Media & Communications Law

1576 ABA Journal Media & Communications Law articles.

Lawyer Drops Suit Against Paper for Cutting Staff, Devaluing Subscription

A North Carolina lawyer who sued the News & Observer for cutting staff has dropped his lawsuit. Durham lawyer Keith Hempstead said he abandoned his suit after achieving one of his goals—to get the news industry’s attention, the News & Observer reports. He had voiced his concerns about newsroom layoffs…

Jul 29, 2008 12:54 PM CDT

Online Video Clipping Service is Sued, Suspends Service

An Internet company that served as a platform for individuals interested in searching television and radio broadcasts, creating video clips, embedding them on websites and sharing them with others has closed down that portion of its services, after being sued by two major media organizations. Although Redlasso is shutting down…

Jul 25, 2008 5:38 PM CDT

New Attorney Ad Rules for La. Lawyers as of Dec. 1

New advertising standards for Louisiana lawyers are slated to go into effect on December 1, but some practitioners feel they could still using a bit of tweaking. For the first time, the new rules approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court will require prior approval of lawyer advertising, by a Louisiana…

Jul 24, 2008 11:14 PM CDT

Record Privacy Win for Formula One Boss re False Nazi Orgy Claims

Max Mosley, the head of Formula One racing, has won a record $119,021 in damages in a British privacy case, over a News of the World article that falsely claimed he had participated in Nazi-themed orgies, acting in the role of a concentration camp prisoner. “A judge ruled that there…

Jul 24, 2008 7:12 PM CDT

‘Obsessed’ Ex-News Anchor Charged With E-Mail Snooping

An “obsessed” former colleague of a Philadelphia television news anchor who allegedly illegally hacked into her e-mail and helped get her fired from her job by revealing personal information to others has now been federally charged in the case. Larry Mendte, 51, also allegedly snooped into ex-colleague Alycia Lane’s confidential…

Jul 22, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

Appeals Court Tosses CBS Fine for Janet Jackson Wardrobe Malfunction

A federal appeals court has tossed a half million dollar indecency fine against CBS television for Janet Jackson’s so-called wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the fine by the Federal Communications Commission deviated from past policy and was arbitrary and capricious, the…

Jul 21, 2008 3:52 PM CDT

Above the Law Founder Moving on to More Oversight Responsibilities

David Lat, founder and chief blogger for Above the Law, is moving on to new responsibilities that will require him to get dressed in the morning. Lat will oversee Above the Law and two other blogs produced by Breaking Media: Dealbreaker.com and Fashionista.com, reports The BLT: The Blog of Legal…

Jul 21, 2008 12:47 PM CDT

Fake News Article Results in Real Lawsuit

Admittedly not thinking about the consequences, a computing services manager for the University of Texas reportedly says he was the practical jokester who posted a fake Oklahoman article online under the byline of a real sportswriter. It falsely claimed that two quarterbacks at the University of Oklahoma had been arrested…

Jul 17, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

Man Sues Over Mistaken Sex Offender ID

Richard Bryan Smith happens to share the same name and date of birth as a convicted sex offender. And that has led to several cases of mistaken identity, despite the fact that there is a reported three-inch height difference between the two men, their eye colors are different from each…

Jul 14, 2008 9:42 PM CDT

Lawyer Sues Newspaper for Cutting Staff, Devaluing His Subscription

A North Carolina lawyer has sued the News & Observer for cutting staff and news pages after he renewed his subscription to the Raleigh newspaper. Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer who is a former reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, claims the cuts breached his contract with the newspaper and amounted…

Jul 11, 2008 12:54 PM CDT

ACLU Sues Over New Wiretap Law

Updated: The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal court in New York today to try to prevent a new surveillance law approved by the Senate yesterday from being put into effect. Signed today by President George Bush, the law approves “dragnet surveillance that has no connection to terrorism…

Jul 10, 2008 7:06 PM CDT

Lawyer Says His Job Was to Keep Mayor’s Text Messages Secret

A Michigan lawyer testified in a deposition yesterday that his job was to keep the wraps on embarrassing text messages between Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an aide. William Mitchell III of Southfield said he contacted SkyTel to air his concerns about release of the messages between Kilpatrick and his…

Jul 10, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

Is al-Qaida on Your Speed Dial? New Wiretap Law Lets Feds Check

As expected, the Senate approved a bill today that significantly expands the government’s domestic wiretapping powers and provides immunity from liability for telecommunications companies that previously cooperated with such spying despite a lack of warrants. This was the final OK needed to enact the legislation, which was passed by the…

Jul 9, 2008 11:25 PM CDT

Web Companies Seek New Federal Privacy Law for Internet Ads

Existing privacy laws concerning Internet advertising are in good shape, a Federal Trade Commission official said in a hearing today before the Senate Commerce Committee, and any gaps can be filled by industry self-regulation. But big Internet companies are seeking a uniform federal law to replace a patchwork of state…

Jul 9, 2008 7:53 PM CDT

Ex-NBC Reporter Sues Rival CBS Station for Airing Damaging Video

A year after a CBS station in Chicago aired an embarrassing tape showing a rival reporter wearing a bikini at the home of a source, the reporter has answered with a multimillion-dollar suit. Former NBC 5 reporter Amy Jacobson claims that the tape is carefully edited to depict an illicit…

Jul 8, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

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