Facebook Sues Power.com: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
Power.com wants to allow users to access all of their social networking sites through Power.com’s interface. Facebook disagrees. The social networking giant, Facebook, sued Power.com yesterday, alleging “copyright and trademark infringement, unlawful competition and violation of the computer fraud and abuse act.” While Facebook may have a case, it seems that Power.com is acting well within its rights as a social network aggregator, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out in court.
Drama Continues Over Vacant Senate Seat: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
When news broke that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was giving President-Elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to Roland Burris we knew that it wasn’t the end of the story, and it would appear we were correct. With Roland Burris flying to Washington D.C. to claim his seat, the Secretary of the Senate rejecting his papers (Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White had refused to sign them), and Burris vowing to fight until the end, this story may not be able to get any juicier.
Chief Justice Gives Annual Report on Federal Judiciary, Asks for Pay Raises Again: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
The annual report that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts must write at the end of every December is surely one of the most trying tasks for a Chief Justice, and this year’s report echoed many of the same sentiments that Roberts has spoken about in past reports. Increased caseloads and relatively low costs in the judicial branch (compared to the legislative and executive branches) have led to Chief Justice Roberts repeatedly asking from pay raises for judges, and this year was no different.
Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Names Former Illinois Attorney General As Obama's Senate Replacement: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
In a move that is controversial to say the least, Governor Rod Blagojevich (he of the recent infamy regarding his attempts to “sell” President-Elect Barack Obama’s now vacant Senate seat) of Illinois has named Ronald Burris, the former AG of Illinois, as Obama’s replacement in the Senate. Burris, a favorite of many due to his good record, strong qualifications, would be difficult to argue against as a valid appointment. Just to spice things up for Senate Democrats, Burris is also an African-American and as such has found support from some interest groups calling for a black replacement for Obama.
Verizon Wins Largest Cybersquatting Settlement Ever: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
This Christmas Eve Verizon got a Christmas present to remember in the form of a $33.15 million settlement from OnlineNIC Inc. OnlineNIC had been responsible for “cybersquatting” on several domain names that were extraordinarily similar or identical to domains that incorporated Verizon’s trademarked name. In the default judgement, OnlineNIC agreed to transfer the domain names over to Verizon and pay the settlement.
President-Elect Obama to Release Detailed Report of Contact With Gov. Rod Blagojevich
As the internal investigation into the scandal created by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich continues, President-Elect Barack Obama’s administration will release a detailed report of all contact with the governor and Obama’s staff. This all comes after Blagojevich was caught attempting to “sell” Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. Obama and his administration (along with Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel) have been accused of acting in collusion with Blagojevich during this debacle, and hopefully (although not likely) this will give some clarity to the situation.
RIAA to Back Down from Lawsuits; Will Now Go Directly to ISPs for Cooperation: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
The RIAA, Recording Industry Association of America, is finally backing down from their policy of suing individuals who are caught using illegal means to download music. This tactic, designed to scare P2P users, was a disaster from the get go as it bankrupted ordinary families, and even ensnared a dead person. The RIAA’s new plan is to now go directly to ISPs to enlist their help in halting illegal material from being transmitted over broadband connections.
Mississippi Basketball Coach Arrested for Assaulting Cabbie: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
Mississippi’s basketball coach, Andy Kennedy, was arrested last night after reportedly assaulting his cab driver. This all occurred outside of a Cincinnati nightclub late last night, as Kennedy allegedly punched and verbally assaulted his cab driver, Mohammed Ould Jiddou. Kennedy has been accused of using racial slurs during this altercation, and the Rebels may be without a basketball coach for up to six months (assuming Mississippi doesn’t can him) if convicted.
New York Governor to Implement "IPod Tax": LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
New York Governor David Paterson is facing a budget shortfall of $15.4 billion and he has been given the task of fighting that problem. It would appear he is in the midst of doing just that, and New York residents will be feeling the pinch a little bit. Paterson is proposing raising taxes on alcohol, energy drinks, and yes, the “IPod tax.” This isn’t a tax on IPods themselves, rather it is a tax on the “digitally delivered entertainment services,” such as those given by ITunes Store and Amazon. So for all those New York residents, get your downloads while they’re not being taxed!
Mattel Inc. Will Pay $12 Million Settlement to 39 States: LexMonitor's Daily Bloggers Discussion
Mattel Inc, the renowned toy-making company, will pay $12 million to 39 different states as part of an agreement to end the investigation that began in 2007 when Mattel (along with their company, Fisher Price) recalled 21 million toys that were made in China. Mattel will also implement stricter lead standards (from 600 parts per million, to 90 parts per million, which is stricter than the current federal lead standards) as part of this settlement.