texts: Couldn't Comey avoid the whole kerfuffle with a simple question?

texts:
Yesterday (6/8/2017) fmr FBI Director Comey testified that President Trump told him during a dinner which the 2 of them had (with no witnesses present) something along the lines of "I hope you can let the investigation of Flynn go".  This was after Flynn was already fired for lying to the VP about the extent of his conversation with the RF embassador.  Comey testified that he believed the POTUS was making a request to drop the investigation about whether Flynn had lied on his release forms about that conversation.

Dershowitz (a life-long Democrat and a very credible Constitutional scholar) has said that a President is fully authorized to direct the FBI to conduct or to drop an investigation.  In fact, that's the reason the special prosecutor's office exists.  A President cannot order the special prosecutor to drop any line of inquiry.  But as the chief executive officer of the executive branch, he can simply direct FBI not to spend any resources on an investigation of someone who he believed was already punished "enough".

My question: could Comey avoid the whole situation by simply asking the President "is that an order?"  Comey testified that he was stunned.  But, presumably, he did come out of his stupor at some point and he did have a chance to consult with the lawyers.  And since he knew the expressed wishes of his boss, could he not ask the same question formally at a later time?  He testified that he chose to continue the investigation without clarifying with the President whether this was the President's expressed opinion or a request.  But why would he not try to make it clear (even at a later date) by asking?

It has been suggested by some on this site that a President can even go so far as to refuse to prioritize fighting a war declared by Congress if he so chose (because he has the prerogative of setting executive priorities).    In the same vein, it would seem that he certainly has the power to shift investigative priorities and even order a case to be closed unless it's outside of his chain of command (again -- special prosecutor).  What would be the legal status of the investigation if Comey did ask "is that an order" and POTUS answered "yes"?  What would be the legal status of the investigation if he answered "no"?  Is there any reason (legal reason) why Comey would not pose such a question (even at a later time)?


texts: How do organizations with BYOD policy handle code theft?

texts:
Some corporations have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, and some may allow their employees to take their laptops home for usage. What if an employee takes the code and develops something outside of their employment scope?

An organization may be able to file a patent infringement lawsuit if their code is used, but what if a malicious employees steals non patented or patent pending code and sell it to someone else? How do the organizations handle these cases?

EDIT:
I agree with the copyright answer. I will search it further on the law Stack exchange site as suggested in the answer and the comments.
This is different from the other question because there they OP is asking about ways to protect the source code. I am interested in impact of code theft and ways to handle it.


texts: Does a residential address get re-classified as commercial if it used to register a one-person-company?

texts:
An independent consultant working from home in India wishes to incorporate as a one-person-company to cater to clients who won't contract with individuals. Will his residential address get/have to get re-classified as commercial (under The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act 1961 pdf) if it is used as registered address for the one-person-company?
More information in response to comments:
State: Karnataka
100% remote consulting
No separate office.
Nature of business: Consulting on digital transformation.


texts: Can I trademark a mobile application name that exists, but in a different region / language and unrelated to my app's functionality?

texts:
I have a couple questions regarding the possibility of trademarking the name of a mobile application that I am developing.
The main question is: Can I trademark the name and logo of a mobile application if there exists an application on one of the major platforms utilizing the same name? I have searched for an existing trademark for the application name and haven't found anything. It is also worth noting that the application is in a different language than mine.
The other question is: If I want to trademark the name of my application as well as the logo, but not necessarily requiring them to be together - does that require two separate trademark applications? One for the logo and one for the name?
Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between obtaining title to a car and registering a car?

texts:
In the United States, a person can obtain a government-issued "certificate of title" for a car.
There is also a "registration" process, and there are registration forms.
What is the difference between a certificate of title, and registration forms?


texts: Is it legal to unlock artificially limited hardware yourself?

texts:
Some companies sell hardware that is limited by some means, so that they can charge for upgrades.

For example some Tesla cars have batteries with some capacity unavailable to the user unless they pay for an upgrade, which involves sending a command to the car. Back in the day, some computer systems shipped with hardware that was disabled by a jumper, and the owner could pay for a technician to move the jumper and unlock the extra performance or features.

Is it legal to unlock such hardware yourself? Obviously you may end up voiding warranties, losing on-going support from the manufacturer, or there may be a contract you agreed to stating that you won't do it, but assuming none of that is relevant (e.g. a salvaged Tesla doesn't get support/warranty anyway) is there any law preventing you from modifying your property to remove the limits placed on it?

Mainly interested in UK and US perspective, but fee free to consider other legal systems.


texts: Can I be sued for warning of a potential crowdfunding scam?

texts:
Note: I don't seem to find any pertinent tags (such as "crowdfunding" so bear with me if the tabs are not correct)

I recently got of (potential) scam from a (successfully funded) campaign on Indieogo on which the creator disappeared and the campaign is still "InDemand" with potentially more people falling in the trap.

Since Indiegogo has shown no will to take real action in the dispute, I decided to write an article (not sure if I can link it here, but if that's the case please tell me and I will) with of course a disclaimer and a list of red flags (no whois information, lack of communication, campaigner's behavior and so forth).

May I get into troubles doing so?


texts:
There are a number of websites that allow you to search for information about people, generally based on typing in their name and state of residence.

If they put the wrong information about a person online, then I assume they can be sued for defamation. I just wondered if they have some special tricks for getting away with posting wrongful information.

As an extreme example, consider the hard core criminal I asked about @ Determining a serial felon's status

While searching for information about him in such a website, I was led to a page that attached his record to someone with the same name. The irony is that the innocent person is a pastor. So we're talking about a pastor falsely accused of manslaughter, kidnapping, murder and child rape.


texts: On what grounds can I sue someone who intimidates and verbally abuses another?

texts:
There is this guy in my community who is known to be very nasty, always intimidates and verbally abuses  people. He is what we can imagine a narcissistic person.
We have SMS, video and audio records  of him abusing others verbally.
On what grounds can such a person be sued?
Also, can the plaintiff be anonymous? Personally I'm quite terrified  if he finds out who reported him.


texts: When can I sell 3d models and 2d renders of dead peoples and celebrities?

texts:
When is it allowed to create and sell 3d models and 2d renders of existing dead people and celebrities?
I can imagine this is not a easy topic and is different depending on the jurisdiction. Here are some thoughts from me. Also which jurisdiction count? The place I live (Germany)? The countries I'm selling to? The country the original person lived in?
Another question is when does the 3d model or render look similar enough that copyright / trademark law applies? A different skin color, makeup or hair style is enough to make the 3d model unrecognizable to the person you took reference from.
What difference does it make if a person is dead or alive?
Does the format I'm selling make a difference? 3d model, comic, video game.
How does the date of death matter?


texts: What are the human rights' cultural rights?

texts:
Is there a definition for the "cultural rights" protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights? Are they listed somewhere?

BTW, is there a complete list of all human rights protected by international treatises treaties (thanks for the correction user6726!) ?

Thank you!


texts: Can a game designer be successfully sued for using a image of a gun off of google and modeling it and putting it in a game?

texts: If a game designer usse an image of an M4A1 ar, and a Glock and models the guns then put them into a game, can the designer be successfully sued, either by the gun maker or by the artist who created the images? What is the relevant law in such a case?


texts: Would someone face any repercussion for declaring they will vote guilty if made a juror?

texts:
Lets say someone doesn't want to serve jury duty.  He shows up when summoned but states to the judge in no uncertain terms that he intends to vote guilty, regardless of the content of the case, if he is made a juror.

Obviously he will be strike as a Juror.  However, I'm curious if there is any penalty he would suffer for the threat of dereliction of his duty as a juror, or if he would just be allowed to get what he wants and go on his merry way?


texts: When going to court should a plaintiff preemptively refute the other sides defense?

texts:
In small claims court, if the plaintiff knows what the defendant will likely say, should the plaintiff address these in the initial application? This makes sense to me because usually someone going to court has tried (and failed) to resolve the dispute with the other party.

For example my ex-landlord owes me my damage deposit. He said he won't give it back because a hallway was left messy. I disagree with this because 1) the hall way was shared 2) the landlord never mentioned this during the inspection 3) cleaning the hallway can't possibly be worth the entire damage deposit. Should I bring this up or in my initial application should I just say "landlord hasn't returned my damage deposit".

A lot of what I'd like to submit as evidence is the landlord claiming that I did x so the landlord retailiated by doing y...though I don't necessarily agree (or at least have a different interpretation of) that I did x, if I was to submit the whole email thread as evidence it would sort of be like submitting evidence against me at the same time. Hope that made sense.

Additionally, should evidence be submitted if the claim is not yet being disputed? For example I could include photos of my room being cleaned, but the landlord never claimed that it wasn't.


texts: Is it legal for a school organization to withold honorarium?

texts:
A relative of mine works at a high school run by a private organization. She is given the additional responsibility of managing a laboratory directly funded by the government under one of its policies, which explicitly entitles her to a certain honorarium. However, the school does not give her this amount, and she's not bold enough to confront them.

I feel this is not right, legally speaking. Is there a breach of law here?


texts: If an adult is raped by a minor, is it statutory rape?

texts: Say an adult is raped by a minor, and does not give legally applicable consent regardless of knowledge of age of the minor. Do statutory rape charges against the adult still apply?


texts: Does ratifying USMCA imply a (stealth) ratification of UNCLOS?

texts:
I tried asking this on Skeptics first, but apparently there's too much law (interpretation/opinion) and not enough fact in this issue.
Several conservative/right-wing sources says that if the US Senate were to ratify USMCA (Trump's renegotiated NAFTA), they would basically ratify UNCLOS by implication as well. (For more context, the US has signed but not ratified UNCLOS/LOST.)
E.g. the John Birch Society says:

Trade can be done without these many-paged deals. But the USMCA isn’t about trade. It is all about the establishment of regional and world government. This dangerous deal would in effect ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty -without any Senate vote on it.

A more detailed article in Canada Free Press concludes with the same:

In article 24.18, Sustainable Fisheries Management, regulating “marine wild capture fishing,” USMCA agreement subordinates the United States to U.N.’s international authority and its many organizations. [...]
Sustainable fisheries must abide by the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and many others. (USMCA, art. 24.18)
A.J. Cameron stated that the “same people in the Obama Administration who crafted the TPP also crafted USMCA. USMCA back-doors many of the tenets of the reprehensible trade agreements to which we were told by politicians that we would not become a member.”
[...]
The European Union and 162 countries have joined the Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) which was adopted in 1982 and now called simply The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). [...]
Under LOST, any kind of maritime dispute, fisheries, environmental protection, navigation, and research must be resolved under this treaty through mandatory dispute resolution by the U.N. court or tribunal which limits autonomy. But disputes should be resolved by U.S. courts.
When Congress approves the USMCA agreement, the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will also be ratified through the back-door, by including it in the USMCA.  Which senator is going the read this massive bill?

Is this interpretation (UNCLOS-wise) of the implication of USMCA ratification correct?


texts:
Many condo associations and HOAs restrict renting to some extent. Is it legal for a condo association or HOA to allow renting, yet impose some or all of these rules:

The minimum amount of rent you can charge is X.
Criminal background checks must be performed (and the record must be clean).
The renter's monthly income must be at least Y times the monthly rent. (In my experience Y=3 is the norm.)
Minimum credit score?

I'm fairly certain any single owner can implement these rules if they wish, but I'm asking if an HOA or condo association can force every owner to implement these rules.

If the answer is "Yes, they can", then:

How would they enforce it? It seems like the HOA would have to be able to request to see the tenant's credit report, background check, proof of income, and rent checks to make sure the rules are being followed.
What is to stop the HOA from making the requirements arbitrarily high to effectively prevent renting? (Minimum credit score set to 850, for example.)


texts:
https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/jobapplicant.html

Q: Is it a reasonable accommodation to request to remove all the oral interviews for a candidate programmer who has, for instance, social phobia? Or the requirement to allow her to work mostly from home?

Q: How the difference between essential and non-essential job function is determined? For instance, can the employer say that the ability to work under pressure is essential for the job? (given that this position is for a programmer rather than an air traffic controller)


texts: (How) Can Person A grant immunity to Person B for ending Person A's life?

texts:
In the US, some states are "death with dignity" states. In such a state, suppose resident A wants to die earlier than allowed by that state law, and perhaps even before A becomes terminally ill.

Even more generally, suppose A gives person B the right to end A's life at any point in time. A wants to ensure that B is not prosecuted or even investigated for ending A's life, even if there is suspicion of wrong-doing or negligence or malpractice.

Is there a procedure by which A can grant immunity (if that is the correct word) to B for this? If specifics are needed, let's say the state is Oregon.

Edit: If the answer is 'no', then without asking another person to face murder charges, how does a person prearrange to die when they are no longer physically or cognitively capable of suicide?


texts: Is medical marijuana the only medicine in the US that is legalized according to various state governments and nonetheless a Schedule 1 federal crime?

texts: The FDA does not approve marijuana's psychoactive substance, THC, for any medicinal use, and possession of THC is a federal crime, except for prescription synthetic THC. However, 36 states legalized medical marijuana that includes THC. This legal dissonance looks startling to me. Given that, I wonder if medical marijuana is the only medicine in the US that is legalized in various states and nonetheless a Schedule 1 federal crime. And I clarify that this refers only to medicine and not Schedule 1 substances that are eligible for religious exception.


texts: Liability for knowing about bribe offered by a channel partner

texts:
In the USA, anti-bribery laws prohibit a company from offering bribes or kickbacks to government officials.

If a channel partner of U.S. company X offers a bribe, would X be held liable if it knew about the bribe, even though it didn't participate nor authorize the bribe?


texts: Is a defense lawyer who knows, for certain, that a client is guilty, obligated to try and prove innocence?

texts: As per the title, is a defense lawyer who knows, for certain, that a client is guilty, (e.g. the client says so, etc.) obligated to try and prove innocence?  What is a defense lawyer obligated to do in such circumstances?


texts: Can you sell a product with a "custom" image, if that image ends up being copyright or trademark?

texts:
As a printing company, can you sell a item titled "custom" if a customer uploads a copyrighted or trademarked logo?

They are only ordering one, and the item itself is not titled after the logo that they are uploading. They are simply ordering through a print company something for personal use with a logo on it (presumably).


texts: Clery Act--Does it include reports of crime that occur off-campus to university members?

texts:
The Clery act states that universities in the US are required to collect

  (F) Statistics concerning the occurrence on campus, in or on noncampus buildings
   or property, and on public property during the most recent calendar year, and
  during the 2 preceding calendar years for which data are available—
  (i) of the following criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities
  or local police agencies:
  [List of offenses, e.g. murder, manslaughter...]

It says "noncampus" which I would normally assume would include off-campus, say off-campus housing. But then the definition of noncampus seems to say otherwise:

  (iii) The term “noncampus building or property” means—
  (I) any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization
  recognized by the institution; and
  (II) any building or property (other than a branch campus) owned or controlled
  by an institution of higher education that is used in direct support of, or in
  relation to, the institution’s educational purposes, is used by students, and is
  not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.

This definition seems to not include off-campus housing, (e.g. a student experiencing a burglary in an apartment that they rent from an independent landlord).

Does the Clery act require US universities required to collect statistics on crime in off-campus housing to university members?


texts: What is the basis for how aggressive a person can be in self-defense?

texts:
All manner of hugging goes on in society in the US.  For some people it is unwanted regardless of who the other person is.  Autism spectrum comes to mind.  How aggressive can person A be against person B to avoid the hug?  Here is a recent post:

https://interpersonal.stackexchange.com/questions/9016

What is the basis for legal limits on response?  I imagine A is allowed by law to aggress against B only to some proportionate extent.  But proportionate in what terms?  Of society, in which case A can't pepper spray B when B tries to hug A? The idiosyncrasies of A, in which case pepper spray would be justifiable, in my opinion.


texts: Can I stick a "don't trespass" warning on my house?

texts:
My house doesn't have a fence. I witnessed multiple occasions of random people walking on my backyard, and taking water from the outer tap.

Therefore I want to  print a warning and stick it on my house. Is it legal? Can I put a warning on my house? Here is the warining

  STOP ! !

  You are trespassing a private property in violation of TRESPASS ACT 1980.

  The camera footage of your trespass violation will be reported to
      the police unless you leave the premises immediately

My concern is that I actually don't have a camera, and I don't plan to report anything to the police.

But wouldn't that be lying? Can I say there is a camera. I mean If I don't mention the camera then people might not take that seriously.

I don't want to hurt anybody.   I just want to stop strangers from using my water tap, and walking on my backyard. Can I print and stick that message on the walls of my house?


texts: Is it legal to sell a used mattress in Westport, CT?

texts:
I live in Westport, Connecticut, United States, and want to sell my bed.

As a consumer, am I allowed to sell my mattress, even though I've used it?

If so, are there any restrictions/regulations I must adhere to?


texts: Does a shareholder of a company also have copyright rights?

texts:
If I buy, say, a share in The Walt Disney Company, does that give me part ownership in the intellectual property?

Does this ownership then give me the right to copy it?


texts: Legality of Forking Open Source Projects

texts: Are there any legal issues with forking an open source project and putting your own name and spin on it? I am talking specifically about projects that are operating under the MIT or Creative Commons licenses.


texts: What legally happens if the person being sued cannot pay the amount owed. (Special Case)

texts:
Here's a situation related to a story that's been in the news lately. I have no experience with any legal situations, so apologies for using incorrect terms/vocab.

Conditions: The person being sued is already in jail for life, they will not be able to pay the amount owed through future work, they do not have enough assets to liquidate/transfer (however its done) to pay off the amount.

How does the party that makes the lawsuit get the money in this scenario? If the person cannot pay it off, does it transfer over to their relatives?


texts:
I am very interested in Congress subpoenaing the IRS for Trump's individual Tax Return for the last 6 years.

I realize they have oversight. But it would look to me as an one outside of the law profession, that they can ask the IRS for any type of report they want, along with the limits of what ever group they want, but to ask for a single individual return would fall outside of over sight.

Do you see the congress as being able to subpoena the IRS to provide any private individuals tax return as oversight?

It sure looks like weaponizing the IRS to me.

It just looks like the perfect way to eliminate any political adversary.

The law I am seeing that is in question is 6103(f)

  6103(f) Disclosure to Committees of Congress (1) Committee on Ways and
  Means, Committee on Finance, and Joint Committee on Taxation Upon
  written request from the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means
  of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the Committee on
  Finance of the Senate, or the chairman of the Joint Committee on
  Taxation, the Secretary shall furnish such committee with any return
  or return information specified in such request, except that any
  return or return information which can be associated with, or
  otherwise identify, directly or indirectly, a particular taxpayer
  shall be furnished to such committee only when sitting in closed
  executive session unless such taxpayer otherwise consents in writing
  to such disclosure.

Does it look normal to you that the Congress would request the Return of any single individual?


texts:
Someone developed a social media network that permits users to post local news/events and information.

What are the legal ramifications toward the developer if someone uses the platform as a way to spread fake or inauthentic content, potentially in a manner that might negatively affect local businesses.

Could the developer face legal ramifications for this content?


texts: Can organisations like Extinction Rebellion be sued for costs incurred as a result of them protesting?

texts: If an organisation like ER or specific others are planning to disrupt the airport's operation (re https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49509852) and that incurs me financial costs as I may need to re-book flights or bear related fees, is there any way I could sue them for any of this?


texts:
I have trouble understanding how patents work. I understand that they apply to the idea of how something is used. How broad can they be? For example why didn't one person (or company) patent cars in general? e.g. a mode of transportation where passenger sits in a seat and is carried on wheels connected to an engine.

Another example of what I don't get, how come Blackberry didn't patent smartphones so Apple couldn't make any?


texts: Open Source Contributor Agreements and Consideration

texts:
Some Open Source projects require their contributors to execute so called Contributor Agreements. The content of these agreements vary, but many address contributors right to make the contribution and some assign copyright in the contribution to the project or some individual or organisation representing the project.

It appears to me that none of these agreements fulfill the requirement of consideration necessary for enforceability under UK/US law. I am aware that the bar for consideration is low, but to me it appears as if this category of agreements as general rule present no argument what so ever for passing it.

Am I missing any obvious counter arguments?

I have provided links to some example Contributor Agreements below. None appear to me to specify any consideration for the contributor that would qualify under US/UK law. The Qt agreement does mention consideration, but none is to be found in the substance of the agreement.

https://d21tv0wm5mksdn.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Qt-ContributionLicenseAgreement_v1_2_FINAL.pdf

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/oca-405177.pdf


texts: I received 2 tickets nearly 13 years ago in Alabama. I went to prison on unrelated charges. I just got out, I tried to get my driver license, found out they are suspended because of the tickets. I contacted the court and they can not find any records or information regarding the tickets. I can't pay the reinstatement fee until the tickets are paid, is there time limit the court has to find the tickets?


texts: May one attack an offender during an extended smash and grab attempt

texts:
It is common in South Africa for the passenger window to get smashed and the offender to then lunge into the car to grab items.

A)  Would it be legal to then drive off and hit his legs against a lamp post for example?

B)  What about emptying a taser on him?


texts: Meaning of Florida statute history abbreviations

texts:
I'm trying to find out how to read the following abbreviations found in the short "history" section at the bottom of a Florida statute website. For example:
"s. 54, ch. 88-1; s. 30, ch. 88-277; s. 36, ch. 91-110"

I would like to follow these references to learn the history of statute, but I'm not sure what they mean or how to follow them.

In case it is helpful, here is a link to a statue page with such history information.


texts: What happens to court precedent after a constitutional amendment?

texts:
What happens to the precedent (or whatever their interpretation is called) of the judicial branch when a constitution (like in the USA), is amended?

Like, if a constitution said some meats were stupid and bad, and a court case decides that ham is totally chill, and isn't part of the "some meats" group; but the constitution gets amended to say that ham is also stupid. Given this example, what would happen to the court precedent, and the world that's gotten used to having legal ham?


texts: Can my parents from MI gift me a car in MD? What is the cheapest way of dealing with it?

texts:
I live in Maryland(MD) and my parents just bought a car for me in Michigan(MI). However first I don't have a title claim on the car let alone an insurance. Is it possible for me to get a temporary plate from MD, go to MI, staple that in and drive the car back?

So to get that plate from MD I have to apply for car title, which would take ~2 weeks. Can my parents just send me their title signed through mail and I can sign it in MD or is the car title only valid in MI and I have to get a temporary MI plate to drive that car back to MD? And how does this work for gifts? Do my parents declare $0 cost on the car in the title?

Thank you


texts: Can a landlord charge an addendum fee to add/drop a name on an existing lease

texts: Can a landlord charge an addendum fee of $250 to add/drop a name on an existing lease in Washington State, USA?


texts: Is fulfilling the duties of a "second" in seppuku a crime in modern Japan?

texts:
Seppuku is a Japanese suicide ritual by disembowelment that was often used by Samurai to attenuate shame or avoid being captured.

The ritual traditionally involves a "second" who would perform a kaishaku - a cut in which the warrior is decapitated.

There are many examples of this ritual even in modern Japan.

In modern Japan if such a ritual involves the traditional "second" performing the kaishaku, is this treated as a murder where the "second" could be charged, or is death treated as a suicide?


texts: Recourse for damage to an item loaned to another?

texts: When you loaned someone your car, and the car came back in a bad condition, most things are not working like hooter, reverse lights, windows cracked, etc., can you legally demand him/her to fix the car? I am in South Africa.


texts: GDPR seeking consent - Subjects not responding to the consent email

texts:
We have currently sent out emails to gain consent from subjects to receive our marketing content.

For subjects who don't respond, can we send another email chasing the consent? (i feel doing this can turn into spam) or do we just take that as the subjects not giving consent? Additionally, how long do you leave it before you take it as not been given consent?


texts: What are some examples of important/influential Amicus briefs?

texts:
I've been digging through Supreme court documents and it got me wondering - does anybody know any specific examples of Amicus briefs that may have changed the outcome of an important case?  I couldn't easily find any on google, so I figured I would ask here. Any court or any period of time is okay, really.

I don't study the law, but the Amicus brief seems like an interesting mechanism to me, perhaps one that could sway the majority opinion of a jury in an important precedent-setting case.


texts: Who has the final say in the choice of the electors?

texts:
In case of disputes related to the presidential election, who has the final say in the choice of the electors: state legislature, SCOTUS or the state's supreme court?
It's my understanding that the US constitution says it's state legislature, but Trump recently claimed voter fraud and stated his intent to get SCOTUS involved. If the answer is the courts, what kind of remedies can they possibly provide?


texts: Is the a retainer simply a synonym for a deposit?

texts: Is a typical retainer's purpose to be a deposit for work to be done? IANAL and seeking to understand why and how the typical retainer works.


texts: Can a Non-EU citizen who worked in a EU country with specific work permit have the right to apply to ECHR for workplace discrimination?

texts:
I am a citizen of Turkey, not of the EU. I worked in Ireland with a Critical Skills Employment Permit.

I sued my employer for Workplace Discrimination. I decided that the case was not dealt with properly. After I exhaust all the internal procedures, I am planning to apply to European Court of Human Rights - ECHR. But I read that "People can go to ECHR only against the countries of their own".

Is this correct? Do I have the right to go to the ECHR?


texts: My spouse's son is on an account with his stepmother. Both were put on the account at different times by his dad. Unfortunately his dad passed away recently. The money in the account was to be split 50/50. The stepmother started withdrawing money immediately after her husband's death. The son inquired about the balance. It was considerably lower than expected. Now the bank froze all assets. Question: shouldn't he still he allowed to withdraw at will? Him and his stepmother are both legal owners of the account. Also, we don't know of any will.


texts: On the age of consent and the age of responsibility

texts:
The age of consent is 16 in the UK. The age of responsibility is 10.

Given that the age of consent is the age at which an individual is deemed legally competent to understand the notion of consent - without which they cannot knowingly engage in a non-consensual act - how is it possible for anyone under the age of 16 to be prosecuted for rape?

(Granted it can be argued that a person understands consent with regards to others first and themselves second, but that would likely run counter to Theory of Mind and developmental psychology as a whole!)


texts: Individual vs. corportate liability for inherently dangerous activities

texts:
These days a lot of people make their living on YouTube, doing inherently dangerous things and filming them. For instance, there's those people who climb up unfinished skyscapers without any safety gear (and too frequently fall to their deaths).

Suppose that one of these reckless YouTubers—acting on his own—falls to his death. No one is liable for his death.

Suppose instead that he was part of a corporation: a small business that he set up to coordinate the film crews, promotions, etc. Then if he dies, I believe that duty of care will make the corporation liable for his death.

The question is, how does the law handle (or does it handle) different degrees of corporate liability? On one end of the spectrum, suppose the YouTuber sets up a corporation for his business that he controls completely. In that case, it doesn't seem that the corporation has any moral responsibility. On the other end of the spectrum, I could imagine a nameless corporate entity paying people to do irresponsible stunts.

Does the law differentiate between these various situations? A related question is whether it's simply legally impractical for thrill-seekers or stuntmen to form corporations, since the risk of liability would be so great.

EDIT:

I didn't intend to ask about illegal activities, though I notice now that my example included one. Substitute chainsaw-juggling for skyscraper climbing.
To develop the idea of a spectrum: suppose there is a corporation owned by five shareholders with equal stakes, but that one of the partners was the chainsaw-juggler. I feel that morally (and perhaps legally?) at that point the liability situation starts to change as the person taking the risk is less of a stakeholder in the activity. But I don't know how that is (or ought to be) reflected in the law.


texts: Copyright on a artwork based on a tutorial

texts:
I'm not asking about a specific case, but I'm interested to know about the general principles that would cover the following scenario:

A CGI artist makes a tutorial on how to design and make a digital render of an object: let's say, for instance, a doughnut. Another creator lawfully (i.e. having bought it or watched it on a free platform) follows this tutorial and, based on that, makes a digital render of a doughnut, but this time laid on a different plate and with differently colored sprinkles, that they intend to sell to a client for a commercial publication.

Because of the digital nature of this artwork, it's possible that, by following the steps very closely, the core part (i.e. the doughnut) will be extremely similar to the one created by the author of the tutorial.

If this scenario is not clearly mentioned in the tutorial's T&C (if any), does the buyer/follower of the tutorial have the rights on the work they created?

PS my doughnut example is based on a popular free tutorial targeted at amateur users of a CGI software, Blender. This tutorial has been followed many many times.


texts: Crosswalk question regarding entry point into crosswalk

texts:
I live in the state of Florida but I am asking this as a general question.  I often wondered this.  Suppose I was on my motorcycle and only had a few minutes more to get to work but when I got very close (walking distance from work), I got stopped by a red light but I was first in line at that red light (wanting to turn left).  Knowing that if I wait for the red light, I might be late for work and maybe lose my job (or at least get reprimanded).  So I am wondering in that situation, can I enter the crosswalk from my lane by walking my motorcycle across the road (with the engine still running), then walk it back onto the other connecting road and continue my very short ride to work, or might that be considered circumventing a red light (such as you are not allowed to cut thru a corner gas station at an intersection to avoid a red light there).  I wonder if a cop saw me do this, if I would get a citation and what that citation might be.  Does it specifically state that pedestrians MUST enter a crosswalk ONLY from the corners?  A variation of the motorcycle situation stated is what if someone else was driving me to work and got stopped at the red light, could I, as a passenger in that same vehicle, exit the vehicle, enter the crosswalk midway, and continue to my workplace on foot?

You can assume that the pedestrian crossing light is favorable for either variation of this hypothetical scenario so no jaywalking would apply.


texts: Utility access rights without an easement?

texts:
Situation:
We have a new construction site / home on a small farm. A gas line has been installed across my property, to service the house. I have NO utility easements filed except for an original electric easement on the border. I installed my own electrical buried cable to service the house from a bordering transformer and meter. I let a different utility company install a gas line (because it seemed easier than DIY-ing with a meter at the street). I did sign an installation agreement with this written in the fine print:
"CONDITIONS TO INSTALLATION.
1.1... payment stuff.
2.2 Right-of-Way. Customer shall provide the right-of-way required for the installation of the Company's service facilities. Customer shall grant or obtain for the Company an easement along the route of the line extension in a form satisfactory to the Company."
Question
Since I never filed an easement and the utility company never asked (none exists), is it within my rights to deny them access to the property or force them to be more courteous? I completely understand they can shut down the service because technically this could be a breach of our contract for service. However, situations have come up recently (not just meter reading) where trespassing and damage to the property occurred. A security gate is soon to be installed. There is a perimeter fence which will be beefed up as well. They will be physically forced to ask permission (for anything) and I want to know ahead of time, what kind of trouble I can get in or what is typical where they can no longer physically access the property without being courteous.


texts: Can landlords discriminate against potential tenants based on their current profession?

texts: Simply enough, is it illegal to not rent to someone based on their current profession?


texts: Can I use facebook,twitter,linkedin,github icons in my app?

texts:
There are a lot of websites on which I login. Many websites offer sign up through fb, twitter, Github etc. I find it difficult to remember through which social account I signed up on a particular website. To solve this problem I developed an Android app on which we can save these details: Name of Account, Linked with (Social Account name), Email address associated to login and retrieve the details anytime. Along with these details I thought of adding the logo of the Social Media account in the app.

Will there be any legal issues I might face for using logos of the websites mentioned in the question.


texts: Is a phonorecord a sound recording on a specific material object, such as an audio book on a CD?

texts:
Based on definitions according to 17 U.S.C. § 101 (archived):

"Phonorecords" are material objects in which sounds, other than those
accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work, are fixed by
any method now known or later developed, and from which the sounds can
be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly
or with the aid of a machine or device. The term "phonorecords"
includes the material object in which the sounds are first fixed.

"Sound recordings" are works that result from the fixation of a series
of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds
accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work, regardless of
the nature of the material objects, such as disks, tapes, or other
phonorecords, in which they are embodied.


texts: Crime in one country, criminal from another, what's the legal recourse?

texts:
Consider a hypothetical situation where a USA citizen, present in Sri Lanka either legally or illegally, commits some murders and flees back to the USA. What can be done to bring this person to trial?
Suppose there is no proof that this citizen killed two people. Of course, people saw them doing it, but they don't want to come forward as witnesses, and the family wants justice. Obviously, the police will want witness before issuing a warrant.
If this family is represented by a lawyer who appeals to the court, what will the court do? I'm not talking about extradition or something. It is more about bringing this person to trial, whether in USA or in Sri Lanka. What is the process after a crime's been committed and the perpetrator flees back to the safety of their country?
Supplemental Questions

If a good lawyer was stating the question above, what would their precise terms be?

Will this whole hypothetical situation fall under the case study of criminal law? Is it a matter of  international laws as well?


texts: On the site Reddit anyone can create a "subreddit" to which people can make posts and comments, with the creator of the subreddit being able to moderate posts and comments.  Does CDA 230 even apply to the moderation of subreddits?  By that, I mean that absent CDA 230, would common law have considered the owner of a subreddit to be a publisher of the subreddit's posts and comments if the owner engaged in any moderation?


texts: What are the legal consequences for serving in a jury if you are not eligible because you are not a citizen?

texts:
I got a jury summons letter last week and was asked to be in court Monday. I went and was there for 5 - 6 hours deliberating with other jurors whether or not this guy should've gotten a speeding ticket or not (really trivial stuff). Anyway, we made our ruling and I headed home.

I wake up the next morning and went to work and was discussing this with my coworker and he brought up people who couldn't serve in a jury. Now, I've been living in the US for 15+ years and I am only a permanent resident (not a citizen) I looked into this further and found that in Texas, non US citizens could not serve in a jury. What are the consequences (as I did not know at the time) for serving in a jury if you are not a citizen? Should I call the court house and tell them? I thought they only picked citizens!

UPDATE

I wanted to update you guys on this strange insistence. Didn't want to leave you guys guessing lol. Anyway I explained the situation at the court house and I was forgiven without any penalties but they did declare a mistrial on the case I was involved in


texts: Are there standards for detention of property in connection with a search warrant?

texts:
We know that police and government are not liable for damage caused in the course of warranted searches.  We also know that people who are not suspected of any crime can have their property searched and seized pursuant to a warrant.

Are there any enumerated rights to the speedy return of property seized for evidence, or for compensation when police detain property for so long that the owner incurs damages?

As an increasingly common example: Police can seize entire computer systems.  There are all sorts of constitutionally-derived safeguards to ensure that the seizure and search are "proper."  But I can't find any law or custom pertaining to how long the police can keep a computer, phone, or data storage device.  And I have heard that they will routinely keep such items for weeks or months.  When the computer(s) seized are someone's work machines then that person not only loses time and money to replace them, but may also incur damages due to the inability to access data that wasn't backed up offsite.

(Why the police do this with information systems is bewildering to a techie with some IS security background like me.  Until I was shown some real-life cases to the contrary, my understanding was that SOP for data drives is to get them duplicated immediately.  At that point a duplicate could certainly be returned to the owner without imperiling the search of the data, or its use as evidence.)

The indefinite detention of movable property seems incongruous with the treatment afforded to dwellings.  E.g., I have never heard of a residence being seized for search and cordoned off for the duration of an investigation and prosecution.  Instead, CSI is brought in for at most a few days, and once they decide they've done their job it's opened back up to the owner.


texts: Copyright protection: life + 70 years. But whose life?

texts:
I know that in most of the Western world, original creative works are protected by copyright for the entire life of the author plus 70 years after the author's death. But how is the term of protection determined when there is not a single identifiable author? For example:

For a piece of music recorded by a four-man band, when does the +70 years part start? (presumably on the death of the last surviving band member?)
For a motion picture that is produced by a major Hollywood studio, involving the work of thousands of creative staff, how is the duration of copyright protection computed? Whose "life" is the relevant one for calculating life+70 years?


texts: Display images of trademarked items in blog post product review

texts:
A lot of media, both on the web and in many other forms, offers all kind of product reviews to their readers/viewers. Obviously, they use the name of the product, which might be trademarked, to identify what they are talking about. Very often they will show images of the product, which would most likely show a logo that could also be trademarked.

Assuming one is the author of the text and the images, so no copyright are infringed, but obviously doesn't own the trademark of the item that is discussed and/or displayed, what are the consequences, if any, to host a blog in Canada that would review products he likes.

I know many people already do it, either commercially or as a hobby. Obviously they do not make people believe they are associated with the product in any way. Does this type of activity require any kind of permission from the trademark owner ?


texts: Have wives ever been legally a man's property in the US?

texts: I'm studying A Level English literature at the moment and we are reading The Great Gatsby. I have a teacher who alluded that during the time the text was written, 1925, wives were considered to be a man's property.  This raised red flags for me, as I know this may be true figuratively but I want to know if that was legally the case ever in the United States, and particularly in 1925.


texts:
In the US, inventors have up to 1 year to file for a patent to the USPTO after an invention has been publicly disclosed, and by default the USPTO takes 1.5 years to publish the patent application after it was filed. This means that during 2.5 years, an invention might be displayed somewhere publicly before the public is aware that a patent has been filed for it.
What happens if I used an invention for some commercial use after its public disclosure and before it got patented? Do I have the same obligations toward the inventors as if I had used the invention after it got patented?


texts: Trade Name: What class applies to websites and epubs?

texts:
When you register a trade name or trademark, you have to pay a fee for each of various classes that describe your business.

Can anyone tell me what class publishing falls under? I publish in three formats:

Internet (websites)
Epubs (electronic books read on Kindle, for example)
Paper or plastic wall charts

I'm guessing these would all be covered by Class 41: Education and Entertainment. Am I correct?

Trademark Classes


texts: How to interpret this paragraph from an MNDA in context with Ohio law?

texts:
The following paragraph was included in a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement template between two technology companies.

  The Parties agree that the disclosing Party will suffer irreparable injury if its Confidential Information is made public, released to a third party, or otherwise disclosed in breach of this Agreement and that the disclosing Party shall be entitled to obtain injunctive relief against a threatened breach or continuation of any such breach and, in the event of such breach, an award of actual and exemplary damages from any court of competent jurisdiction."

I was wondering what the implications of this paragraph are in the event of a breach.


texts: End of lease period, landlord hasn't provided way to renew lease

texts: My lease is up in about 45 days. My landlord hasn't provided any way for me to renew the lease. They do online lease signing. I've been unable to login for over a month now. They can't figure out what the problem is. I've decided I want out at the end of my lease period, but the lease says i need to give 60 days notice. Is the landlord's failure to fix the renewal signing problem sufficient for me to claim they are in breach of contract and allow me out at the end of the lease, without the full 60 says notice? According to them, the renewal was supposed to be signed by now already. But I couldn't due to their failure to fix the problem that kept me from signing in.


texts: Difference Between Adrogation and Arrogation?

texts:
A Preceding Note:

I do enjoy studying law and legal philosophies from time to time, but I'm not a legal student here or even in the legal sectors, so please try to put any explanation you have into (some degree of) layman's terms.

The Question, Main Source:

I stumbled onto this article on Wikipedia about the legal concepts in ancient Roman law of "adrogation" and "arrogation".

It defined the former as a sui juris adoption of another person, and the latter as an alieni juris adoption of another person.

  Adrogation, among ancient Romans, was a kind of adoption in which the person adopted was free, and consented to be adopted by another. It was done at the assembly of the people while the commonwealth subsisted, and later by a rescript of the emperors.

  This is contrasted with arrogation, in which one claims another for oneself without the right.

But it only referenced a single source¹, and it wasn't one I have really heard of, so I decided to check other sites to verify.

Other Sources

Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO) defined "adrogation" as sui juris and "arrogation" as alieni juris.

  Adrogation:

  Adoption of a person who is sui juris and hence not subject to the legal power of another.

  Arrogation:

  Take or claim (something) without justification

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)² defined "adrogation" as sui juris and "arrogation" as both(???) alieni juris and a synonym of arrogation. (How the scrambled eggs can it be both sui juris AND alieni juris???)

  Adrogation:

  Adoption of a person who is sui juris (sui juris n. a) and hence not subject to the legal power of another. Cf. arrogation n. 1.

  Arrogation:

  = adrogation n.   (So usually spelt in this sense.)
  The action of claiming and assuming without just reason; unwarrantable assumption.

Merriam-Webster Online defines "adrogation" as a synonym of "arrogation" (basically the exact opposite of what the ODO did), which is defined as alieni juris.

  Adrogation:

  : arrogation 2

  Arrogation:

  : to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal

So which is it? It can't be both sui juris and alieni juris adoption.

I'm so confused... @_@

¹ Here is the source the Wikipedia article cited:

  [Public Domain Symbol] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "article name needed". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (first ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.

² These require a paying subscription, so I'll just include the links down here so as not to mislead anyone.

Adrogation
Arrogation


texts: Common law ancestors/relatives and citations/precedents

texts:
This is a continuation of an existing question:
Is there one body of common law?

Now, referring to an article on NPR: On Libel And The Law, U.S. And U.K. Go Separate Ways, it is stated by the journalist Ari Shapiro that normally US courts would honor the UK courts libel rulings. (This, of course, before the new law in the US Congress passed and was signed by Obama.)

My question is by "honoring the UK court's ruling", Ari Shapiro means that the US court would cite the UK court's ruling and then issue its own, separate, new ruling -- correct? As opposed to honoring the UK court's ruling as a straight-out precedent in the same way an appellate court would have to straighten-out honor the ruling of the United States Supreme Court?

Basically, what I am asking is: isn't it true that when it concerns common law and this concept of common laws' common ancient ancestor, any given jurisdiction, say an Australian Court, is not required to follow the common law precedent of another jurisdiction, say a Canadian court? Instead, the Australian court would issue its own new, separate ruling and simply cite the Canadian common law ruling in its own new, separate ruling - correct?


texts:
I am looking at Power of Attorney form here, (opened in Chrome) http://www.citibank.com/us/geb/resources/pdf/Power_of_Attorney_NY.pdf

On page 4, there are four spaces for Notary Public to sign.

What law says there must be 4 Notary Publics on a Power of Attorney form?


texts: How to mention other website as the Product or Service in other website's terms?

texts:
Let's say I have a Billing website(1st website) for clients where a client makes an account and buys a plan.

Then what I do is create a website(2nd website) for that client's shop where his employees and his other customers register and use it.

So what I want to do is to say the following in the terms of 1st website:

"the Product, the Services, the Website -> refers to both sites".

Is it legal to do that ? If so how do I mention 2nd site as "the Product", "the Service" in the 1st site's terms.


texts:
I created a website for a friend's company that has no user account feature, it is only meant to be an online catalog for prices. The only user data we might receive are data that users fill in the contact form (name, surname, phone number and email) which we receive by email in the official website's mailbox.
Is this website concerned by GDPR?
Are data received through the contact form considered "personnal data" as GDPR mention?


texts: Under what conditions is it possible or required to change one's own affidavit?

texts:
What are the options if a fact witness in a civil case writes an affidavit that is filed with the court and later finds out that the affidavit is simply wrong?  For example, the affidavit said that person A was in my office on July 31st of the past year and the person writing the affidavit reviews his files and finds that the office building was closed by the fire department on that day due to a natural gas leak.  The meeting was supposed to take place on July 31st but actually the meeting took place on August 31st.  If the person who wrote the affidavit knows that the date is crucial to the case, should the person take any steps to correct the affidavit?  Let's assume that the error works to the advantage of the person on whose on behalf affidavit was written.

Clarification: This is in the state of Georgia, USA.


texts: What rights do employees have about receiving personal packages at work?

texts: I know that each company can have its own policy about personal packages delivered to the office. However how far these policies could go? For example could the company take the package and refuse to give it to the employee? Also what happens about this matter if the company has no official policy?


texts: How do I press charges against my former broker for forgery?

texts:
I am a Realtor. When I was first licensed I began working for a broker in Los Angeles, CA. After almost 2 years we had a dispute and he refused to pay me. It was at this time it was discovered that I never signed a broker/salesperson contract. I filed a complaint with BRE and a small claims case. I won the first case. He showed up with no contract. He appealed and showed up with a contract which was a photocopy and clearly fake.

How do I pursue him for forgery?


texts: Please explain Linehan I factors to a lay person

texts: I see "Linehan I factors" mentioned in some civil commitment decisions published on-line e.g. this one from Minessota. Can someone explain where they come from and what their status is in US law? From what I can gather it's a Minnesota supreme court decision (so only applies there), but I could be wrong. Is there something more generally applicable in that respect in the US?


texts: how does copyright work for performer and singing cover tunes and or singing a translation i worote

texts:
I have  translated a few  songs  from the 19 century and early 20th century.  i sing as well and would  like to perform them and  post  them on my youtube page and or record them .

One one of the songs is BUtterfield's lullaby  also known as TAPS.

Because TAPS's  melody is from mid 19th century 1836 -39   and the  lyrics  is considered a children nursery rhyme ...  I am thinking  that it is okay to  sing and record and share with public and post or sell  my translated version.

I don't realize i may need  to share profit .

I would  also like to protect my translated version somehow. How do I do that?


texts: Can i record a video based on a book and then publish it in Youtube?

texts:
I have an idea to record videos based on some books and then publish the videos in my channel in Youtube.

Of course, i will write a clear reference to the book and the author.

But, i am wondering, if i am allowed to do so or not?

Here is a copyright rule of a target book:

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
  transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
  including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
  retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

So, my question is, is it legal to build a youtube channel based on other people books?


texts:
Here's the situation

I bought a car with someone as an OR title. I was supposed to be mailed a title as was she.

She took both titles signed the car to herself and took the car. My mail was stolen.

Is all of this legal? Are there any damages?


texts: can lawyers/senate public commitee meetings ask questions which might be covered by NDA's

texts: I'm just taking the recent Mark Zuckerberg Senate hearings which were held in the open in the United States. Is there some sort of fine line that the Senate has to follow? Can they ask any questions even if it may impinge upon any non-disclosure agreements signed by the defendant, e.g. regarding trade secrets?


texts:
Jurisdiction:  Albuquerque, NM - US

Is it normal for a criminal case not pursued, originating October 2014, to have a disposition “Converted Nolle Prosequi” on August 2016, almost 23 months after the arrest date? What is the purpose/reason a disposition would be converted for a case that never even went before a grand jury (as far as I know) and to do so nearly 2 years after the initial complaint was first filed?


texts: Liability for damages in the U.S. for finding and disclosing "0-day" computer exploit

texts:
In the IT/Programming security world, usually people contact the vendor/owner of a particular software if they find a bug or security vulnerability and give them time to patch it before releasing the bug or vulnerability for public scrutiny/awareness. This is usually as a courtesy though unless you're bound by contract. But as asked in If I Find or Create a 0day: What if I find a vulnerability in a widely used piece of software?

Can I be held liable for damages if I release "Proof of Concept" code to the public without giving the vendor time to properly patch and update its vulnerable code?

UPDATE:
After having a discussion about this question with some peers, I realized I need to be a bit more specific with the question: Security researchers usually work with the vendor to try and patch (fix) the error/vulnerability. If after sufficient (30 days?) time has passed and the vendor has not fixed the code then a full disclosure is released publicly.

Can I be held liable for damages caused after the release of a "Proof of Concept" code if the software/vendor is open source? What if the vendor/software is closed source?


texts: In the United States is doing business in only some states considered discrimination?

texts:
A business would like to only operate in states except for California to avoid the $7500-per-person fine CCPA demands. Is it legal or would the business have to leave out the whole of USA?
For information on the CCPA, see: https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa


texts: What do you do if your consulate general violates the law?

texts:
If you live abroad as a foreign national, there are certain government services that you must keep obtaining from your own government through a Consulate General (e.g. passport issue/renewal).

However, if the Consulate General fails to provide such services in a satisfactory fashion, and the complaints go unanswered, is there any recourse?

For example, if you're a Russian citizen living abroad, and you suspect that the Consulate General violates your rights granted through Russian law, it's not like you can just sue them to defend your rights in the American or English court, or is it?


texts: Do Tenants have a right to deny inspection of a rental unit, by landlord?

texts:
Someone I know has pre-existing medical condition, has rented condo in Toronto from same landlord for 3 years, and keeps it  clean and tidy. She always pays rent, never late. Her landlord last inspected it Sept. 2019. He insists on inspecting it this month, because it's over a year.
I quote relevant info from this Oakville, Ontario law firm's website:

Other than genuinely necessary maintenance and urgent repair concerns, common sense dictates that interactions be avoided and that unless entry is crucially necessary, entry into a rental unit be avoided.  Furthermore, and while presently it appears that the law remains without a precedent decision of the Landlord Tenant Board, the recent injunction case to stop contractors hired by a condominium unit owner from performing renovation work due to concerns for other residents within the condominium complex appears to show that the justice system will favour the desire of residents to avoid health risks.  As was said in the case of York Condominium Corporation No. 419 v. Black, 2020 ONSC 2098 [at paras. 1, 5, 6]:

[1]  I heard counsel for the applicant and Ms. Black at an urgent case conference this afternoon on very little notice. As set out in my initial endorsement:

[1]  The applicant condominium corporation sues for an order requiring the respondents to stop renovating their condominium unit. The condominium corporation asks for an urgent injunction prohibiting the respondents from having third party trades people attending in the building on an interim basis during the global COVID-19 pandemic. There is also an issue as to whether the renovations are being properly conducted in accordance with the condominium’s declaration, by-laws, and the applicable law.

[2]  This is a matter of great urgency. A majority of the condominium building’s residents are seniors.

.....

[5]  On consent therefore, the application is adjourned until June 1, 2020 to be spoken to. There will not be a full hearing that day. Rather, the case will be re-scheduled along with all of the other cases that are being deferred due to the pandemic.

[6]  As a term of this adjournment, the court orders, on consent, that the respondents allow no one to enter into their condominium unit until further order of the court. This order does not preclude the parties from authorizing entry upon the external patio and yard exclusive use common areas This order also does not apply to government first-responders who may enter the unit in the event of an emergency. If the applicant wishes to exercise a right to enter the unit, if it has such a right, then the parties are to attempt to reach agreeable terms for such a visit or seek a case conference with  judge to help them do so.

I omit some intermediary paras.

Similarly, and specific to inspections, among other things, the Government of Ontario is urging that landlords seek to enter a rental unit only where urgently necessary.  Specifically, the government says:
"During this unusual time, patience and understanding from landlords and tenants is necessary to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Landlords are encouraged to request entry only in urgent situations and to follow physical distancing guidelines."

That same Gov. of Ontario website also says:

Landlords are subject to the Human Rights Code and have a duty to accommodate tenants under protected grounds, including people with disabilities. For example, conducting an in-person showing when a tenant has an immune-compromising condition could lead to a complaint under the Code.


texts:
Companies can claim an expense as long as they have the mean to justify it, usually in the form of invoice or receipt. I have heard of self-employed picking up random receipts (that they didn't incur) to claim against their taxes.

Would a marketplace for trading receipts be legally allowed to operate?

ps: let's say under UK law for argument's sake but I'd be glad to hear about other places too.


texts:
Similar questions have been asked before but I still could not find answers that made me understand it.
I created a website and would like to know which laws affect me. The website does not have any ads and I do not sell any data in fact the entire thing is open source and free to use for everybody but I have the feeling that this does not matter at all.

The website is some kind of "proof of concept" and I made it to demonstrate some new techniques. To do so I used some images and Gifs which may be under copyright but since I don't earn money for myself and there is no company backing me I was hoping that there is some protection for private persons like me who just want to showcase the project.

I am also insecure about the GDPR regulations since I give users the ability to create an account and try it out.

Is there any way to protect me against greedy lawyers and companies? Could I write something like: "This website is a peace of art" and save myself with arguments like "artistic freedom" or "free speech"?


texts: Are the graphic assets distributed with an open source software project covered under the software license?

texts:
I have an open source software project under the 3-Clause BSD license, which includes a logo in its README. Recently, working on another project, I have found that the license text does not explicitly include the license under which the logo is covered. In this case, would the logo be covered under the BSD-3 license? Do I have to explicitly declare the logo license? Do I declare it in another file or in the same LICENSE? Modifying the license, if I need to, would that be a bad practice? Are there versions of the most popular open source licenses that include a mention of the project's graphic assets? Clarify that I do not want to create a trademark for the logo because I do not care whether it is used as it is, I want it to be under the same license or a compatible one.
Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I have a lot of doubts at this point about the use of graphic assets in open source licenses.


texts: who will be the owner of personal blog or website when joining a company

texts: I maintain a personal blog and about to join a new company. Under Intellectual Property Law, will my blog and new posts on it will be the property of my company or will it still belong to me?


texts: Can someone living with a felon keep a stun gun in the house in Utah?

texts: I'm looking to get a stun gun for personal safety reasons, but I'm not sure if I can without moving out, since I live with a convicted felon. I live in Southern Utah. What are the restrictions on felons' access to stun guns here?


texts: Am I allowed to break my lease if my landlord is stalking me?

texts: The lease has the wrong address and apartment on it. The only address on the lease is the landlords... Is this a binding contract?


texts: Is a teacher playing music in the hallway legal?

texts:
I am a highschooler in Alabama (USA) in a school of 700 or more (not 100% sure). When walking through the school, there is a teacher playing music into the hallways.
The issue is that the songs she plays are just off of YouTube, and as far as I can tell she hasn't paid for license or anything (it's a different song each day).
My question is, is this illegal? Keep in mind this is happening in a public school (I don't know if that matters). She is playing unlicensed songs to a large audience, and even if it is technically illegal, should I contact the publisher? Would this be the teacher's or school's fault?


texts: Does an offer letter need to mention the terms of termination of employment?

texts:
I received an offer letter from a startup in India, which mentions:

  Your assignment shall be based in CITY_NAME and your appointment will
  take effect from the date of your joining, which shall be not later
  than DATE_SPECIFIED. You will be on probation for a period of six
  months from the date of your joining and you will be issued a detailed
  letter of appointment at the time of joining duties.

Since it mentions a probation period of 6 months, is it necessary that they also mention the conditions under which the employer or employee could terminate the employment during the probation period?

Or, is the condition for termination to be mentioned only in the appointment letter which is issued at the time of joining?


texts: Is it illegal for Donald Trump to lie on his Financial Disclosures?

texts:
It is a very simple question, prompted by an assertion from a debate where one has claimed that he has lied on his financial disclosures, and that he is legally able to do this because:

  It is not illegal to lie on financial disclosures, because they are
  not official documents.

The reason I specified this to Donald Trump is that I am unsure whether his position as a presidential candidate or CEO of a multi-national business changes the legality.


texts: Can Sweepstakes Require a Survey to Enter?

texts:
In the USA, can sweepstakes require that users fill out a survey to enter? I understand that users obviously cannot be made to pay to enter but the concept of a mandatory survey seems less clear. Is this considered to be 'consideration'?

According to TargetMarketingMag, special legal advice is necessary when

  a survey, questionnaire or repeat visits to a website or location are
  required to enter the promotion.

Meanwhile, RaffleCopter says that surveys are included in the definition of 'consideration':

  When you hear the word consideration, it’s referring to [...] or
  engaging in activities that require a considerable amount of time
  (like filling out an in-depth survey for example or making multiple
  in-store visits).

So are surveys always a form of consideration? What constitutes if a survey is 'in depth' or not?

It seems to me that there are scenarios in which it is legal. For example, in order to enter the Alaska Airlines Sweepstakes, their rules state:

  To enter the Sweepstakes, complete the survey at
  www.alaskalistens.com

Thus, my question is when is it legal to ask for a survey entry that is mandatory?


texts: Is it legal to translate movie subtitles

texts:
Is it legal to translate and distribute movie subtitle files?
Consider the following cases:

Ripped movie subtitle is downloaded from an online sub sharing community.
Writing subtitles from audio and translating/distributing them.


texts: What place in a car is regarded as a visible place for all passengers?

texts:
I read on http://allucam.com/legality-dash-cam/:

  Dash cameras obviously can make a visual record of the road ahead, but under state law, they must also be capable of recording and saving audio data. Because this requirement raises privacy concerns, you must post a notice in a visible place in your car that notifies passengers that their conversations are being recorded. The owner or lessee of the vehicle can turn the device off at any time. The information stored on the recorder belongs to the owner as a matter of law.

This state law is V C Section 26708 Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver x2019 s View:

  (B) A vehicle equipped with a video event recorder shall have a notice posted in a visible location which states that a passenger's conversation may be recorded.

What place(s) in the car is regarded as a visible place for all passengers, how to assess whether the font is large enough, and how about visually impaired passenger?


texts: What is the US constitutional basis for impeaching, trying and barring from future presidency a former US president?

texts:
What is the US constitutional basis for the following actions?

Impeaching and trying a former US president?
Barring a former US president from elected a president in the future?


texts: Non-Commercial Use of the Great Seal of the United States

texts: I would like to know if the Great Seal (with modified text, see here https://imgur.com/bimA1IQ) could be used as in a non-commercial way that doesn't go against the law.


texts: Can placing prominent disclaimers prevent legal responsibility?

texts:
I'm in the process of creating an app that facilitates communication between users to buy/sell (legal) items. My team was talking about forming an LLC to prevent getting sued for personal assets.
Keep in mind, we do not make money from the app nor do we handle money (digital or otherwise) anywhere in the app, we just facilitate the communication between users buying/selling similar items and it's up to the users to meet and fulfill their agreed upon transaction. An auction of sorts, like craigslist, but in the US only.

I've been doing research on LLCs and it seems like forming an LLC will not 100% relieve us of legal responsibility of a transaction gone wrong. So I figured (to save spending unnecessary money) it would be possible to just place disclaimers very prominently throughout the app and item transaction process. In the event something goes wrong during the transaction, we will not be liable.

Will that resolve us of blame/responsibility of someone shouting "your app ripped me off! I'm suing you!"?


texts: In the U.S. must treason be tried by a military tribunal?

texts: I've run into the claim that in the U.S. that treason must be tried by a military tribunal, even if the accused is a civilian.  Is this true?  I tried Googling the question, but it seems I don't know enough about the law to be able to find the answer that way.


texts: Can an individual be forced to wear a shirt when driving on federal grounds?

texts:
I have a friend who regularly drives without a shirt on during summer since he refuses to turn on his AC if he can avoid it.  He works on a military base, and as such has to pass a security point every morning where he has to show his badge to be allowed on base.

He has told me that about 1/3 of the time the guard's manning the check point will require him to put his shirt on before allowing him to drive onto the base.

Do these guard's have a legal right to require him to put on his shirt?  I suspect the answer is no, I'm pretty confident that the man has the right to drive without a shirt when on regular roads, and I doubt that federal bases have any law explicitly written to require him to wear a shirt.

Assuming that there is no law requiring him to put on his shirt would he technically have legal recourse for his rights being violated, as the guard was compelling my friend to act based off of presumed legal authority imposed by the federal government he worked for?  Admittedly I doubt that the 'harm' of having to put on a shirt is severe enough to warrant perusing, or would lead to any significant compensation if it was found he was wronged, but I'm curious what his theoretical recourse would be.

Since he is entering a federal base I believe only federal law matters, so his specific state shouldn't be relevant as I understand.


texts: How can federal law require seating for disabled people in a city train?

texts: Once in a city train in Bay area, I saw a plate which says something similar to "federal law requires this seat to be reserved for disabled people". What part of the constitution authorizes the US congress to establish such a law?


texts: Stealing a wealthy man's sperm to collect child support

texts:
Mary works as a maid for billionaire investor Maxwell Baron III. They live in New York. Mary always dreamed of marrying rich. However, perhaps because of her modest family background, no millionaire seemed to pay attention to her.
One day, while cleaning Mr. Baron's bathroom, Mary finds a used condom in the trash bin. Her mind starts to race. "What if I use this condom...," she ponders. Knowing that this would be her only chance to have a billionaire baby, she inseminates herself with Maxwell Baron's sperm.
Nine months later, the baby is born. Mary immediately sues Mr. Baron for child support. Baron orders a DNA test to determine the baby's paternity as he is confident that the result will come out negative. Surprisingly, however, the test turns out to be positive. Mary is now asking for 20 million dollars in child support for baby Maxwell IV.
What are Mr. Baron's options?


texts:
Some time ago I purchased a trip from a leading tour operator in Germany (I’m resident of a close-by country).
They asked me to provide them with a credit/debit card details so they can collect €1000 fee. Their payment processing time is weird and was taking several days. Initially I provided them with a card “A” (linked to bank “account-A” in my local currency), then two days later I asked them to actually switch and use card “B” instead (linked to “account-B” in EUR currency).
Now what happened:
I was charged the correct €1000 fee on “account-B” ✅
At the same time my “account-A” was credited equivalent of €1000  (card-A was never charged). My bank converted this amount to my local currency and took significant part of it (currency exchange spread).
It clearly seems the company responsible for charging my card incorrectly returned me €1000 on “account-A”, while collecting €1000 from “account-B” at the same time.
Now, after a long period of time, this Tour Operator sent me physical letters stating that I owe them €1000. I responded by email explaining what happened (like above), and that I’m happy to return them €1000 minus currency-exchange fees that my bank has taken (let’s say it’s €900, so bank is taking 10% fee).

They didn’t understand my explanation, claimed it’s a problem of my bank which I should resolve on my own (it's not the case, my bank is only receiving/sending money as requested), and that I still owe them €1000.
They don’t answer phone calls, and respond to emails with 30-days delay (making communication very hard).
In the meantime they sent me yet another physical letter with charges for an “extra reminder”.

What shall I do? I do want to return to the tour operator €900, but I don't want to pay for excess fees caused by their error. Limited contact from their side is making this issue hard.


texts: Does death due to heart disease qualify as being diagnosed with heart disease?

texts:
I came across this question on a life insurance form:

  My biological parents or biological siblings have been diagnosed by a
  member of the medical profession with any of the following: cancer,
  heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, Huntington's Disease, Marfan
  Syndrome, or Lynch Syndrome

My father died with heart disease listed as the cause of death, but he was not diagnosed with heart disease. By the letter of the law, in this situation, would the answer to "does the above apply to me?" be yes or no?


texts: Non est factum for contracts signed in multiple languages

texts:
We are drafting a master services agreement and associated service agreements in both Japanese and English. The MSA will be translated into Japanese from the english draft by an English speaking Japanese lawyer. We are binding the jurisdiction to Hawaii. My question is do the service agreements need to also be translated to avoid a Non est factum style situation? Or under State of Hawaii law is it possible for a non-english speaker to sign an english only version and for it to still hold?

Generally what are the Non est factum litmus tests in the State of Hawaii when one is specifically addressing contracts written in non-native languages?


texts: What constitutes "using a website" in Canada?

texts:
This is a disclaimer found on the Qt website. The "Read More" link doesn't contain any information about what exactly "using" the website involves, either.

What do I have to do in order for my consent to the use of cookies on this website to be confirmed?


texts:
A situation that was discussed on another site: A goes to a store, sees an item he wants to buy, and puts it into his shopping trolley. It's the only item of that kind left in the store. B comes along. B would also want to buy the item. But the only item left is the one in A's shipping trolley.

So B tries to take the item from A's shopping trolley. A hasn't paid for the item yet, and we assume that B is willing to pay the store. What is the legal situation here? What is A allowed to do to prevent B from taking it, including in the case that B is physically stronger and A is not strong enough to hold on to the item?


texts:
I see this in many Android devices, the picture below:

So, if Apple or a new technology company uses not exactly that method but similar in any way of alerting a user from high volume listening.

Can a New Company or Apple have the right to alert users?


texts:
I live in Chicago where I've been apartment hunting for the past 2 months. My wife and I finally found a place that suit our budget and needs for an apartment. Upon finding the place, we made several calls to the agency representing this place to ensure we had exactly what was need. The agent told us that we would need make 2.5 times the rent and an average credit score of 550 (between my wife and I). We easily passed this, so we decided to proceed with the application.
Less than an hour later, we were denied because their screen company said I did have credit experience (which I do) and I didn't have rental history (which was never a requirements as they didn't even ask for rental history in the application).
I reached out to the screening company who deflected me back to management and upon reaching out to management I was deflected back to the screening company.
At this point, I no longer wish to do any sort of business with this particular company because:
 1. the agents misrepresented the information for requirements
 2. the supervisor I spoke to was rude and told me I could not call back to speak to a manager
3. the guy I was handed over to from the leasing department basically told me good luck on my hunt for apartment; after which he blocked my email from their system.

Am I entitled to an application refund due to the amount of discrepancies caused on their part and the false report by their screen company?


texts: If you transfer all IP rights to client, can you still reuse parts of source code?

texts:
I'm trying to get into freelance/contract work for computer programming. Many clients want to "own everything" and have terms like "once paid, the developer transfers all rights to the client".

Does this mean I cannot reuse any parts of the source code, even small simple ones? For example if I build a program for a client, and part of the program involves converting 24 hour time into AM/PM time then can I reuse the code in another project or do I have to build it from scratch again? How could one even tell the difference?

What about abstract things related to programming itself, like data structures. C++ doesn't have its own linked list so if you use on in a project and transfer all rights to the client, then does that mean you can't reuse that library in another project? Does that mean you can never use a linked list again (I'm guessing not but then does it really matter if you build the code from scratch vs copy/paste from a previous project)?

I'm guessing there's some kind of threshold that has to be met for copyright to apply (it can't be too trivial or common place).

I'm not trying to rip of the client, I'm legitimately confused as most understandably want to own the source code but does that mean you can't reuse common features between projects?


texts: GDPR compliance cookie-less Google Analytics and consent banner

texts:
I've been reading about GDPR a lot, and I have a bit of a confusion. I know I have to show a consent banner with an opt-in for enabling cookies related to Google Analytics.
Frankly I would like to avoid the consent banner, and I don't need very detailed statistics.
I found that there is a "cookie-less" mode of Google Analytics:
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXXXX-XX', {
    'storage': 'none',
    'clientId': MY_GENERATED_CLIENT_ID
});

My question is as follows - If I use something like fingerprintjs (as described here) to generate the clientId (based on a number of parameters that identify a client - os, browser, resolution etc.) + anonymize the IP (i.e. - remove the last octet).
Do I still need consent banner on my site? Also do I need consent for my own cookies that are essential (login, preferences etc.), and if that is the case, would a simple banner that has a link to the privacy policy/cookie policy with an "Accept" button (without "Reject") be sufficient?
Any help would be highly appreciated!
EDIT
Would I still need consent if I don't store/generate a clientId at all - but instead have it being generated on each page load? This will skew my statistics quite a lot, but I suppose it's better than nothing. Would that + an anonymized IP address be ok to be used without consent?


texts:
I've had a bit of a dispute recently with the Maryland state comptroller over the comptroller's handling of communication regarding a past income tax filing and I'm wondering what legal recourse I have and whether it's worth pursuing, given the relatively small amount of money that is at stake. Here is the story:

In 2011 I moved to a new address, both my old address and new address are in Maryland. I filed my 2011 taxes using the Maryland i-file system, which is like a free online turbotax for state taxes. In September and again in November of 2014, the state sent me a letter to my old address notifying me of an audit which found a mistake that I had made in filing my taxes (note again that I used the Maryland i-file system to file taxes that year). Note also that my 2011 taxes as well as all of my subsequent taxes were filed from my new address where I have been living since May of 2011. So these letters did not get to me until December when my tennants that are living at my former property gave them to me. After several phone calls and emails with various departments of the comptroller, I came to understand that the comptroller wanted $600 in taxes plus a $60 penalty fee and around $200-300 in interest (at the ridiculous rate of 13% anually). I sent a request on April, 22 of 2015 for the penalty fee and interest to be forgiven, which received an automated acknowledgement, but was never responded to. Now, a few weeks ago on May 5, 2016 someone finally contacted me to remind me of my debt and after exchanging several e-mails has agreed to forgive the $60 penalty fee but is unwilling to forgive any of the interest. I believe that the interest dating back to at least September of 2014 should be forgiven as well. At this point the total bill has grown to about $950 with interest, which I finally decided to just pay to avoid further interest.


texts: Does Halocene have a case against The Masked Singer Australia?

texts:
Halocene is an American Indie rock band. In early 2019 they made a cover song of Billie Eilish's song "Bad Guy". Halocene say that they did this legally by contacting Eilish first and paying any required royalties.

Then, late this year there was a karaoke reality TV show in Australia called The Masked Singer Australia. In it a cover of "Bad Guy" was also done. Halocene claim that this cover was the same in every aspect as Halocene's earlier cover of the song. Their side by side comparison can be found at Halocene Halocene discuss possible legal action to protect [1] their own cover of "Bad Guy" and [2] their guitarist's original music composition, made a long time ago, that he included in the cover.

Whether Halocene "should" take legal action against the media company that made the show The Masked Singer Australia is another question; the costs would be enormous and the legal jurisdiction [US? Australia? Elsewhere?] would be unclear. The question of at law "does Halocene have a civil case for their own work being used without permission?", is more of my question here.


texts: Can you legally sell parts of a car (engine, etc.) that still has a loan on it from a bank?

texts:
Is it possible to dismantle a car and sell the parts even though the car is still on a loan in Illinois or any state?

My thinking is that the car is still owned by the bank that the loan is through. Can I do whatever I want because the car is in my possession?


texts: Collection agency trying to collect on parking ticket? (Is this advice accurate?)

texts:
I got a ticket from a private parking enforcement company for leaving the lot when I did not leave the lot (the ticket even specifies the place I theoretically went to). I've been trying to fight it complete with proof of doing business on the lot, however the people I emailed have been utter peanuts and apparently sent the ticket to a collection agency.

I found the following advice online.  Is it accurate? Can I just permanently ignore the collection agency about this parking ticket? Legally, what are the potential negatives (besides getting another ticket/getting towed)? My main concern is that it may affect credit score.

  According to the BUSINESS PRACTICES AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT:

  A collector must not continue to communicate with a debtor

  except in writing, if the debtor
  --has notified the collector to communicate in writing only, and
  --has provided a mailing address at which the debtor may be contacted

  "Simply send the collections agency a fax stating you wish to be contacted by written correspondence ONLY and state the mailing address at which they can send mail to you. Provide your full name and be sure to clearly note what matter pertains to (i.e. parking ticket for license plate number ABC 123) sign the fax, and record the date you sent it. Keep the fax. You also need to send the same fax to the creditor (i.e. the parking lot company such as Diamond Parking).

  If by chance they are calling you about a parking ticket from Diamond Parking, in the same fax, tell them you wish to dispute the ticket and all related charges in court. They wont take you to court because it's your word against theirs, they simply will not win. Even if they tried the cost of pursuing such matters in court far exceeds the sum they can hope to recover.

  Lastly, a parking ticket and fine from a private parking lot WILL NOT and CAN NOT affect your credit rating. You did not borrow money from them and not pay it back."

At this point I'd even be willing to pay the original ticket amount just to have the damn thing dealt with – how could I go about doing that?

Edit: Bolded the part I'm wondering about.


texts: Gathering data about individuals from a different individual under GDPR - can you give away other peoples personal data?

texts:
How does GDPR apply to companies getting someone else's personal data from a legitimate source?

For an example: If I have an app on my phone that wants access to my contacts, (let's say it's a messaging app) can the company store personal information about the other person (e.g. their email address) obtained from me as a private, personal individual?

If so, do they need to notify the other individual, like as if it was obtained from a third party company?

Let's assume the app relied on obtaining the personal information from me under legitimate interests or consent, does it automatically follow that the personal information about the other person is on the same lawful basis or can it be a stronger one? Can they invoke the right to erasure or object, even if that will interfere with my usage as another customer?

I don't have an app: This question was inspired by the BBC GDPR quiz: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44224802
Which has a question on the topic, but no detailed information.


texts:
I'm having trouble understanding the copyright law when registering one 2D character.

I understand that a 2D character is an illustration, so it falls under "Work of the Visual Arts." But I'm confused on the part that says

"Are you registering one work (one song, one poem, one illustration, etc.)? Check '' NO '' to this question if the
work is one of the following: a collection of works (such as: book of poetry, CD of songs, multiple photographs
and illustrations), a collective work, website or database because these works do not qualify for the Single
Application."

I can submit one illustration of a character, but since a character  has multiple expressions, can wear different clothes, etc., would one character still be considered as ONE work?


texts: Is lack of internet support in new apartment cause for damages?

texts:
I have recently moved into a new apartment. The lease is a private one between me and the owner (not a larger corporation). I viewed the unit in May and, come the end of the summer and a series of remodeling/construction, I moved in permanently.

I was moved in for less than 24 hours when I noticed some construction mistakes. Some examples include: blocked outlets, reversed doorknobs (lock on wrong side), and doors that do not shut all the way. The most inconvenient was some incorrect wiring that prevented the cable operator I called from installing internet.

I contacted my landlord about these issues and he said he would take a look and fix them ASAP. It has now been a week and he has not, to my knowledge, even examined the issues in person or done anything to go about correcting these mistakes.

What legal recourse do I have, if any, against my landlord? I know that tenants have a right to sue for damages or deduct the cost of repairs from monthly rent but these damages are fairly minor and do not necessarily render the apartment uninhabitable. However, it is frustrating that the faulty wiring prevents internet hookup (which, let's be honest, is a basic quality of life these days).