Month: November 2013

Congress, Courts, Free Speech, Lawyering

Office Depot Allegedly Threatens Reddit Over Parody Of Company Logo

USRrFNFm-1.pngWe have often discussed the abusive expansion of copyright and trademark laws. This includes common phrases, symbols, and images being claimed as private property. (here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). (For a prior column, click here) This trend is being fueled not only by powerful lobbyists who sometimes seem like they control both Congress and the White House but law firms that have made this a virtual cottage industry. There are a large number of law firms on retainer to bring these actions and artists and companies that do little to limit them. The latest example was brought to light by the good people at Techdirt which posted a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) letter to Reddit informing them that they had violated copyright laws with a posting of an individual known as heisenberg69 with this image satirizing Office Depot.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

New Mexico Man Stopped For Minor Traffic Violation and Given Digital and Surgical Anal Exams Is Charged $6000 By The Hospital For His “Medical Care”

220px-PVC-HandschuhYesterday, we discussed the horrific allegations against police from Deming, New Mexico and the medial staff of Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City, N.M. They (and others including the local prosecutor) allegedly conducted repeated digital anal searches of man stopped for a minor traffic violation and then performed multiple enemas and a colonoscopy in search of drugs. David Eckert has sued for both compensatory and punitive damages. However, I learned today that in addition to the alleged physical abuse, he was sent a $6000 bill from the hospital for the involuntary colonoscopy.

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Academia, Bizarre, Politics, Religion

Kentucky Teen Withdrawals From Sport Competition Rather Than Wear Bib Number “666”

220px-The_number_of_the_beast_is_666_Philadelphia,_Rosenbach_Museum_and_LibraryWe have previously seen employees give up their jobs over the purely coincidental use of the number “666” on standard employment forms. Now a Kentucky teenager Codie Thacker has withdrawn from a regional cross country race because she was randomly generated a bib number of “666.” It raises the question again whether companies or schools or events should accommodate such objections.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Society, Supreme Court

New Mexico Police Allegedly Stop Man For Minor Traffic Violation And Use Repeated Digital and Surgical Anal Examinations To Find Drugs . . . And Find Nothing

125px-Flag_of_New_Mexico.svg220px-PVC-HandschuhThere is a highly disturbing case out of New Mexico where David Eckert has filed a federal case against  the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, police officers with the City of Deming and medical professionals at the Gila Regional Medical Center.  Eckert was stopped on a minor traffic violation and accused by an officer of holding his buttocks.  What followed was a nightmare where officers and doctors subjected Eckert to outrageous abuse as they searched for drugs or contraband in his body.

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Bizarre, Society, Torts

A Few Good Dolphins? New Report Says Coaches Told Incognito To Toughen Up Martin

220px-A_Few_Good_Men_poster250px-Richie_Incognito_only_MIA_vs_OAK_008The bullying scandal at the Miami Dolphins is taking a dangerous turn for the franchise. A new report states that coaches told suspended lineman Richie Incognito to “toughen up” teammate Johnathan Martin after the latter player missed part of the team’s offseason workout program. Since Incognito already had a reputation for violence and dirty play, such an order would raise a serious question of management knowledge and implied approval of the treatment of Martin. It is a football version of the premise of a Code Red in “A Few Good Men.”

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Bizarre, Society

Man Accidentally Lights Himself On Fire At Halloween Festival . . . People Grab Their Cameras And Laugh As He Burns

mqdefaultThere is a horrific report out of Hollywood where a man accidentally lit himself on fire and, while some people struggled to help him, other party goers gathered around with cameras and filmed the man as he burned. Some reports had people dancing and laughing as people tried to push them back so the man could be assisted. Gilbert Estrada, 51, later died. People posted the scene below on YouTube which shows people cheering and laughing as Estrada lay on the ground.

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Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

Kenyan Men Rape Girl, Break Her Back, And Dump Her In A Latrine . . . Ordered By Police To Cut Grass As Punishment

125px-Flag_of_Kenya.svgKenyan police are facing a global outcry this month over a brutal gang-raping of a girl named Liz during which men broke her back and then dumped her into a latrine. Not only were the men not prosecuted but they were told to simply cut grass as their punishment. There is a demand for an investigation of the local police but many Kenyan women are rallying around the case as illustrative of a rape epidemic in the country.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

China Faces Security Crisis As Pollution Shields Citizens From Police Surveillance

220px-beijing_smog_comparison_august_2005250px-Closed.circuit.twocameras.arp.750pixThis may be the most ironic story of the year. We often discuss two outstanding characteristics of modern China: expanding pollution and shrinking civil liberties. Now, the two have collided where Chinese officials are struggling with the loss of surveillance from its thousands of surveillance cameras spying on citizens. Pollution is now making it difficult to maintain such surveillance due to the permanent shroud of particulates and pollutants. Thus, while Chinese lives are being shortened, their government may have given them a slight respite from monitoring. Of course, it is hard to use free speech when you are gasping for breath. A recent report details how pollution in one Chinese city is being attributed as the cause of lung cancer in an eight-year-old boy.

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Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Religion, Society

What’s Driving Mr. Kerry? Clearly It Is Not Human Rights

220px-Driving_Miss_Daisy_On Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi King Abdullah to deal with increasing tensions with the Kingdom. What I thought was the most interesting moment came when a female reporter asked Kerry about the continued bar on women driving in the Kingdom. We just discussed how a Kuwaiti woman was arrested for driving her father to a hospital during a diabetic seizure. Kerry’s response was remarkably muted on an issue of human rights.

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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, Politics, Religion, Society

Fortune Tellers Convicted Of Fraudulent Practices in New York, Florida, and Colorado

220px-John_William_Waterhouse_-_The_Crystal_BallWe recently discussed the crackdown on sorcerers in Muslim countries. Mystics are finding themselves targeted in the United States as well in recent weeks. In New York and Florida, clairvoyants have been prosecuted for fraud and some cities and states are moving to ban soothsaying.

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Academia, Criminal law, Society

Pennsylvania Parents Arrested For Entering School Bus And Yelling At Elementary Students For Allegedly Bullying Their Son

ParentsJailed660Christina and Christopher Gring insist that they were just trying to stop the bullying of their young son when they went onto the bus. They clearly made a mistake, particularly when they allegedly started screaming at terrified students and using profanities. However, they were then arrested for conduct that at one time would have resulted in a meeting with the principal and clear guidelines on staying away from the bus in the future.

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Animals, Criminal law, Environment, International, Politics, Society

Chinese Citizens Arrested In Tanzania With Almost Two Tons Of Blood Ivory

220px-Tanzanian_ElephantThe insatiable appetite of Chinese for consuming endangered species has been previously discussed on this blog as fueling the black market for such products. This week, however, the scope of such crimes was on full display after police in Tanzania arrested three Chinese living in Dar es Salaam in a house filled with a reported 1.9 tons of blood ivory. At least 200 elephants were slaughtered for the ivory. Seven tons in all have been seized in recent weeks.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Torts

Big Foot Fever: Oklahoma Family Arrested After Friend Is Shot On Sasquatch Hunt

originalWhen a group of guys say that they want to go on a hunt for Bigfoot, there are a host of concerns that come to mind about heading off with weapons to shoot at a mythical creature. None of those concerns appear to have stopped men in Oklahoma this week. Indeed, police say that Omar Pineda, 25, (left) may have thought he had Sasquatch at least when he heard “barking” behind him and fired. He bagged his friend with a shot to the back. Then it gets really weird.

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