Featured Articles

The Role of Internet Intermediaries in Censoring Online Speech

December 01, 2008 17:48

Today I came across two excellent pieces touching on the role of intermediaries in censorship/regulation of online speech internationally: The first is Rebecca MacKinnon's detailed blog post on her research on censorship of Chinese blogs.  She looked at Chinese blog-hosting services, including...

Supreme Court Rejects FOIA Restrictions

June 19, 2008 20:39

In a rare Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) decision, the Supreme Court recently held in Taylor v. Sturgell that an individual's failed FOIA request does not preclude similar requests from related individuals. In doing so, the court rejected the legal doctrine of "virtual...

South Carolina Legislator Seeks to Criminalize Profanity in Public

January 16, 2009 15:50

South Carolina state senator Robert Ford has proposed a bill that would make it a felony for a person in a public forum or place of public accommodation wilfully and knowingly to publish orally or in writing, exhibit, or otherwise make available material containing words, language,...

Recent Articles

FTC Looks to Revise Online Advertising Guide

June 10, 2011 18:44

Eighteen months after the Federal Trade Commission revised its "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising," including revision of rules regarding product and service endorsements by bloggers and other social media contributors, the agency has announced...

First Circuit Hears Argument on Right to Record in Public

June 08, 2011 23:18

This morning, I attended a hearing of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the case of Glik v. Cunniffe, which raises important questions regarding the existence of a constitutional right to record the activity of police officers in public areas and the scope of Massachusetts...

Banned in (Much of) Britain, and Beyond?

May 23, 2011 20:05

Social media are abuzz about English Premier League footballer ("soccer player" to us Yanks) Ryan Giggs, who has obtained an order from a British court requiring Twitter to reveal the identity of various tweeters who identified him as having had an affair with model and Big...

Legal Guide Updated With D.C.'s New Anti-SLAPP Law

May 16, 2011 17:07

We're pleased to announce that we have updated the CMLP Legal Guide on the District of Columbia's anti-SLAPP law to incorporate its brand new anti-SLAPP statute that came into effect on March 31, 2011.  A SLAPP, or "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation," is a lawsuit filed in...

Journalism That Matters: Create or Die 2

May 14, 2011 14:15

Want to help disrupt and diversify the media status quo?  Attend “Journalism That Matters: Create or Die 2,” June 2-5, 2011 at UNC-Greensboro.  Register now through May   16 using the discount code "create2424" to get 20% off. Next month, I will be attending "Create or Die...

Debugging Legislation: PROTECT IP

May 12, 2011 19:02

There's more than a hint of theatrics in the draft PROTECT IP bill (pdf, via dontcensortheinternet ) that has emerged as son-of-COICA, starting with the ungainly acronym of a name. Given its roots in the entertainment industry, that low drama comes as no surprise. Each section name is worse than...

Announcing OpenCourt

May 12, 2011 18:37

It is a fundamental principle of the United States legal system that courts should be open to the public.  This principle is widely regarded as more aspirational than factual, because of numerous practical barriers to courtroom access -- not the least of which is that most of us do not have the...