Does regulation of illegal content in the EU need reconsideration in light of blockchains?

Blockchains are increasingly being used for content distribution, sometimes as an unwanted side-effect of blockchain applications that have other primary purposes, sometimes as intended content distribution. The typical characteristics of a blockchain such as its claimed immutability raise new questions as to what preventive measures can reasonably be demanded from blockchain intermediaries, and administrators of nodes in particular. The article asks whether the exemptions introduced in the Directive on electronic commerce can be applied, what mitigating or preventive measures other than Notice-and-Takedown can be applied and how governmental regulators should react

Psychosocial functioning of adult siblings of Dutch very long-term survivors of childhood cancer:DCCSS-LATER 2 psycho-oncology study

Objective: To describe psychosocial outcomes among adult siblings of very long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS), to compare these outcomes to reference populations and to identify factors associated with siblings' psychosocial outcomes. Methods: Siblings of survivors (diagnosed &lt;18 years old, between 1963 and 2001, &gt;5 years since diagnosis) of the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor Study DCCSS-LATER cohort were invited to complete questionnaires on HRQoL (TNO-AZL Questionnaire for Adult's HRQoL), anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), post-traumatic stress (Self-Rating Scale for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and benefit and burden (Benefit and Burden Scale for Children). Outcomes were compared to a reference group if available, using Mann-Whitney U and chi-Square tests. Associations of siblings' sociodemographic and CCS’ cancer-related characteristics with the outcomes were assessed with mixed model analysis. Results: Five hundred five siblings (response rate 34%, 64% female, mean age 37.5, mean time since diagnosis 29.5) of 412 CCS participated. Siblings had comparable HRQoL, anxiety and self-esteem to references with no or small differences (r = 0.08−0.15, p &lt; 0.05) and less depression. Proportions of symptomatic PTSD were very small (0.4%−0.6%). Effect sizes of associations of siblings' sociodemographic and CCS cancer-related characteristics were mostly small to medium (β = 0.19−0.67, p &lt; 0.05) and no clear trend was found in the studied associated factors for worse outcomes. Conclusions: On the very long-term, siblings do not have impaired psychosocial functioning compared to references. Cancer-related factors seem not to impact siblings' psychosocial functioning. Early support and education remain essential to prevent long-term consequences.</p

Pharmacokinetic aspects of retinal drug delivery

Drug delivery to the posterior eye segment is an important challenge in ophthalmology, because many diseases affect the retina and choroid leading to impaired vision or blindness. Currently, intravitreal injections are the method of choice to administer drugs to the retina, but this approach is applicable only in selected cases (e.g. anti-VEGF antibodies and soluble receptors). There are two basic approaches that can be adopted to improve retinal drug delivery: prolonged and/or retina targeted delivery of intravitreal drugs and use of other routes of drug administration, such as periocular, suprachoroidal, sub-retinal, systemic, or topical. Properties of the administration route, drug and delivery system determine the efficacy and safety of these approaches. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors determine the required dosing rates and doses that are needed for drug action. In addition, tolerability factors limit the use of many materials in ocular drug delivery. This review article provides a critical discussion of retinal drug delivery, particularly from the pharmacokinetic point of view. This article does not include an extensive review of drug delivery technologies, because they have already been reviewed several times recently. Instead, we aim to provide a systematic and quantitative view on the pharmacokinetic factors in drug delivery to the posterior eye segment. This review is based on the literature and unpublished data from the authors' laboratory.Peer reviewe

Digital watermarks as legal evidence

Maurice Schellekens considers a technical approach to identifying intellectual property in a digital format, assessing the practical issues, including the privacy, data protection and evidential issues associated with the inclsion of digital watermarks in films

Artificial intelligence and the re-imagination of inventive step

Artificial intelligence alleviates the work of the inventor. It may even in a distant future take the place of the human inventor. Legal literature has amply reflected about the implications of AI for the requirement of inventive step. In the literature, much attention has been paid to the algorithms of AI since the role they play seems to be the most similar to that of the human inventor. Although it cannot be completely ruled out that the human inventor will eventually be displaced, it seems to be something for a distant future. This article analyses the implications for the inventive step requirement and concludes that the introduction of a machine-skilled in-the-art as a criterion figure creates many new problems and that in the foreseeable future, existing criteria may function better than is sometimes suggested

Data from connected cars for the public cause

Sensors of connected cars generate a large body of data. Although intended to enhance vehicle functions, these data can be used for many more purposes. In literature, much attention has gone to added commercial services. The data can however also be used for government services, such as for planning, organizing and execution of road inspections and maintenance and for informing government (mobility) policy. The OEM finds itself in a gatekeeper position in relation to the data. In relation to commercial added services, the gatekeeper position of OEMs fuels concerns about adverse economic/welfare implications. Does the gatekeeper function raise similar (oreven very different) concerns about the use of data for government purposes? This paper identifies potential concerns in this field and considers starting points for regulatory responses to the concerns. A forecast of concerns and responses is complicated by the rapid pace of technical developments and the continuously changing roles of actors in the field

European patent policy levers in the software industry

This article investigates whether European patent law, which is in essence technology neutral, is applied in a specific way to software. It finds that there is a strong domain specificity, which has mainly been caused by differentiated application of the exclusions from patentability. To elucidate this differentiation, the article introduces the concepts of absolute and abstraction exclusions