February 22 roundup

Update to Jan. 5 post: “Gifties” lose t-shirt battle. Amber Taylor is not impressed by Posner’s opinion, though. [Above the Law; Taylor] Update to our earlier odometer class action; turns out SAE gives odometers a 4% leeway, so Honda is paying millions for following industry standard. Nissan is still fighting the suit, and other manufacturers […]

7 Comments

  • “turns out SAE gives odometers a 4% leeway, so Honda is paying millions for following industry standard”

    Wow, that’s SO surprising… NOT. Par for the course.

    “Now the NFL wants to trademark “The Big Game.” ”

    I called that one. I’m sure that many others did, as well.

    Perhaps they can just trademark any reference to that particular game, and we can all NEVER HEAR ABOUT IT AGAIN, which would be nice.

  • Suing people for doing the ‘electric slide’ wrong? 1) if it is done ‘wrong’ then it aint the electric slide and he has no standing, 2) if done wrong it might be for the purpose of satire or other protected use, 3) if a choreagraphed movement can be copywrighted then I’m going to define the ‘protoscopy shuffle’ and charge my patients extra when they walk out of my office in that characteristic manner.

  • “Perhaps they can just trademark any reference to that particular game, and we can all NEVER HEAR ABOUT IT AGAIN, which would be nice.”

    Soon, on the Evening News:

    Tonight A recap and highlights from the Game whose name may not even be alluded to.

  • The NFL wants to own The Big Game? Hmm, I wonder what Stanford and Cal will have to say about that? The annual Cal-Stanford football game has been The Big Game for over 100 years.

  • Nevins: You can keep your proctoscope to yourself, but choreography most certainly can be copyrighted. As George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, or Robert Joffrey, among others. They all own the copyrights to particular ballets.

    Not the music, mind you, but the choreography. Other pieces of choreography are owned by the various ballet companies. And they do watch and prosecute violations.

  • Will anyone be surprised when suicides in Alabama soar because institutions like Brookwood begin refusing patients with suicidal tendencies?

  • Jeff, How ’bout the “Big Play” during the 1984 (I believe) Cal-Stanford game, wherein (oooh, Lawyer-talk) California ran the ball through the Stanford band, who were on the filed a bit early, as there were still a few seconds left on the clock? Cal scored a touchdown to win the game.

    So, don’t anybody start calling anything else “The Big Play” TM. And don’t call me Frances – Anyone calls me Frances, I’ll kill ya!