July 15th 2009
In a ruling that could cause shockwaves throughout the online legal community, a federal judge in Seattle has held that IP addresses are not personally identifiable information. According to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones: “In order for ‘personally identifiable information’ to be personally identifiable, it must identify a person. But an IP address identifies […]
July 13th 2009
Funny and Unusual Punishment Before we had state identification, mug shots were used to establish identity. They still fill that role, but now they also punish, entertain, deter, and transfix a growing, voyeuristic audience in print and online. The Christian Science Monitor points out the popularity of a crop of sensationalist pulp magazines with names like […]
July 10th 2009
There is a growing disconnect between the legal staff who write terms of use for websites, those who operate the site, and site visitors. I’ve come to believe that each level of disconnection introduces new sets of legal risks, which this story only start to illustrate. Chris Soghoian observed in CNET that Google’s terms of […]
July 7th 2009
Funny, I thought the United Parcel Service delivered parcels. Vague: Sounds like it was written by a marketing committee. Self centered: No suggestion of a benefit to their clients. Immodest: “we are the sun in the solar system of commerce” Hard to read: Long words + moving vehicle = missed opportunity. Al Ries said good […]
July 4th 2009
We’ve seen governments monitor private citizens through video surveillance and increased access to electronic records. Here’s a proposal for citizens, and their media, to use some of these same tools to follow the work of their representatives in government. Massachusetts’ Open Meeting Law and Public Record Law may be expanded by S1458 to provided better access […]
July 2nd 2009
The year’s most patriotic weekend is upon us. And if you’re like me the prospect of a long weekend is incredibly welcome. So, for your consideration, here’s a more personal post about an American symbol and what we might make of it. This winter I bought a US Flag, and after many years in my […]
June 30th 2009
Why should speech traveling down Comcast’s wire to my computer enjoy better protection than that arriving via the same wire to my television? Consider this fact pattern: A group of consumers, looking to stop GM from using bankruptcy to escape current and future product liability claims, seeks to make its cast to the administration via […]
June 29th 2009
In May, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa filed suit against Twitter in California Superior Court, essentially claiming that someone using his name was posting comments that damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress. The suit also claims damage to La Russa’s trademark rights. Ordinarily, I would have thought little about the case, believing […]
June 25th 2009
The Republican Governors’ Association has launched an attack website against Democrat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. The site, called the Corzine Times, is formatted to resemble the New York Times. The grey lady has sent a cease and desist letter to the Republican governors. The demand letter claims trademark infringement, claiming that similar logos and formats […]
June 23rd 2009
Censorship it easy to spot when China or Iran simply turn off media channels. However, in the US, well-meaning local agencies are also advancing censorship. Want a job? Give us your social media passwords. The City of Bozeman, Montana, has a long-standing policy of requiring job applicants to provide usernames and passwords for “any and […]
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