News & Media
Boston What?
A company from British Columbia opened a pizza joint chain called Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza. Somehow they managed to secure a federal trademark for that strangely-worded mark, and they opened 50 Pizzerias nationwide. On a little side-street in DeLand, Florida, there is a little coffee shop called the Boston Gourmet Coffeehouse. For some reason, the big pizza company with the
Nappy Headed Ho Ho Ho
This just in from the “I wish I was making this up department. SYDNEY (AFP) – Santas in Australia’s largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas’s traditional “ho ho ho” greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday. (source)
We Are Not a Fearful People
The thing I love about the blogosphere is that you can randomly stumble around and then actually run smack into something brilliant. I found this comment left by “KevinK”. We are not a fearful people. We are a nation that insisted in the face of strong opposition from its allies on formal legal trials for the war criminals of Nazi
Sorry, We're Closed – You Die
My girlfriend told me a story about how a few years ago she had to take a written test to get her Nevada driver’s license. She stood in line for five hours, form in hand. She got to the head of the line at 5:01 p.m., and the flunkie at the window refused to take her form. “Sorry, it is
Anything that moves… or doesn't
Above the Law reports: In a 5-0 ruling, the [South Dakota Supreme Court] overturned the conviction of Michael James Plenty Horse for indecent exposure because he didn’t attempt to arouse others when he tried to have sex with [a] mannequin in a dark, closed room at a YMCA in Sioux Falls, S.D. Ok you perv. Go read about the lurid
Hells Angels Open Up Some Intellectual Property Whup Ass
Incorrect stereotypes may not suggest as much, but the Hells Angels are a very well-run business, complete with a keen attention to detail when it comes to registering, maintaining, and policing their intellectual property rights.
Announcing the MTTLR Blog
Kurt Hunt, of the law student blawg, Clever WoT announces his latest project: The Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review Blog (http://blog.mttlr.org),
Connection Distributing v. Keisler – Section 2257 Struck Down
Now that the far right has managed to pack the federal courts, it is becoming more and more rare to see a good old-fashioned speech protective case come down from a higher court. The Sixth Circuit recently reaffirmed that the First Amendment does, indeed, mean something when it struck down 18 U.S.C. § 2257 – the adult media record keeping
Newdow Takes Another Shot at "Under God"
Matthew Heller at On Point News reports that Michael Newdow, the lawyer who brought a challenge to the inclusion of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is taking another shot at the issue. His earlier attempt was successful until it reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which determined that Newdow did not have standing to bring the suit on behalf
Massachusetts Proposes Nanny-State Online Gambling Law
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a new law to make criminals out of citizens who place bets online. (source) What makes this proposed law suspect to me is that it is buried deep within proposed legislation that would legalize land-based casinos in the Bay State.
Most Gullible Police Agency Award – Collier County Sheriff's Office PWNED!
The Collier County sheriff’s office must be the most gullible law enforcement agency in America. This document speaks for itself.
Calling for Harm to the First Amendment
If censorship were legal and not repugnant to everything I believe in, this editorial by former Judge Michael Chionopoulos would be the first thing I would wipe from the marketplace of ideas. In all fairness, the editorial is so poorly composed that I do not think it is the author’s fault. The lack of cohesion in the article suggests that
Its Just Broads! (What is the Opposite of a "Sausage Fest"?)
The dating service, “It’s Just Lunch” is being sued by an unhappy former client. Complaint here (HT to On Point News). The complaint describes IJL’s services as “grossly deficient and substandard in almost every aspect.” (Sounds like my last relationship). The plaintiff is not identified by her first name, but you can tell it is a disgruntled woman. Why? One
You ever wish your mom would shut up?
I never do… but John McCain sure does.
The "Lyrical Terrorist"
If you think the PATRIOT Act is bad, you should take a look at the Terrorism Act 2000, courtesy of the United Kingdom. Under that law, a 23 year old woman, Samina Malik, was recently convicted of the “crime” of possessing “information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.” See
Anthony Ciolli Dropped from Auto Admit Lawsuit
For the past few months, my law firm has been proud to represent Anthony Ciolli in the infamous Auto Admit lawsuit. As it was ongoing litigation, I have refrained from commenting upon it. I may report on it from the sidelines now – if anything legally interesting arises in the case. I am really only interested in the CDA Section
When Pageants Attack
It has been an exciting year for trademark cases involving pageants.
If you aren't doing anything wrong, what's the problem?
According to the Seattle Times, the Bush administration has been doing exactly what everyone suspected — tapping all of our phones and data. If you are too much of a nit wit to recognize sarcasm, the title of this post is supposed to be a joke, but the subject certainly is not. [T]he NSA set up a system that vacuumed
Mistrial in Comic Book Case
In a previous post, I discussed the Gordon Lee comic book case. See Man Faces Prison for “Dirty” Comic Book. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website reports that this case has been declared a mistrial: The case against Gordon Lee took another in an ongoing series of bizarre turns this afternoon when statements made by State prosecutor John Tully
