Richmond Journal of Law and Technology

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Game Changing Tech and Regulations

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On March 16, 2025

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Game Changing Technology and Regulations: How AI is Reshaping Online Sports Betting and What the U.S. May Do About It

By: Chelsea Mojica

Since its legalization, online sports betting has made its mark on professional sports.[1] Sports betting is an activity that allows gamblers to predict the outcomes of future sporting events in conjunction with monetary wagers.[2] Bookmakers—teams comprised of sports experts, analysts, and statisticians—set the initial betting odds for the public, relying on complex mathematical calculations, statistical models, and historical data.[3] The lower the probability of an event happening, the bigger the potential monetary reward.[4] When the sporting event begins, the odds may fluctuate, similar to the stock market.[5] However, odds can lack uniformity among sportsbooks, allowing bettors to receive more cash rewards through some sportsbooks than others.[6] Consequently, AI has integrated itself into the betting world in an attempt to expedite and protect an arduous odds-making process.[7]

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Sweet Deal or Sweet Scam? How Honey is Allegedly Hurting Content Creators’ Commissions

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On March 7, 2025

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Sweet Deal or Sweet Scam? How Honey is Allegedly Hurting Content Creators’ Commissions

By: Anneliese McInniscoiny-paypal-1-dragged-e1684957590871.jpg

About 17 million consumers have downloaded Honey, PayPal’s free browser extension that finds the “best” deals and coupons to help you save money.[1] However, under Honey’s sweet facade lies an alleged commission-poaching scheme that has harmed content creators, influencers, and bloggers who earn revenue from online-shoppers using their affiliate links.[2]

Many content creators earn commission through product promotion and rely on affiliate marketing to generate revenue.[3] Affiliates earn commission by generating sales from consumers who use the affiliate’s assigned link.[4] Affiliates get credit for referring customers through tracking technology, which most people know as cookies.[5] “When a consumer clicks on an affiliate link, a cookie is placed in their browser. If that consumer makes a purchase, the affiliate responsible for the last-clicked link earns a commission.”[6] This model is called “last-click attribution.”[7]

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Building a Digital Future: Is America Ready for a Federal Digital Bill of Rights?

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On March 7, 2025

In Blog Posts

Building a Digital Future: Is America Ready for a Federal Digital Bill of Rights?

By: Evan Lees

In 2014, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Riley v. California, mandating that law enforcement obtain a warrant before searching digital information and underscoring the critical need for privacy protections in the digital age.[1]

With the rise of data breaches, expansion of Big Tech companies, and continued advancement of technology designed to steal online information, Americans are now desperate for a modern legal framework to protect their rights online. A study conducted by Ipsos found that “over 80% of Americans were concerned with the safety and privacy of their online data. Another study found that over 70% of Americans support establishing national standards for how companies collect personal data and support treating data privacy for individuals as a national security threat.”[2]

A nationwide digital bill of rights could be the solution.

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Why Do Companies Get to Profit Off My Period Cramps?

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On February 17, 2025

In Blog Posts

Why Do Data Companies Get to Profit Off My Period Cramps?

By: Mollie Turczyn

Data autonomy is premised on the ideology of having free control over your own actions, beliefs, and desires.[1] Generally speaking, autonomy provides a safe space for individuals to experiment with a set of choices instead of being confined to a singular result.[2] As such, individuals are able to think freely, form their own opinion, and make the choice that best aligns with their own belief system without fear of punishment.[3] Thus, autonomy is a key cornerstone of a democratic society.[4] Therefore, a democratic society is threatened when the government eliminates the set of choices to the point there is only one outcome to which an individual is confined.[5]

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Is Time up on TikTok?

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On February 17, 2025

In Blog Posts

Is Time Up for TikTok?

By: Rebecca Herzog

With over 170 million U.S. users, TikTok has a chokehold on the American public.[1]  Although the popular social media platform has had immense success, it has also faced years of controversy and criticism in the United States. The U.S. government has fought across presidential administrations to either ban or force the sale of the app to an American company.  This post examines the use of an executive order to force a sale and what such an order might mean for the future of TikTok and U.S. government compliance.

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Living in a Fantasy: How Fantasy Sports Leagues Circumvent Most Gambling Laws

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On February 2, 2025

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Living in a Fantasy: How Fantasy Sports Leagues Circumvent Most Gambling Laws

By: Nadia Farashahi

fantasy sports betting

In the past decade or two, the way people engage with sports has shifted from physical participation to digital experiences. Technology has enabled fans to incorporate both professional and amateur events in their personal entertainment.[1] Many people are acquainted with betting on game outcomes in the style of Las Vegas. Now, modern technologies have also “facilitated vicarious involvement by allowing sports fans to become ‘part of the action’ by engaging in fantasy sports.”[2] Fantasy sports leagues are contests where participants compete against one another using fictional teams. These fictional teams are “arranged in virtual leagues and are comprised of actual athletes who are deemed to ‘play’ for them.”[3] Outcomes are based on preset scoring systems linked to the statistical performance of players in actual sporting events.[4]

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Strategic Patenting Stifles Antibiotic Innovation

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On January 30, 2025

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Strategic Patenting Stifles Antibiotic Innovation

By: Brian Wilmans

Antibiotics are one of humanity’s greatest discoveries. They’ve made it possible to eradicate instances where a cut on a finger could turn fatal due to bacterial infection.

However, today, antibiotics are losing their efficacy. The CDC tracked seven different strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from 2019-2022, and six out of the seven increased their prevalence by 20 percent.[1] Overprescription of antibiotics is certainly a contributing factor in the increase in resistance, but another factor is the decreased number of new antibiotic classes being brought to market. Since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in 1940, the largest gap between new types of antibiotics being invented had been 13 years.[2] We are now in year 15 since the last novel class of antibiotic was created. There are myriad reasons for that, from funding for R&D to decreased profit margin for pharmaceutical companies. However, another reason for it that may be more on the periphery: pharmaceutical companies’ practice of strategic patenting.

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Who Owns GMOs?

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On January 30, 2025

In Blog Posts

Who Owns GMOs?

By: Brian Wilmans

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been around since the early 1970s and have steadily grown to impact all forms of commerce. From food to healthcare, the growing impact of GMOs has been felt around the world but very heavily in the United States specifically. As the landmass and population of the U.S. are significantly larger than that of most other countries and most of its farming is done on a larger, industrial scale, the U.S. has leaned more heavily on the use of GMOs to provide security for the country’s food supply.[1] In the U.S., it is estimated that over ninety percent of crops are genetically modified and that up to ninety-five percent of meat and dairy products feed on genetically modified crops.[2]

This has led to questions surrounding the ownership of those GMOs. If the organism could be obtained naturally, how do you determine that someone is the owner?

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NFL and UFC Mobilize the Feds Against Illegal Streams

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On January 30, 2025

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NFL and UFC Mobilize the Feds Against Illegal Streams

By: Donovan Sbiroli

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Image via Homeland Security Investigations *HSI) and WIBX.

For fans of the National Football League (NFL) to have access to most out-of-market games throughout a season, they need to purchase “NFL Sunday Ticket.” The product, which is sold by Alphabet, Inc. under its YouTube TV service, costs $479 at the start of the season.[1] In lieu of paying the base price of $479, millions of fans have turned to piracy and illegal streams.

Domain names of such illegal streams can be seized, however. Section 2323 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code provides for civil asset forfeiture and seizure. Paragraph (a) of the section reads:

“The following property is subject to forfeiture to the United States Government: any article, the making or trafficking of which is prohibited under section 506 of title 17… any property used, or intended to be used, in any manner or part to commit or facilitate the commission of an offense referred to in subparagraph (A)…For seizures made under this section, the court shall enter an appropriate protective order with respect to discovery and use of any records or information that has been seized . . . the court shall order that any property forfeited under paragraph (1) be destroyed.”[2]

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