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<title>Techdirt. Stories filed under &quot;georgia&quot;</title>
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<item>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2013 11:05:12 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Prenda Lawyer Says Georgia Court Should Ignore Judge Wright's Order Because... Look! Hackers!</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/02455423183/prenda-lawyer-says-georgia-court-should-ignore-judge-wrights-order-because-look-hackers.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/02455423183/prenda-lawyer-says-georgia-court-should-ignore-judge-wrights-order-because-look-hackers.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Remember Jacques Nazaire?  He's the local counsel for Prenda in a case in Georgia who was trying desperately to get the judge there to ignore  Judge Wright's order in California, which lays out how Prenda's lawsuits are highly questionable, and likely against the law.  He was so desperate that he said the judge should ignore the ruling in California <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml">because California recognizes gay marriage</a>, among other differences, despite that having nothing to do with anything related to the actual case (which covers <b>federal</b> copyright laws, rather than state laws, and which was filed in the case to provide additional background, rather than as any sort of binding ruling).
<br /><br />
Well, it appears that Nazaire seems to believe that if he just keeps telling the court crazier and crazier things, perhaps it will ignore Judge Wright's ruling.  The latest filing tries, once again, to <a href="http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/2013/05/22/prendas-local-jaques-nazaire-judge-wrights-order-is-irrelevant-because-anonymous-attacked-paypal/" target="_blank">give the judge in Georgia a reason to ignore Judge Wright's ruling</a>, but again it doesn't make much sense.  The filing is rambling and somewhat wacky, seemingly trying to argue that, even though Prenda and AF Holdings are implicated in both cases, they're completely and totally unrelated.  He also seems to argue that these filings are just designed to rack up higher billing fees.  Note, for example, the slightly paranoid use of capital letters:
<blockquote><i>
That motion was NOT written by the undersigned; nevertheless the defense has filed it in THIS docket apparently for two reasons. 1) to bill for the same and 2) to give THIS Court the impression that either the undersigned or a friend of his drafted and filed the same.
</i></blockquote>
But where it gets really wacky is when Nazaire just starts tossing in totally random claims about hackers:
<blockquote><i>
Why would the defendant in this case file a copy of a motion (ECF No. 31,
Defendant&#8217;s Exhibit B) from the California case and into THIS docket when that
motion has nothing to do with this case?
<br /><br />
The undersigned does not know the answer to that question. However, it
must be noted that defendants (not the one herein) in these types of cases, typically employ various crafty and intimidating schemes against prosecutors and plaintiff&#8217;s attorneys. A newspaper article mentioning other types of intimidation is attached hereto as Plaintiff&#8217;s Exhibit A.
</i></blockquote>
What is <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/703314-143067750-gand-05506655018.html" target="_blank">Exhibit A</a>, you ask?  Why it's a random story about hackers claiming to be a part of Anonymous hacking into Paypal.  What does that have to do with anything?  The answer is nothing.
<br /><br />
Here's what I find most incredible about Nazaire's line of reasoning.  It is basically "please ignore this other case where the <em>same companies</em> that I'm working for have been called out for fraud on the court, because that's totally unrelated, even though they're the <em>same companies</em>" while at the same time saying "we can't trust anything the defense says because, hackers!  And, as proof, here's a random totally unrelated story about hackers."
<br /><br />
He goes on to suggest that these hackers are after him, because some moron sent him a stupid email.
<blockquote><i>
Furthermore the undersigned has been personally harassed by these types
of defendants (not the defendant in this instant case nor the individuals listed in Exhibit A) because of THIS case alone. (Please see Plaintiff&#8217;s Exhibit B attached hereto).
</i></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/703313-143067752-gov-uscourts-gand-188990-32-2.html" target="_blank">Exhibit B</a> is a silly email from someone using the email address "evilpiratemonkey@gmail.com" saying:
<blockquote><i>
You are about it get justifiably screwed by the justice system.
<br /><br />
It's nice to see.
<br /><br />
You aren't very smart, are you?
</i></blockquote>
Of course, this is a stupid email by whoever sent it, but it's hard to see how that's necessarily "harassment," nor does it show that the person who sent that email is one of "these types of defendants."  It's just a stupid email from someone mocking Nazaire (the email address should have been a giveaway on that front).
<br /><br />
Either way, if I'm the judge in this case, each of these filings only makes me <i>more</i> interested in whatever must be in Judge Wright's order...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/02455423183/prenda-lawyer-says-georgia-court-should-ignore-judge-wrights-order-because-look-hackers.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/02455423183/prenda-lawyer-says-georgia-court-should-ignore-judge-wrights-order-because-look-hackers.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/02455423183/prenda-lawyer-says-georgia-court-should-ignore-judge-wrights-order-because-look-hackers.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>great-moments-in-lawyering</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130523/02455423183</wfw:commentRss>
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<item>
<pubDate>Thu, 9 May 2013 12:18:15 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Prenda Lawyer Says Judge Wright's Order Is Inapplicable In Georgia Because California Recognizes Gay Marriage</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ So, you may recall that as a part of Judge Otis Wright's Prenda sentencing, he ordered that a copy of the ruling be submitted in every other case involving Prenda:
<blockquote><i>
For the sake of completeness, the Court requests Pietz to assist by filing a
report, within 14 days, containing contact information for: (1) every bar (state and
federal) where these attorneys are admitted to practice; and (2) every judge before
whom these attorneys have pending cases.
</i></blockquote>
In one Prenda case (involving AF Holdings again) in the Northern District of Georgia, the defendant, Rajesh Patel, and his lawyer, Blair Chintella, submitted Judge Wright's ruling themselves to the court in the case.  As pointed out by <a href="https://twitter.com/fightcopytrolls/status/332541831290171393" target="_blank">Fight Copyright Trolls</a>, Prenda's local counsel in Georgia, Jacques Nazaire has filed <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/698642-gand-05506627522.html" target="_blank">one of the most ridiculous filings we've ever seen yet</a> in all of the Prenda filings.  It argues that the court should not allow Judge Wright's order to be entered into the docket because California recognizes gay marriage and Georgia does not.  I'm not joking.
<blockquote><i>
The defendant has filed a copy of that Order hoping that it would be viewed as a mandate by this Court. However, the defendant&#8217;s attempts to issue this mandate should fail for the following reasons.
<br /><br />
First and foremost the undersigned respects the California decision and
believes that it was rendered in the best interest of the residents of California.
<br /><br />
Nevertheless, this instant case is pending in a Georgia District Court and it is
trusted that any decision rendered, whether for or against the plaintiff, will be done so in the best interest of the residents and practitioners of Georgia.
<br /><br />
While this Court may or may not agree with some of the issues presented in
the California case, unbeknownst to the defendant, the California case will not necessarily become a mandate on this Court. It is solely within the discretion of this Court to follow or not follow the decisions made in the California case.
<br /><br />
The defendant should realize that California has different laws than
Georgia, a different Governor than Georgia; a different legislative body than Georgia, different business needs than Georgia and different views than Georgia and as such all of its decisions cannot serve as a mandate for Georgia.
<br /><br />
<b>For example the California Courts have legalized gay marriage</b>. Perry v.
Schwarzenegger 704 F.Supp.2d 921 (N.D. Cal., 2010);Certified question, 628 F.3d 1191 (9th. Cir.); Answered 52 Cal.4th 1116 (2011) Affirmed, 671 F.3d 1052 (9th Cir.) Such a decision cannot serve as a mandate on Georgia Courts to legalize gay marriage as well.
</i></blockquote>
It doesn't stop there.  It notes that California courts have different immigration rules and (randomly) that NY has different gun rights.  Basically, it throws out every hot button issue that stereotypical conservatives might disagree with stereotypical liberals on.
<br /><br />
Of course, all of that is meaningless.  While it's true that Judge Wright's ruling is in no way a <i>precedential</i> ruling for the Georgia court, it's still a ruling about <i>federal law</i>, not any specific state law.  And the ruling itself is about flat out misconduct (including potential racketeering and tax evasion claims) by the plaintiff in this case, because of actions in a nearly identical case.  That's not about California having a "mandate" over Georgia.  It's about very relevant additional information that the court should know about.
<br /><br />
Nazaire then goes on to list out a ridiculous parade of horribles that he claims would happen if the Georgia court "followed the aforesaid California Order" including that law firms wouldn't be able to use boilerplate text any more.  This makes absolutely no sense at all.  First of all, the inclusion of Judge Wright's order is not about having the Georgia court "follow" the order, but adding additional important information about the parties in this particular case.  Separately, the idea that adding a California ruling into the docket suddenly means lawyers wouldn't be able to cut and paste any more... just doesn't make any sense at all.
<br /><br />
Nazaire then tries to argue, incredibly, that there is no "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Alan Cooper's signature was forged.  Earth to Nazaire: that ship sailed a long, long time ago.  It also leads to this completely random attack on the EFF:
<blockquote><i>
Prior to filing the document, the undersigned contacted Prenda Law to find out whether or not Mr. Cooper would be available to testify at trial but was advised that they could not locate Mr. Cooper. The undersigned was advised that Mark Lutz and Peter Hansmeier would be available to testify as witnesses. <b>Had the undersigned realized that the Electronic Frontier Foundation was hanging with Mr. Cooper</b>, he would have been able to track down Mr. Cooper and questioned him about the documents. It turns out that Mr. Cooper was a caretaker of one of the properties of a Prenda Law member and had left said property in August, 2012.
<br /><br />
Therefore, <b>even if the undersigned had placed a knife to the throats of each of Prenda&#8217;s members, none would have been able to give him Mr. Cooper&#8217;s contact information</b> at the time on November 5, 2012 when Plaintiff commenced its law suit. It is certainly not the first time a company has lost contact with an agent (or alleged agent as stated).
</i></blockquote>
Wow.  Honestly, this one needs no commentary.  It speaks volumes (of insanity) for itself.
<br /><br />
And Nazaire is not done.  He also argues that Patel's lawyer, Chintella, was "one of the two star witnesses in the California case" (which, um, isn't true) and then claims that this is an ethics violation in Georgia.
<br /><br />
This whole filing really is quite remarkable, but certainly seems to fit in to the growing pile of "Prenda crazy" filings in various cases around the country.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130509/11035523021/prenda-says-judge-wrights-order-is-inapplicable-georgia-because-california-recognizes-gay-marriage.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>wtf?</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130509/11035523021</wfw:commentRss>
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<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:53:37 PST</pubDate>
<title>Georgia Lawmaker Claims 'Making Fun Of Someone' Isn't Protected Speech; Seeks To Outlaw Vulgar Photoshopping</title>
<dc:creator>Timothy Geigner</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130218/03414722014/georgia-lawmaker-claims-making-fun-someone-isnt-protected-speech-seeks-to-outlaw-vulgar-photoshopping.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130218/03414722014/georgia-lawmaker-claims-making-fun-someone-isnt-protected-speech-seeks-to-outlaw-vulgar-photoshopping.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There are a certain number of people in America that have the mistaken idea that there is some sort of right to not be offended by the speech of others. This, of course, stands in direct contrast to the 1st amendment, but not everyone is fully up on constitutional law. The problem is that when it's members of the government who are confused, we've got a massive competency problem. We've covered earlier examples of this, such as when some New York State senators thought that <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111001/00002316160/ny-state-senators-say-weve-got-too-much-free-speech-introduce-bill-to-fix-that.shtml">curtailing</a> free speech was a valid reaction to some folks taking offense. Rhode Island had a <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110620/12050914769/rhode-island-says-police-can-decloak-anonymous-people-online-if-they-find-them-offensive.shtml">similar idea</a> and it was similarly stupid. That said, misguided as these attempts are, at least they are usually made as a result of some vocal minority in the constituency voicing their concern or anger.
<br /><br />
Not the case in the story that <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/user/gortomatic">gort-o-matic</a> provides. In this instance, Georgia state lawmaker Earnest Smith <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57569287-71/politician-moves-to-make-vulgar-photoshopping-illegal/">wants to fine anyone who prank photoshops an image of someone $1000</a>... after someone did it to him.
<blockquote>
<i>You see, some devious, twisted human being placed His Earnestness's head on the body of a porn star. He did this for public consumption on the blog Georgia Politics Unfiltered. The porn star has a very nice body. He is a porn star, after all. And he is not Ron Jeremy.
<br /><br />
The human being behind this affrontery has come forward. His name is Andre Walker. It is unknown if he was moved by the boast on His Earnestness's own Web site that says he is both "accessible" and "audacious."
<br /><br />
However, Walker told Fox News: "The first Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects all forms of speech, not just spoken word."</i>
</blockquote>
It's difficult to imagine anyone disagreeing with Walker's assessment of how free speech in the United States works. Fortunately, that difficulty can be set aside, since Smith earnestly supplied the following reply to Fox News:
<blockquote>
<i>"No one has a right to make fun of anyone. It's not a First Amendment right."</i>
</blockquote>
Take a moment and drink that in. The statement is as impressive as it is incorrect. I say impressive, because in the world of long-winded politicians, you rarely see such a combination of wrongness and brevity. But, in case anyone in our midst is inclined to agree with Smith (who we have to assume is somehow offended at portrayals of him having pornstar-level man-junk), let me disabuse them of the idea that the first amendment doesn't allow offensive speech.
<br /><br />
There is a somewhat well-known anecdote involving a dictionary writer in days long past who is approached on the street by a conservative women's group. The group congratulates him on not including any offensive words in the dictionary. In reply, the writer congratulates the women on their steadfast dedication to looking for offensive words. The point of that story is that there are people in our world who look for any and every opportunity to <i>be</i> offended. We do not protect the rights of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Party_of_America_v._Village_of_Skokie">American Nazi's to march in Skokie, IL</a> because we <i>like</i> that speech. We protect it because opening the door to the opportunistically offended to censor speech, even vulgar speech, is unacceptable. The end result would be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses_controversy">the censorship of Salman Rushdie</a>.
<br /><br />
The fact is that the first amendment <i>must</i> include a license to offend, even if that means politician's heads will be placed on porn star's bodies.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130218/03414722014/georgia-lawmaker-claims-making-fun-someone-isnt-protected-speech-seeks-to-outlaw-vulgar-photoshopping.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130218/03414722014/georgia-lawmaker-claims-making-fun-someone-isnt-protected-speech-seeks-to-outlaw-vulgar-photoshopping.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130218/03414722014/georgia-lawmaker-claims-making-fun-someone-isnt-protected-speech-seeks-to-outlaw-vulgar-photoshopping.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>pics-pics-pics</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20130218/03414722014</wfw:commentRss>
</item>
<item>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:35:18 PST</pubDate>
<title>Georgia Lawmaker Looking To Make Photoshopping Heads On Naked Bodies Illegal</title>
<dc:creator>Tim Cushing</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120122/02084717501/georgia-lawmaker-looking-to-make-photoshopping-heads-naked-bodies-illegal.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120122/02084717501/georgia-lawmaker-looking-to-make-photoshopping-heads-naked-bodies-illegal.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The age-old rhetorical and theological question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" seems to be finding itself answered more and more with, "So that good people can make bad laws." Such is the case of a 17-year-old Citadel student who earlier this year <a href="http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch11/0311/arc032311672807.shtml" target="_blank">found her personal contact information attached to a pornographic photo online</a>. 
<blockquote><i>
High school junior Kelsey Upton was puzzled. Why was a stranger from Iowa sending her a text message?
<br /><br />
Her confusion turned to terror last fall when she learned that the person who had sent the message had plucked her personal information from a pornographic website. Without her knowledge, someone had placed her name and phone number on the site next to a photo of a naked woman, in an explicit position, who somewhat resembled her.
<br /><br />
Her father, a federal investigator who previously worked for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, traced the posting to a Citadel cadet, with the help of law enforcement officials. But to their dismay, Upton and her father learned that no crime was committed. Now Randy and Kelsey Upton, who live in Oxford, Ga., plan to meet with legislators and other public officials to try to make such actions a crime. "I want him arrested," said Kelsey Upton, now 17. "But if that won't happen, I want a law about this so someone doesn't just get a slap on the wrist."
</i></blockquote>
Well, the Uptons are in luck. Sort of. <a href="http://www.theagitator.com/2012/01/19/there-oughtta-be-a-law-71/" target="_blank">The Agitator informs us</a> that Georgia State Representative Pam Dickerson is <a href="http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/ban-photoshopped-heads-on-nude-photos-20120110-LGF">looking to close this legal loophole</a> by making it illegal to "intentionally cause an unknowing person wrongfully to be identified as the person in an obscene depiction in such a manner that a reasonable person would conclude that the image depicted was that of the person so wrongfully identified." This would include using a person's name, telephone number, address or email address.
<br /><br />
However, Dickerson feels that isn't enough. She then adds:
<blockquote><i>
"Such identification shall also include the electronic imposing of the facial image of a person onto an obscene depiction."
</i></blockquote>
Now, rather than just closing an unfortunate hole in Georgia's libel laws, Dickerson is aiming to make a pastime as old as the internet itself, photoshopping celebrities' heads onto porn stars' bodies, a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.
<br /><br />
Now, I'm not here to suggest that the long and storied history of creating celebupr0n makes this a part of our rich cultural heritage and an unassailable act of free speech. What I am suggesting, however, is this:
<br /><br />
1. Creating a law to deal with a very specific set of actions with no real precedence or evidence of mass abuse is the sort of thing that creates legal clutter and goes a long way towards explaining why it's <a href="http://appellateblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/old-and-stupidfunny-michigan-laws.html">illegal to tie your alligator to a fire hydrant in Michigan</a>.
<br /><br />
2. Existing libel/defamation laws should already be handling Photoshopped head transfers. There's really no reason to take this from the civil arena and turn it into a criminal act.
<br /><br />
3. It looks as if the Citadel is already planning on handling this internally as an issue between two cadets. Adding another law to the books is redundant at best and, at worst, is just encouraging people to holler for new laws every time they've been wronged.
<br /><br />
4. If this law goes through, it will be subject to endless expansion, much in the way cyberbullying legislation has been stretched to cover such ridiculous acts as eye rolling and so-called "deliberate exclusion." Offended citizens who find themselves photoshopped into other (non-sexual) compromising positions, like say, having their male heads attached to clothed female bodies or made to appear as though they endorse businesses and lifestyles that they clearly don't, will feel the law doesn't go far enough. The internet is a very inventive place while most lawmakers are not.
<br /><br />
5. It will be ridiculed mercilessly. See also <a href="http://www.drewprops.com/2012/01/georgia-lawmaker-against-photoshop-nudes/">this post</a> (possibly NSFW) and this clip (possibly not safe for your brain):
<br /><br />
<center>
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</center><br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120122/02084717501/georgia-lawmaker-looking-to-make-photoshopping-heads-naked-bodies-illegal.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120122/02084717501/georgia-lawmaker-looking-to-make-photoshopping-heads-naked-bodies-illegal.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120122/02084717501/georgia-lawmaker-looking-to-make-photoshopping-heads-naked-bodies-illegal.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>good-luck----that's-like-half-the-internet</slash:department>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:14:52 PST</pubDate>
<title>Georgia Considering Law To Let Police Monitor Any Medicine You Buy</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110110/02125912587/georgia-considering-law-to-let-police-monitor-any-medicine-you-buy.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110110/02125912587/georgia-considering-law-to-let-police-monitor-any-medicine-you-buy.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There are plenty of communities that have problems with meth, but it seems that law enforcement keeps overreacting to the problem.  We've already made it difficult to buy the cold medicine that works (the kind that has pseudoephedrine), leading to ridiculous situations like the grandmother <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090929/0233006345.shtml">arrested</a> for buying two whole boxes of cold medicine for her grandkids.  Now it seems that lawmakers in Georgia are going beyond even that.  <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/radleybalko/statuses/23773823039971328" target="_blank">Radley Balko</a> points us to a story about proposed legislation in Georgia that would <a href="http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x419261208/Lawmakers-may-monitor-use-of-medications" target="_blank">give law enforcement full access to a list of all medication you've bought</a> -- <i>including over-the-counter</i> medicines.  The idea, of course, is to stop meth production by letting law enforcement see if any individual has bought enough of this or that medicines to make meth.  But does anyone really believe that law enforcement officials won't abuse the ability to see what kinds of (perfectly legal) medicines lots of people are taking? 
<br /><br />
In the meantime, Balko is also discussing the <a href="http://www.theagitator.com/2011/01/10/shockingly-anti-meth-laws-have-had-unintended-consequences/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+radleybalko+%28The+Agitator%29&#038;utm_content=Google+Reader" target="_blank">impact of those laws to make over-the-counter cold medicine hard to get</a>.  The end result?  Meth use has increased (by 34% in the last year) and more people have become criminals:
<blockquote><i>
But an Associated Press analysis of federal data reveals that the practice has not only failed to curb the meth trade, which is growing again after a brief decline. It also created a vast and highly lucrative market for profiteers to buy over-the-counter pills and sell them to meth producers at a huge markup.
<br /><br />
In just a few years, the lure of such easy money has drawn thousands of new people into the methamphetamine underworld.
</i></blockquote>
So the answer is now to make the problem even more ridiculous by letting the police spy on every pill you buy?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110110/02125912587/georgia-considering-law-to-let-police-monitor-any-medicine-you-buy.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110110/02125912587/georgia-considering-law-to-let-police-monitor-any-medicine-you-buy.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110110/02125912587/georgia-considering-law-to-let-police-monitor-any-medicine-you-buy.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>that's-not-how-to-stop-meth</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20110110/02125912587</wfw:commentRss>
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<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:48:01 PST</pubDate>
<title>Georgia Voters Agree To Allow Human DRM: Non-Competes Made Enforceable</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101104/03575011724/georgia-voters-agree-to-allow-human-drm-non-competes-made-enforceable.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101104/03575011724/georgia-voters-agree-to-allow-human-drm-non-competes-made-enforceable.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A few years back, we explained how <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20071204/005038.shtml">non-compete agreements are like human DRM</a>.  We detailed a whole series of research which actually showed the single biggest reason why Silicon Valley became "Silicon Valley," (according to multiple studies) was that <i>unenforceability</i> of non-compete agreements (yes, there were other factors too, but it was those factors combined <i>with</i> greater job mobility that created the innovation boom).  You can read the details to understand why (and understand the various studies), but the short version is basically that by letting people move around from company to company, you get greater idea sharing among companies, which actually helps them <i>all</i> advance.  While some want non-competes to avoid losing good employees, they ignore the fact that it also blocks them from getting good employees back, and from allowing an incredibly important form of information sharing to occur.  One of the more recent studies in this space showed how the collapse of the Detroit auto market followed quite quickly on Michigan making non-compete agreements enforceable (yes, correlation, not causation, but combined with other studies, there's a strong relationship).
<br /><br />
There's actually been a big effort in a few other states to make such agreements unenforceable, but apparently some states are going backwards.  <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/profile.php?u=benny6toes">Benny6Toes</a> points us to the unfortunate news that Georgia has <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_Employment_Contract_Enforcement,_Amendment_1_%282010%29" target="_blank">passed a Constitutional Amendment to make non-compete's more enforceable</a>.  Before this, some non-competes were enforceable, but in a limited way. 
<br /><br />
What's really ridiculous is that those pushing for this Amendment presented it in terms that were quite clearly the opposite of what the Amendment would do:
<blockquote><i>
"Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to make Georgia more economically competitive by authorizing legislation to uphold reasonable competitive agreements?"
</i></blockquote>
Even though plenty of people who actually understood this issue knew that it was <a href="http://techdrawl.com/News-Post/Fresh-Voices/Kill-Georgias-Amendment-One-The-Death-Of-The-Tech-Startup" target="_blank">a ridiculously bad idea</a>, for those who don't actually understand this issue, who's going to vote against making their state "more economically competitive"?  Of course, it's rather scary that Georgia politicians would make such a claim when all of the evidence shows that such non-competes actually make states significantly less competitive.  Really a tragic move for the state of Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101104/03575011724/georgia-voters-agree-to-allow-human-drm-non-competes-made-enforceable.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101104/03575011724/georgia-voters-agree-to-allow-human-drm-non-competes-made-enforceable.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101104/03575011724/georgia-voters-agree-to-allow-human-drm-non-competes-made-enforceable.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>anti-innovation</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20101104/03575011724</wfw:commentRss>
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<pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:20:00 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Georgia Supreme Court Says It's Okay To Put Non-Sex Offenders On The Registered Sex Offender List</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100317/2252148611.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100317/2252148611.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The question of registered sex offenders lists is a tricky one -- because for those people who really do commit sexually-driven crimes against minors, it's hard to be even remotely sympathetic to any complaints they have about the punishment they receive.  The problem is that so many things are considered sexual offenses these days that many people are put on the list, and must live with it for life, for something that most people may consider a youthful indiscretion, rather than something that automatically should brand them to neighbors as a possible child molester.  Things such as kids having sex with each other after only one of the two teens has reached the "legal" limit or even urinating in public can sometimes be classified as a sexual offense.
<br /><br />
And, now, it's gone even further, so that <i>non-sex-offenders</i> can be put on the list.  A law passed a few years back says that sex-offender lists must also include those convicted of "kidnapping or falsely imprisoning minors."  Again, if you've done one of those things, you certainly deserve to be punished, but should you be put on a sex offender list?  A guy who was convicted of "false imprisonment" of a 17-year-old girl when he was 18, during a drug bust gone bad, was added to the sex offender listings in Georgia and he sued to be taken off the list.  However, the Georgia Supreme Court <a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/sex-offender-databases/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A wired27b %28Blog - 27B Stroke 6 %28Threat Level%29%29" target="_blank">has said that it's perfectly legal to put non-sex-offenders onto a sexual offender list</a>.
<br /><br />
Again, no one is saying folks like this shouldn't be punished for their crimes -- but this goes beyond punishment for the crime he committed.  And the really bad thing is that including all of these other offenses on such a registry <i>dilutes the power and value</i> of any such registry.  The purpose behind such a list was supposedly to alert neighbors to be aware -- but when you expand the list to include all sorts of people who are of no risk at all to children, it takes such a list away from its very purpose.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100317/2252148611.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100317/2252148611.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100317/2252148611.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>this-is-not-good</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100317/2252148611</wfw:commentRss>
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<item>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:51:00 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Cities Upset That Increasing Yellow Light Time Length Reduces 'Revenue'</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090324/0944474235.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090324/0944474235.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ With the news that Mississippi has passed a law <a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/24/145247" target="_new">banning traffic light cameras</a> because it's an invasion of privacy, it's worth looking a bit to the east, where some cities in Georgia are <a href="http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2009/03/13/red_light_camera_cost.html" target="_new">taking down their red light cameras</a> not because of privacy issues, but because a new law required them to increase the length of time that a light is yellow by one second -- and that's decreased red light violations so significantly, that red light cameras have become "too expensive" (thanks to Scott Cauthen for sending that story in).  This is what critics of red light cameras have said from the beginning: it's always been about the revenue, rather than the safety.  If you want safety, all you need to do is increase the length of yellow lights, and you have fewer people running red lights and significantly fewer accidents.  But... if revenue is your goal, then you do things like <a href="http://techdirt.com/articles/20080410/011257809.shtml"><i>decrease</i> the yellow light timing</a> -- which is what a few cities have been caught doing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090324/0944474235.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090324/0944474235.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090324/0944474235.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>safety-first?</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20090324/0944474235</wfw:commentRss>
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<item>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:35:00 PST</pubDate>
<title>Sex Offenders In Georgia Required To Hand Over Passwords... To Protect The Children</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081230/1825153256.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081230/1825153256.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It's really amazing what sort of laws are being passed in the name of "protecting the children."  The latest is a law in Georgia that requires all sex offenders not only to hand over all of their online usernames and email addresses (which some other states require), <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28437829/" target="_new">but also the <i>passwords</i> to all of their accounts</a>.  The idea is that authorities can now log into their accounts and see what they're doing -- which seems like a massive privacy violation.  I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with punishing convicted sex offenders, but these sorts of laws go beyond punishment -- especially when the majority of sex offenders these days aren't the "internet predators" that everyone's so worried about, but people who already know the victim in some way.  Also, this would mean that any time a convicted sex offender signed up for a new account somewhere, they'd have to hand over the info -- and even one slip-up can put them back in jail.  It's hard to see how this law could possibly be constitutional, and I'm guessing that eventually we'll see a lawsuit to address just that issue, wasting plenty of taxpayer money.  I'm not sure how that actually protects any children.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081230/1825153256.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081230/1825153256.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081230/1825153256.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>fighting-the-wrong-problem-again</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20081230/1825153256</wfw:commentRss>
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<item>
<pubDate>Wed, 1 Oct 2008 23:34:01 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Better Ways To Deal With File Sharing Sites</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080929/1846112406.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080929/1846112406.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There's an interesting article over at TorrentFreak about how the movie industry in Georgia (the country, not the state) has been <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/georgia-negotiates-with-internet-movie-pirates-080929/" target="_new">negotiating and making deals with various file sharing sites</a>, since there aren't really laws against such sites in the country.  The studios are often able to delay movies from appearing on those sites until a few weeks after they hit the theaters by "negotiating" agreements with the sites.  Of course, it's expected that the laws will eventually change in favor of the studios, and these negotiations will cease and be replaced by lawsuits.  What strikes me as odd, though, is that the studios don't go beyond "negotiating" with these sites.  Why not do more to actually embrace the sites?  If a movie is posted for download, why not offer additional incentives to actually go to the theater, while promoting the <i>experience</i> of going out to the movies and seeing it on a really big screen, rather than downloading a low quality version for a computer screen.  Such incentives could play into the marketing aspect of the movie, offering those who download a discounted ticket to the theater, or a discount on buying the actual DVD, which will contain extras.  In other words, target those who clearly want to see the movie, and then offer them real incentives to go out to the theater.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080929/1846112406.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080929/1846112406.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080929/1846112406.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>negotiating-is-just-a-step</slash:department>
<wfw:commentRss>http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20080929/1846112406</wfw:commentRss>
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