street Artist Banksy Take His Anonymity?

“There are hurdles for Banksy to legally protect his work and to prevent something like the Guess controversy from happening again,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells News@Northeastern. “It’s really messy.”

Nov 23, 2022

Twitter Blue Checks Raise Trademark Risk After Fake Lilly Fiasco

Succeeding in trademark suits against the individuals behind Twitter spoof accounts is “not out of the question,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells Bloomberg Law.

Nov 03, 2022

Professor Alexandra Roberts Named Senior Fellow—Trademarks at GMU’s CIP2

Professor Alexandra Roberts, a leading expert on intellectual property and social media, has been named a Senior Fellow for Trademarks at the George Mason University Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy (C-IP2). 

Oct 11, 2022

States Are Starting to Crack Down on Cyberflashing, but It Might Not Be Enough

Many states are cracking down on cyberflashing, but more needs to be done to get online platforms actively involved, says Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC).

Oct 07, 2022

TikToker Says Her Video Was Used in Refy Beauty Ad Without Her Permission, Sparking Debate

Professor Alexandra Roberts, a leading authority on intellectual property and social media, shares her take on copyright protections on TikTok: “If the creator’s work was protectable and was incorporated into someone else’s work without their permission, that could constitute copyright infringement.”

Sep 16, 2022

Luka Doncic Embroiled in Unusual Trademark Dispute With His Mother

“Guidance on the question of what to do when consent to register a mark that references a famous individual is granted and then subsequently revoked is surprisingly scant,” Professor Alexandra Roberts tells Sportico.

Sep 15, 2022

Northeastern Law Announces 10 New Faculty Fellowships

In support of its public interest mission, Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to announce that its Centers of Excellence have selected 10 outstanding faculty members as 2022-2023 Faculty Fellows.

Aug 18, 2022

A Woman’s Facebook Messages Were Used in an Abortion Case. Here’s Why That’s Not Surprising

Commenting for News@Northeastern, Professors Alexandra Meise and Ari Waldman explain why concerns about data being used in abortion cases are warranted.

Aug 03, 2022

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2022 Issue

“Shooting Pains,” “Rethinking Business As Usual,” “Active Duty” and many more stories await readers in the summer 2022 issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Read it online now!

Jul 20, 2022

Pharma and Patient Advocates Offer Competing Visions for Achieving Vaccine Equity During Pandemics

“Big Pharma’s unwillingness to acknowledge that the existing IP regime did not just enable innovation — it also produced artificially restricted supplies, price profiteering, and grossly inequitable distribution first of vaccines and tests and now of Covid medicines as well,” Professor Brook Baker ’76, senior policy analyst for Health GAP, tells STAT.

Jul 06, 2022

Is the Supreme Court Doing Away With the Separation of Church and State?

Two recent high court decisions threaten to tear down the so-called “wall of separation” between church and state, says Professor Claudia Haupt.

Jul 01, 2022

Understanding the Supreme Court EPA Greenhouse Gas Ruling

Watch: In a live interview with NBC Boston, Professor Alexandra Meise explains some of the broader implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling curbing the federal government’s ability to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

Jun 14, 2022

Fitzgerald ’08 to Testify Before Congress in Support of American Data Privacy and Protection Act

Caitriona Fitzgerald ’08, deputy director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), will testify before Congress on Tuesday, June 14. Caitriona will speak before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of the proposed American Data Privacy and Protection Act. The hearing will be live-streamed.

May 17, 2022

She Pioneered the Sale of Breast Milk, Then Lost Everything

“[Nonprofit milk banks] are saddened by the idea that this product that they believe in very strongly and think would benefit a lot of babies would be less accessible if allocated on the basis of company profit rather than patient need,” Professor Kara Swanson, author of Banking on the Body,” tells The Washington Post. “In the history of U.S. medicine, there has never been enough banked breast milk for all the babies that might benefit.”

May 03, 2022

Paxlovid’s Slow, Targeted Rollout Leaves Vulnerable Populations at Risk

Professor Brook Baker ’76 welcomes the Biden administration’s plans to expand access to Paxlovid, the first medication developed to treat COVID-19. However, “that still leaves a lot of people uncovered who aren’t near those kinds of facilities,” he says.

May 02, 2022

Florida Wants to Strip Disney World of Its Special Status. Does It Violate First Amendment Rights?

Will Disney fight back against Florida’s law stripping the multinational conglomerate of its self-governing privileges? Professor Claudia Haupt explains why it might not be that easy.

Mar 07, 2022

Covid-19 Misinformation Tests Doctors’ Free Speech Rights

“The First Amendment assumes an equality between speakers that really doesn’t reflect the reality that exists between doctors and patients concerning medical matters, and doesn’t protect the interests of laypeople in getting sound information,” Professor Claudia Haupt tells Bloomberg News.

Mar 03, 2022

Waldman Awarded Two Antimonopoly Academic Grants by the Economic Security Project

Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), has been awarded two research grants by the Anti-Monopoly Fund of the Economic Security Project (ESP). He is the only researcher to receive funding for two projects. 

Mar 01, 2022

In Breached!, Hartzog Maps a Secure Future

In, Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It, Professor Woodrow Hartzog and co-author Professor Daniel Solove of GW Law show how major data breaches could have been prevented or mitigated through a different approach to data security rules.

Feb 25, 2022

Transgender Kids Care Law Tests Arkansas Doctors’ Speech Rights

Professor Claudia Haupt talked to Bloomberg Law about professional knowledge and state regulation of medical practice: “The real problem arises when the state tries to regulate something as a practice of medicine in a way that contradicts medical insights.”

Feb 24, 2022

With Great Power Comes Great Loyalty

The Regulatory Review provides an analysis of Professor Woodrow Hartzog’s forthcoming Emory Law Journal article, “The Surprising Virtues of Data Loyalty,” co-authored with Professor Neil Richards of Washington University School of Law.

Feb 15, 2022

How to Make Computers Less Biased

Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 weighs in on the automation of racial bias in this short film produced by The Economist.

Feb 02, 2022

Mass. Lawmakers Advance Digital Privacy Bill

“Real privacy data legislation would protect people regardless of what they choose, and consent to,” Professor Woodrow Hartzog tells The Boston Globe. “This legislation doesn’t seem to offer that… It’s just going to allow business as usual.”

Jan 21, 2022

Professor Hartzog Speaks Out in Support of Bill to Ban Surveillance Advertising

Introducing the bill to ban surveillance advertising earlier this week, Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo included a quote from Professor Woodrow Hartzog, author of Privacy’s Blueprint and a public supporter of the bill: “The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act is a bold and important intervention to protect our public institutions and help reclaim our online spaces as places where people can flourish.”

Jan 12, 2022

A Move for ‘Algorithmic Reparation’ Calls for Racial Justice in AI

“Racial Segregation and the Data-Driven Society: How Our Failure to Reckon with Root Causes Perpetuates Separate and Unequal Realities,” a paper by Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 that is forthcoming in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, is cited by Wired.

2021 Dec 28, 2021

The U.S. Urgently Needs a Comprehensive Privacy Law that Goes Beyond the Fair Information Practices

“Settling for an American GDPR-lite would be a tragic ending to a real opportunity to tackle the critical problems of the information age,” writes Professor Woodrow Hartzog in a co-authored blog for the Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL).

Dec 22, 2021

Professor Waldman Joins EPIC Board of Directors

Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, a leading authority on law, technology and society and director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), has been appointed to the board of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

Dec 13, 2021

Richardson Co-Authors “Smart City” Report

Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 is the co-author of a new report that examines an emergent form of smart-city projects called digital identification (“digital ID”) and offers pathways forward to ensure constituent needs are addressed.

Dec 03, 2021

How Big Tech Turns Privacy Laws Into Privacy Theater

“We need an entirely new way of thinking about and writing privacy laws, because Big Tech has gotten too good at manipulating process-based laws for its own benefit,” writes Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity, in a piece for Slate’s Future Tense project.

Nov 16, 2021

Worried About Privacy and Big Tech? An Expert Shares His Research on Those Concerns

Listen back: Professor Ari Waldman joined the Cincinnati Edition radio show to discuss his new book, Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power (Cambridge University Press, 2021).

Nov 10, 2021

Facebook Isn’t Shutting Down Its Facial Recognition System After All

Professors Woodrow Hartzog and Ari Waldman renew their calls for government oversight of facial recognition and other advanced technologies.

Oct 28, 2021

Industry Unbound

Watch: Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity and author of Industy Unbound, joined Scott McGrew on NBC’s Press:Here, to talk about big tech’s power over congress and society at large.

Oct 18, 2021

Williams and Waldman Receive Northeastern University Grant

Professors Patricia Williams and Ari Ezra Waldman — along with colleagues in Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media and — have been awarded a Northeastern University Tier 1 Grant for an innovative research project, “See Something, Frame Something.”

Oct 18, 2021

Nasser Eledroos Joins CLIC as Managing Director

Nasser Eledroos has joined Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC) as managing director. Eledroos is a public interest technologist whose professional experiences have been centered in using technology to inform public policy and law reform.

Oct 14, 2021

Is There Such a Thing as a Safe Algorithm? Talk of Facebook Regulation Gathers Momentum.

“What I would like to see come out of this… is a deeper and broader conversation about how to fundamentally change the incentives that are driving all sorts of harmful behavior related to the collection and use of private information,” Professor Woodrow Hartzog tells news@Northeastern.

Oct 10, 2021

Professor Jonathan Kahn Receives National Library of Medicine Grant

Professor Jonathan Kahn, a leading authority on biotechnology’s implications for our ideas of identity, rights and citizenship has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine for his book project, “The Uses of Diversity: Managing Race and Representation in Law, Politics, and the Biosciences.”

Oct 08, 2021

Massachusetts Has a Chance To Clean Up Our National Privacy Disaster

In an op-ed for The Boston Globe , Professor Woodrow Hartzog makes the case for a “bold new privacy bill,” the Massachusetts Information Privacy Act (MIPA). “If it becomes a law, it would be the most revolutionary piece of privacy legislation in the United States.”

Oct 01, 2021

Professor Noveck’s New Book Proposes Powerful Solutions to Contemporary Public Problems

In Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World (Yale University Press, 2021), Professor Beth Simone Noveck demonstrates how readers can take advantage of digital technology, data and the collective wisdom of our communities to design and deliver solutions to complex and confusing contemporary problems.

Oct 01, 2021

Are Geofence Warrants Sweeping Up Your Cellphone Data?

Listen back: Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, faculty director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity, (CLIC) joined the Bloomberg Law podcast to discuss the spike in police use of geofence warrants.

Sep 24, 2021

In Industry Unbound, Waldman Exposes how Big Tech Systematically Undermines Our Privacy

In Industry Unbound, Professor Ari Ezra Waldman exposes exactly how the tech industry conducts its ongoing crusade to undermine our privacy, undermine privacy law and subjugate us all in the process.

Sep 14, 2021

What Does It Actually Mean When a Company Says, “We Do Not Sell Your Data”?

“[Companies] saying they don’t sell data to third parties is like a yogurt company saying they’re gluten-free…. It’s a misdirection,” Professor Arie Ezra Waldman, director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity tells The Markup.

Sep 03, 2021

Professor Hartzog Ranked Amongst Top Ten Most Cited Law and Technology Scholars of the Last Five Years

Congratulations to Professor Woodrow Hartzog, who has been ranked as one of the “10 Most-Cited Law & Technology Scholars in the U.S., 2016-2020,” in a list compiled by Professor Brian Leiter of University of Chicago for the Law Professor Blogs Network.

Aug 19, 2021

Northeastern Law Scholar With a Focus on Data Justice Appointed to White House Post

Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 has been appointed to a new White House role in which she will help to advise President Joe Biden and others on issues related to data, automated systems, digital privacy and security, and civil rights.

Aug 18, 2021

Biometrics and Business

Listen back: On BYUradio’s Top of Mind, Professor Ari Waldman, director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), explains why Amazon’s biometric systems are drawing concern from US lawmakers and privacy advocates.

Aug 13, 2021

Webinar: COVID Vaccines for the Few

On July 14, 2021, Professors Brook Baker and Martha Davis joined a panel of experts to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, inequality and vaccinations. The webinar was sponsored by Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and University of Minnesota Law School Human Rights Center.

Aug 09, 2021

Should You Sell Your Palm Print to Amazon

“Biometric information is permanent,” cautions Professor Waldman, director of NUSL’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC). “And once you give a company your #BiometricData, it could track you forever with that information.”

Aug 09, 2021

Professor Hartzog Speaks Out in Support of Legislation to Ban Microtargeted Political Ads

Professor Woodrow Hartzog has come out in support of Rep. Anna G. Eshoo’s proposed Banning Microtargeted Political Ads Act, which prohibits online platforms, including social media companies, ad networks and streaming services, from targeting political ads based on the demographic or behavioral data of users.

Jul 23, 2021

A Prominent Priest Was Outed for Using Grindr. Experts Say It’s a Warning Sign.

“There’s an entire multi-hundred billion dollar industry of companies you’ve never heard of,” Professor Ari Ezra Waldman, director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Information and Creativity (CLIC), tells Slate. “Their business model is collecting info from all corners of the internet and selling it to people so they can make general conclusions about a population and advertise to it. They say that information is non-identifiable. This is another example of how it’s an utter lie.”

Jul 21, 2021

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2021 Issue

Check out the latest issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Features stories include: ‘Fertile Ground,’ ‘Inching Toward Immunity’ and ‘Talking ‘Bout Evolution.’ Read it online today!

Jul 19, 2021

After Backlash, Predictive Policing Adapts to a Changed World

Commenting for The Wall Street Journal, Professor Rashida Richardson ’11 warns that firms’ attempts to reposition their products could distract from fundamental questions about predictive analytics.

Jul 13, 2021

Williams Has No Qualms About Giving a Damn

In Giving a Damn: Racism, Romance and Gone with the Wind (Harper Collins, 2021), Professor Patricia Williams finds that when you begin to unpick current debates around immigration, freedom of speech, the culture wars and wall-building, beneath them lies the unexamined history of laws by which human beings were rendered property.

Jun 29, 2021

Who Is at Fault When Autonomous Systems Behave in Unpredictable Ways?

As autonomous systems become more ubiquitous in daily life, instances of these systems behaving in unintended ways are also becoming more frequent—or are inherently flawed when behaving as expected. Professors Woodrow Hartzog and Rashida Richardson explore the failure points in these complex systems.

Jun 01, 2021

Adler and Swanson Selected for “Reckoning” Fellowships

The Humanities Center at Northeastern University College of Social Sciences and Humanities has selected professors Libby Adler and Kara Swanson as 2021-2022 “Reckoning” Fellows — a multidisciplinary group of Northeastern faculty and PhD candidates who are exploring “reckonings” that involve an intersectional, multidimensional process of truth-telling and accountability around all forms of systemic oppression, from the intimate and familial, to the social and political, to the planetary and cosmic.

May 19, 2021

Professor Swanson Receives Law and Society Association’s Top Honor

Professor Kara W. Swanson, an expert in intellectual property law, gender and sexuality, the history of science, medicine, and technology and legal history, has been selected for a Law and Society Association (LSA) Annual Award.

Apr 30, 2021

Professor Hartzog Appointed to Facial Recognition Technology Commission

Professor Woodrow Hartzog, an internationally recognized expert in the area of privacy, media and robotics law, has been appointed to a special legislative Commission on Government Use of Facial Recognition Technology.

Apr 27, 2021

Professor Woodrow Hartzog Receives Northeastern University’s Excellence in Research and Creativity Faculty Award

Professor Woodrow Hartzog has been selected to receive Northeastern University’s Research and Creative Activity Award in recognition of the prolific body of work he produced in 2020, including several law review articles and a co-authored book titled Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It.

Mar 22, 2021

Biden’s Commitment to Global Sharing of COVID-19 Vaccine Technology is a Step in the Right Direction, Must be Followed by Concrete Plans to Dismantle Dangerous Healthcare Nationalism

“This first, welcome rhetorical step by Vice President Biden should be followed by a concrete plan to dismantle the misguided, dangerous current policy of ‘America first, everyone else to the back of the queue,’” writes Professor Brook Baker in his latest blog for Health GAP.

Jan 15, 2021

Rashida Richardson ’11 Joins Northeastern as Assistant Professor of Law and Political Science

Rashida Richardson ’11 will join Northeastern effective July 1, 2021, as Assistant Professor of Law and Political Science within the School of Law and the Department of Political Science within the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.