Wearable Technology: Key Legal Implications

From Google Glasses to smartwatches and smart clothing, wearable technology has infiltrated the latest gadgets and trends. Although it has caught the attention of the fashion industry, it is still not at a point where design and technology meet to form an inherently appealing object to the most discerning of tastes. Nonetheless, it is merely a question of time before smart clothing, jewelry, and accessories become the norm in our everyday lives. Until then, a number of legislative bodies have already responded to the increase in technological innovation and their subsequent privacy concerns. In Spring of 2018, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, which imposes many obligation of companies that handle EU personal data, went into effect and has caused nations to reexamine their own privacy regulation.

The discussion as to the legal implications of wearables, both to the wearer and its entourage, is therefore of particular importance, along with the policies that are currently transforming the global and domestic regulatory landscape. Wearables implicate a host of privacy, labor, intellectual property and product liability issues. Such issues will be examined in this lecture, led by attorney Olivera Medenica.

Learning Objectives:

1. Break down an overview of the U.S. Regulatory Landscape
2. Summarize new data protection policies (2018)
3. Examine the Impacts of GDPR at home and abroad
4. Define what constitutes a wearable technology
5. Identify the main privacy objectives and determine best practices for businesses and the main employment and labor considerations
6. Explore the different intellectual property considerations
7. Address product liability considerations for consumers