The Law School’s Program on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) sponsored provocative discussions last spring on how technology is changing perceptions about Americans’ right to privacy and the staying power of other cultural norms. IP expert Ilhyung Lee ’88 raised questions like: “Are racial slurs and epithets now constitutionally protected if the user files a trademark registration?” and “For purposes of the First Amendment, should trademarks be treated the same as copyrighted works?” Heather Egan Sussman ’00 and Aravind Swaminthan, from the Boston law firm Orrick, were living proof that there is no question about the growing need for lawyers with expertise in cybersecurity and privacy law. Meanwhile, a panel of experts from Citrix, GE, and the privacy professionals group IAPP asked—and partially answered—the query, “Is it time for a national privacy law?”
Photograph above: Aravind Swamintham