It is 1982 and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just handed down their ruling in the case of  Universal v Sony  stating that Sony is liable for contributory infringement. Sony plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but that court has not yet agreed to hear the case. Y ou have been selected to write an op-ed article on the case for the   CS 306 Times . Your editor wants to know:  Was it the right decision, legally? Was it the right decision, ethically? What does the decision mean for the current state of the law and, perhaps more importantly, what will it mean for the American people, the technology industry, and media content creators? Your article needs to provide a thoughtful, reflective discussion of these questions.  Readers of  CS 306 Times  are expecting and counting on you to give them the full story with all its implications.  How will the outcome of this case affect them?  (To fully consider this, you may want to imagine an alternate history in which the Supreme Court chose not to consider Sony's appeal, and the ruling of the 9th Circuit stood.  How would that ruling have impacted copyright law and society if the case history ended at the 9th circuit?) The readers of the CS 306 Times have come to expect a high level of thoughtful reflection and analysis.  Don't let them down!  This is your chance to be creative, so feel free to add some journalistic flair along with your explanation and analysis.

Campus Shelters: The following scenarios take place at a campus shelter during an emergency evacuation of the southern part of the state due to a hurricane.  The campus has been designated to temporarily house storm evacuees. Campus officials have restricted evacuees to one campus building, and one parking facility. The campus security officers are securing the facility, with further assistance provided by local police officers.  Scenario 1: Background Checks:  Campus officials have reduced the area available to the evacuees so that they may only utilize one campus building and one parking facility. However, campus administrators remain concerned about the safety of students living on campus and the security of valuable equipment located in the buildings. To satisfy these concerns, local police officers suggest running background checks on anyone utilizing the facility.  As the evacuees enter the campus, all adults are required to provide a driver’ license or a state identification card,  allowing local police plan to check for arrest warrants or prior criminal convictions.  Should the campus shelter agree to run the background checks? Are such background checks legal? What possible difficulties could arise? What would you do if the driver of a car has an active warrant?   Scenario 2: Search and Seizure Campus officials are also concerned about individuals coming onto the campus and selling drugs, guns, and other such contraband to students. To prevent this fear from becoming a reality, local police suggest bringing in a metal detector and canine units to subject evacuees to “airline style” checks of baggage and clothing before evacuees are admitted to the shelter.  Should the campus  officials operating the shelter agree to this policy? If not, what changes to the policy would you suggest? Scenario 3: Theft:  Campus officials have allowed evacuees to bring personal items into the shelter, for personal use. These items include cell phones, televisions, personal computers, electronic gaming devices, and portable DVD players. Shelter volunteers are now being barraged by evacuees who are claiming that their personal property has been stolen and are seeking reimbursement for the value of these devices.  Who is responsible for the loss?  Scenario 4: Prescription Drug Use:  Campus officials have set up a policy defining anything that changes the body’s function as a drug, and registered nurses at the shelter keep all drugs and require a state issued identity card or driver’s license (to match the identity to the prescription) to receive doses of medications. An elderly evacuee has left her medication with the registered nurse, but does not have a state issued identification card. When she goes to get her dosage, the nurse denies her dosage.  Was this decision correct? Why or why not? What about if an evacuee arrives without his medications, what should the nurse do? Scenario 5: Shelter Sleeping Facilities: Campus officials had originally planned to place cots in one large room for sleeping facilities for 200-plus evacuees. However, the school has recently sold all their spare cots on E-Bay, and replacement cots are not available.   Campus officials then decide on a back-up plan, sleeping bags on the floor, with one person per sleeping bag.   Students are asked, and generously contribute dozens of sleeping bags to the shelter. Everything was running smoothly, until campus officials noticed two individuals violating the 1 person per bag policy, and asked them to promptly leave the shelter.  Was this the right decision, why or why not? What are the advantages, and disadvantages to having all the evacuees sleep in a large room than having smaller groups sleep in smaller rooms? Did the campus make the right call in allowing the evacuees to sleep in sleeping bags rather than in cots? Why or why not? Scenario 6: Emergence of a Biohazard:  Campus officials had received assistance from the Red Cross, including several medical professionals, 3 physicians and 5 nurses. The medical team was prepared to handle small biohazards, including needles from insulin syringes and injections, but it seems one can never truly be prepared for everything.  As stated previously, campus officials had decided to allow all evacuees to sleep in one large room to conserve space and allow other rooms for recreational activities.  One night, an evacuee proceeds to the medical station with what appeared to be an itchy rash. A physician on duty immediately diagnosed the rash as chicken pox, which is extremely contagious.  What steps should be taken to contain the outbreak and prevent further infection? What measures could have been taken in advance, so that staff members would be prepared for the emergence of a biohazard?