December 2, 2016

Dear Readers,

We are proud to present the First Issue of the Twenty-Third Volume of the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology. Since 1995, when JOLT became the first law review to publish exclusively online, our Journal has strived to be a leading publication in the legal technology field. Our goal remains to publish unique and salient articles that are on the cusp of the constantly evolving legal technology field. As always we hope that our authors’ intriguing articles and correlating insights provide a vehicle for discussions advancing the legal field and specifically its technological aspects.

Our first article is entitled “Co-Developing Drugs With Indigenous Communities: Lessons From Peruvian Law And The Ayahuasca Patent Dispute.” In the article, author Daniel Sem examines the issues surrounding the co-development of drugs derived from traditional medicines in Amazonia. Sem addresses the issue of ensuring that the drug development ventures are fair to the indigenous cultures that possess the Traditional Medical Knowledge (TMK), regarding the drug in question. Sem questions the potential bias of Western based Intellectual Property laws and their relationship with the Traditional Medical Knowledge of the indigenous cultures. The article additionally assesses proposed solutions that Sem proffers do not adequately protect the indigenous cultures. After analyzing the existing legal framework in the U.S., Peru, and the Andean region, the author provides a potential collaborative solution in the form of a co-development research agreement. The author’s conclusion could potentially provide for a fair partnership between U.S. and Peruvian researchers, balancing the interests of the drug developers and the respective indigenous cultures.

The second article of Issue One is written by Hilary Buttrick, Jason Davidson, and Richard McGowan. The article, “The Skeleton Of A Data Breach: The Ethical And Legal Concerns” provides a holistic analysis of not only the implications of a data breach, but additionally addresses a data breach’s anatomy. After addressing how the breach is constructed and implemented, the authors analyze the ethical and moral concerns of the company who has experienced the breach, and the relationship to consumers. The authors then address the legal aspects of data breaches, including notification protocol as well as consumer remedies. Finally the article addresses viable business strategies to combat and prevent future data breaches. This well constructed article is particularly relevant this year, as JOLT’s upcoming symposium will focus on data security.

On behalf of the Volume XXIII JOLT staff, I want to extend our sincerest thanks to our fantastic authors, each of whom was a pleasure to work with. I would also personally like to extend my gratitude to the JOLT Editorial Board and Staff for their hard work and professionalism in bringing Issue One to publication. As always, JOLT greatly appreciates the ongoing support and guidance of our faculty advisors, Dean Jim Gibson and Professor Chris Cotropia. Finally, we as a Journal offer our sincerest gratitude to you, our readers. We are always appreciative of the impressive readership that our Journal has cultivated, and we hope for your continued interest in the future.

Thank you for visiting the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology. We sincerely hope that you enjoy Issue One. As always, your questions, comments, and suggestions are welcomed @jolt.richmond.edu.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brandon T. Bybee

Editor-in-Chief, Volume XXIII