Chance or Skill: Fantasy Sports Leagues and Gambling

Posted on December 3, 2019December 13, 2019 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

This piece has been authored by Karthik Subramaniam, a second year student at NALSAR University of Law. It discusses the debate surrounding Fantasy Gaming Leagues and gambling.

Spectator sports have been popular since time immemorial. fantasy sports leagues across the world have gained huge fan bases and manage to rake in massive revenues. The National Football League (NFL), the premier American Football tournament in the United States managed to generate revenue of around 13,680 million USD in 2017, which surpasses the GDP of almost 64 countries. Many individuals see these leagues as geese that lay golden eggs, thereby, motivating them to get involved.

Algorithms: Can They Collude?

Posted on November 19, 2019December 13, 2019 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

This piece has been authored by Lokesh Vyas, a fourth year law student at Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad. Here, he gives a lucid explanation of issues posed by the increasing use of algorithms.

The Cloak of Algorithms

Unlike the traditional market, the digital economy does not have any geographical limits. Thus, there is fierce competition among all the players. However, due to the unequal availability of resources, it is becoming increasingly difficult for new aspirants to join the market. The use of pricing algorithms, presently adversely affects the present landscape of online retail.

Metadata by TLF: Issue 7

Posted on November 14, 2019December 20, 2020 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter, where our Editors put together handpicked stories from the world of tech law! You can find other issues here.

Israel spyware ‘Pegasus’ used to snoop on Indian activists, journalists, lawyers

Standardizing the Data Economy

Posted on October 17, 2019December 13, 2019 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

This piece has been authored by Namratha Murugeshan, a final year student at NALSAR University of Law and member of the Tech Law Forum.

In 2006, Clive Humby, a British mathematician said with incredible foresight that “data is the new oil”. Fast forward to 2019, we see how data has singularly been responsible for big-tech companies getting closer to and surpassing the trillion-dollar net worth mark. The ‘big 4’ tech companies, Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon have incredibly large reserves of data both in terms of data collection (owing to the sheer number of users each company retains) and in terms of access to data that is collected through this usage. With an increasing number of applications and avenues for data to be used, the requirement of standardizing the data economy manifests itself strongly with more countries recognizing the need to have specific laws concerning data.

Metadata by TLF: Issue 6

Posted on October 10, 2019December 20, 2020 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter, where our Editors put together handpicked stories from the world of tech law! You can find other issues here.

Delhi HC orders social media platforms to take down sexual harassment allegations against artist

The Delhi High Court ordered Facebook, Google and Instagram to remove search result, posts and any content containing allegations of sexual harassment against artist Subodh Gupta. These include blocking/removal of social media posts, articles and Google Search result links. The allegations were made about a year ago, by an unknown co-worker of Gupta on an anonymous Instagram account ‘Herdsceneand’. These allegations were also posted on Facebook and circulated by news reporting agencies. An aggrieved Subodh Gupta then filed a civil defamation suit, stating these allegations to be false and malicious. Noting the seriousness of the allegations, the Court passed an ex-parte order asking the Instagram account holder, Instagram, Facebook and Google to take down this content. The Court has now directed Facebook to produce the identity of the person behind the account ‘Herdsceneand’ in a sealed cover.

E-Pharmacy and Tech Law: An Interface (Part II)

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Tech Law Forum NALSAR

This is the second part of a 2-part post authored by Anubhuti Garg, 4th year, and Gourav Kathuria, 2nd year, of NALSAR University of Law. Part I can be found here.

The previous post analysed the laws applicable to e-pharmacies in India. The present post looks at the draft e-pharmacy rules and its implications and suggests ways to ensure the smooth application of the law in India.

E-Pharmacy and Tech Law: An Interface (Part I)

Posted on October 2, 2019October 2, 2019 by Tech Law Forum NALSAR

This is the first part of a 2-part post authored by Anubhuti Garg, 4th year, and Gourav Kathuria, 2nd year, of NALSAR University of Law. Part II can be found here.

The growth of the Internet and rise of companies like Amazon and Flipkart has meant that e-commerce is rapidly gaining traction in India. A notable emergence in this regard has been that of e-pharmacies, which provide heft discounts and hassle-free deliveries to attract consumers. Their arrival on the scene has been acknowledged by the government which has tried to bring in a draft policy in order to regulate these entities, however it is yet to be implemented. The existing laws are inadequate when it comes to dealing with e-pharmacies and there is an urgent need for new legislation governing the issue which is precisely what the Sale of Drugs by E-Pharmacy (Draft Rules) aim to do.

Artificial Intelligence is a Road Map to Transmogrification of Legal Industry

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Tech Law Forum NALSAR

This piece, taking an optimistic view of the use of AI in the legal industry, has been authored by Priyal Agrawal and Laxmi Rathore. They are currently in their 3rd year at the Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, NMIMS, Mumbai.

“In the long term, artificial intelligence and automation are going to be taking over so much of what gives humans a feeling of purpose.” – Matt Bellamy

Emergence of OTT Market in India: Regulatory and Censorship Issues

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Tech Law Forum NALSAR

This post has been authored by Gaurav Kumar, a 3rd year student at Dr. Ram Manhar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow. He is also a Contributing Editor at the RMLNLU Arbitration Law Blog.

The media industry in recent times is witnessing a revolution when it comes to censorship of streaming content. As compared to theatres it has become comparatively much easier for the web industry to dodge any moral scrutiny when releasing its work. While the release of the Narendra Modi biopic during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections caused significant controversy, a web series on the same subject was allowed to air without any issues, though it was later removed by the Election Commission for having violated the Model Code of Conduct.

Metadata by TLF: Issue 5

Posted on September 25, 2019December 20, 2020 by Tech Law Forum @ NALSAR

Welcome to our fortnightly newsletter, where our Editors put together handpicked stories from the world of tech law! You can find other issues here.

RBI Releases Discussion Paper on Guidelines for Payment Gateways and Payment Aggregators

The RBI on 17th September released a discussion paper on comprehensive guidelines for the activities of payment aggregators and payment gateway providers. It was acknowledged that payment aggregators and payment gateways form a crucial link in the flow of transactions and therefore need to be regulated. The RBI has suggested that these entities be governed by the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 which requires all ‘payment systems’ (as defined in the Act) to be authorised by the RBI. Additionally, different frameworks have been proposed for regulating payment aggregators and payment gateways, and full and direct regulation has been discussed in detail. This would entail payment aggregators and gateway services to fully comply with any guidelines issued by the RBI.