News & Media
One of the few reasons I couldn't emigrate to Sweden
They insist on trying to turn the world into a womens’ studies professor’s dystopian nightmare. Is it discriminatory and degrading for toy catalogs to show girls playing with tea sets and boys with Nerf guns? A Swedish regulatory group says yes. The Reklamombudsmannen (RO) has reprimanded Top-Toy, a licensee of Toys”R”Us and one of the largest toy companies in Northern Europe, for its “outdated” advertisements and has pressured it to mend its “narrow-minded” ways. After receiving “training and guidance” from RO equity experts, Top-Toy introduced gender neutrality in its 2012 Christmas catalogue. The catalog shows little boys playing with a
Looks like I picked the wrong time to leave Florida!
Python hunting contest in the Everglades! (source)
Pearl Harbor Day – Never Forget
On this day, in 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked the United States. We reacted by kicking the shit out of them. It wasn’t all a Frank Capra film. We made some little mistakes along the way, internment camps for Japanese and Italians, for example. But, for the most part, we went through the War with our ideals intact. In fact, WWII spurred us to be even better. We didn’t change who we were because some pussy-assed “Emperor” okayed an attack on us. When we rolled into a place, they called us “liberators.” That was when this country had courage
New 'Faces of Meth'
By J. DeVoy The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office originated the widely known “Faces of Meth.” Eight years later, there are new faces in town. And they’re not for the squeamish.
Caption Contest!
This photo was taken this morning in The Castro. Help me caption it, or write your account of what happened!
Marc, would you ever file a defamation suit?
I get asked that question a lot. The answer is “it has to be the right case.” Most of the time, the conversation ends with me advising a potential client to spend their money elsewhere — like on a public relations campaign. I advise them of the Streisand Effect. I tell them that its going to cost a lot of money, and it won’t likely achieve their goals. On the other hand, once in a great while while, a defamation case comes my way that I can get behind. This is one. (Complaint posted with client permission)
It’s a Beautiful Thing, the Destruction of Words.
First Amendment BAMF The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (“FIRE”) defends individual rights at American Colleges and Universities from the barrage of attacks on free speech and free expression. Every month, FIRE features an institution of higher learning that should be ashamed of itself for enacting a speech code that is, at best, terrible. This month’s honoree is the University of North Dakota (“UND”) for its delightfully well-written policy that defines harassment as: “[U]nacceptable behavior, which can range from violence and bullying to more subtle behavior such as ignoring an individual at work or study. It subjects an individual
Steubenville, Ohio: Gang Rape + SLAPP Suit
SLAPP suits are never pretty. This one is particularly troubling. A couple of members of the Steubenville, Ohio Big Red football team were accused of kidnapping and raping a 16 year old girl at a party. (source, source) A blogger, Alexandria Goddard, wrote about the incident. Naturally, she was outraged. She wrote another post, in which she also provided a copy of a photo, allegedly taken (or merely transmitted) by a Cody Saltsman. The photo and related tweets are available here. Tweets like “whore status” and “I have no sympathy for whores.” Saltsman has not been charged with a crime.
Press Prosecutions Relating to Occupy Movement Live On
By J. DeVoy Around this time last year, large bands of police descended upon “Occupy” encampments from coast to coast, seeking to decamp the rebelling hipsters once and for all. What you may not know, though, is that the Los Angeles Police Department radically changed their press policy immediately before its efforts to disperse the movement: only members of the “official” press pool were allowed to report on the raid. (Source) Rogue journalists, as defined by the LAPD, would be arrested on sight. Surely there was some kind of previous, quiet announcement of how to become a member of the
Lawyer disbarred over falsified tax returns to get financial aid
If true, this guy is a complete piece of shit. Bruce Paul Golden, a former partner at McDermott, Will & Emery, who has been practicing law since 1969, submitted falsified tax returns to get $25,000 in financial aid to send his kid to private school. (Source). For $25K, he got disbarred.
Anonymous Comes for Hunter Moore – Moore’s Man Card Revoked
Anonymous has now targeted Hunter Moore. In a release published today, Anon writes: Greetings citizens of the world, We are Anonymous. This is a call to all Anonymous worldwide, you have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of bullied teenagers and protect them from real harm such as rape or stalking. Hunter Moore, Founder of previous revenge pornography site http://www.isanyoneup.com is coming back stronger than ever from the shutdown of his previous website. This capitalist makes money off of the misery of others. People submit pictures of others naked to his website and he
Randazza v. Cox Arbitration Decision
Those of you who recall this post about Crystal Cox will find the following document of interest. Randazza v. Cox – Decision D2012-1525 Naturally, I would find the opinion to be a good one, as the Panel found in my favor. However, the Panelist seems to have really gotten the whole point of Crystal Cox’s extortion scheme — something that prior panels dealing with her failed to do. See Joseph Leccese v. Crystal Cox, WIPO Case No. D2011-0679 and Allen Fagin v. Crystal Cox, WIPO Case No. D2011-0678. In those cases, either the Complainant didn’t communicate the facts adequately to
Sticking up for the big guy: United v. Untied.com
I got this story in my inbox — that United Airlines was trying to bully a website that is dedicated to complaining about United Airlines – Untied.com. United Continental Holdings has sued a Canadian professor who maintains the 15-year-old complaint website Untied.com, which airs complaints from disgruntled United Airlines passengers and employees. Two suits filed in Canadian courts allege the complaint site violates the airline’s copyright and trademarks. It also alleges the site violates the privacy of senior airline employees by posting contact information for those employees. Reading that, I got all ready to write a post about what assholes
Steve Swander
We lower the Satyricon’s flag to half mast today in honor of Steve Swander, the Immediate Past President of the First Amendment Lawyers’ Association. Mesothelioma took his life at 3:45 AM today. His practice was based in Fort Worth, Texas, where the local weekly described him as an expert at fighting authorities in the State of Texas over “morals laws.” (source) Swander was a much-respected soldier in the ongoing battle to preserve civil liberties and freedom of expression. (source) And, he did so in Texas – hostile territory for someone on his side of the fight. (source) The Dallas Observer
Moving to Nevada
Attorneys Marc J. Randazza and Ronald D. Green of the Randazza Legal Group explain why adult entertainment companies should consider moving to Nevada. They explain in the article: When considering its proximity to California and its traditionally friendly relationship with all aspects of the sex industry, incorporation in the State of Nevada holds an unparalleled allure for adult entertainment providers. Read More…
The Greatest Country in the World is….. JAPAN!
Proof: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x3esHzUDp8Q#!]
"Involuntary porn" site tests the boundaries of legal extortion
Ars Technica writes about the “involuntary porn” website IsAnybodyDown.com. In the article, Marc J. Randazza speaks to some of the legal issues that can arise from the site. But it’s not clear whether the content on IsAnybodyDown qualifies as user-submitted under either safe harbor. “This doesn’t go up in an automated fashion,” Randazza told us. “They have a direct influence over the content.” Read More…
It isn't Condoms that will drive the porn industry to Nevada
Measure B passed. And, by now, everyone knows that Los Angeles will now require condoms in porn production. Cue the reporters calling me incessantly asking the same question: “Will this now push the porn industry to move to Las Vegas?” Because that is everyone’s theory. The answer is “no.” No, the porn industry will not move to Las Vegas just to avoid using condoms in their productions. But, when the State of California raises income taxes by 30% retroactively, THAT makes successful business people wonder if living in LA is really worth it. I wrote an article, back in August,