Archive
Category: Weblog
Random assortments, selected for semantic content.
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High Court decision in Stevens v Sony
The High Court of Australia has today handed down judgment in Stevens v Sony, ruling in favour of the mod-chippers. Sony had brought a claim under Australia’s anti-circumvention statutory tort to stop people from modifying the Sony PlayStation to play cheaper overseas versions of games. Specifically, the Court found that: ‘[The] true construction of the… Read more →
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Government Cracks Down on Spyware Operation
According to this article, United States ‘Government regulators are trying to shut down Odysseus Marketing, which they say secretly downloaded spyware onto the computers of unwitting Internet users. The FTC accused Walter Rines and his company of luring computer users with a bogus promise of free software that would make peer-to-peer file sharing anonymous. The… Read more →
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Inducing Dolphin Infringement? Scientists teach dolphins to sing ‘Batman’ theme
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Grokster ruling, many have been speculating about what it means exactly to "induce infringement." Well, leave it to science to be the first to push the boundaries. Professors in Florida have apparently taught a dolphin to sing the theme from the Batman TV show on command. A violation… Read more →
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On Plagues, Real and Virtual
It’s been quite a week for the medical world. Last Tuesday, a biohazard research laboratory in New York reported the accidental loss of three mice infected with a variant of bubonic plague. The Avian influenza is spreading rapidly throughout south-east Asia, confounding (and outpacing) Indonesian authorities. Now several virtual worlds are also finding themselves beset… Read more →
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Chinese Search Engine Liable for Indexing Infringing Copies
Baidu is, broadly speaking, the Chinese equivalent of Google. Last week, a Chinese district court found it liable for copyright violation. The act of infringement? Automatically constructing and maintaining an index of links, some of which were to infringing files. The Court ordered Baidu to pay damages of 68 000 yuan (AUD$8 400). The company now faces… Read more →
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Justice Crennan Appointed to the High Court of Australia
The Honourable Justice Susan Crennan, previously a justice of the Federal Court of Australia, has been appointed to the High Court by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock. Justice Crennan will replace McHugh J, who is due to retire in November. Crennan J will be just the second female appointee in the Court’s history. Announcing the appointment, Mr… Read more →
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Clayton Utz Lawyers Accused of Witness Coaching in Kazaa Trial
The Australian is reporting that a complaint has been received about three Clayton Utz lawyers involved in the Sharman License Holdings (‘SLH’) trial, acting for the developer of the popular KaZaa file-sharing software. According to the complaint, the lawyers are alleged to have influenced the testimony of an expert witness. The expert was required to… Read more →
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Lex Contrariwise? Doctors Sue Patients
In marked contrast to my previous post, several United States medical practitioners have pursued defamation claims against former patients, who had criticised their doctors’ lack of skill and proficiency on public websites: Dr Boothe, who practices in the Dallas area, filed lawsuits in a state court in Collin County, Texas, in January against the disgruntled… Read more →
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A New Form of Medical Liability: Impunctuality?
The ABC is reporting that doctors could be sued for being late to appointments, according to several lawyers: ‘The Downs and South West Law Association’s Darryl Cox says some people are waiting up to an hour for appointments, costing them time and money and doctors need to stop over-booking. “If it’s the case that the… Read more →
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Globalisation and the Legal Profession
Kevin Martin, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, has written an interesting piece about the rise of lawyers as an export commodity. He describes the expertise that international lawyers can bring to global transactions and the benefits this can have for countries playing host to them. However, he also notes several barriers… Read more →