News & Media
J.K. Rowling – Worst British Export Since Rick Astley
The first rule of Harry Potter, you do not write about Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling filed a copyright infringement suit against the publisher of a Harry Potter Compendium. I used to think that the worst British exports were, in this order, Rick Astley, The Royal Family (the worlds wealthiest welfare recipients), and the Spice Girls. Since the Spice Girls were
Coolest Blog Logo Ever
The blog itself isn’t so bad either, but this logo is awesome.
Tarzan's Yell Not Protectable as a Trademark (at least not in Europe)
Ron Coleman’s Likelihood of Confusion® reports on “Tarzan’s Yell” failing to cut it as a trademark. Link.
Westboro Will Appeal
It appears that Westboro Baptist Church will appeal the decision rendered yesterday. This excerpt from The Underdog Blog (published by Westboro’s attorney, Jon Katz) was worthy of reproduction. This case stirs people’s passions. I have heard from people taking issue with my defending WBC and its pastor in this case, and from others agreeing with my standing up for First
D'Angelo v. School Bd. of Polk County
Florida is not the kind of place you move to for the public schools. Polk County, Florida? Yeah, ummm… lets just say that it is a struggle to keep creationism out of the science classes there. Florida’s public high schools have some of the worst student retention rates in the country, with half qualifying as “dropout factories,” four times the
Westboro Baptist Church and the First Amendment Lose
The jury returned a $2.9 million verdict against the Westboro Baptist Church. Baltimore Sun article here. If the news coverage of this case is accurate, I can’t see how the jury could have returned any other verdict. The Baltimore Sun previously reported: “U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett instructed jurors at the start of testimony Tuesday that the First Amendment
OT: Rep. Lopez-Cantera Responds Regarding Motorcycle Law
Motorcycle law is not something I usually comment on, but when I read about HB 137, proposed legislation that called for mandatory arrest of the driver and seizure of the motorcycle for any infractions of 30+ mph over the speed limit, I had to say something. Click here for my initial post. I got a response from Rep. Lopez-Cantera that
Pimp Your Contracts
When I write agreements, I liken them to planning for a lunar mission and a war at the same time. The science of contract drafting requires you to think of every possible contingency, plan for it, and do so with exacting attention to detail. I don’t care who you are, how long you’ve been practicing, or how skilled you may
Pray for Denial – FCC Petitions for Cert.
USA Today Reports that the FCC has petitioned the Supreme Court for review of Fox v. FCC (prior post here). …FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a longtime supporter of President Bush, stepped up government vigilance on indecency. “As the broadcast networks become ‘edgier’ to compete with cable,” he testified before the Senate in November 2005, shortly after he became chairman, “prime
Soldier Funeral Protests and Why I Reluctantly Side With Westboro Baptist Church
Most Americans know about the Westboro Baptist Church – it is a small cult made up of complete lowlives who protest at soldiers’ funerals – claiming that each American soldier who dies is proof that god is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality. Albert Snyder, the father of slain Marine Matthew Snyder, sued Westboro for defamation, invasion of privacy
Judge Murphy Might Get His
Robert Ambrogi Reports at Media Law Blog on one of my least favorite judges. Prior posts on this subject: Massachusetts Libel Case – Murphy v. Boston Herald (Updated) Murphy v. Boston Herald Update Shaw Suburban Media Group v. Chief Justice Thomas – More Judicial Libel Judge Murphy – Look Who Might Not Be So Lilly White
New York Court Upholds Doe v. Cahill Standard for Anonymity
Sam Bayard at the Citizen Media Project Blog reports: New York Court Dismisses Orthomom Defamation Action On Tuesday, October 23, Justice Marcy Friedman of the New York Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit seeking discovery from Google (dba Blogger) regarding the identities of the anonymous operator of the blog “Orthomom” and an anonymous commenter to the blog. The court’s opinion is
BidZirk Case a Victory For Free Speech
It doesn’t get much better than this (If you like Free Speech) File this under “when will they learn?” Philip J. Smith keeps a blog http://www.jackwhispers.blogspot.com upon which he comments on tech issues (and occasionally sports). One of his articles discussed an Ebay auction listing company, BidZirk (with which I guess he had a bad experience). Smith discussed Bidzirk, his
ICANN Ombudsman Report Issued – Someone is a bit Touchy!
I don’t know what the ICANN Ombudsman does. I still can’t really figure it out by reading the 2007 ICANN Ombudsman Report. I do find it interesting that it cites an online discussion at the UMass Law School in Amherst, MA as one of its accomplishments. UMass does not (unfortunately) have a law school. I must credit the Ombudsman with
Google Wins Polish Cybersquatting Case
The Arbitration Court at the Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunication (PCITT) has ruled in favor of Google in a dispute over the gmail.com.pl domain name. (The PCITT is the Polish entity responsible for arbitration of .pl domain name disputes). The respondent argued that he made no commercial use of the domain, using it solely for a single email
Georgia's Shame Lifted
Finally, after years of injustice, Genarlow Wilson is a free man. Wilson, an honor student and football standout was 17 years old when he had consensual oral sex with a 15 year old girl. For that, a low-life Georgia prosecutor decided that Mr. Wilson belonged in prison, and succeeded in getting Mr. Wilson a 10 year sentence. After a judge
OT: Proposed Motorcycle Law
State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has proposed a new law that would up the ante for those who endanger their own lives by riding motorcycles a bit too rambunctiously. HB 137 proposes, inter alia: When a law enforcement officer charges [a motorcyclist] with reckless driving or exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more the officer shall arrest
A Penny For Your Trademark
Here’s a strange one: The City of Toronto launched an ad campaign “One Cent Now” to increase support in Ottawa for a measure to set aside more tax funds for Ottowan cities. The ad campaign depicts the obverse (tails) of a Canadian penny. The Royal Canadian Mint sent a bill for $47,000 in licensing fees, claiming that the design of
The Orlando Weekly Case
Here in Orlando we have a “police agency” known as MBI. I am not quite certain what MBI is supposed to do with the taxpayers’ money, but I can report on what they have done. They recently raided the alternative newspaper, The Orlando Weekly, and arrested three of its employees for accepting advertisements from escort agencies. Quick, go grab your
The Randazza-Red Sox vs. Contiguglia-Rockies Bet is ON!!!!
The Randazza vs. Contiguglia / Red Sox vs. Rockies bet is on! Randazza threw down the gauntlet first. Contiguglia picked it right back up and threw it back, upping the ante! Here is the bet, as agreed to by both parties. If the Red Sox win the Series: Randazza will mail Contiguglia a Red Sox T-Shirt Contiguglia will wear said
