If you want your name to be your website URL, you’re most likely going to have to settle for the moniker as a nickname. A man described as a marijuana activist who tried to name himself after his pot advocacy website had his name change request denied by a trial court, and the decision was affirmed by an appeals court. [More]
judgments
Court Denies Walmart Appeal Of $187.6 Million Judgment
By 6.14.11
Pennsylvania Walmart employees scored another victory against the company in their case that accused the company of substandard labor practices. A state Superior Court judge panel denied Walmart’s appeal of a $187.6 million judgment in 2006. [More]
FTC Shuts Down Domain Name Scammers
By 8.10.10
The FTC says a Toronto-based company called Internet Listing Service scammed thousands of U.S. consumers and small businesses by mailing invoices to them demanding payment for unnecessary domain registration services. The company was given a suspended judgment of over $4 million, based on “the total amount of consumer injury” caused, but in reality the people behind the scam have been ordered to pay $10,000 because that’s all the money they have left. [More]
Judge Slashes RIAA's $675,000 File Sharing Award To $67,500
By 7.10.10
A federal judge yesterday bench slapped the Recording Industry of America, calling a jury’s $675,000 verdict against file sharer Joel Tenenbaum both eye-popping and unconstitutional. The judge struck a strikingly populist tone in reducing the verdict to $67,500, arguing that the same legal reasoning that protects large corporations from excessive punitive damages also protects “ordinary people” like Tenenbaum. [More]
Misplaced Letter Costs PepsiCo $1.26 Billion In Bottled Water Lawsuit
By 10.29.09
It’s easy to joke about PepsiCo’s Aquafina. After all, it’s purified municipal tap water, bottled and sold at prices comparable to juices and soda. But the product is no joke to two men in Wisconsin. In 1981, they discussed their idea to bottle and sell purified tap water with some of PepsiCo’s regional bottlers. Allegedly, the idea made its way back to PepsiCo and eventually became Aquafina.
30 Songs? That'll Be $675,000
By 8.1.09
A Boston jury yesterday ruled that file sharer Joel Tenenbaum would have to pay the Recording Industry of America $675,000 for sharing 30 copyrighted songs. The hefty award was all the more surprising because Tenenbaum was represented by a crack team of legal eagles from Harvard’s law school. The trial didn’t unfold nearly the way they planned…
FTC Sues Indiana Company For Failing To Honor Rebates
By 1.14.09
The Federal Trade Commission has charged Wintergreen Systems, an Indiana-based electronics reseller owned by John Levy, with failing to honor mail-in-rebate offers for thousands of customers. The FTC’s conditions for settling the lawsuit require Levy and his company to “be barred from any involvement in the development, marketing, fulfillment, or funding of any rebate program.” There’s also a $330,000 judgment, which the company will not have to pay (more on that below). Both Wintergreen Systems and its parent company, Market Development Specialists (MDS), resold electronics through companies like Office Depot, PC Connection, Buy.com, PCMall, and Woot.com.
Starbucks CEO Thinks Pesky "Laws" Don't Apply To His Company
By 3.28.08
In the state of California it is illegal for supervisors to share in employee tips. Starbucks recently lost a lawsuit brought by an employee who said he was forced to share a portion of his tips with his supervisor. The judgment awarded over $100 million in back tips and interest to the Starbucks baristas of California, and now several similar lawsuits are pending in other states.
