Sam Bayard's blog

New Hampshire Supreme Court Rules Website Covered By State Reporter's Privilege

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This morning, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire handed down an important decision holding that a mortgage industry website, The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter, is entitled to protection under the state's reporter's privilege.

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Police Seize Gizmodo Reporter's Computers Over iPhone 4 Leak

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Gizmodo announced this afternoon that California police seized computers and servers from the home of its reporter/

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CMLP Updates Legal Guide Pages on Protections for Anonymous Speech

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Today, CMLP published extensive updates to its legal guide pages on the legal protections for anonymous and pseudonymous speech on the Internet. We overhauled the general page on First Amendment protections to reflect significant changes in the law over the past few years, and updated the state pages to include many new cases on the topic.

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Breaking News: Dow Jones Files "Hot News" Case Against Briefing.com

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A Dow Jones press release on BusinessWire announces that the financial media giant filed a lawsuit today against Briefing.com, alleging that the subscription-based financial site misappropriated its headlines and articles.  The complaint, filed in U.S.

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Lost and Found: California Law and the Next Generation iPhone

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Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past few days, you've heard that a newfangled iPhone mysteriously turned up in a fancy beer bar in Redwood City, California, and photos of it ended up on

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Goldsmith and Lessig: ACTA Raises "Serious Constitutional Questions"

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Harvard Law School professors Jack Goldsmith and Lawrence Lessig published an opinion piece today in the Washington Post, in which they lay out the serious constitutional concerns surrounding the Obama administration's plan to adopt ACTA as a "sole executive agreement" that requires only the president's approval. It's well worth a read.

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Barclays v. TheFlyOnTheWall.com: Hot News Doctrine Alive and Kicking; Will News Aggregators Be Next?

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In 2003, prolific legal scholar and 7th Circuit Judge Richard Posner published a law review article entitled "Misappropriation: A Dirge," which discussed—among other things—the continued viability of &quo

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"Fred Ross" Files Anti-SLAPP Motion Against Patterson City Attorney

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A couple of weeks ago, my good friend and all-around First Amendment bad ass Marc Randazza called on a bunch of law bloggers to make March "Anti-SLAPP Month" in honor of Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN)’s propos

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Fake Giraffe Update: Louisiana Court Sides With Satirical Website

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Nicholas Brilleaux, publisher of Hammond Action News, got a big victory yesterday when a Louisiana judge dissolved an order prohibiting him from posting a satirical news story about a fictional giraffe attack on his blog.

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Science Journalist Simon Singh Drops Guardian Column to Fight Libel Suit Full-Time

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Science journalist Simon Singh announced on Friday that he is giving up his Guardian column to devote his time and energy to fighting the British Chiropractic Association's libel lawsuit against him and to campaigning for libel reform in the United Kingdom. 

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NYU Law Professor Charged With Criminal Libel in French Court for Refusing to Take Down Critical Book Review

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Many others already have

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Supreme Court Grants Cert. in Snyder v. Phelps

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The Supreme Court has granted certiorari in Snyder v. Phelps, the funeral picketing "God Hates Fags" case involving the kooky Phelpsian Westboro Baptist Church.  Albert Snyder, the father of a U.S.

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Pennsylvania Court Refuses to Unmask News Website Commenters

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Thomas O'Toole at TechLaw points us to an anonymous speech decision issued last week by a federal court in Pennsylvania.  In McVicker v.

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CMLP and Cyberlaw Clinic Call On Illinois Supreme Court to Preserve Broad Purpose of Citizen Participation Act

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With the help of Harvard Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic, CMLP and a coalition of media and advocacy organizations submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Illinois Supreme Court this week, urging the court to reject two lower courts’ narrow i

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Lenz v. Universal Music: Court Limits Damages Recoverable for Bogus Takedowns

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Last week, federal district judge Jeremy Fogel issued a technical but important decision in Stephanie Lenz's lawsuit against Universal Music over the "Let's Go Crazy" dancing baby takedown.  As

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Landlord's Defamation Suit Against Tenant Over Moldy Apartment Tweet Dismissed

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Andrew Wang of Chicago Breaking News reports that an Illinois judge has dismissed Horizon Realty Group's defamation lawsuit against Amanda Bonnen. Surely you remember this gem from last summer?

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Supreme Court Blocks Video Streaming of Prop 8 Trial

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YouTube Court This afternoon, the Supreme Court put the final kibosh on video streaming of the Prop 8 trial to five federal courthouses around the nation.  The Court stayed U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's order permitting the broadcast.  The stay will remain in force for the foreseeable future, putting an end to the controversy for practical purposes.

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National Freedom of Information Coalition to Create FOI Litigation Fund With Help From Knight Foundation

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The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reports that the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) has received a $2 million, three-year grant from the John S. and James L.

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