http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c182 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c182
"Remember that every act of government ultimately reduces to an act of violence against person and property. When you see the word regulation, think of cops with clubs and tasers. Think of fines, courtrooms, jails. These are the essential means by which government operates to control society."

I prefer consensual relationships and voluntary exchange.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c171 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:03 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c171 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c146 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:43:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c146 > around for ages. If you want to rent you property
> you must check the local laws

Yes, heaven forfend a person should do anything with their own property without having to ask some government bureacrat for permission first.

Land of the free indeed...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c843 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:42:34 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c843
"Securely deleting a file is typically a tradeoff of
thoroughness (number of passes) and performance (time)"

The fact still remains, it's impossible to recover an infinite amount of information. These people had a relatively long time to delete information, it would be relatively easy for them to delete it beyond reasonable recovery.

Wrongfully confiscating the evidence before the public had a chance to see it puts my ability to see it in the future at the mercy of law enforcement. For all I know they could have burned the original flash drive and gave the feds another just like it. Not to mention I have no idea if I can trust the feds.

As far as I am concerned the information went into a black hole, into the hands of law enforcement, the very suspects here. The public may never get access to the original flash drive again and anything law enforcement (the feds, the cops, etc...) say is automatically suspect.

My ability to uncover the truth should not have ever been put at their mercy. The person who shot the footage should have been allowed to keep it and make it publicly available. Law enforcement prevented this and for that they should be punished worse than if they were guilty.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1181 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:37 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1181
That hardly sounds like Volokh's interpretation. I'm not a lawyer, but I'd say this document is calling for all factors to be considered, it certainly doesn't say if anyone is even slightly offended, toss'em all in jail, as Volokh seems to imply. His summary is really quit misleading in my opinion.
.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3794 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3794 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/21/gay-fla-teen-facing-charges-having-sexual-contact-with-14-year-old-girlfriend/]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c132 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:38:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c132
See, right there is the problem. You somehow think that you get to decide the level of risk you're willing to accept. You forgot that Nanny Bloomberg and his minions are the only ones capable of determining acceptable risk, whether it be for BNBs or 32 oz. sodas.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c151 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:38:01 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c151
Oh and Gina, because its clear you can't let any mention of your name go past without injecting your woe is me tale, it is awfully hard to rewrite history on the internet. It never forgets.

Oh and again this story isn't so much about you as it is about a process ripe for abuse and a court ruling about that issue. Your fall is just icing on the cake you whackjob.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c213 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:37:10 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c213 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c529 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:35:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c529 Shut Up, I Explained, Mostly Pointlessly
May 1, 2013 By Ken White. (Tags: Law, Law Practice)
"It's my best piece of advice]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c191 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:35:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c191 So, identity theft, and fraudulent conduct, merits a telling-off in Minnesota?
That's something for a different venue, such as criminal court and disbarment proceedings.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c133 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:35:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c133

Not me. Your buddies from the MPAA seemed to think it was a big deal. Seems like maybe the legal issues are important, and you don't want that to happen, so you start throwing insults.

Seems like your pirate apologist buddies at EFF jumped into the fray even before the MPAA. I don't see case this moving the dial the way you piracy apologists hope it goes.

Very adult like.

Damn man, are you getting soft?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c183 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:33:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c183 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c158 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:32:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c158 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c154 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:32:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c154
Did they even have to pay for his lawyer fees?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c148 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:31:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c148 After they stole Cooper's identity, used it in copyright transfers in what was found by a court to be fraudulent activity, and the defamation suits to shut up Mr. Cooper and his lawyer... she told them no dessert and go to your room.

Anyone still wonder why Pretenda was able to operate for so long (and is still running even with the finding of facts by Judge Wright?).]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c571 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c571 Veoh. It doesn't matter if the law's on your side, or even if you get a "not guilty" verdict. If a big company doesn't like you, it can and will drag you into court until you go bankrupt.
The court system is broken. Even judges are starting to recognize it. Hopefully at some point we'll switch to a "loser pays" legal system, but until then...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c103 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:20:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c103
And just because a judge told them not to EVER send out fraudulent letters again, Hansmeier will laugh at it and say, "Fraudulent according to whom?"

Wright's Denial of the Sanctions Stay in CACD helped a little, but not much.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c80 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/14172323158/judge-not-impressed-prenda-alan-cooper-lawsuit.shtml#c80 well, to escape with such a result.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130514/17551823088/floridas-redlight-program-designed-to-make-driving-more-dangerous-shortening-yellow-lights.shtml#c461 Tue, 21 May 2013 15:17:30 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130514/17551823088/floridas-redlight-program-designed-to-make-driving-more-dangerous-shortening-yellow-lights.shtml#c461
If you run a red light in front of a police officer, you can can explain what happened: maybe the guy behind you was tailgating and you couldn't stop safely, maybe it's an emergency, or whatever. In ALL cases, the police office can use his or her judgment to decide whether to give you ticket. Maybe you'll get a warning, maybe you'll get a reduced ticket, or maybe the full ticket. If you do get a ticket, there's information on the back about how you have the right to a court date, and if you don't pay the fine, you will be sent a summons from the local courthouse.

With a red light camera, there is no judgment call: the camera has a picture of your license plate, your car, and maybe your face, and it doesn't care why you did it. On the ticket itself is text explaining that you MUST pay the fine. (On a side note, the instructions say to send the payment to the company, NOT the local law enforcement.) There is NO information about how to fight or appeal the ticket.
And if you're good about paying on time, then you don't get any points on your license and the ticket is not reported to your insurance company.

If you do NOT pay the fine by the due date, you can have your legally-entitled day in court. However, you run the risk of getting a judge who sides with the ticketing company. (Put more bluntly: a judge who has been told by the state that the red light camera company is giving money to the state, so the judge should throw the book at anyone who argues against a ticket.) Now, sure, maybe you'll get a judge that agrees with you about the evils of red light cameras, but are you willing to take the risk?
Like other posters have said, the fine doubles (or more) if you go to court. And if you lose, you have to pay the full fine AND court fees AND get points on your license, which could lead to higher insurance rates... not to mention any income you might lose by taking time off work to go to court.

Yet politicians like these cameras because of the quick infux of income. But how many accidents do these cause and how long will it be until the expenses of sending police and rescue services to the accidents overtakes the income?]]>