Welcome to the Future!
Weird that we’re talking about AI here in our property rights/constitutional rights information, but here we go. OpenAI asks its users to comply with copyrights and intellectual property laws. oh…okay… sure, like that’s happening. Those in the know suggest that you host your data on a private server to prevent genAI from scraping your intellectual property.
Nature | Intellectual property and data privacy: the hidden risks of AI
Can an HOA amend its covenants to restrict short term rentals? A court in North Carolina said no if the original covenants had no restraints on alienation, even if the HOA followed all the rules to amend their covenants. McDougald v. White Oak Plantation Homeowners Ass’n, 904 S.E.2d 180 (N.C. Ct. App. 2024).
Courts in New Jersey are considering whether a police chief’s home address can be published by a journalist. The N.J. intermediate appellate court said nope, there is no 1st amendment protection in official’s home addresses.
Reason | N.J. S. Ct. Will Decide Whether Journalist May Publish Police Chief’s Home Address
The 6th Circuit has ruled that police damage to a residence is not compensable damage under the Takings Clause. Slaybaugh v. Rutherford Cnty., 2024 WL 4020769 (6th Cir. 2024).
Google is investing $13M in satellites that will work with AI to detect wildfires. The Google satellite program, FireSata will be a constellation of more than 50 satellites.
This week the California Energy Commission adopted new building codes that seek to require heat pumps in all new residences beginning in 2026. Agency staff estimates that the heat pump requirement will save almost $5 billion in energy costs and cut 4 million metric tons of carbon emissions over three years.
Sacramento Bee | California pushes heat pumps for all new homes starting 2026 with new building code
A drone operator is asking the US Supreme Court to consider its position that the U.S. Constitution protects drone operators that are conducting aerial mapping. The drone operator also argues that it should not need a surveying license from North Carolina to operate.
Bird-building collisions cause the death of more than 1 billion birds a year. Regulatory possibilities to clear sidewalks of bird carcasses include building codes with bird friendly provisions; state laws like Illinois which in 2021 passed a law requiring all new state-owned buildings to incorporate netting, screens, shutters and other bird-friendly features; leaving it to the Feds to create a permitting process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act within the Department of U.S. Fish and Wildlife; let the locals handle it like in 2013 when Oakland became the 3rd city to adopt a bird ordinance which requires the application of bird-friendly glazing to at least 90% of windows and glass between the ground and 60 feet above ground, turn out nighttime architectural lights, install motion sensors or timers so that they can be programmed to turn off between 11 p.m. and sunrise, and minimize roof antennas and other rooftop structures that create additional collision risks; or private sector action e.g. the owners of Chicago’s McCormick Place are installing decals with little polka dots on the windows to reduce collisions.
Route Fifty | As deadly bird collisions with buildings mount, cities look for solutions
Pending the Governor’s signature, California’s AB 98 (2024 | CA), would require, with exceptions, that new warehouses be built on arterial roads, collector roads, major thoroughfares or local roads primarily used by commercial traffic. The goal of distance requirements for warehouses is to limit noise and pollution from neighborhoods and schools. The bill would also require warehouses to add landscaping screens and implement set backs for buildings.
SB Sun | Bill separating warehouses from homes, schools passes California Legislature
Home Owner Associations in Illinois can no longer prevent the planting of native plants. The Legislature passed the Homeowners’ Native Landscaping Act to give homeowners the ability to freely plant native plants.