Topic: Legal Topics

The Open Invention Network is a collaborative enterprise formed to promote Linux, and protect the open source community from the threats of patent assertion and litigation. Keith Bergelt's job as the CEO is to ensure that the edges of this network are not intruded upon, and that the self-regulatory nature of open source has an opportunity to spread beyond Linux and the 300 plus programs that exist today.

Given current tax laws, $300 billion in charitable dollars can end up costing the U.S. Treasury $50 billion in lost income. Should taxable income exclude charitable contributions? In this talk, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Stanford political philosopher Rob Reich asks some tough questions, ultimately proposing a new way of looking at tax incentives to support the nonprofit sector.

Only 9 percent of the electorate thinks the U.S. Congress is doing a good job. Lawrence Lessig talks about the damage that arises from politicians focusing on raising funds to get themselves reelected. This constant attention to making money feeds the Washington 'economy of influence'. The morally destitute behavior, foretold by Thomas Jefferson in The Founders' Constitution, undermines the trust of the electorate in the institution of the government.

When a crime occurs in cyberspace, how do you cordon off the scene and process the evidence? Erin Kenneally is a lawyer who helps law enforcement agencies think about forensics in a connected world. In this conversation with host Jon Udell, she discusses how existing practices do -- and don't -- translate to the online digital realm.

Fraser Nelson, a consultant to nonprofits, gives an entertaining lesson on the why and how of nonprofit lobbying. Most nonprofits do not lobby government for a variety of reasons, but Nelson explains that it is legal, effective, and powerful. In this Stanford Social Innovation Review sponsored talk, Nelson concludes with ways to get the most out of your lobbying efforts and five rules to follow.

Carl Malamud discusses his campaign to be appointed as the Public Printer of the United States. As the head of the Governmnent Printing Office, he would continue the work he has done at Public.Resource.Org, where he has made easily available millions of pages of government documents, as well as video and photographic material. He also assesses the work necessary to include more material on government websites.

Businesses are not the only organizations rocked by financial scandals. Nonprofits such as the Red Cross, United Way, and many others have been hit as well. In this Stanford Social Innovation Review sponsored talk, Deborah Rhode discusses the need for an ethics upgrade in the nonprofit sector, which by its do-good nature is expected to take the moral high ground. She considers typical pitfalls that nonprofits are vulnerable to, and calls for clearer rules governing transparency and accountability.

There is an increasing argument for regulation of the internet. Dr. Jeffrey Eisenach presents the challenges faced by such regulation and the digital economy tied to the web. He talks about basic problems that cyberspace poses, and how the potential for harm is growing at the same rate as the internet itself. He emphasizes the necessity of global institutions and frameworks to bring order to the internet.

Insurance expert Karl Susman discusses how bloggers and other Web 2.0 users are beginning to deal with and better minimize the financial risk of their activities. He talks with Denise about how the industry is now offering ways for people and businesses to protect themselves in this age of instant communications with its problems of rumors and sometimes incorrect information.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Lori Andrews, the director of the Insititude for Science, Law and Technology in Illinois, about the use of DNA in a court of law.