Journalist Live-Tweeting in English Courtrooms OK
Excellent news, tweeting journalists: if you happen to find yourself in a courtroom in England or Wales with the urge to tweet, you’re free to do so! Non-journalists, however, will still have to seek...
View ArticleAstor Estate Settlement Reached
The New York Times reports that a settlement has been reached in the years-long dispute over Brooke Astor’s $100 million fortune. The socialite and philanthropist’s only son, Anthony D. Marshall, 87,...
View ArticleIf I Publish a Book of Quotes, Am I Infringing on Copyright? And More Free...
Bobbie: My question is about copyrights. I have an idea to publish small eBooks. Basically the books would be an aggregation of sayings or ideas gleaned from internet research. I would give credit to...
View ArticleWho Can Arrest the President? And More Free Legal Advice – Free Joe 8/7/12
Edie: here is my question: Who can arrest the president"? Joe Escalante: The Speaker of the House can arrest the President in my opinion, if he is impeached and refuses to leave office. That would put...
View ArticleCan I Copyright a Saying? And More Free Legal Advice – Free Joe 8/31/12
Jenna: Hi Mr. Escalante, Do the copyright laws protect sayings printed on shirts? Or can anyone swipe them and reprint them? Joe Escalante: That depends on if the saying is "protected." Sayings like...
View ArticleFaulkner Representatives Sue Over Line in Midnight in Paris
Faulkner Literary Rights LLC, which owns the rights to American author William Faulkner’s works, is suing Sony Pictures Classics alleging that the main character in Woody Allen’s 2011 film Midnight in...
View ArticleWoman Mauled by Chimpanzee Settles with Owner’s Estate for $4 Million
Charla Nash, who was brutally attacked by her friend’s chimpanzee, will receive $4 million from the estate of Sandra Herold, the chimp’s late owner. Nash suffered horrific injuries in February 2009...
View Article‘Hashtag’ Banned from France, Kind Of
To stop English words from seeping into the French language, a French government agency has replaced the word “hashtag” with “mot-dièse,” which means “sharp word.” The French language police, erm, the...
View ArticleGerman Court Gives Right to Compensation Over Internet Disruption
The Federal Court of Justice has ruled that the Internet has become one of life’s necessities, and therefore, citizens can recover damages when their service is interrupted. “Most people in Germany use...
View ArticleTexting Juror Locked Up for Contempt
In Marion County, Oregon, a juror in a criminal trial was jailed for two days after the presiding judge caught him texting. Benjamin Kohler, 26, was singled out by Judge Dennis Graves when the “light...
View ArticleIRS Seeks Billions from Estate of Former Detroit Pistons Owner
The estate of former Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson, who died in 2009, is challenging the IRS’ assertion that it owes the government at least $2 billion in estate taxes. The estate has filed a...
View ArticleTennessee Judge: No Babies Named Messiah Please
A Tennessee judge recently stopped a new mom from naming her baby Messiah. What was the judge’s reasoning? Well, Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew concluded that the name “is a title . . . that...
View ArticleCan a Juror Be Excluded Based on Sexual Orientation?
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is considering
View ArticleJudge Rules Pirate Joe’s Can Continue Feeding Canadians
If you live within a 25-mile radius of Trader Joe’s, or even if you don’t, you may identify with this story. Trader Joe’s is a California based specialty retail grocery store carrying their own store...
View ArticleA Scary Movie Come To Life? A Patent & Future Children
We’re not talking zombies here, but imagine a day where parents can know what their future child will look like before he or she is born or even conceived. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But...
View ArticleCasino Win Dream Turns To Nightmare
We’ve probably all had some sort of money winning daydream. Someone has to win. Why not you? Spending a dollar or two to enjoy the anticipation of an imagined win is a favorite pastime, but what...
View ArticleCrowdfunding Your Beer
It’s no secret that people like beer. Apparently sour beers are becoming a big thing now too. Some are tart like a raspberry or strawberry, and others are dry like Champagne. The creativity of American...
View ArticleNew Jersey Law Provides Leave For Victimized Employees
According to The National Domestic Violence Hotline, as many as one in four women and one in seven men, experience some type of abuse. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the time to raise...
View ArticleE-cigarettes May Face Regulation
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are described as “battery-operated products designed to deliver nicotine, flavor and other chemicals … into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.” Sales of these...
View ArticleCalifornia Minors Will Get An Online Clean Slate
California’s Senate Bill No. 568 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 23, 2013. Referred to as Privacy Rights for California Minors in the Digital World, it requires operators of websites,...
View Article