CM Law Faculty

Chris Sagers, the James A. Thomas Professor of Law, appeared in various media recently on a variety of pending antitrust issues.

Sagers wrote his own piece in Slate on the Federal Trade Commission’s historic lawsuit against Facebook, and also spoke about the case with Agence-France Presse.

He spoke with both Publishers Weekly and Bloomberg about the pending acquisition of book publisher Simon & Schuster, by Penguin Random House or the News Corp subsidiary HarperCollins. The deal would leave only four major publishers of English-language trade books in the entire world, each of which would be a unit of the handful of multinational conglomerates that largely control mass media. 

Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson worked with Andrew Thomas, Director of CSU’s Center for Energy Policy and Law and C|M|LAW Adjunct Professor to plan and present a conference on Oil and Gas Unitization Policy and Law.  The program, held via Zoom on December 14, 2020, was co-sponsored by C|M|LAW, the Levin College, and the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission. 

In addition to Professor Robertson, speakers included the Director of the Oil and Gas Commission, an Assistant Ohio Attorney General, practitioners, and oil and gas professors from Louisiana. 

Robertson presented on a panel on Ohio Unitization law; she discussed unitization and mandatory pooling issues in Ohio from the landowner perspective.  In particular, Robertson discussed landowner rights under unitization agreements, current practices on risk-penalty/interest for statutorily unitized landowners, and takings and other defenses.

Robertson is the Steven W. Percy Distinguished Professor of Law at C|M|LAW and Professor of Environmental Studies at the Levin College of Urban Affairs.

Professor Christa Laser’s article, Certiorari in Patent Cases, is in the SSRN top ten list of the most downloaded recent papers in Intellectual Property Empirical Studies.   A link to the draft paper is here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3728706

Professor Christa Laser submitted comments in response to Senator Josh Hawley’s request for views on potential reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In her comments, Professor Laser advocated an optional alternative dispute resolution forum for DMCA disputes. She also suggested that DMCA mechanisms could be used to target deepfakes, impersonation, and revenge pornography on the internet by expanding DMCA provisions to certain right of publicity and right of privacy violations.

Professor Christa Laser’s forthcoming article, Certiorari in Patent Cases, was highlighted this week in the leading patent law blog, PatentlyO.com. 

A link to Professor Laser’s article is here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3728706

Professor Milena Sterio participated as an expert and consultant in a two-day training program, on December 8-9, on Human Rights Documentation practices.  The training was organized by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and its participants included NGOs and civil society organizations from Africa, Asia and South America.  Professor Sterio’s presentations focused on the mechanics of human rights documentation practices, as well as on the connection between human right documentation, transitional justice and accountability.  

Professor Mark Sundahl recently published a letter in the journal Science, discussing NASA’s Artemis Accords, which are the bilateral agreements that NASA is using to partner with other space agencies in its return to the Moon. Professor Sundahl’s letter defends the Artemis Accords from criticisms by other commentators.

Science is one of the world’s leading academic journals. Professor Sundahl’s letter appears in Volume 370, Issue 6520, at page 1045.

Professor Sundahl is the director of Cleveland-Marshall’s Global Space Law Center.

Professor Milena Sterio published a blog post on Opinio Juris, one of the most prominent academic blogs in the field of international law.  Professor Sterio’s post is part of a Book Symposium, focused on Professor Jennifer Trahan’s recently published book, “Existing Legal Limits to Security Council Veto Power in the Face of Atrocity Crimes” (Cambridge University Press 2020).  Professor Sterio’s post entitled “Voluntary Veto Restraint Initiatives as Evidence of the Global Community’s Disapproval of the Use of the Veto Power” discusses different veto power restraint initiatives undertaken by states over the past several decades.  

Professor Sterio’s post is available here:
http://opiniojuris.org/2020/12/02/unsc-veto-power-symposium-voluntary-veto-restraint-initiatives-as-evidence-of-the-global-communitys-disapproval-of-the-use-of-the-veto-power/

Dean Lee Fisher and his wife Peggy Zone Fisher have been awarded the 2021 Richard W. Pogue Award for Excellence in Community Leadership and Engagement by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation. Peggy Zone Fisher is the President and CEO of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.

The award announcement notes that Lee and Peggy, “the ultimate Cleveland power couple,” have “have an unparalleled history of leadership in business, politics, law and community service,” which has spanned more than four decades.

The award will be presented on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at the Music Box Supper Club.

Professor Matthew W. Green Jr. was invited to participate on a panel in which law professors from the Cleveland area discussed issues of social justice and ways in which lawyers can join the fight for social justice in their communities through practical action.  Professor Green’s remarks focused on actions employers and lawyers might take to reduce workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals as well as members of other marginalized groups. 

The event, which took place on Wednesday, November 18, was sponsored by the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA).