News & Media
Beware of Good Intentions When it Comes to Censorship
Censorship often comes along with a side order of good intentions — or at least that is in the marketing materials for the proposed censorship. You want a world without
Journalism Licensing Sounds Like a Good Idea… but….
South Carolina’s house bill 4702 seeks to create “The South Carolina Responsible Journalism Registry.” The bill sounds like a pretty good idea. Lets face it, there are a lot of
Randazza gets PWNED by Troll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGKdle1bbvo Some people in our audience do not know the finer points of trolling… Wow… there I was, all proud of the article I just wrote about journalism licensing. And
MLK’s First Amendment Legacy
If I were to write about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contribution to civil rights, I think I would be wasting my time. Far more qualified views are out there, especially
What’s got “The Slants” case, CUMFIESTA, Fuckingmachines, Nutsacks, and Japanese porn?
My latest law review article does! Randazza, Marc J., Freedom of Expression and Morality Based Impediments to the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (January 16, 2016). Nevada Law Journal, Vol.
Randazza on Morality and Intellectual Property Rights
If the title doesn’t grip you, it discusses “The Slants” case, CUMFIESTA, Fuckingmachines, SCREW YOU, Nutsacks, and Japanese porn. Marc J. Randazza, Freedom of Expression and Morality Based Impediments to
Netflix, Voi Siete Stronzi
Netflix announced that it is going to take action to prevent people from logging in through proxy servers. “In coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able
Charlie Hebdo, One Year On
It’s been just over a year since the Charlie Hebdo murders, and I thought it was time to do a little more than simply defy, although I do love that
Twitter Takes a Side in the Culture Wars – Lies About It
Twitter announced that in order to combat abuse and harassment on its increasingly unpopular online platform, that it would enact new rules and regulations that would hopefully get control of
The Establishment Claus
by Jay Marshall Wolman Five years ago, Josh Blackman asked whether the NORAD tracking of St. Nick violated the Establishment Clause. After all, he is sort of a religious icon. I
Free Speech and Discrimination Redux
by Jay Marshall Wolman Last week, I wrote about a potential implication from In re: Tam, based upon the hypothetical from a dissenting judge about a business calling itself “Spics Not
Lawyer Mind Tricks
by Jay Marshall Wolman, CIPP/US Like many of you, I saw Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. I’m a lawyer and had law-oriented thoughts. This post contains spoilers, so
Gag Clause Act Passes Senate
The U.S. Senate recently passed their version of the “Consumer Review Freedom Act” (CRFA), which would bar companies from trying to enforce “gag clauses” in contracts with consumers. It’s a
Spics Not Welcome
by Jay Marshall Wolman By now, you have probably heard that Simon Tam won his case before the Federal Circuit regarding his attempt to register a trademark for his band
Bernie Sanders v. DNC
Bernie Sanders sues the Democratic National Committee and the complaint is here. The legal issues are less exciting than Bernie’s hair style. What is more exciting is that Bernie Sanders
Circuit Split Over Cybersquatting Act – 11th Circuit Rejects GoPets in Jysk v. Roy
The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), 15 U.S.C. § 1125(d), provides: “A person shall be liable . . . by the owner of a mark . . . if .
The First Amendment is not a free pass to harass
A charter school in Washington DC is suing abortion protesters. (source) Why? Because Planned Parenthood is opening next to the school, so the abortion protesters have decided to focus their
Good First Amendment Case – Biro v. Conde Nast
Peter Biro was the subject of a 2010 article in The New Yorker. Biro sued the publisher and other defendants who allegedly republished statements from the original article. Since Biro
Revisiting Prostitution
by Jay Marshall Wolman My recent post on the Ninth Amendment got me thinking about Griswold v. Connecticut, and its progeny, including Lawrence v. Texas. Although the latter explicitly stated it wasn’t ruling
Happy 5/6 Bill of Rights Day
by Jay Marshall Wolman We here at the Legal Satyricon are big fans of the Bill of Rights. Over at the Runt Piglet Squeals, the official blog of the Third