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1500 questions
17
votes
2 answers

Can I name a real company after a fictional company found in a book?

Can I name my company after a fictional company (of the same type) found in a book?
17
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3 answers

Is downloading a torrent chunk copyright infringement?

A torrent works by breaking a file into small chunks, each of which can be shared between peers. This speeds up downloads because peer A could be sharing chunk 1 with you while peer B could be sharing chunk 8 with you etc. (See BitTorrent and…
user248
17
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1 answer

Can Slack really claim not to be a data controller?

I'm an EU resident. I just sent in a GDPR removal request to Slack. Their response: Per our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, your Workspace Primary Owner (Customer) controls Customer Data. Customer owns all of the submitted content, including…
the
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17
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4 answers

Which jurisdiction applies to copyright violations on the internet?

A person residing in country A takes a work by an artist in country B and puts it onto a website they own but which is hosted in country C which is intended for an audience of people in country D. The artist in country B did not give permission for…
Philipp
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17
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2 answers

Is it legal to publish email that someone sent to me?

I'm not asking whether it is ethical - that would be a totally different question. I'm asking whether it is legal? In my book - in my way how I interpret consensual reality - once I press SEND button it is transmitted via email client, via email…
17
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5 answers

Defamation due to breach of confidentiality

Hypothetical: I say negative stuff about John Doe to my psychologist, stuff which isn't defamation per se. My psychologist doesn't directly act on my statements, but does share my statements with third parties. Due to those statements those third…
Matthew Cline
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17
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2 answers

No evidence is required for an indictment by a grand jury?

I just read the indictment of Christopher Collins, a congressman, for relaying insider information on a company with publicly traded stock, and for "lying" to a federal agent, ie for denying he relayed the information. So, in other words, to deny…
Cicero
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17
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1 answer

Can I defend myself from excessive police force?

Hypothetical situation: Say the police are chasing me. I get tackled after which I go limp and stop resisting. Subsequently the officer starts throwing elbows to my face. I'm not sure why he's hitting me (...maybe he or his partner got hurt in…
Pat W.
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17
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1 answer

Why hasn't civil asset forfeiture been ruled unconstitutional?

If news articles like this and this are accurate, then U.S. law enforcement can confiscate private property, including cash, without convicting someone of a crime – or even charging them – under a theory called "civil asset forfeiture." The…
17
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1 answer

Clean Hands doctrine and Plausible Deniability

There is a question on the Superuser forum wherein a bad actor is trying to trick someone into connecting to an access point, presumably so they can sniff information. They are doing this by setting up an access point with a very similar name to…
davidgo
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17
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2 answers

Can a city hire someone to mow my grass (against my wishes)?

Recently the city sent a crew to mow my grass without notifying me or giving me any advance notice of any kind. Did they violate my rights by sending these people without my permission? (Details below) My front yard was in full compliance with…
Rampallian
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17
votes
2 answers

Using international waters to provide illicit activities near a country

Let's assume I have a ship flagged in a country where certain activities are legal but are not in most of other countries (like, for instance, drug use or prostitution are in Netherlands). Let's assume again that I fullfill every aspect to lawfully…
gmauch
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17
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3 answers

Active disregard for safety protocols and worker's comp

Alice owns a manufacturing company. To keep her workers safe, she does a weekly safety reminder every Monday morning, rehashing different issues that could lead to accidents. Assume that this Monday the topic was "Hydraulic Injection Injuries" (HII…
Trish
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17
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3 answers

Validity of presidential orders "signed" with an "autopen" machine

The possible use of an autopen is a controversial topic that U.S. President Donald Trump has recently brought up again with respect to U.S. President Joe Biden's pardons. What formal requirements are there, if any, for a presidential order? As an…
Peter - Reinstate Monica
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17
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3 answers

May the federal government deny services, opportunities, or equal treatment to customers of businesses they do not like?

The executive branch of the US federal government recently started harassing the law firm Perkins Coie, including threatening to terminate federal contracts with the firm's customers. Is making that particular threat (or carrying it out) legal, or…