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Media Law Prof Blog 

Media law resources, information, and news for the academic community.
Post Frequency: 34.8/day Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 12:48:00 Recent Entries: 2853
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Dutch MP Will Face Trial Over Statements in Film
Posted on January 21, 2009Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders, who produced a controversial film in which he criticized Islam, will face trial "for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs," a court has...
Prop Gun Discharges, Actor Shot Accidentally
Posted on January 21, 2009Another story of a close call onstage. An actor was accidentally shot during a rehearsal when a prop gun discharged accidentally at a Sarasota, Florida community theater.. The director handling the prop didn't realize it was loaded. Police are investigating...
"Speed the Plow" Producers File Grievance Against Jeremy Piven
Posted on January 20, 2009The producers of the Broadway show "Speed the Plow" have filed a grievance with Actors' Equity over Jeremy Piven's departure from the production. Mr. Piven gave illness (mercury poisoning) as the cause. William H. Macy replaced him in the role...
Press Freedom and Press Regulation in China
Posted on January 20, 2009Matt Halling, University of California, San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law, has published "Did Press Freedom Win a Medal? The Future of Foreign Journalism in China." Here is the abstract. This paper addresses the future of foreign journalism in...
Australian Writer Sentenced For Insulting Thai King
Posted on January 20, 2009Australian teacher and writer Harry Nicolaides received a six year sentence, reduced to three years, for lese-majeste, insulting the King of Thailand and his son, for a passage in a novel he published. Mr. Nicolaides pled guilty, hence the reduced...
Former Radio Host May Sue For Wrongful Dismissal
Posted on January 20, 2009Talk show host Jon Gaunt, who was fired from the show TalkSport late last year for a comment about a London councillor, whom he referred to as a "Nazi" during an interview about health and safety policies, is investigating the...
Online Speech and Murderous Acts
Posted on January 20, 2009Raphael Cohen-Almagor, University of Hull, has published "Bloody Wednesday in Dawson College - The Story of Kimveer Gill, or Why Should We Monitor Certain Websites to Prevent Murder," in Studies in Ethics, Law & Technology, volume 2, no. 3 (December....
Russian Copyright Law and Rights Licensing Organizations
Posted on January 20, 2009Sergey Budylin, Roche and Duffay, and Yulia Osipova have published "Is AllofMP3 Legal? Non-Contractual Licensing Under Russian Copyright Law," at 7 Suffolk University Journal of High Technology Law 1 (2007). Here is the abstract. Lately, Russian copyright law has attracted...
Journalist, Lawyer Killed in Moscow
Posted on January 20, 2009Journalist Anastasia Baburova and attorney Stanislav Markelov, a human right lawyer who worked with slain reporter Anna Politkovskaya, were found shot to death yesterday in Moscow. As yet, police have not identified any suspects. Ms. Baburova freelanced for the newspaper...
Carlos Slim May Invest in New York Times
Posted on January 19, 2009The New York Times reports that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is close in investing in the paper. Read more here.
John Mortimer Dies
Posted on January 16, 2009Sir John Mortimer, creator of the iconic Horace Rumpole, "Rumpole of the Bailey," has died at the age of 85. Read more here in a BBC story.
High Profile Italian Murder Trial To Be Open To Press, Public
Posted on January 16, 2009The Meredith Kercher murder trial will be open to the public, in spite of attempts by the victim's family to close it to the press. An Italian judge has noted that some proceedings might be held privately. One of the...
"Watchmen" Agreement Reached
Posted on January 16, 2009Fox and Warners Brothers seem to have reached an agreement over their dispute regarding the rights to the big budget film Watchmen and will ask Judge Gary Feess to look it over and dismiss pending litigation. Fox had gotten a...
Sharon Osbourne Wins Damages In Defamation Suit
Posted on January 15, 2009The Sun has agreed that it defamed Sharon Osbourne by printing a story saying that she was "driving her frail husband Ozzy Osbourne to destruction." The paper is paying damages and costs. Read more here.
Judge Grants "Narrowcasting" Motion In P2P Lawsuit
Posted on January 15, 2009A federal judge has granted the defendants' motion to "narrowcast" the proceedings in the P2P lawsuit brought by Capitol Records and Sony BMG. Judge Nancy Gertner wrote that "recording and broadcast falls squarely within the public interest....?Public? today has a...
BBC Apologizes To Man Identified On Reality Show
Posted on January 15, 2009The BBC has apologized to Mohammed Amar, who was shown being arrested in an episode of the show "Cars, Cops, and Criminals," first broadcast July 9 of last year. Mr. Amar was never charged with any crime and later sued...
Israeli Ban On Media Access To Gaza Continues
Posted on January 15, 2009Media are continuing to complain about their lack of ability to report on events in Gaza, a ban instituted by Israeli forces. Read more here in a Guardian article.
Advertising Standards Authority Nixes Biofuels Ad
Posted on January 15, 2009The Advertising Standards Authority has taken action to ban a Renewable Fuels Assocation biofuels ad after Guardian columnist George Monbiot complained to the agency that the ad was misleading. The ASA said in part: The ASA acknowledged that fossil fuels...
Original Meaning of the 14th Amendment As Expressed In the Print Media of the Time
Posted on January 14, 2009David T. Hardy has published "Original Popular Understanding of the 14th Amendment as Reflected in the Print Media of 1866-68." Here is the abstract. In District of Columbia v. Heller, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed a form...
Cultural Diversity on the Net
Posted on January 13, 2009Mira Burri-Nenova, World Trade Institute, University of Bern Law School, has published "User Created Content in Virtual Worlds and Cultural Diversity," as NCCR Trade Regulation World Paper No. 2009/1. Here is the abstract. User created content (UCC) has often been...
Australia and Internet Censorship
Posted on January 13, 2009Derek E. Bambauer, Brooklyn Law School, has published "Filtering in Oz: Australia's Foray into Internet Censorship," as Brooklyn Law School Legal Studies Paper No. 125. Here is the abstract. Australia's decision to implement Internet censorship using technological means creates a...
BBC Apologizes For Editing Scholar's Comments For Radio Program
Posted on January 12, 2009The BBC has had to apologize yet again, this time to a noted scholar, for misrepresenting her views on religion. It so heavily edited Dr. Dorothy Rowe's comments for the radio program "What Do You Believe?" that Dr. Rowe says...
FCC Chair: Away With Those Rabbit Ears!
Posted on January 11, 2009FCC Chair Kevin Martin says delaying the digital switchover would cause chaos and cost companies money. He made these comments during a Q&A at the International Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Read more here in an MSNBC.com story.
Irish Judge Rules That Paper May Not Publish Photos of Newly Released Prisoner
Posted on January 10, 2009An Irish judge has ruled that Sunday Life, a Belfast newspaper, may not publish photographs of a man who had served 21 years of a life sentence for murder and is being released. The judge found that Kenneth Callaghan's right...
Watch On "Watchmen"
Posted on January 10, 2009Warner Brothers and Fox are trying to settle that "Watchmen" squabble out of court rather than at the appellate level. The film is set for release in March, so WB has a big incentive to move toward a settlement. Read...
Digital D-Day Cometh
Posted on January 10, 2009The anticipated digital switchover on February 17th continues to concern a lot of folks. The funding program for those converter boxes is out of cash, and a good many U.S. households still haven't bought the equipment. In addition, some consumers...
SAG Strike Vote May Be Cancelled
Posted on January 10, 2009Reuters reports that some members of the SAG leadership may try to prevent a strike vote, given the bad economic situation. Insiders say a two-day meeting board meeting that begins Monday will be crucial.
Brancato Begins Ten Year Sentence For Attempted Burglary
Posted on January 10, 2009Actor Lillo Brancato Jr. ("The Sopranos") has begun serving a ten-year sentence for attempted burglary. He was acquitted of second degree murder charges last month. Mr. Brancato also appeared in the films The Adventures of Pluto Nash and A Bronx...
Company Refuses To Take Down "Want Longer Lasting Sex?" Billboards; ASA Launches Investigation
Posted on January 09, 2009A company is resisting a request from the Advertising Standards Authority to cease its "Want Longer Lasting Sex" ad campaign for a nasal spray. The ASA has told the Advanced Medical Institute that its ads cause "offence" (more than 400...
A Website Review Launches a Defamation Suit
Posted on January 09, 2009cnet notes that a poster on the gripe site Yelp is facing a defamation lawsuit after the individual he complained about took the negative review to heart--and then to a lawyer. Christopher Norberg was unhappy with the bill he received...
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If a person defames me and threatens me to pay a bill that they made and it is posted to others besides myself, can I sue ?
The documentation of your actions in this case pretty much preclude any legal ac...
Is it libel to write blog posts and/or online reviews about a local business that defames one's reputation?
Libel is the form of defamation expressed in fixed-- usually written form. Sland...
Is it illegal to resell dvds/cds?
Nope, it is not illegal, assuming you are in the U.S.; there is a "first sa...
How can I make my blog more popular?
You have to write and submit articles, with backlinks to your blogsite....

If a person defames me and threatens me to pay a bill that they made and it is posted to others besides myself, can I sue ?
The documentation of your actions in this case pretty much preclude any legal ac...
Is it libel to write blog posts and/or online reviews about a local business that defames one's reputation?
Libel is the form of defamation expressed in fixed-- usually written form. Sland...
Is it illegal to resell dvds/cds?
Nope, it is not illegal, assuming you are in the U.S.; there is a "first sa...
How can I make my blog more popular?
You have to write and submit articles, with backlinks to your blogsite....








