Overlawyered » wacky warnings

U.K.: bags of nuts recalled for lack of “Contains Nuts” warning

Walter Olson — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:21:37 +0000

I’ve had fun before at the expense of warnings like “Contains Nuts” on a container of nuts. It’s not a phenomenon limited to the United States. From the BBC via Perry de Havilland, Samizdata:

A supermarket chain has withdrawn bags of nuts – after failing to declare they may contain peanuts.

The Food Standards Agency issued an allergy alert saying the presence of peanuts was not declared on Booths’ own brand packets of monkey nuts.

“Monkey nuts” is the local name for peanuts sold in the shell, which to most of us are even more immediately identifiable as peanuts than those sold without. The Express rounds up a couple of reactions from Britons on the street:

Pensioner Peter Davy, 73, of Preston, fumed: “It says monkey nuts on the packet. What do they think is in it? Cheese?” Jenny Harpin, 56, said: “If I bought a bag of monkey nuts I wouldn’t be too surprised to find they contained nuts.”

The government agency inevitably took a different view: “Without the correct information on the packaging, people with an allergy to peanuts who might not know or make the connection between peanuts and monkey nuts, for example children, might eat the product and experience an adverse reaction.” More: Lowering the Bar.

Tags: wacky warnings

U.K.: bags of nuts recalled for lack of “Contains Nuts” warning is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Doormat warning

Walter Olson — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:47:52 +0000

Courtesy Michael Schearer:

(& welcome Above the Law, Free-Range Kids readers)

Tags: North Carolina, wacky warnings

Doormat warning is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“Wow. Now even fortune cookies have warnings.”

Walter Olson — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:28:25 +0000

Wow. Now even fortune cookies have warnings. @WalterOlson @Overlawyered twitter.com/Turkewitz/stat…

— Eric Turkewitz (@Turkewitz) June 26, 2012

Tags: wacky warnings

“Wow. Now even fortune cookies have warnings.” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Never use electric razor while sleeping

Walter Olson — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:32:01 +0000

The Wacky Warning Label contest has chosen its annual finalists. Among them: “Caution: griddle surface may be hot during and after cooking.”

Tags: wacky warnings

Never use electric razor while sleeping is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

September 7 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:10:17 +0000

Truth through intimidation? U.K.: “Chronic fatigue syndrome researchers face death threats from militants” [Guardian] Nanotechnologists are target of Unabomber copycat [Chronicle of Higher Education]
Blogger (and frequent Overlawyered commenter) Amy Alkon criticizes intrusive TSA agent by name, agent threatens $500K libel suit [Mike Masnick/TechDirt, Mark Bennett]
NYT fans “pill mill” hysteria, heedless of the costs [Sullum]
Patent litigant “pursued baseless infringement allegations in bad faith and for an improper purpose.” More loser-pays, please [NLJ, PoL]
Great moments in link solicitation [Scott Greenfield] Quality bar at feminist lawprof blog may not be set terribly high [Popehat]
“Wow, this photo got over 475 views from being reposted on Overlawyered” [Erik Magraken]
“Popular Comic Strip Has Fun With Wacky Warnings” [Bob Dorigo Jones]

Tags: bloggers and the law, libel slander and defamation, loser pays, patent law, pharmaceuticals, science and scientists, wacky warnings

September 7 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

July 28 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 05:45:21 +0000

Wild hypotheticals were grist for complaint: “Widener law professor cleared of harassment charges” [NLJ, earlier here, here, here]
Ninth Circuit: Facebook didn’t breach user’s right to accommodation of mental disability [Volokh]
House Judiciary hearing on litigation and economic prosperity [Wajert]
“University of Michigan to stop worrying about lawsuits, start releasing orphan works” [Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing]
PBS airs “The Story Behind Wacky Warning Labels” [Bob Dorigo Jones]
Fifth Circuit “candy cane” religion-in-schools case controversial among conservatives [David Upham, NR Bench Memos]
Great moments in public records law [Cleveland Plain Dealer, earlier related]

Tags: churches, Cleveland, disabled rights, Facebook, law schools, wacky warnings

July 28 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Keeping tabs on wacky warnings

Walter Olson — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:07:54 +0000

Abnormal Use interviews Bob Dorigo Jones, founder of the ever-popular Wacky Warning Labels contest.

Tags: wacky warnings

Keeping tabs on wacky warnings is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“Wacky warnings” finalists: don’t swallow your ballpoint pen cap

Walter Olson — Wed, 18 May 2011 05:16:25 +0000

Also, your dust mask “does not supply oxygen,” and do not neglect to remove the safety cover from your spa before using it or you might drown. [UPI] Are English-speakers actually more likely to choke on pen caps than speakers of other languages? Nah, it’s our law [PoL]

Tags: wacky warnings

“Wacky warnings” finalists: don’t swallow your ballpoint pen cap is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“SAFETY NOTICE: this heater will get hot”

Walter Olson — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:29:29 +0000

Sign spotted at Yarmouth station, UK [via @TimMontgomerie @wallaceme]

Tags: United Kingdom, wacky warnings

“SAFETY NOTICE: this heater will get hot” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“Japanese Anime Pokes Fun at America’s Legal System”

Walter Olson — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:06:35 +0000

A recent anime (Japanese cartoon) portrays America as a land where pretty much any misadventure can be turned into grounds for a lawsuit. Siouxsie Law has the (funny? horrifying?) video clip, the plot line of which involves the catastrophic misuse of a microwave oven and its fictional legal consequences.

Tags: Japan, wacky warnings

“Japanese Anime Pokes Fun at America’s Legal System” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system