Institute for Information Law & Policy

Congratulations to Institute Student Research Fellows

The Institute for Information Law & Policy is proud to congratulate Joseph Merante and Marc Miller on their recent accomplishments.

Joe's essay, "A Role in the Remedy: Finding a Place for ISPs in the Digital Music World," was selected as one of five finalists in the Grammy Foundation's Entertainment Law Initiative Essay Competition and awarded a trip the 2009 Grammy's.  The competition will culminate with the winning student authors presenting their essays at the prestigious ELI Luncheon & Scholarship Presentation on Feb. 6, 2009.

Marc's Case Comment, "Cartoon Network LP, LLP v. CSC Holdings, Inc.," was selected for publication in an upcoming 2009-2010 issue of the New York Law School Law Review.

Keep up the good work!

Prof. James Grimmelmann on Virtual World Feudalism

The Yale Law Journal Pocket Part has published Professor James Grimmelmann's essay, "Virtual World Feudalism," as part of a new symposium issue on virtual worlds.  His essay looks inside the common metaphor of virtual worlds as “feudal societies” and concludes that feudalism might not be such a bad thing for them.  Feudal property—based on a personal relationship between a lord and a vassal—turns out to be a pretty good fit for the current state of Second Life.  It gives players some stability and a powerful ally while giving Linden Labs the flexibility it needs to keep he world running.

The essay is available in either HTML or PDF format.

NYLS Adjunct Faculty Contribute to New Book on Law and Business in the Game Industry

The Business and Legal Primer for Game Development, edited and with chapters by State of Play participants and New York Law School adjunct faculty, contains practical introductory sections on business and legal problems that members of the development community are often confronted with.

See the book here.

Those seeking to start their own game development company will receive invaluable information
regarding getting started, basic business operations, marketing, licensing intellectual property, and exit strategies.  The book is the ideal starting point for anyone who has ever wanted to start a game
business and an excellent reference for those already involved in gamedevelopment. 

Professor K.A. Taipale debated NSA surveillance programs on WHHY Radio Times and discussed role of tech in government surveillance efforts in The Wall Street Journal

Kim Taipale, executive director of the Center for Advanced Studies, and Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, debated the NSA surveillance programs on WHHY Radio Times,
National Public Radio (May 16, 2006). [Listen to the show via RealAudio - http://www.whyy.org/rameta/RT/2006/RT20060516_20_2.ram- or Streaming MP3 - http://www.whyy.org/podcast/051606_100630.mp3 ](1 hr.)

Kim Taipale, executive director of CAS, and Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), discussed the role of technology in government surveillance efforts in The Wall Street Journal Online (May 16, 2006). Their exchange is linked here  http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114770347659052946-r55Jg7SFeKsLXThBxp6GoNZrhGQ_20060614.html