Comments by velox http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c87 Wed, 22 May 2013 09:21:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c87 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c309 Tue, 21 May 2013 12:10:41 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c309 "This is typically the kind of situation that happens when lawyers are allowed to become too influential"You are exactly right.
There is also another related [poor] business strategy: Sign on with a consulting firm that will provide "full service" protection of your brands and IP. In that situation, the business may not even be directly involved in the decision to do send this type of letter.

Hint for the MBA set: Any time your decision making process consists of "leaving it up to" someone who is in a different business than you, watch out. They may be making decisions that are not necessarily in your best interest.]]> Civil Liberties = Civil Rights http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c622 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:12:23 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c622 Bring the British system to the US http://www.techdirt.com/blog/startups/articles/20130418/18144222757/winning-losing-lessons-internet-startup.shtml#c172 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:48:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/startups/articles/20130418/18144222757/winning-losing-lessons-internet-startup.shtml#c172
So called consumer advocates (who are really representatives for plaintiff's attorneys) hate the idea for the very reason it is a good idea. Increasing the risk associated with bringing a questionable lawsuit means there will be fewer lawsuits. Fewer lawsuits mean fewer lawyers getting paid, and less expenditure of resources in nonproductive ways by all concerned.

A true consumer advocate should accept this idea because if a corporation has wronged a consumer or group of consumers, the offender would be quicker to settle if it knew there was a good chance of losing not only the judgment, but also the opponent's legal fees. There is less chance that a true offender can just stall until the claimant runs out of money and gives up.

Loser Pays means fewer frivolous lawsuits, fewer attempts at legal bullying and less expensive justice. Period.]]> Re: Adobe wants guaranteed access to your private data http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130411/15571022683/shameful-tech-companies-fighting-against-necessary-cfaa-reform-cispa-fixes.shtml#c366 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:03:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130411/15571022683/shameful-tech-companies-fighting-against-necessary-cfaa-reform-cispa-fixes.shtml#c366 Adobe wants guaranteed access to your private data http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130411/15571022683/shameful-tech-companies-fighting-against-necessary-cfaa-reform-cispa-fixes.shtml#c362 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:27:41 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130411/15571022683/shameful-tech-companies-fighting-against-necessary-cfaa-reform-cispa-fixes.shtml#c362
And in case you might have wondered why the NSA picked Utah as the site for their new multi-billion dollar surveillance data facility, it is not a coincidence that Omniture's new Omniture's new headquarters is being built just "across the freeway"]]> Price controls always fail. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130410/08175622662/french-politician-wants-to-restrict-how-cheaply-companies-can-sell-goods-online-compared-to-physical-shop-prices.shtml#c360 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:35:38 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130410/08175622662/french-politician-wants-to-restrict-how-cheaply-companies-can-sell-goods-online-compared-to-physical-shop-prices.shtml#c360 never worked.]]> Re: Re: Re: "That is also the law in Oregon" http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130405/02103822591/california-court-rules-it-illegal-to-check-maps-your-phone-while-driving.shtml#c871 Sat, 6 Apr 2013 09:30:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130405/02103822591/california-court-rules-it-illegal-to-check-maps-your-phone-while-driving.shtml#c871 discussion of a ticket given for using a cell-phone map application while stopped at a traffic light. (look at the second half of the page)

Here is the Oregon law in question: ORS 811.507]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130405/02103822591/california-court-rules-it-illegal-to-check-maps-your-phone-while-driving.shtml#c57 Fri, 5 Apr 2013 20:07:12 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130405/02103822591/california-court-rules-it-illegal-to-check-maps-your-phone-while-driving.shtml#c57 Dumb law.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130404/03230222574/new-evidence-homeland-security-spied-peaceful-protestors-worried-about-protests-getting-news-coverage.shtml#c224 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 15:49:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130404/03230222574/new-evidence-homeland-security-spied-peaceful-protestors-worried-about-protests-getting-news-coverage.shtml#c224 "The very problem is that homeland security is told to work against anti-government for4ces. It would be better if it was told to work against anti-democratic forces"
I'd like to hit [insightful] on this comment about 10 times!
]]> Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/04333522547/amazon-refuses-to-publish-first-cornish-language-ebook.shtml#c338 Thu, 4 Apr 2013 14:10:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/04333522547/amazon-refuses-to-publish-first-cornish-language-ebook.shtml#c338
I do believe this policy is related to liability risk. Amazon doesn't want to get criticized and perhaps even sued by some angry parents alleging that Amazon should be liable for allowing their innocent child to be exposed to objectionable material on a site that Amazon made available to the public.]]> How it really works... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/18194922552/prince-sends-takedown-over-six-second-vine-clips.shtml#c474 Wed, 3 Apr 2013 22:11:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/18194922552/prince-sends-takedown-over-six-second-vine-clips.shtml#c474 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/04333522547/amazon-refuses-to-publish-first-cornish-language-ebook.shtml#c137 Wed, 3 Apr 2013 21:51:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130402/04333522547/amazon-refuses-to-publish-first-cornish-language-ebook.shtml#c137 "They don't have anyone who can validate that the content "It should not be Amazon's responsibility to "validate" content. "Validation" in this context is just another euphemism for censorship. If Amazon is truly concerned about their inability to monitor what is being published, why can't they rely on crowd-sourced reporting of objections.
This case is an example of why I believe the concept of safe harbors ought to be extended beyond DMCA liability. There should be similar safe harbors from tort liability as well.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130325/12354122457/what-i-learned-about-my-own-daily-life-latest-north-korean-propaganda-video.shtml#c12 Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:41:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130325/12354122457/what-i-learned-about-my-own-daily-life-latest-north-korean-propaganda-video.shtml#c12 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130328/14405622497/people-who-have-actually-heard-supreme-court-dont-like-it-very-much.shtml#c236 Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:35:27 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130328/14405622497/people-who-have-actually-heard-supreme-court-dont-like-it-very-much.shtml#c236 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130325/03144322452/shockingly-unshocking-cybersecurity-fud-has-been-big-big-business-contractors.shtml#c15 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:41:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130325/03144322452/shockingly-unshocking-cybersecurity-fud-has-been-big-big-business-contractors.shtml#c15 Prenda has been wasting public money http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130315/16453322344/prenda-law-tries-to-close-barn-door-after-horse-has-lawyered-up.shtml#c270 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:02:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130315/16453322344/prenda-law-tries-to-close-barn-door-after-horse-has-lawyered-up.shtml#c270 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130213/02492421960/dutch-government-realizes-that-non-original-works-dont-deserve-copyright.shtml#c43 Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:00:46 PST http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130213/02492421960/dutch-government-realizes-that-non-original-works-dont-deserve-copyright.shtml#c43 Que the "national heritage" claims in 3,2,1...]]> Re: Misunderstanding the poll... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130208/17362421926/if-you-want-two-thirds-americans-to-agree-that-violent-video-games-are-more-dangerous-than-guns-all-you-have-to-do-is-ask-right.shtml#c138 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:16:53 PST http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130208/17362421926/if-you-want-two-thirds-americans-to-agree-that-violent-video-games-are-more-dangerous-than-guns-all-you-have-to-do-is-ask-right.shtml#c138 "they throw in questions to show the bizarre beliefs of the current incarnation of the Republican party"If the factors which explain a poll's results are obscured by those who are publishing them, then it still remains an attempt to manipulate opinion rather than explain opinion.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130208/17362421926/if-you-want-two-thirds-americans-to-agree-that-violent-video-games-are-more-dangerous-than-guns-all-you-have-to-do-is-ask-right.shtml#c27 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:49:24 PST http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130208/17362421926/if-you-want-two-thirds-americans-to-agree-that-violent-video-games-are-more-dangerous-than-guns-all-you-have-to-do-is-ask-right.shtml#c27