The Florida State College of Law Research Center Blog

Pharos Print System

For students at FSU Law School, instructions and drivers for the Pharos Print System have been updated and now support Mac users.  They are here: http://csserver10.csb.fsu.edu/new.html

Posted by Jon Lutz

What the US Media Shield Bill Means for Bloggers & Citizen Journalists

From Mashable, here's an excerpt:

The Free Flow of Information Act of 2009 (also known as the Media Shield Bill) recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning that the bill has been placed on the official calendar of business and could be considered and voted upon by the entire Senate soon. If the bill passes in the Senate, it will still need to be reconciled with a different version that passed in the House earlier this year.

What is the Media Shield Bill? It offers a “shield” to protect those who provide news from potential legal action, like subpoenas requesting access to protected sources or documents. More importantly, perhaps, the bill seeks to define the very act of journalism itself, and who can be called a journalist. This could have profound implications for bloggers and citizen journalists.

Read more here. 

Posted by Jon Lutz

Suit Claims Search Engine’s ‘Bing’ Name Infringes Trademark

From the ABAJournal Law News Now a St. louis desing company claims in a lawsuit that Microsoft infringed it's trademark by using the name Bing. Here's an excerpt:

The suit was filed in St. Louis circuit court this week by Bing! Information Design, according to Ars Technica, IDG News Service and a press release. The company, which creates computer graphics and illustrations, claims Microsoft was aware of its name before it launched Bing.

Read more here. 

Posted by Jon Lutz

Free App Offers iPhone CLE Courses

The iPhone is now offering a free app for CLE courses, the ABA Journal Law News Now reports. Here's an excerpt:

Lawyers looking for continuing legal education credit can download a new app that allows them to find courses, listen to audio programs and access materials on their iPhone and iPod touch.

Users can set up a free account at West LegalEdcenter to buy programs that can be downloaded using the free app, known as CLE Mobile, according to a Thomson Reuters press release. More than 2,000 audio courses are available.

But don’t think that you can get credit just by downloading CLE programs. The app tracks and ensures that the program has played, and randomly verifies interaction in states that require the feature...

Read more here. 

Posted by Jon Lutz

Britain Considers Changes to Deter 'Libel Tourism'

British lawmakers may make changes to 19th century libel laws that would make it less of a 'libel mecca,' reports the ABAJournal Law News Now.  Here's an excerpt:

One member of the House of Lords is drafting a bill that could especially deter forum shopping. It would require foreigners to show that they've suffered actual harm in England before they are allowed to sue there, the New York Times reports.

Unlike the United States, where the plaintiff must prove that a statement is false in order to sue for libel, England puts the onus on the defendant, who must establish that statements are true.

Lawmakers are responding to growing criticisms of the law from not just media, but environmentalists, anti-corruption groups and others who are being sued or threatened with legal action because of blog posts.

Read the article here. 

Posted by Jon Lutz

Obama Names First ‘IP Czar’

From the ABAJournal Law News Now, Obama names first 'IP Czar,'  here's an excerpt:

President Barack Obama named Victoria Espinel as the first U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator on Friday.

The senate confirmed Espinel late Thursday, according to the National Journal's Tech Daily Dose blog.

Espinel has most recently served as founder and president of the nonprofit Bridging the Information Divide, and she was a visiting law professor at George Mason University from2007-2009, focusing on intellectual property and international trade, according to a biography on the White House website. She has also advised senate and house committees on intellectual property, and in 2005 she became the first Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In that position, she was the chief U.S. trade negotiator for IP and innovation.

Read the article here. 

Posted by Jon Lutz