Blog Post

Gurshamsheer Kailey

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) intends to withdraw final determination on strict fuel-efficiency standards for future cars and light trucks. Standards for model year 2022 to 2025 would require 54.5 miles per gallon average for the cars and light truck fleet. EPA though agreed to review the 2022-2025 standards, decided against it and finalized the standards a week before Trump took office.

Marge Oge, who directed the EPA’s office of transportation and air quality from 1994 to 2012 said that agency’s decision was made on sounds science and analysis and that the Trump administration would come to the same conclusion if they rely on facts and science – that 2025 standards are achievable and will save consumers trillions in fuel costs.

California is the only state that is allowed to set higher, tighter standards under the Clean Air Act. However, the new administration is considering revoking this power from California by an executive order which could spur a major legal fight.

In response to the proposal, eight energy, environmental and science advocacy groups implored Scott Pruitt. EPA Administrator, to uphold the standards as clean car standards have reduced carbon pollution and saved drivers money.

See Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis, EPA to pull back on fuel-efficiency standards for cars, trucks in future model years, The Washington Post (March 3, 2017), https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-to-pull-back-on-fuel-efficiency-standards-for-cars-trucks-in-future-model-years/2017/03/03/c4406b0c-0054-11e7-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?utm_term=.c5e33e5393a9

Teal Johnson

Waymo (Google’s cousin company under their parent entity, Alphabet) filed a lawsuit in federal court against Uber accusing a former employee of planning to steal trade secrets regarding autonomous vehicles.  There is a rush to create self-driving cars because companies such as Alphabet and Uber view this as critical technology that may upend the automobile industry.

Anthony Levandowski is at the center of this litigation because he worked at Google for pioneering the autonomous car project for 9 years.  He left Google in January 2016 and now works for Uber.  He is accused of retrieving information from a confidential server with designs of crucial technologies used for autonomous vehicles.

Uber believes that this lawsuit is just a “baseless attempt to slow down a competitor.”  Uber said that self-driving technology has been Mr. Levandowski’s life passion and has worked on it since college.  The race to self-driving automobiles continue and this lawsuit will be one to watch.

See Mike Isaac & Daisuke Wakabayashi, A Lawsuit Against Uber Highlights the Rush to Conquer Driverless Cars, N.Y. Times (Feb. 24, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/technology/anthony-levandowski-waymo-uber-google-lawsuit.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology&action=click&contentCollection=technology&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Justin Farooq

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court held for a California company in a patent infringement case that confines the international scope of U.S. patent laws.[1] The justices held, unanimously, that the company’s delivery of a single part of a patented invention for assemblage in a different country did not infringe patent laws.[2]  The California life science company delivered an enzyme used in DNA analysis tests to a company in London and merged it with numerous other components to make kits sold all over the world.[3]  Promega Corp., a company based in Wisconsin, sued claiming that the DNA analysis kits violated a U.S. patent.

At first the federal judge said the law did not cover export of a single component, giving $52 million to Promega, but then the federal appeals court specializing in patent cases reversed the judgement.[4]  They determined that a violation occurs when “all or a substantial portion of the components of a patent invention” are supplied from the United States to a foreign location, and writing for the high court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the law “does not cover the supply of a single component of a multicomponent invention.”[5]

Annie Millar

Recently, issues have arisen arguing that large pharmaceutical companies exist simply to steal our money and endanger the poor by immensely skyrocketing prices of pharmaceuticals. Most of this is a result of Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, who drastically increased the price of Daraprim from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill. As a result, the general public was outraged and other large pharmaceutical companies attempted to distance themselves from the actions of Shkreli. Merck CEO Ken Frazier spoke on behalf of the pharmaceutical company when he said:

“I think it is really important to our industry to make it clear that he is not us. We are a research-based pharmaceutical industry.”

When one scandal occurs in the pharmaceutical business, it tarnishes the entire industry. Part of this is likely due to the fact that many people have a natural disdain or distrust for the pharmaceutical industry. Medicine is expensive, treatments are expensive, and many die daily due to the inability to afford pharmaceuticals or treatments. When a mess up occurs in this sector, the public just marks it as another flaw of “big pharma.”

As a result, large pharmaceuticals have a bad reputation, and it is up to them to help instill faith in the general public and rebuild that reputation. How they do that is still up for debate.

See John LaMattina, Big Drug Companies Should Secede From The Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America, Forbes Magazine: Pharma & Healthcare (Jan. 27, 2017).

Lindsey Marie Round

While the overall trend worldwide seems to be to increase the amount of technology that individuals encounter daily, airlines may have a different idea in mind. The New York Times reports that many airlines are considering doing away with the television screens that are frequently found on the backs of the seats in an airplane.[1] Alternatively, the content typically available via these screens will be available to customers through streaming to their own personal devices.[2] One disadvantage to this decision may include the airline companies not being able to gain access to the newest movies, which they currently can obtain 1-2 months before they are released to the public for purchase.[3] In addition, customers will not be able to watch a movie or television show while they are doing work or performing other functions on their laptops since the laptop will be necessary to view the movie or show.[4] Furthermore, customers who do not bring a smartphone, tablet, or laptop on their flight will lose access to this amenity. However, this change is likely to only affect domestic flights and the longer flights will retain the personal screens.[5] For better or worse, this change will likely occur, but it will likely take years to implement so customers should not expect to see these changes in the very near future.

 

[1] Christopher Mele, Airlines Phasing Out Screens Because You Are All on Your Devices, N.Y. Times (Feb. 16, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/business/streaming-flights-movies.html.

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

Samantha Cirillo

Concerned about a children’s doll recording day-to-day conversations, the Federal Network Agency announced a ban on the latest interactive doll, “Cayla”. The ban was centered around a concern of hacker’s ability to steal personal information by accessing Cayla’s recordings over an insecure Bluetooth connection. The Cayla doll was manufactured by a company based out of the United States, Genesis Toys. The doll is made to interact with children by recording conversations and transmitting them to a computer software company, Nuance Communications. This is not the first time Germany has banned an interactive doll. “Hello Barbie” was also banned and nicknamed “Stasi-Barbie” due to its voice recording capabilities.

Similar consumer complaints against Cayla were also filed in the United States. The complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Genesis Toys have violated children’s privacy. One complaint stated that “these voice recordings are stored and used for purposes beyond providing for the toy’s functionality”.

See Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, The Bright-Eyed Talking Doll That Just Might Be a Spy, The New York Times (Feb. 17, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/technology/cayla-talking-doll-hackers.html.

Cecilia Santostefano

Back in December, an artificial intelligence start-up known as Argo AI developed, focusing on developing autonomous vehicle technology.[1] Now, it has gained the support of one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the country: Ford.[2]

Over the course of the next five years, Ford will be making a $1 billion investment in the start-up, making this Ford’s biggest effort to move into the self-driving industry.[3] Argo AI will function as a subsidiary of Ford, with Ford maintaining its independence as the majority shareholder.[4] Ford is reported to view mobility services as potentially more profitable than its traditional business of making and selling cars.[5] The autonomous vehicle is scheduled for release in 2021.[6]

[1] Mike Isaac and Neal E. Boudette, Ford to Invest $1 Billion in Artificial Intelligence Start-Up, NY Times, (Feb. 10, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/technology/ford-invests-billion-artificial-intelligence.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology.

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Stefan Ogbac, Ford Announces Investment in Artificial Intelligence Company Argo AI, Motor Trend, (Feb. 12, 2017), http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-announces-investment-artificial-intelligence-company-argo-ai/.

[5] Isaac, supra note 1.

[6] Ogbac, supra note 3.

Brittany Charles 

Take a walk around Washington D.C. and you might see something you never noticed before: an influx of technology companies in the area. It is true that Washington D.C. is the mecca for individuals seeking to work within all facets of American politics, from federal government to non-profit organizations. However, the historically government-oriented city is seeing a dramatic shift in its professional demographics.

In 2013, Forbes Magazine declared D.C. the “No. 1 New Tech Hot Spot” in the country[1]. Furthermore, Forbes has also consistently ranked D.C. on the “No. 1 New Tech Hot Spot” and “10 Top Software Hotspots” lists[2].In 2014, one year later, over 1,000 tech start-ups called D.C. home, challenging the notion that Silicon Valley was the undisputed king of all things tech[3]. More recently, large tech companies such as Google have all opened or expanded offices in the D.C. area[4]. While Silicon Valley remains the most concentrated area for tech companies, D.C. is quickly becoming the east coast capital of the technological boom[5].

The reason? It’s disputed. In 2012, D.C.’s local government officials begun implementing several measures to create the largest tech hub on the east coast within the city, including tax incentives for startups[6]. However, an increase in information technology, biotech and cybersecurity positions throughout the federal government has also drawn more techies to the area[7]. While experts dispute the rationale behind the growing technological sector in the city, it’s undisputable that D.C.’s mix of a highly educated populace, centrality to government and accessibility to the rest of the country makes it an attractive hub for the tech world. Silicon Valley may reign the U.S. tech sector, however, Washington D.C. is quickly becoming an east-coast solution for those interested in the industry without abandoning their coastline loyalties.

[1] America’s New Tech Hot Spots, Forbes, (Jan. 2013), https://www.forbes.com/pictures/edgl45eldd/no-1-washington-arlington-alexandria-dc-va-md-wv/#5b85c0474f12.

[2] Joel Kotkin, America’s Software and Tech Hotspots, Forbes, (Apr. 14, 2016 at 12:06), https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2016/04/14/americas-software-and-tech-hotspots/#40252ba0180f.

[3] Rebecca Sheir, Is D.C. Transforming From a Government Town Into A Tech Hub?, , Wamu, (Nov. 14, 2014), http://wamu.org/story/14/11/13/dc_going_from_a_government_town_to_tech_hub/.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7]Id.

Gurshamsheer Kailey

Ford Motor will invest in Argo AI, an artificial intelligence start-up formed in December. Ford Motor made an announcement of their plan to invest $ 1 billion in AI over the next five years. Argo AI will exclusively develop technology for self-driving cars for Ford first, and then license it to others.

Argo AI will be a subsidiary of Ford but will use its shares to lure robotics and engineering professionals from other companies. The company will have its roots in Silicon Valley. Ford now claims itself to be a provider of “mobility services” and sees these services to be more profitable that the business of making and selling cars. Mobility services have the potential to generate returns of around 20 percent, in comparison to 8 percent on making vehicles.

Ford is remaking its headquarters and main development center in Dearborn, Michigan. The automaker envisions the new campuses that will showcase green modes of transportation such as autonomous shuttles and electric bikes.

See Mike Isaac & Neal E. Boudette, Ford to Invest $1 Billion in Artificial Intelligence Start-Up, N.Y. Times (Feb. 10, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/technology/ford-invests-billion-artificial-intelligence.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftechnology.