News & Media
How do you say "yes, massa!" in Chinese?
Majora Carter, 41, was one of the Olympic torch bearers as the flame made its way through San Francisco. During her run, she pulled out a small Tibetan flag “to condemn China’s human rights abuses in the Himalayan province.” (source) Some people prefer that China continue its genocidal and illegal occupation of Tibet. They have a right to that opinion.
Evil Angel Obscenity Indictment Update
Those brave souls at the Department of Justice are at it again, protecting freedom and democracy pissing on the Constitution, in violation of their oath of office. XBiz reports that John Stagliano and Evil Angel Productions are the latest targets of the Bush administration’s faith-based censorship task force and its lead toadie, Brent Ward. Stagliano and his related companies were
Subpoena sleaze
A lawyer files a personal injury suit arising from vaccine use and autism. A blogger writes about the subject and criticizes the plaintiff’s attorney. The plaintiff’s attorney issues a subpoena demanding the following: all documents pertaining to the setup, financing, running, research, maintaining the website http://www.neurodiversity.com“ – including but not limited to material mentioning the plaintiffs – and the names
Evil Angel Productions charged with obscenity
XBiz reports that John Stagliano and Evil Angel Productions are the latest targets of the Bush administration’s faith-based censorship task force. Stagliano and his related companies were charged with “three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to sell and distribute DVDs containing obscene films together with a movie trailer in violation; two counts of using a common carrier
Hi, I'm a Mac… and I'm NYC
The New York Daily News reports on a trademark spat between Apple Computer and the City of New York (a.k.a. “The Big Apple” for those of you in Cupertino, California who don’t know that). New York recently launched its GreeNYC campaign (link), and filed an intent-to-use application for the green apple infinity symbol shown above. Apple Computer has taken offense
M.D. Fla. Internet Jurisdiction Case – Internet Solutions Corporation v. Marshall
The Middle District of Florida ruled yesterday in Internet Solutions Corporation v. Marshall, dismissing the case for lack of personal jurisdiction. The plaintiff, a Florida corporation, was upset about blog postings by Ms. Marshall that criticized the company. The company filed a defamation suit in Florida, hoping to drag Ms. Marshall here to defend the case, and to take advantage
The Georgia Court of Appeals commits attempted murder on American literature in "Red Hat Club" case.
Law.com reports on a case in which the Georgia Court of Appeals has committed the crime of attempted murder — of literature. The Book – The Red Hat Club, by Haywood Smith The case, Smith v. Stewart, 660 S.E.2d 822 (2008), arises from the book, The Red Hat Club, by Haywood Smith. For those of you who don’t know, the
"Pole Tax" Struck Down
Uptight social conservatives will do anything they can to shut down or burden erotic expression. From attempting outright bans on nude dancing to employing the specious “adverse secondary effects” doctrine, their lack of ethics in the war against sexual expression knows no bounds. Texas, home of the legislature that has a screaming fear of dildos, imposed a $5 per patron
Another Borat Lawsuit Dismissed
In a 13-second segment of the movie, the man, Jeffrey Lemerond, visibly alarmed or frightened, is shown running and shouting “Go away!” and “What are you doing?” at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, as Mr. Cohen’s character, Borat Sagdieyev, a fictitious journalist from Kazakhstan, chases him while trying to hug strangers. Mr. Lemerond was shown twice in
Gimme section 230 shelter – online dating pranks and CDA Immunity
Creating a fake profile for one of your friends (or enemies) on an online dating site. Now who hasn’t done this, or thought about it? I’ve certainly been both perpetrator and victim of this kind of prank. Both times I thought it was funny. However, it might not be so funny for the online dating site. This week has been
When is it okay to beat your wife?
When it is in furtherance of baptism. HT to Feministe. Apparently, Jimmy Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers gave his kid’s mother a taste of the back of his hand because she didn’t want the boy baptized. What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it,” Rooney said of
Auto-generated websites equal bad faith under the UDRP
Two weeks ago, in Is Godaddy a Mass Cybersquatter?, I discussed pay-per-click sites: The ubiquitous “sponsored links” pages that have become the cockroaches of the internet. Perhaps one day they will evolve into useful search tools, but today they are not even close. Domain speculators and cybersquatters alike (the two terms are not synonymous) re-direct their domains to “sponsored links”
Charity Project – Please Help
I usually don’t solicit donations for charities, but this one is dear to my heart. As you are likely aware, Florida has a large homeless population. You may have heard about efforts to make it illegal to feed the homeless in public parks in Orlando. The homeless here may not suffer from the deprivations of winter storms, but it appears
"Finders Keepers" is not a legitimate defense to a cybersquatting claim
World Wide Commerce Corporation (“WWC”) registered its domain name, www.worldwidecommerce.com eleven years ago. Unfortunately, the registration inadvertently lapsed. A domain vulture immediately snapped it up and offered it up for sale. The asking price appeared to be in excess of $50,000. Naturally, WWC filed a UDRP proceeding. As a panelist, they pulled Professor Darryl C. Wilson of Stetson University. Normally,
Barry Law School Kicks Ass!
I am very pleased to report that our law school — as a first-time entrant — has won the ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition in Chicago, one of the nation’s most prestigious invitation-only Trial Team tournaments. Twenty-two teams from across the United States (including one from India) participated. After going undefeated in three preliminary rounds, Barry defeated Tulane
Piracy = Terrorism (???)
One of my favorite Family Guy episodes is It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One. Though clearly more intelligent than her opponent, Lois’ campaign falters as Mayor West proves more politically savvy than she is—while Lois bores voters with detailed plans to improve the city, Mayor West uses glittering generalities and statements completely unrelated to his questions. Realizing
Shock Jock Defamation Suit
From tampabay.com: MJ vs. Bubba: The lawsuit TAMPA — Radio host Todd “MJ” Schnitt says he’s had enough of the on-air mudslinging by radio shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem and has filed a defamation and false light lawsuit against him. Schnitt, host of the MJ Morning Show, and his wife, Michelle, filed the lawsuit against Clem in Hillsborough
Rogier and Scott on Religion
Scott Greenfield reports on an Alabama judge who ordered 100 people to form a prayer circle in the courtroom. See Justice Is Circular in Alabama. Rogier van Bakel’s Pushing Back Against Bible-Pushers discusses the epidemic of hoteliers pushing one brand of superstition on their guests, and how he plans to cope with it: From now on, whenever I stay in
Seven sixteenths of one inch… Maddox meets contract drafting
One of my favorite lines from Maddox is this: Seven sixteenths of one inch: That’s the distance you’d have to move your pinky in order to not sound like an idiot. I know the burden of pressing shift to capitalize is a great one, but c’mon, you can do better than that. I used to type emails in caps like
Peter Hoekstra on Free Speech
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) authored an editorial, Islam and Free Speech, in today’s Wall Street Journal. I present the best excerpts below. Reasonable men in free societies regard Geert Wilders’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, and films like “Fitna,” as disrespectful of the religious sensitivities of members of the Islamic faith. But free societies also hold freedom of speech to be a fundamental
