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Are Characters of Literary Works Copyrightable, and How So?

Zenius Kang Under U.S. law, the long-established criterion of copyrightability is one of specificity.[1] As an important aspect of literary works, characters are copyrightable, given that they are depicted with sufficient distinctiveness and originality by the author.[2] It is therefore possible that within the same work, some well-developed characters are

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Can the High Seas Treaty Help the UN Meet its 2030 Agenda or is it Too Little Too Late for the World’s Oceans?

Aziz Woodward On January 17, 2026, the United Nations’ “High Seas Treaty” went into force after gaining the required sixty ratifications by national governments.[1] The treaty, also called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, is a multilateral convention which sets out to help the UN meet its goals of

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More Money, More Problems: NIL’s International Ripple Effect and the Talent Drain Abroad

John Patterson The recent introduction of the right for athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) into collegiate sports has officially breached international borders. Under the 2025 House settlement, collegiate athletes in the United States can now receive compensation for their NIL and institutions may partake in

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Pig‑Butchering Scams and the Non‑Punishment Principle: Why Trafficked “Scammers” Shouldn’t Be Treated as Criminals

Ben Forsberg Across the United States, headlines have emerged about retirees losing savings to crypto investment scams[1] and CEOs tricked into wiring company funds to offshore wallets.[2] Most of the attention has focused on financial victims, but far less attention has been paid to the other side of the scam

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The International Crimes Tribunal: The Flaws of Hybrid Tribunals for International Crimes

David Eide On November 17, Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, was sentenced to death in absentia by the Bangladeshi International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for crimes against humanity stemming from her government’s lethal crackdown on student protestors during the July 2024 Revolution.[1] This sentence is particularly notable because

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From Boycotts to “Neutral Athletes”: How the Olympics Manage Geopolitics After 1980

Jordan Visina The Olympic Games have long been portrayed as a sanctuary from global politics where international cooperation briefly eclipses geopolitical conflict. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently stated that the Olympics “are an excellent moment to symbolize peace and respect for international law and international cooperation.”[1] Yet, history suggests

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The Siege-State Paradox: Law, Hegemony, and the Case of Venezuela

Thomas Plunkett The Bolivarian Republic has always had the ire of Washington. Amidst renewed saber-rattling—extrajudicial drone strikes on “narcos,”[1] amphibious landing drills in Puerto Rico,[2] and carrier group deployments in the Caribbean[3]—Washington’s jus ad bellum: electoral illegitimacy and narco-corruption,[4] are symptoms. The deeper issue is alignment. Venezuela exited the American

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