http://www.deanboland.com Dean Boland has been active in the practice and teaching of technology law issues for more than ten years. He now represents criminal defense clients facing technology issues in prosecutions in both federal and state courts throughout the country. He is licensed in Ohio and is currently counsel in state and federal cases in Missouri, Virginia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The future of software piracy is vague. As long as the technology is available, people will continue to copy digital material they enjoy so they can share it others (sometimes for a fee). But copyright laws are in place for a reason, and violating those laws is a crime. It is up to the consumer to make responsible choices and purchases so the right parties get their kudos for creating such great material, but there will always be impostors. Caveat emptor. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=108 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST In recent years, the proliferation of cell phones has revolutionized our quotidian communications with family, friends, colleagues, and, unfortunately, telemarketers. The regulations that apply to cell phones are similar to those of landline telephones, but the portability and small size make the former much more appealing for those whose lifestyle or profession requires frequent communication with others. With added data features, like text messaging, cameras, and even the Internet, the cell phone is an attractive option for almost anyone looking to stay in contact with their acquaintances. However, this poses a problem for prison officials around the world, as cell phones are smuggled into jails, allowing those incarcerated for a variety of crimes to continue to conduct their business or even start riots, unbeknownst to the prison officials who regularly read inmates' mail. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=107 dean@deanboland.com Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST Within the past three years or so, hunting via an Internet connection, known as cyber hunting, has cropped up under the heading of some of the less-favorable activities the Internet allows us to do, and it is illegal in most states. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=106 dean@deanboland.com Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST Although millions of people across the United States enjoy the Internet in their homes, libraries, and workplaces, access to the Web costs money. This may change, however, according to a plan created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make Internet access free. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=105 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST Law keeping up with Technology http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=104 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST The recent election has made many computer-savvy people wonder about the changes that the new president will enact in the technology sector, affecting the way we compute and communicate. President-elect Barack Obama proposed to appoint a chief technology officer (CTO) to the White House, demonstrating his attention to the technology-related issues seen daily in the news and in government. On his new website, Change.gov, he stresses the importance of connecting citizens to cooperate in solving the nation's problems, and emphasizes the potential role of technology in government. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=103 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST The Wall Street Journal, on October 23, 2008, published a large article quoting from various federal judges about the severity of child pornography possession sentences. No liberal newspaper, the article questions the sanity of imprisoning people for 20 years or more for conduct occurring within their own home, sitting alone in front of their computer. Many of the arguments... http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=102 dean@deanboland.com Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST Britain's Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has announced plans for a central database that would record every email, phone call, and website visit made in Britain. Although the Liberal Democrats party has called this proposal Orwellian, Smith maintains that the database would not include any content of the emails or phone calls, but rather more basic information pertaining to times and email addresses of senders and recipients of electronic messages. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=101 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST Having a criminal record can be damaging to several aspects of one's life. It can make it especially difficult to find employment; indeed, some jobs are unattainable for individuals who have been in trouble with the law. However, if one chooses to expunge their record, then they will no longer be considered a criminal by potential employers - in theory. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=100 dean@deanboland.com Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST Despite what some may believe, the intangibility of the Internet does not prevent it from being stolen from others, or at least its utility. Wireless connections bring the Internet within reach of individuals' computers without the need to physically connect the computer to a modem. However, wireless connections can typically extend over one hundred feet beyond the house or building where they have been set up. If the connection is unsecured - that is, if it is not protected with a password or otherwise - then anybody within range can access that connection. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=99 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST In the summer of 1995, The Net premiered in theaters around the world. Sandra Bullock played Angela Bennett, a computer software analyst who is the victim of identity theft. Those days, phishing might have been construed as attending a Vermont concert to hear some crunchy grooves, Trojan horse referred to the large wooden contraption Laocoön warned his fellow citizens about thousands of years ago, and malware might have been understood as what kids sported to the local shopping center. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=98 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST Anybody can post information on the Internet, and many people do, but being aware of obscenity law and how it applies to United States culture in general is critical when the information is of a sexual nature. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=97 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Newswires are buzzing about the hacking of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's Yahoo! email account, which brings up the topic of email privacy and security. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=96 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Due to the current popularity of Internet blogs and other areas of the web where content is controlled by any regular computer user, it inevitable that much of the information available may be a facsimile of the original source of the information. When the original information has a copyright or trademark, then the individual who took that information from its source and reproduced it for their own purposes did so illegally. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=95 dean@deanboland.com Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Besides offering up information one might like to see, like the perfect brownie recipe or an answer to a bothersome question, the Internet also contains information that may be considered extremely offensive, harmful, or even illegal. There are many options available to parents of children who frequent the net, but how can all citizens, especially the victims of child pornography, be protected from offensive material? Various countries around the world are fighting back with legislature to combat the proliferation of illicit and harmful material on the Internet, but some may be going too far. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=94 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Having weak security on your computer opens the door to unwanted material showing up on your hard drive. That can produce difficulties in determining whether a person knowingly put illicit files such as child pornography on his computer or the whether the files were saved there without his knowledge or intention. People performing routine computer repairs as a profession are in a position to stumble across such files in an unwitting clients computer without intentionally seeking them out. Under laws passed within the past year in Texas (Private Security Act) and Michigan (House Bill 5274) could land technical repair people accused of doing computer investigations in prison terms of up to one or four years, respectively, along with hefty damages and fines. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=93 dean@deanboland.com Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Social networks make public what was once private information. While this may help some, it may harm others. The already established history of cases in which information from social networking sites influenced the decision serves as a caveat for all those who maintain profiles on sites like MySpace or Facebook: the internet is fair game in the legal system. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=92 dean@deanboland.com Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST In a stunning ruling in favor of his client, Dean Boland today obtained a rare order from the Ohio Supreme Court that his client be released pending appeal. The client was convicted at the trial court (represented by other counsel), his conviction affirmed on appeal and the case accepted by the Ohio Supreme Court earlier this year and is pending their consideration. While the case was pending, Dean Boland... http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=91 dean@deanboland.com Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Our client contacted us after working with initial counsel for nearly two years on a federal child pornography investigation. Utilizing our experience, expert witness contacts and select private investigators, Dean Boland and his firm persuaded the government to drop its case. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia today received a motion by the federal government to dismiss its entire case without prejudice against our firm's client. After an exhaustive investigation, including the use of a computer forensics expert... http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=90 dean@deanboland.com Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Be sure that the person that you are trusting with your case is both technologically savvy and willing to stay afloat in our ever changing world. http://www.deanboland.com/blogDetail.cfm?blogID=89 dean@deanboland.com Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST