CLibertyC

Documentary producers sue music company over copyright to ‘Happy Birthday To You’

"'Happy Birthday to You' is the subject of a fresh US legal dispute, with a production firm claiming the tune’s copyright owner has no exclusive right to the most popular song in the English language. Good Morning to You Productions (GMTY) has filed suit in a federal court in New York against Warner/Chappell Music demanding that the government declare invalid its copyright over the song, saying it belongs in the public domain. The lawsuit also demands the return of 'millions of dollars of unlawful licensing fees collected by defendant Warner/Chappell pursuant to its wrongful assertion of copyright ownership of the song,' the 26-page suit says." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDocumentary producers sue music company over copyright to ‘Happy Birthday To You’

The Endgame of State/Local Government Pensions

"During the past 30 years of financialized abundance, the benefits and pensions promised to public employees were increased substantially. Public unions are a powerful political force in many states, and in eras of rising tax revenues, it's an easy political decision to increase public employee benefits and pension payouts. The rising stock and bond markets generated huge profits for the public-employee pension funds, enabling them to grow without taxpayer contributions. The effortlessness and persistence of this growth encouraged the mindset that pensions would be paid for via the magic of ever-rising markets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Endgame of State/Local Government Pensions

Ohio Appeals Court: Turn Signal Not Needed If Driving Straight

"Motorists driving in a straight line do not need to use their turn signal. That's the conclusion Ohio's second highest court reached on June 7 while reviewing the opinion of the Erie County Municipal Court. Paseka had been heading west on Lima Sandusky Road (State Route 6) in Erie County where the road forks. Those wishing to continue on Lima Sandusky Road must veer to the left, otherwise continuing straight ahead places the driver on Wahl Road. Paseka continued straight onto Wahl Road, and for that he saw the flashing lights of a police officer behind him. He was pulled over for failure to use a turn signal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOhio Appeals Court: Turn Signal Not Needed If Driving Straight

Poland Traffic Cameras Battered, Government Seeks Insurer

"Attacks on speed cameras in Poland have become so common that the country's transportation department is looking for companies to insure the 185 speed cameras and red light cameras that will be in place by September. The policy would cover 30 million zloty (US $9 million) worth of equipment against losses that have included the destruction of 31 cameras last year, or about one out of four devices in operation Interia.pl reported." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoland Traffic Cameras Battered, Government Seeks Insurer

Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Drug Stop For Legally Tinted Windows

"Photographs of of the vehicle taken by police show the car's steering wheel and windshield wiper could be seen through the rear window. Officer Minch confirmed at trial that this matched what he saw but that it was 'kind of gloomy' that day and he was unable to verify Sanders' age, sex and ethnicity through the back window. Sanders is black. Officer Minch did not try to identify the driver through the front or driver's and passenger side windows, which were untinted. An expert's measurement determined the tint was well within the standard, allowing 38 percent of light to pass through. That was not enough to allow Sanders to walk." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndiana Supreme Court Upholds Drug Stop For Legally Tinted Windows

Evangelization vs. Copyright

"Brandon Vogt really liked the new papal encyclical but noted that the Vatican only made it available in HTML. So he worked to convert it to PDF, epub, Mobi, and more, and then he gave away these formats on his website. Whoops. Both the Vatican and the USCCB wrote to demand a takedown. Clearly, Vogt was 'stealing from the Pope' (really? I don't think making other formats available causes the text to be mystically removed from the Vatican website). Also, he was accused of 'violating the civil law.' Multinational copyright enforcement is a legal invention of the late 19th century. It serves to block the light of truth. This is a great example of that." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEvangelization vs. Copyright

Texas City Council Rejects Red Light Camera Initiative

"The city council in Sugar Land, Texas does not want voters to have a say in whether red light cameras are used in the Houston suburb. Although more than 3000 residents signed a petition requesting the issue be placed on the November ballot, and the city secretary verified a sufficient number met the legal requirement, the council voted Tuesday to reject the petition. The council's decision protects the four intersection cameras operated by American Traffic Solutions, one of which only began issuing $75 tickets a month ago. Before that device was added, the cameras issued 10,549 tickets worth $791,175 in a twelve-month period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas City Council Rejects Red Light Camera Initiative

A ‘disposition matrix’ system is now generating Obama’s secret kill list

"Since the Obama administration largely shut down the CIA’s rendition programme, choosing instead to dispose of its enemies in drone attacks, those individuals who are being nominated for killing have been discussed at a weekly counter-terrorism meeting at the White House situation room that has become known as Terror Tuesday. Barack Obama, in the chair and wishing to be seen as a restraining influence, agrees the final schedule of names. Once details of these meetings began to emerge it was not long before the media began talking of 'kill lists'. Before long the term disposition matrix was born." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA ‘disposition matrix’ system is now generating Obama’s secret kill list

Are telegrams dead?

"In India, the telegram held on a bit longer because it was used for internal government communications. The peak year was 1985, when 60m telegrams were sent, according to BSNL. But since then the number has dropped, and the number of telegram offices in India has fallen from 45,000 to just 75. Yet telegrams survive in a few other countries, including Belgium, Japan and Sweden, where former telecoms monopolies maintain them as a nostalgic novelty service. And in many other countries private firms offer telegram-delivery services. So despite several recent reports to the contrary, the telegram is not quite dead, and will probably never die." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre telegrams dead?

Simple vinegar test can prevent cervical cancer deaths

"A simple vinegar test could prevent 73,000 deaths from cervical cancer worldwide each year, the authors of a large-scale study of women in India said Sunday. A primary health care worker swabs the woman’s cervix with vinegar, which causes pre-cancerous tumors to turn white. The results are known a minute later when a bright light is used to visually inspect the cervix. The instantaneous results are a major advantage for women in rural areas who might otherwise have to travel for hours to see a doctor. The randomized study of 150,000 women over 15 years found that the vinegar test was able to reduce cervical cancer deaths by 31 percent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSimple vinegar test can prevent cervical cancer deaths