Live blogger kicked out of NCAA tourney game
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The medium of blogging/blogs is so wide open that the precedent for what's legal and illegal has yet to be set. You gotta love when something is so new that standards/tendencies aren't set. It leaves tons of room for potential and creativity. That makes our type happy.The most recent example of bloggers involved with the law came this past weekend when a reporter was tossed for blogging during a NCAA tourney baseball game.
"It's a real question that we're being deprived of our right to report within the First Amendment from a public facility," Fleischaker said. "Once a player hits a home run, that's a fact. It's on TV. Everybody sees it. [The NCAA] can't copyright that fact."
Labels: law
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:53 PM |
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Life's short, get a divorce
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
All lawyers are required to take a professional responsibility test before they are admitted into the bar. One of the rules on the test deals with lawyer advertising. There's no secret why most legal ads say "Injured?" and have a picture of some cheese ball lawyer in front of a stack of books.Setting a new standard
A Chicago law firm specializing in divorce has completely topped them all. Fetman, Garland & Associates, an all female law firm posted a billboard of a dude with a 6-pack and a well-endowed chick, with the message "Life's short, get a divorce". The male posing in the billboard is Fetman's (divorced herself) personal trainer. But, the best part about the billboard is that it's located in a young, hip area of Chicago otherwise known as the "Viagra Triangle". Chicago billboard turns heads - Chicago Times.
The advertisement has been ripped by legal pundits everywhere. But, I agree with the law firm, which defends the billboard by saying that anyone that gets a divorce because of a billboard should be getting one anyway. Plus, the ad's creative and blows the any other legal advertising out of the water.
Labels: law
posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:06 PM |
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600th post! Search for an abandoned patent
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
This is a pretty cool concept [via Kim Komando]:Thousands of patents abandoned each year
The U.S. Patent office receives hundreds of thousands of patent applications each year. They can either get approved or denied. But once they get approved, many expire and are never used.
Expired and abandoned patents are up for grabs
At patentmonkey.com, you can search for these unused patents in the U.S. Patent database. Tons of businesses and people are taking advantage of these patents to launch new businesses.
Labels: cool websites, helpful, law
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:45 AM |
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Trademarking the smiley face
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The famous yellow smiley face that we all know represents more than just happiness and good times. It represents lawsuits. Just like the Wave, there are disputes as to who first designed and trademarked the symbol. And there are big money implications.The smiley face was supposedly created by Harvey Wall in 1965 (with no credit to Forrest Gump). However, Wall didn't trademark it. A London-based company, SmileyWorld, owned by the Loufrani family trademarked the smiley face in France in 1971 and also own over 100 worldwide smiley trademarks. Total sales of products with a SmileyWorld license is roughly $100 million a year.
In the U.S., SmileyWorld began the effort to assert the company's trademark in 1997 which led to a showdown with Wal-Mart, who has reportedly been using the face since 1996. Smiley Face is Serious To Company - New York Times.
SmileyWorld intends to inject new vigor into the face, formerly associated with the 1970's and acid-rock music, by linking the smiley to high-end products sold in exclusive smiley shops in Paris, Los Angeles and New York within the next couple years.
Labels: law
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:09 PM |
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Update: Guilty until proven innocent
Friday, January 26, 2007
Man, it seems like every post I've written this past week has had an update since I've posted it. Having everything to do with my recent post Guilty until proven innocent, this ultra-compelling ESPN article comes out yesterday. It's the story about Genarlow Wilson, a 17-year old honor student and football star who had consensual sex with a fellow teenager. The crime is that he's been in jail for two years since.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:59 PM |
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