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07 June 2024 / Harry Lambert
Issue: 8074 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology , Artificial intelligence , Privacy
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Neurotechnology & the law

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In the first of a series of articles on the interplay between neurotechnology & different areas of law, Harry Lambert brings us up to speed on neurotech capabilities
  • Focuses on ‘neurorights’ from a legal perspective, including how they might apply to different areas of practice, and how other jurisdictions are seeking to protect them.

I want you to consider the list below. Each item is a potential application of monitoring, harvesting and analysing brain wave data from electroencephalograms (EEGs). But which of these neurotech capabilities do you think are: (a) possible in the near future; (b) possible in the long term; or (c) impossible?

In ascending order of radicality and/or dystopian-ness (if that is a word) here is the list:

(1) predicting who will suffer from degenerative diseases;

(2) monitoring levels of fatigue;

(3) checking that someone is listening to you/concentrating;

(4) direct brain-to-brain communication;

(5) ascertaining a subject’s political leanings, religious beliefs or amorous feelings;

(6) implanting dreams about products;

(7) scanning a suspect’s memory to

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

EIP—Stuart Malcolm

EIP—Stuart Malcolm

EIP strengthens Commercial practice with a new partner

Ellisons—Francesca Brown

Ellisons—Francesca Brown

Ellisons welcomes Francesca Brown to Family team

Shakespeare Martineau—Marie Bourke

Shakespeare Martineau—Marie Bourke

Shakespeare Martineau strengthens Sheffield regulatory practice with new hires

NEWS
A wide-ranging Civil Way column highlights developments from insolvency procedure to employment law, but one case stands out for its lessons on bankruptcy, family homes and digital communications
A sprawling Intellectual Property Office battle between House of Fraser and Frasers Property has delivered a masterclass in modern trade mark law
Courts in England and Wales and Singapore are increasingly confronting complex disputes over international child relocation as families become more globally mobile
The government’s long-awaited family law reform consultation could mark a turning point for domestic abuse victims navigating financial remedy proceedings, but significant challenges remain
A new commercial court pilot giving the public access to documents used in hearings, including expert reports, is raising difficult questions about transparency and privacy
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