Justia Law Blog

FDA Publishes Copyrighted Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements Updated: by

Today, the Food and Drug Administration published its final rule on Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements, 76 Fed. Reg. 36628 (June 22, 2011). In general, the FDA opted for a shock-and-awe approach by requiring graphic images with accompanying warning statements on cigarette packaging. Currently, cigarette packages must bear…

Copyright Controversy Over Educational Content in Mexico Updated: by

In Mexico, a common line of thought is that projects funded with government money must be a public good. However, Mexican copyright laws challenged this perception after the government-funded Enciclomedia project failed due to fuzzy contracts, political conflicts and a lack of infrastructure. Initially, the goal of Enciclomedia was to…

Judge: Righthaven in the Wrong on Copyright Updated: by

In an enlightening decision, a federal judge ruled this week that Las Vegas-based copyright litigation enterprise Righthaven had no legal basis to sue one defendant, Democratic Underground, because it didn't even own the copyright it was suing over. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Roger Hunt was particularly peeved to learn…

Has the Defense of Marriage Act Gone Bankrupt? Updated: by

On Monday, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, in Los Angeles, made an unusual ruling for a bankruptcy court: it declared Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. In that case, a legally married same-sex couple in California tried to file a joint petition…

Coloring Outside the Lines – California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission Releases First Round of Draft Maps Updated: by

Ballot initiatives in California run the gamut and ask the electorate to cast their vote, yea or nay, on a wide range of issues.  Recently, there has been a lot of press about one specific initiative we went to the polls to vote on (and passed) in 2008 - Proposition…