News & Media
The Saudis broke my irony meter
The Canadians have a TV ad that touts Canada’s “ethical oil.” This is in contrast to Middle Eastern oil, which comes from dirty piece of shit regimes run by lowlives who hang out with the Bush family. The Saudis are apparently threatening legal action, because they don’t want the Canadians reminding people of what Saudi Arabia really stands for. (source)
That's why we can't have nice things….
The City of Escondido, California, had to pay $20,000 to settle a First Amendment claim. The Center for Social Advocacy (CSA) used to have a contract with the city worth about $26,000 a year to provide fair housing services to Escondido. The organization published an opinion piece in its newsletter criticizing the city, so the city cancelled the contract. The
I.P. Links Loot and Righthaven Roundup
So apparently we are sick of China stealing our intellectual property. (source) Human rights abuses, meh, not our problem. You think you know from Intellectual Property? Bah. Beth Hutchens pwns you. (source) This guy could learn a bit from Hutchens. He thinks that he has a new business model of registering a common phrase and then demanding money from people
Email to an asshat about a free speech issue
I’m on a few list servs. I won’t say which one this originated on. But, lets just jump to what I said: 11 muslim students stood up to heckle the Israeli ambassador. Orange county prosecutor charged them with disrupting an event. While they may not have a right to disrupt the speech without being dragged out of the place, a
Shame in Irvine
Muslim students hating on Israel. No big story there. Eleven Muslim students decided to, one by one, stand up and interrupt the Israeli ambassador as he gave a speech at UC Irvine. The police escorted them out of the room for being disruptive. No big deal. Then, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas filed criminal misdemeanor charges against them for
By the time I get to Arizona….
Tucson Mayor, Bob Walkup, decided that when citizens petition the Tucson Mayor, they must do so “with respect,” or they should be silenced. Who decides what is “respectful?” Mayor Walkup, of course. Tucson resident Roy Warden apparently crossed that line. (source) Now he plans to sue the City for violating his First Amendment rights. The Tucson City Attorney reportedly told
Judge Kane to Rule by Next Week in Righthaven Case
Law Week Colorado covers the Colorado copyright case Righthaven LLC v. Wolf, where Righthaven sued Florida blogger Leland Wolf for copyright infringement. At the heart of the lawsuit is Righthaven’s right to sue over alleged infringement occurring on websites owned by defendants in its many lawsuits. Randazza Legal Group represented Wolf in the litigation, and attorney J. Malcolm DeVoy argued
The Difference Between a Bad Domain Lawyer and a Good One
DomainGang.com reports on Marc Randazza’s participation as Plaintiff’s counsel in a reverse domain name hijacking case over the domain name <airfx.com>. The article discusses the importance of having counsel experienced in domain issues and litigation. From the original post: Compare the two documents and make your own judgement. You can also see that if your domain gets hijacked, the quality of
Lawyer wants U.S. Marshals to Seize Copyright Troll's Bank Account
Ars Technica describes Randazza Legal Group’s efforts to recover Wayne Hoehn’s judgment of $34,045.50 from Righthaven LLC, the Las Vegas copyright enforcer. Righthaven sought a stay from enforcing Hoehn’s judgment, which it did not receive by the date the Court ordered it due. Hoehn’s attorneys, Marc Randazza and J. Malcolm DeVoy, moved to put Righthaven in contempt of court, and
Copyright Troll's Assets Targeted for Seizure
Wired.com reports on Wayne Hoehn’s effort to fulfill his judgment of $34,045.50 against Las Vegas copyright enforcer Righthaven LLC, which originally sued Hoehn for copyright infringement. Represented by Randazza legal Group, Hoehn moved the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada to issue a writ of execution securing Righthaven’s assets to be seized by U.S. Marshals in satisfaction of
Righthaven Fails to Pay Attorneys Fees Ordered by the Court, Court Asked to Declare Righthaven in Contempt
Techdirt covers Randazza Legal Group’s recent motions in Righthaven LLC v. Hoehn, where Righthaven moved the court to stay Wayne Hoehn’s enforcement of his $34,045.50 judgment against Righthaven. The Court had not ruled on the stay on the day it ordered Righthaven to pay Hoehn, causing Randazza Legal Group attorneys Marc Randazza and J. Malcolm DeVoy to move the Court
Attorneys Say Righthaven Presenting Judge a "False Choice"
Vegas Inc. reports on Righthaven’s recent motion to stay a $34,045.50 attorney’s fee judgment obtained for Wayne Hoehn by Randazza Legal Group. Marc Randazza and J. Malcolm DeVoy opposed Righthaven’s stay, writing: “The road ahead of it requires it to convince the 9th Circuit that this honorable court erred on standing, erred on fair use and abused its discretion in
Copyright Troll Righthaven Says It’s Nearing Bankruptcy
THE LAS VEGAS copyright-trolling firm Righthaven told a Nevada federal judge Friday it might file for bankruptcy protection, or cease operations altogether. To prevent that, Righthaven is asking U.S. District Judge Philip Pro to stay his decision requiring Righthaven pay $34,000 in legal fees to an online commenter it wrongly sued for infringement … Read more …
Hey Lacoste: I hear Hollister is inexpensive
By J. DeVoy I previously wrote about protecting your brand and crapping all over a competitor’s by giving a rival’s products to infamous celebrities and public figures, thus lowering its social cachet. Ignoring this sage advice, Lacoste has asked police in Norway to keep mass murderer Anders Brievik from wearing its clothes. Lacoste’s desire to end this potential association is
Vegas Inc. Reports on Randazza Legal Group maneuvers in Colorado Righthaven Cases
Vegas, Inc. writes about recent developments in the Colorado Righthaven cases, including a motion for preliminary injunction filed by Randazza Legal Group. [A]ttorneys for Randazza Legal Group in Las Vegas asked Kane for a preliminary injunction barring Righthaven from disgorging assets until they receive their legal fees for representing another Righthaven/Denver Post defendant. The attorneys represent Leland Wolf and the
Ivy Envy
By J. DeVoy Discussing educational pedigree is something rarely done publicly – like asking a stranger his or her weight and income – but, similar to those taboos, in immutable trait that permeates social interactions and hierarchy. By sheer numbers alone, most people went to mediocre or bad schools, as there are so few good ones. Yet most people, self
With .xxx imminent, people finally notice it
By J. DeVoy At Likelihood of Confusion, guest blogger Matthew David Brozik provides an overview of the .xxx roll-out, which is happening in phases beginning now. For those unfamiliar with the domain name, there are two types of initial availability: Sunrise A, where existing adult companies can get .xxx domains to correspond with their .com domains, and Sunrise B, where
Copyright Troll Righthaven Goes on Life Support
Wired, September 7, 2011 Discussing the many setbacks and problems faced by Righthaven, including awards of attorney’s fees, court-imposed sanctions, and serial losses based on Righthaven’s lack of standing to bring its 275 lawsuits based on Stephens Media LLC and Media News Group Inc. copyrights. The article quotes managing partner, Marc J. Randazza on the Righthaven model. Read more…
TSA Agent Threatens Woman With Defamation, Demands $500k For Calling Intrusive Search 'Rape'
Amy Alkon is an advice columnist and blogger who is just one of many people who has had a horrifying and traumatizing experience going through airport security lately. After being pulled aside for an “enhanced” search, she found the process to be so invasive and so in violation of her own rights that she was left sobbing. She wrote about
Circumventing the first purchase doctrine with international manufacturing
By J. DeVoy The Second Circuit dealt a body blow to the first purchase doctrine (aka first sale doctrine) in Wiley v. Kirtsaeng, a case about resold textbooks manufactured and obtained overseas – though subject to U.S. copyright registrations – and resold stateside. The Second Circuit held that such transactions are not covered by the first purchase doctrine – codified
