Coming soon to torts and contracts text books: two law professors have sued West Publishing for releasing a supplement to their text book that wrongly listed them as authors. Professors David Rudovsky of the University of Pennsylvania and Leonard Sosnov of Widener Law School say that the supplement was a poor job and embarrassed them by association. They are demanding an injunction.
At issue is the annual supplement to a treatise on Pennsylvania criminal law, “Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure — Law, Commentary and Forms.” The professors noted that West added only three new cases to the supplement and failed to warn readers of cases overturned by the Supreme Court.
There is bad blood between the publisher and the professors after their compensation was cut in half. The briefs reflexed that animus and the court took West Attorney James Rittinger to task for the vitriol of his brief. Senior U.S. District Judge John P. Fullam, who noted “I’m disheartened by the tone of it — and you seem to be following in that same tone here today.”
The professors are seeking an injunction but West insists that it reserved the right for other authors to do the supplements. The issue, however, is the use of the names of the professors to suggest that they are the authors of a supplement that they consider deficient. Notably, West admits that the supplement was not particularly good work.
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Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
The horn book of the dilemma.
“No problem with the claim. It’s the vitriol that gets me, all motivated by the cut in royalty payments. Spare me the principled outrage my dear professor, when the matters are decidedly pecuniary.” – mespo
Yep, that about sums it up. It’s less about the pride and all about the Benjamin’s. Especially if you’ve ever paid the ridiculous prices West charges, you should know this.
No this morning, nor for a few mornings have I. I bet you think we were not aware that 9-11 was going to happen?
Ok, I lived in a place that on 9-9-01 we had a terrible storm. The Public Broadcast System interrupted everything every 5 mins for 24 hours. This was the first and last time that this has happened.
On August 28, 01, I had a client that was playing with explosives, nobody said they were bright. Thats why they are called clients. He blew something up. On to his families business did they descend. The City Police, Fire Department, State Police, State Fire Marshals, a representative of the armed services, the FBI and CIA. He was cornered by the FBI and CIA as well as a couple of other intimidating forces to confess his crime or he would be charged Federally because we were on Heighten Security Alerts for Bombings, I did not make this one up.
What is interesting is what he did was what I would have considered fun at his age. But then again I am macabre in my ways some days. It left no trace elements which was a concern it was all things you could get over the counter.
Another interesting fact, the stuff that was used to do the damage in Oklahoma, like you could tell the difference. Is all the things you could get at a farm supply store, now it has a higher calling and it is Crystal Meth. The fact are the USDA told people in pamphlet’s how to make stock ponds and what chemicals to use. Wow.
So if you trust this government to tell you all of the facts you do so. If you want truth and enlightenment search the internet, read and stay tuned to this Blawg. People are very informative. If the internet was around when I was in college, I probably would have never graduated, I’d still be stuck in my apartment today, reading.
OverLord:
so he shot Lincoln over a girl? Come on it had to be more than that. Everything I have read says JWB was a real southern patriot and shot Lincoln because he thought it would help the south.
You been smoking a controlled substance this morning?
EnemyoftheState98
I appreciate what you have said, and you do not think that that is happening this very instance.
No sir, JWB was wanting to marry Mary Todd Lincoln niece and Abe did not give him his blessing. I heard it on NPR so much for liberal news. You just never know.
OverLord:
So it’s okay to do whatever you want if you think it is necessary? Well sheeit I think its necessary to come down to Georgia and take my choice of a bunch of white women and sell them over in Thailand for sex slaves.
I thought JWB shot Lincoln because he thought Lincoln was being or would be to hard on the south at the end of the war.
Is it not true that Rhodes Island still has the right to have slaves. And Sir, it was not about the right to own or not own, although it was a way of life. I do believe that it was more of a States Rights issue. The right to be left alone and free to do what was deemed necessary.
If you look at the cost of dollars today, I think that it would cost over 300,000.00 per ownership rights. John Wilkes Booth did not shoot Lincoln over this issue. He was shot because he was denied the right to marry Mary Todds niece. It was a family rivalry. Can you believe that?
Over Lord:
The American side, that wars been over for 150 years. Time to move on and pay our respects to the dead of both sides for doing what they thought was right, and hoping we never do that again.
But if you really want to know, I would have been a yankee. The idea of owning another human being is repugnant. The south was a feudalistic agrarian society using slave labor to prop up its economy. That rich plantation owners were able to coerce the average southerner into fighting and dying for an idea as reprehensible as slavery and tying it up in the pretty little package of states rights says very little for southern aristocracy.
Had I had any power at the end of that war Rhett and Scarlet would have been working in my fields and Scarlet would have been working in my bedroom.
TO:
Weather’s fine here to. Bring on the weekend!
EOS98:
No problem with the claim. It’s the vitriol that gets me, all motivated by the cut in royalty payments. Spare me the principled outrage my dear professor, when the matters are decidedly pecuniary.
To: EnemyoftheState98
By the way how are you on this fine spring morning? It’s going to be sunny and in the 70’s up here (Fairfax County pride of the Yankees), I hope Richmond is enjoying the same.
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Pride of the Yankees? Which side ya’ll on son?
Other than that they over charge for the items.
I want to know when the class action settlement is going to conclude against WestPublishing for unwanted, unwarranted, unneeded supplements.
I am waiting for the return of money paid for 1) Books that were returned and 2) supplements billed for that were never needed.
Mespo:
Would you want your name associated with sub-standard work? I think they are right to take the publishing company to task. I wouldnt want my name on a bad set of plans, especially if I did not prepare them. If I screw up I want to do it my own way.
By the way how are you on this fine spring morning? It’s going to be sunny and in the 70’s up here (Fairfax County pride of the Yankees), I hope Richmond is enjoying the same.
Ah, “ego” thy name is law professor. Present company excluded, of course.