Just in time to update your summer reading list, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence has declassified “Osama’s Bookshelf.” The list details the 400 some pieces of writing Osama had on hand when his bunker was raided and he was killed by Navy SEALs in 2011. So, what beach reads could you take from Bin Laden’s library? Amongst the list are some predictable jihadist texts, which frankly are a bit too heavy for a summer read....
Last year, Universal Studios sued adult film producers Smash Pictures over a porn parody of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Universal claimed that Smash violated its copyright and trademark rights. Now, Smash has filed a countersuit against Universal, which is basically a lawsuit against someone who sued you. Smash says that Universal asserted invalid and unenforceable copyrights on the book, reports The Hollywood Reporter. In fact, they claim that Universal paid $5 million for the rights to a book that is already in the public domain – meaning that anyone in the public can lawfully and freely use it....
Thanksgiving is almost here, and it’s time to reflect upon the things we should all be thankful for. But as an overworked lawyer, so you may be having trouble coming up with even one thing to be thankful for this holiday season. In the legal profession, it’s natural to become jaded. With long hours, cranky clients, and sometimes seemingly pointless work, who can blame you? So as a reminder, here are five things every lawyer can be thankful for this Thanksgiving:...
The clothes really do make the man (or woman). A new study from California State University shows that dressing well at work is connected in higher-level expansive and abstract thinking, while dressing informally is correlated to focusing on immediate, pragmatic tasks. Or, as NPR puts it, “slouchy clothes make for slouchy work.” Dressing well as an attorney isn’t as simple as not wearing pajamas to court. Here are FindLaw’s top nine tips to help you dress for success....
Porn star Val Midwest snuck onto the campus of the Catholic high school she attended and took naked photos of herself masturbating on the football field for her adult website. Not surprisingly, that stunt didn’t pan out so well. 20-year-old Valerie Dodds (Midwest’s non-porn name) has begun serving her 45-day sentence – with her clothes on. Does the punishment fit the crime? The judge ordered Dodds to serve 30 days in jail for trespassing and 15 for public nudity....
The accused ringleader of the Amish beard-cutting attacks will remain behind bars. A judge declined to release Samuel Mullet, 66. And no, Mullet does not have the hairstyle reflective of his moniker. Mullet and 11 other Amish men pled not guilty in federal court. They were charged with crimes over five separate beard-cutting attacks on Amish men in Ohio. It’s believed the attacks were religiously charged. Some might think these attacks are harmless....
It’s always really disappointing to hear about law students acting unprofessionally in a way that we can’t laugh at. Law students are bound to make spectacular mistakes, or say the darndest things, but when you hear about law students, even 1Ls, making a list of the most attractive women law students in their class, it’s just flabbergasting. But then, what’s worse, is the responses one Above the Law writer received when reporting on it....
In a patent infringement suit involving claims for certain tetrahydrobenzthiazole compounds for treatment of signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, district court’s judgment of invalidity is reversed and remanded where: 1) plaintiff’s terminal disclaimer cannot overcome obviousness-type double patenting based on the ‘086 patent because the terminal disclaimer was filed after the expiration of the ‘086 patent; but 2) the district court incorrectly concluded that the safe-harbor provision of 35 U....
Plaintiff’s appeal from an order summarily adjudicating one of the three causes of action in its petition for writ of administrative mandate involving the assessment of a winery is dismissed where a ruling on a petition for writ of mandate is not appealable if other causes of action remain pending between the parties. Read Canandaigua Wine Co. v. County of Madera, No. F055858 Appellate Information Filed September 2, 2009 Judges...
The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a patent infringement case back to the district court on Tuesday morning, finding that the district court didn’t fully understand a claim term in the underlying patent. The case was brought by a company called 01 Communique Laboratory Inc against LogMeIn Inc, reports Reuters. The District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted summary judgment of non infringement to LogMeIn on U.S. Patent Number 6,928, 479....
Recently, a line of cases have all been filed against Apple and other device makers as a result of auto accidents caused by smartphone-induced distracted driving. Following a federal decision in a similar case against Apple out of Texas, a California court rejected the theory that device makers are liable for distracted driving accidents caused when drivers are using their devices. In sustaining the demurrer, the court explained that: What’s This Case About?...
Today, we’ll bring you another government contractor/torture lawsuit. This one isn’t too far off from the other contractor lawsuits that have been popping up across the circuits. We gave you a brief synopsis on the oral arguments in this case in April. Now, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a U.S. government contractor in Iraq cannot bring a lawsuit against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for pecuniary damages....
There’s good and bad to being a celebrity’s lawyer. On the one hand, some of that fame and celebrity status may rub off on you. On the other hand, sometimes infamy and notoriety rub off, too. Like it did to Suge Knight’s ex-lawyers, who were arrested for allegedly bribing witnesses in his murder case. Yeah, that day at the office turned into a day in custody. Accessories to Felony Matthew P....
A dinosaur arrest warrant issued and a dinosaur seized in this case of International intrigue, smugglers, and legal warfare between Mongolia, United States, and possible victims of fraud. The dispute centers around the ownership rights over a 70-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton valued in the millions. Mongolia says it’s theirs. Private buyers have their claim after spending more than a million at auction. And the U.S. is caught in the middle. Almost a hundred years ago, Mongolia declared it illegal for dinosaur fossils to be exported from the country, reports Reuters....
The hurricane was long gone by the time the plaintiffs got to court. They petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to order broadcasters to issue warnings in multiple languages. After all, the storm had destroyed many immigrant communities. But the FCC tabled the idea for non-English alerts, and now a federal appeals court has upheld that decision. That was for Hurricane Katrina – 12 years ago. No English-Only The League of United Latin American Citizens and other groups took action after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and many Gulf Coast communities....
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum’s landlord, er, ex-landlord, is suing him for $350,000, according to a lawsuit filed last week. Mindy Freile claims that Lincecum trashed her Mission District apartment before he moved out this past May. She allegedly found the place in ruins, and accuses him of stealing and destroying household items. That’s right–the two-time Cy Young Award winner with a $23 million contract apparently stole linens, kitchenware, furniture, and decorations....
One big drawback for law students is the fact that most legal jobs for students involve working for lawyers and a surprisingly large number of those lawyers that employ law students are just jerks to work for, with, or around. Unfortunately for law students, with the legal job market still being rather cut-throat, most will not have the luxury of being able to quit a job because their boss is a jerk....
Are the Hustler Club’s lap dances a tax-deductible art form? A New York City judge sure doesn’t see it that way, and has ordered the club to pay more than two years’ worth of back taxes. New York State Division of Tax Appeals Judge Donna Gardiner ruled that even if the exotic dancing itself is artistic, it’s “ancillary” to the Hustler Club’s real business – to sell a “sexual fantasy,” the New York Daily News reports....
In a unified habeas petition by four registered sex offenders challenging the constitutionality of a provision in the Jessica Law, that sets forth restrictions on where certain registered sex offenders subject to the lifetime registration requirement may reside, is transferred to the courts of appeal for further proceedings where: 1) the court rejects claims that Penal Code section 3003.5(b), construed as a statutory parole condition, is being impermissibly retroactively enforced as to the petitioners, and as thus enforced, constitutes an ex post facto law under the state and federal constitutions; and 2) with regard to defendants’ remaining claims that section 3003....
When you sign off on student loan documentation, lenders make it very clear that bankruptcy will not discharge your law school debt. But that doesn’t stop law students who are being crushed by debts from trying anyway. Case in point: Michael Hedlund, who has been on a journey to decrease his law school debt for the past nine years. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken overturned his partial victory from a lower court....
