News & Media
Marijuana really brings out the asshole statist in everyone, doesn't it?
Federal prosecutors decided that it is time to make examples of the Californians who are supplying marijuana to willing customers. Their rationale: People are making money off of it. Their heartstring argument, we can’t have people selling marijuana in stores near parks and schools. Yes, “what about the children?” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3BzpJoapHc] And a few states over, a Papa Johns pizza delivery
While you're busy fellating Steve Jobs' corpse…
I don’t know if it is just my network of Facebook friends or what, but I’m getting a little sick of the public mourning in the wake of Steve Jobs’ death. (Edit – Clearly it is not just my friends who are fuckwits – see this gem sent by my friend, ADM) Honestly, if you left flowers at an apple
Sexy Sax Man
And now, for something completely different… and awesome. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaoLU6zKaws]
This is COLUMBUS DAY!!!
This is COLUMBUS DAY. I’d like to invite anyone whose name ends with a vowel (Persians excluded) to raise their hands, extend their middle fingers, and flip off the Native Americans, the hippies, and everyone else in the International Association of Crybabies who has a piss and a moan about Christopher Columbus. This is not “indigenous people’s day,” it is
In defense of juggalos
By J. DeVoy It’s easy to laugh at freaks made up like clowns, devoted to the rap group Insane Clown Posse, who call themselves “juggalos.” It’s harder to serve up a cogent defense of the subculture. Nonetheless, In Mala Fide serves up a detailed analysis in this recent post.
Psha! Public Domain Schmublic Domain.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I always feel like the nerd invited to eat lunch with the popular kids with the USSC hears an IP case. Yesterday, the Big Dogs heard a nifty little First Amendment Copyright case that I honestly don’t know how to feel about yet. But pay attention to this one, kids. It’s a doozy.
More on Nevada's anti-SLAPP law
By J. DeVoy Can Nevada’s anti-SLAPP statutes, for their many flaws, thwart a privately brought federal claim? Why yes, they can. Anti-SLAPP laws come in two flavors: procedural and substantive. Substantive anti-SLAPP laws, such as the previously proposed federal anti-SLAPP law, provide qualified immunity for protected statements and create or crystallize the speaker’s rights. In contrast, procedural anti-SLAPP laws provide a
Gimme back my copyright, beyotch!
A recent addition to what could be the next tsunami of copyright suits, Jim Peterik of 1982 Survivor fame is contemplating getting the rights back for the gloriously awesome song “Eye of the Tiger”. Source. Termination rights are covered in Title 17. Long story short, if you licensed or assigned your copyright to someone after Jan. 1, 1978, you (or
Welcome a New Satyriconista
We got together in the lab and decided to cook up a new Satyriconista. A few grave-robbed parts here, a brain from a mental patient, stole a little swagger from Chuck Norris, applied a little radiation and 1.21 Gigawatts of power, and BAM! Please welcome Beth Hutchens. Beth Hutchens is a Phoenix-based Intellectual Property attorney with a penchant for good
The Company We Keep
Bahrain is one of our “allies.” (source) How they dealt with pro-democracy protesters was no better than how China dealt with theirs in Tiananmen Square. Now, they are prosecuting doctors for treating injured protesters – including sentencing one woman to 15 years. (source) Bahrain, ruled by the Sunni Muslim Al-Khalifa family, is pretty damn insecure, as it well should be.
Invasion of the Body Searchers
The New Zealand Herald discusses the TSA’s aggressive search of Amy Alkon at Los Angeles International Airport (“LAX”). Alkon publicly described her searcher’s extreme examination of her body, including pushing her hand into Alkon’s genitals, as “rape.” The TSA agent sent Alkon a threatening letter through counsel, warning of a defamation suit and offering to settle the dispute for $500,000.
Too Sexy for Crisp Skin?
By Tatiana von Tauber People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) thinks this chicken is just too sexy for anyone to see, “downright offensive” in fact. “When I saw it I just couldn’t believe that an editor of The New York Times would find it acceptable,” PETA’s founder and president Ingrid Newkirk told The Atlantic Wire. “It’s downright offensive,
Toilet Law School Files Feces Defamation Suit
By Marc J. Randazza I’m not much of a prestige whore, but I’m not blind to the reality that Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a standalone punchline within the legal profession. I’m familiar with its absurdly large class sizes, its questionable practice of culling the bottom few percent of its students each year to ensure high enough bar passage
5th Circuit Rules in Favor of Student Speech Rights
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that students who handed out christian-centric materials to other students had a First Amendment right to do so. School principals who prohibited this student-to-student speech violated the students’ First Amendment rights, the Court held. “We hold that the First Amendment protects all students from viewpoint discrimination against private, non-disruptive, student-to-student speech,” Judge Jennifer
Texas Abortion Runs Afoul of the First Amendment
A Texas law designed to deter abortion will remain enjoined. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, of Austin, blocked enforcement of significant portions of the sonogram law on Aug. 30, until the case is resolved. Sparks found the law violates the First Amendment, ruling that requiring doctors to show a woman seeking an abortion the sonogram images, describe those images to
Sarah Palin Threatens a SLAPP Suit. Stupid? You Betcha!
By Marc Randazza Sarah Palin always seems to be talking about families. Despite bashing that door open, she takes such umbrage when anyone mentions her own. So, When writer Joe McGinniss starts digging for facts and sources to complete his book “The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin,” what does Sarah do? She lawyers up and threatens to sue…
Righthaven on the small screen
By J. DeVoy I recently caught up with a college friend who does not work in law, who asked me about Righthaven since he had read several articles linked on this blog and on my facebook account. I explained the status of the approximately 18-month litigation campaign. After a few moments of confused silence, he told me it would be
Brazil denies reality, considers banning racy lingerie ad
By J. DeVoy It has not been a good week at Tom Brady’s house. First the Patriots lost to the Buffalo Bills, perennial failures and four-time consecutive Super Bowl losers, and now Brady’s better half, Gisele Bundchen, might have her ad for an intimate apparel company banned in Brazil. Sure, she probably got paid already, but it doesn’t auger well
Give it a rest already – Myths and Facts about mass copyright litigation
by Vaughn Greenwalt The latest criticism of mass-copyright litigation follows the same mantra of previously-pissed patrons: “I know I stole your porn but I’ll be embarrassed if anyone finds out so you can’t sue me!” Cut the crap already, “shame” is not a legal defense. Lets play fact or fiction with the latest misleading article which was, oddly enough, endorsed
Righthaven loses in Colorado
By J. DeVoy Yesterday, the District of Colorado dismissed Righthaven LLC’s copyright infringement lawsuit against Leland Wolf and the It Makes Sense Blog in Righthaven LLC v. Wolf et al., Case Number 1:11-cv-00830. The Wolf case was the only active matter in Righthaven’s 57 cases filed in the District of Colorado, as the more than 35 cases that were ongoing
