Fool's analysis of Yahoo.. >>
<< Western Union really delivers
 tdicon 

Ramblings

by Mike Masnick

Mon, Sep 11th 2000 5:13pm





Should There Be Special Tech Courts?

from the hmmmm... dept

An interesting article in the NY Times wondering whether or not there should be special courts that focus on technology cases. This is in response to the fact that many of today's judges don't have nearly enough background to understand exactly what it is they're deciding about. I'm a little torn on this idea. I can see the benefits - especially in light of a number of stupid court decisions lately. Then again, I'm not sure technology is so special. It should be something that can be explained to the judge so that they can understand it.

2 Comments | Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1.  
    identicon
    Ed Random, Sep 11th, 2000 @ 11:23pm

    Why not?

    At first glance, this seems unnecessary -- after all, time very quickly changes what seems to be cutting edge and complex and what isn't. Surely any artificial distinction between tech and non-tech cases would be dated very quickly. However, I think that all they are suggesting is that judges specialize in hearing certain kinds of cases, and that makes perfect sense. Every other profession has specialties, why not the judiciary? You're not going to take an intellectual property case to a divorce lawyer or go to an ObGyn for a fracture.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    mhh5, Sep 12th, 2000 @ 4:21am

    Difficult...?

    This sounds like a good idea, but where do you get people who are 'technically-savvy' but who also would be unbiased? The recording studios might argue that any young dot-com'er turned judge might have something to gain from his own rulings. In the end, all we really need is an intelligent judge and good representation... and a fairly good appeals process. My personal paranoid delusion is that the DeCSS judge was bribed like a made-for-TV-movie's southern law enforcement officer employed to harass tobacco-industry-whistler-blowers...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


Add Your Comment

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here
Get Techdirt’s Daily Email
Save me a cookie
  • Note: A CRLF will be replaced by a break tag (<br>), all other allowable HTML will remain intact
  • Allowed HTML Tags: <b> <i> <a> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <hr> <tt>
Fool's analysis of Yahoo.. >>
<< Western Union really delivers
 tdicon 
Follow Techdirt
Flattr rss rss
A word from our Sponsors...
Sponsored Resource
Essential Reading
Techdirt Reading List
Techdirt Insider Chat

A word from our Sponsors...
Recent Stories

Tuesday

12:01pm: If You Think You Should Actually Own Products You Bought, Now Would Be A Good Time To Call Congress (23)
11:04am: Makers Of Nutella Force Fan Who Created World Nutella Day To Shut It Down (26)
10:05am: Kitchen Nightmares Lawyers Threaten Infamous Samy And Amy If They Talk About Their Experience On The Show (22)
9:03am: If You're Going To Illegally Seize Citizens' Cell Phones, At Least Make Sure You're Grabbing The Right Ones (52)
7:41am: DOJ And Dept. Of Education To Colleges: Start Restricting Free Speech On Campus Or Kiss Your Federal Funding Goodbye (72)
5:37am: Retired Lt. Col.: Violent Media Has Bred A Generation Of Killers (76)
3:33am: Why Even Good Hospitals And Doctors Are An Obstacle To Better, Cheaper Healthcare (19)
12:10am: 'Intellectual Property' Mess Holding Up The TPP (19)

Monday

8:04pm: Criminal Nabbed By His Own Food Porn (8)
5:00pm: DailyDirt: Taking Another Look At Nuclear Energy... (20)
More arrow
A word from our Sponsors...

Close

Email This