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As the 2020-21 term at the Supreme Court winds to a close over the coming weeks, we are awaiting a decision in the case, Minerva v. Hologic (Supreme Court Case No. 20-440). The Court heard oral argument in the case on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, and a decision is expected by the end of June. The Cyberlaw Clinic filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Engine Advocacy, challenging the application of assignor estoppel doctrine in patent litigation. This brief expands on arguments made in an earlier brief submitted by Engine and the Clinic,  supporting a petition for certiorari in the case. →

Harvard Law School students will soon have the opportunity to enroll in clinics for the 2021-22 academic year. We urge students to consider all of the extraordinary clinical programs at HLS, which cover a huge range of substantive issue areas, offer different types of practice opportunities, and take a variety of approaches to learning and pedagogy. And, we particularly hope that they will consider joining us here in the Cyberlaw Clinic.

We wanted to collect in one place some general information about the Clinic and offer resources to HLS 1Ls and 2Ls thinking about enrollment next fall or spring. We hope you will find this helpful and informative, and you can of course reach out (as described below) to get any additional information that might be useful as you make your decision.  →

This spring, the Cyberlaw Clinic is returning to the eighth triennial rulemaking proceeding under 17 U.S.C. 1201, which considers exemptions to the anti-circumvention provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Section 1201 of the DMCA outlaws the circumvention of technological protection measures (TPMs) that prevent the unauthorized copying of digital materials. The blanket ban on TPM circumvention, however, applies regardless of whether the underlying use of materials is infringing or fair. Therefore, every three years the Copyright Office holds hearings to determine appropriate exemptions to 1201 restrictions, and make a recommendation to the Librarian of Congress, who ultimately decides which uses are exempted from 1201. This year, the Cyberlaw Clinic, on behalf of the Software Preservation Network and Library Copyright Alliance, seeks to expand the exempted uses to allow eligible memory institutions to access out-of-commerce software and video games remotely for qualifying preservation, research, and teaching purposes.   →

A recent decision by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division held that the proprietary source code underlying DNA analysis software TrueAllele may be examined by an independent expert in advance of a hearing on admissibility.  The opinion aligns with the position advocated by the Clinic in its October amicus brief on behalf of Upturn, Inc., a DC-based nonprofit organization promoting technology equity. The decision is a victory for defendants’ rights and due process in a developing area of criminal law.   →

Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit handed down a major victory for government transparency in Center for Investigative Reporting v. DOJ (pdf). An amicus brief authored by Cyberlaw Clinic students and staff on behalf of news media organizations and data journalists was cited throughout the court’s decision and has had a major influence on how the court interpreted the Freedom of Information Act.

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The Cyberlaw Clinic filed an amicus brief [.pdf] last week in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Engine Advocacy, supporting a petition for certiorari in a case that concerns the patent law doctrine of assignor estoppel. A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided the case — Minerva v. Hologic (Supreme Court Case No. 20-440) — and adopted an expansive view of the doctrine. Engine is an advocacy organization that represents the interests of startups, and the brief expresses concerns about the ways in which assignor estoppel can stifle innovation and limit employee mobility.  →