the courts
Pink Floyd Beats EMI in Creativity Flap
Pink Floyd prevailed Thursday in a legal brawl with its label when a British judge ordered EMI to stop selling individual downloads of the acid-inspired group’s songs without permission. The artists behind The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall , and other top sellers claimed its decade-old contract with EMI required the band’s music to be sold as an entire album, not as single tracks in which EMI has permitted iTunes to distribute. High Court of Justice Judge Andrew Morritt of London agreed, ruling the 1999 agreement with EMI was crafted to “ preserve the artistic integrity of the albums.” Pink Floyd said its musical craft surrounding concept albums was being misrepresented when sold in singles.
Continue reading »Jurors: Stop Twittering
A federal court policy-making body is belatedly entering the internet age by proposing that judges clearly inform jurors they must not electronically discuss cases they are hearing. It’s standard procedure to inform jurors to remain mum and not conduct any research about the case until a verdict. But recent gadget use by jurors has forced the hand of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the federal courts.
Continue reading »U.S. Courts Split on Internet Bans
A federal appeals court is reversing a lifetime internet ban imposed on a child sex offender also handed a 15-year prison term. The outcome highlights the appellate courts are all over the map when it comes to internet bans often imposed on defendants, especially sex deviants, once they have served their time. What’s more, the courts appear to be accepting the internet as a basic freedom to which convicts, even the worst of the worst, usually should not be denied permanent access.
Continue reading »Judge Slams MPAA ‘Cartel’ Allegations
A federal judge is slamming the door on RealNetworks’ argument the Hollywood studios are a “price-fixing cartel” that illegally prevent the distribution of DVD-duplicating wares. The Seattle-based electronics concern made the anti-trust argument in a failed bid to convince U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel in San Francisco to lift a distribution ban (.pdf) of its RealDVD software.
Continue reading »