Publications

Volume 10, Number 12

• Federal Court Rules That Open Source Licenses Are Enforceable Under Copyright Law

  August 15, 2008
  On August 13, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued the first reported decision by a federal appellate court dealing with the burgeoning area of open source licensing. The decision is important in confirming the availability of powerful copyright remedies to developers of open source applications. Jacobsen v. Katzer, No. 2008-1001, slip op. (Fed. Cir. Aug. 13, 2008)

• Federal Court Rejects FCC’s Janet Jackson Indecency Ruling

  August 15, 2008
  An appeals court has overturned—on all grounds—a decision by the Federal Communications Commission to fine the CBS Corporation $550,000 for singer Janet Jackson’s now-infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction.

• Google, Microsoft Call for Privacy Legislation

  August 15, 2008
  Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives held hearings in July on privacy issues related to Internet advertising that is tailored to users’ interests and online activities—so-called behavioral advertising.

• Verizon Pulls Pit Bull Ad Following PETA Campaign

  August 15, 2008
  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you note to Verizon’s executive headquarters in Basking Ridge, N.J., after the company pulled an advertisement featuring chained pit bull dogs guarding a junk yard.

• Juice Manufacturer Must Pay $1.5 Million in False Advertising Suit

  August 15, 2008
  When a competitor began undercutting the price of Pom Wonderful, the pioneering brand that introduced Americans to the health benefits of pomegranate juice, the company took a closer look at Purely Juice’s “100% Pomegranate” drink.