News & Media
Dispatches from the front in the primate intellectual property war
By J. DeVoy Monkeys and copyrights have become a topic of fierce debate, and are at the leading edge of the great ongoing war between apes and humanity. Crime and Federalism shows us why we should respect primate claims to intellectual property. Please, someone amend the Copyright Act so that we may know peace in our time.
"Sometimes you have to have tyranny to have freedom"
Best trolling of the Orlando Police Department ever. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pJuedzzLXE] Hat Tip: Mr. DNA
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Apparently it sounds an awful lot like “Europe’s last dictator” Alexander Lukashenko feeling all butthurt. Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus has ordered a crackdown on political protests. In order to evade tough regulations on public rallies, protesters eschew placards and shouted slogans, and merely clap their hands to display their anger at Mr. Lukashenko’s policies. Since the weekly flash mob
Righthaven again amends Strategic Alliance Agreement with Stephens Media LLC
By J. DeVoy This new document, filed today, is here. This is Righthaven’s second attempt to amend its strategic alliance agreement with Stephens Media LLC. H/T: Kurt Opsahl, EFF
"Conservatives" — meet your reality. Bachmann signs pledge to wipe her ass with the Constitution
Michelle Bachmann, someone unqualified to clean my toilets, has jumped out ahead of the pack as the new conservative darling. Anyone who thinks of themselves as a conservative should either change name tags or have their heads examined. Bachmann is in the news today for signing a pledge that she will fight homosexuality and pornography. (source) You see, the damn
And the inevitable happens…
Some dipshit insists upon passing “Caylee’s Law.” AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state Sen. Chris Harris says he will introduce a new law to make it a felony for a parent or guardian to not report a missing child.(source) You know, because there is just a rampant problem with parents finding their kids dead and then not telling anyone. Seriously, if
One man's heist from an adult novelty store blows up on him
By J. DeVoy A Virginia man broke into an adult novelty store earlier this week, but did not steal anything. Law enforcement was summoned and, upon arriving on the scene, the suspect fled to a closet in an effort to avoid apprehension. He was then discovered by police — as he was “attempting sexual relations” with a blow-up doll. Naturally,
"Thou shalt condemn prostitution" struck down
The U.S. government mandated that if a group wanted to get funding to combat HIV/AIDS, well then that group could not use any funds “to promote or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution or sex trafficking.” Further, it imposed the following policy requirement: No funds made available to carry out this Act . . . may be used to
Why was this written?
By J. DeVoy The Buffalo News: “Abandoned Cat Loses Weight, Gains Confidence“. Who knew that cats and teenage girls had so much in common – and that it took more than 1,000 words to say. I like the Buffalo news and will still read it in the future. But one need not look much farther than this article to understand why
In Monkey World, Righthaven works!
By Marc J. Randazza Apparently some monkey grabbed a camera and started snapping self portraits. (source) If you go to the news article, you’ll see that the photos have a copyright notice from “Caters News Agency, LTD.” But, if the monkey is the one who “authored” the work, then how the hell does Caters News Agency claim that they own
Righthaven Ordered to Pay Defendant's Legal Fees
Vegas Inc., July 6, 2011 Discusses a District of Nevada ruling in Righthaven LLC v. Leon et al., awarding full attorney’s fees to Defendant’s counsel after obtaining dismissal in a copyright case. Read more…
And, speaking of the devil…
By J. DeVoy One of Iceland’s largest and most active volcanos, dubbed the “Gateway to Hell” in the Middle Ages, is ready to erupt again. Significance: Europe, in the spasms of late-stage collapse and debt crisis, will be adversely affected by any travel disruptions caused by a violent eruption. With many countries on the brink, and Germany bailing out virtually
Nancy Grace: "Devil is dancing" over Casey Anthony verdict.
By J. DeVoy Nancy Grace, who was reprimanded several times by the Georgia courts during her tenure as a prosecutor, says that the Devil is dancing after the jury in Casey Anthony’s case returned verdicts of not guilty on all charges but those where Anthony was accused of making false statements. If true, I suspect Satan was going all out
Righthaven must pay defendant's fees
Since my firm handled this case, I am not going to comment on it at this time. Nevertheless, the Order says it all. Righthaven has been ordered to pay a defendant’s attorneys fees and costs. Order here.
Photoshop
Every girl should be required to go to a “what photoshop does” class by the time they are 10 years old. Either that, or news publications should be required to either use non-shopped images, or they should at least have to label the things. I’ve actually done this job… a hell of a long time ago. I must admit that
Fun with the CPSC Fireworks Safety Video
[youtube=http://youtu.be/-OcIwPx-SCs] H/T: Bob
Casey Anthony trial results in at least one person going to jail
Judge Belvin Perry sent Matthew Bartlett, 28, to jail for six days for flipping off Jeff Ashton during the trial. (source) The court did previously issue an order that there were no gestures to be made, in approval or disapproval, during the trial. This order was posted on the doors to the courtroom. That said, it seems a bit disproportionate
Obama Scales Back Goals For America After Visiting Denny's
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yiQXPOO1Yo&NR=1] the comments to this on youtube, where I found it, are pretty hilarious.
Righthaven, Righthaven, Really?
Since my firm is engaged in quite a few cases against Righthaven, I want to limit my comments. But, fortunately, this blog post from Righthaven Victims seems to say it all. Essentially, the Court thought that Righthaven deserved to be sanctioned for its disingenuous copyright “assignments” and failing to disclose the fact that Stephens Media was a 50% stakeholder in
Are all .com and .net domains under U.S. jurisdiction?
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) takes the position that if a website is located at a .com or a .net domain, then they have sufficient ties to the USA to make them fair game for U.S. prosecutors. (source) To understand this position, you need to understand that every domain name has a registrant, a registrar, and a
