texts: What can I do about my neighbor's aggressive dog?

texts:
My neighbor has a massive German Shepard. Every time I walk past their property with my terrier, and sometimes when I'm in lot and alley behind the neighboring apartment buildings, their dog leaps up, barks like crazy, and then starts throwing itself against the fence or the transparent glass door. (I regretfully don't mean pawing so much as outright slamming.) The first forty or so times this occured my dog just stared at me like she couldn't figure out what the heck was going on, but now she barks right back and tries to charge him, even though her body is just a little bigger than his head. All this makes me very nervous.

The owner sometimes lets their dog off leash in the back alley. I know this is illegal, but don't know what to do about it because I rarely catch them at it, and she's never let offleash for more than ten minutes. Today, as I was passing the fence, their dog managed to shove their whole head and neck through the space underneath it and take a snap at my dog's legs. I heard my neighbor call "bad dog" once from a distance and then do nothing.

I would like to ...

Ensure that the neighbor's dog is never off-leash in the back alley again.
Get it home to my neighbor that this is a serious thing that requires their attention.

If there was a way to insist she not be left unattended or off a lead in the front lawn (as the fence is clearly not foolproof) that would be ideal, but I'll take what I can get.

I live in Chicago. I've considered contacting animal control, but don't know what my rights are or if I should prepare evidence (photo? testimony?). I've also considered talking to my neighbor, and probably will, though I get a strong sense from him that this would go nowhere without a good sense how to approach him and my other options. Thanks for your time.


texts: How to self-learn law today, like those lawyers in the past who never went to law school?

texts: One can simply read law textbooks and judgements of legal cases, but what else?


texts: I want to know if i have the right to push someone if they slapped me in self defense

texts: I have a question, about 3 or 4 months ago, i was just outside chilling with some of my friends and then some girl came and slapped me, all i did was push her back in self defense. I just want to know if that is legal or not. I live in Germany, thank you.


texts: Rationale behind 27 CFR 555.209 (ATF explosive storage)

texts:
27 CFR 555.209 regarding ATF regulations of the storage of explosives in type 3 magazines (temporary storage boxes), states:

  A type 3 magazine is to be constructed of not less than number 12-gauge (.1046 inches) steel, lined with at least either 1/2-inch plywood or 1/2-inch Masonite-type hardboard.

Other magazine types have similar requirements regarding 1/2” thick material. What is the specific rationale behind this requirement? I’m not looking for answers based on pyrotechnic experience. I’m looking for official ATF records, explanations, legal notes and documents, etc.


texts: Can I use CC BY-NC licenced music in my freemium mobile game?

texts:
According to creativecommons.org, a CC BY-NC license stands for a Creative Commons license that prohibits you to use the material in "Commercial Purposes"  and for the commercial purposes they have defined it in this way:

  A commercial use is one primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation

As freemium games (especially mine) can be played without spending even a penny and the in-app purchases are only meant to accelerate the process (so is not primarily intended for commercial I think?), is this game still intended as a commercial project with the definition given above?
And should I ignore using such music?


texts: Can I remove inline citations while copying Wikipedia texts?

texts:
Many Wikipedia articles have inline citations like this one:

  Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and
  glucose, and has about the same relative sweetness as granulated
  sugar.[1][2] It has attractive chemical properties for baking and a
  distinctive flavor that leads some people to prefer it to sugar and
  other sweeteners.[1]

I am using articles from Wikipedia in my book and I have already provided credit to the authors by including URLs of the articles. Can I remove these numbers that refer to footnotes? They already exist in the Wikipedia pages and a reader can see the reference on the site itself if he wants. Wikipedia attribution policy (Reusing Wikipedia content) says that some external notations should generally be preserved by the re-user. "Should be" doesn't mean "must be", does it?


texts: What obligation does an HOA attorney have to follow HOA rules?

texts:
A rule was passed requiring pre-approve attorney engagements to be approved at meeting so that the public can see what is being done and prevent board members from unilaterally engaging the attorney.

Board members are engaging the attorney without pre-approval.  The attorney was notified of the rule last week.

Is there any forcing function that compels the Florida attorney to follow the rules?


texts: To what extent, if any, do I have ownership over, and rights to, works I create on my own time?

texts:
I am a software engineer in California. If I create a piece of software, in my own time, using my own equipment, do I own the copyright on that creation, or does my employer?

I see things such as "Google asserts copyright, even on work I do in my own time" (HN discussion). In the HN discussion, someone asserts,

  California law is pretty clear, if you do it on your own time, on your own equipment, it's yours.

Sadly, he does not cite a source for this. The closest I'm able to find is in California's Labor Code §2870,

  (a) Any provision in an employment agreement which provides that an employee shall assign, or offer to assign, any of his or her rights in an invention to his or her employer shall not apply to an invention that the employee developed entirely on his or her own time without using the employer’s equipment, supplies, facilities, or trade secret information except for those inventions that either:

  Relate at the time of conception or reduction to practice of the invention to the employer’s business, or actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development of the employer; or
  Result from any work performed by the employee for the employer.

  (b) To the extent a provision in an employment agreement purports to require an employee to assign an invention otherwise excluded from being required to be assigned under subdivision (a), the provision is against the public policy of this state and is unenforceable.

However, this uses the text "rights in an invention"; does that cover copyright? (Is this the correct law?) Does "Relate … to the employer's business" cover the entirety of software engineering, or just the particular software engineering my employer does? Otherwise, what law is there that backs up the above claim, if any? Or does my employer own copyright on everything down to the love letters I write?


texts: Will SCOTUS be forced to rule on birthright citizenship soon?

texts:
John C. Eastman, professor of law, Chapman University, wrote this in Newsweek a few days ago:

Indeed, the Supreme Court has never held that anyone born on U.S. soil, no matter the circumstances of the parents, is automatically a U.S. citizen.
Granted, our government's view of the Constitution's citizenship mandate has morphed over the decades to what is now an absolute "birth on the soil no matter the circumstances" view—but that morphing does not appear to have begun until the late 1960s, after Kamala Harris' birth in 1964.

Some other legal scholars previously expressed similar opinions. Matthew Spalding, of Hillsdale College wrote in WSJ:

Even when the justices expanded the constitutional mandate U.S. v.
Wong Kim Ark (1898), the decision cited as establishing birthright
citizenship, they held only that the children of legal permanent
residents were automatically citizens. The high court has never held
that the clause confers automatic citizenship on the children of
temporary visitors, much less of aliens in the country illegally.

Will Kamala Harris's vice-presidential run force SCOTUS to make a decision about birthright citizenship before the election?

Edit: I'd like to emphasize that this question is not about how the Citizenship Clause should be interpreted (which is discussed in a separate question, as @phoog pointed out, and in Prof. Eastman's article itself), but whether SCOTUS can be expected to opine on it, in light of recent controversies.


texts: GDPR privacy policy - Data controller vs Data processor

texts:
I'm wondering if someone can shed some light on this for me please and help distinguish the differences between what I need to mention In my privacy policy for a data controller and data processor.

I'm a Web Developer and so the reason for this is that I'm classed as both a data controller on my own website but yet I deal with data from clients therefore I am a data processor.

I have a privacy policy on my website which explains what data is being processed on my website, why, what and where ect. But nowhere does it mention anything to do with what I collect from my clients internally via email systems ect.

A client has asked for my privacy policy but the only one I have is based around my own personal website. Do I need to create another policy for my clients and base this around what I process for them?


texts: Could 'Node.JS' sue (and win) a trademark infringement against any software companies that use the word 'Node'?

texts:
Ever since 'Node.JS' became very popular, a lot of software companies have been using the word 'Node' in their trademarks. For example:

ControlNode
NodeStudio
AppNode

Could Node.JS owners potentially sue (and win) a lawsuit against software companies that have the term 'Node' in them?


texts: Can the manager of a commercial establishment forbid someone to enter?

texts: Suppose that the manager uses as an argument something as vague as "I didn't like what you did here last week" and does not cite any law nor policy.


texts: Under what conditions does section 1031 of the Interal Revenue Code apply to buying a house?

texts:
My question pertains to law in the United States, not the United Kingdom, or any other place where English is the predominantly spoken language.
Despite having no legal or financial background, I am now trustee of a trust.
Many years before I became trustee, the trust purchased a house.
I am now being asked whether section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code applies to how the trust acquired the house.
I have no idea what section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code is.
Under what conditions would section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code apply to the purchase of a house?


texts: What legal precedents exist in the US for discrimination against men?

texts: What legal precedent if any, exists for men who have been discriminated against, on the basis of being men?


texts: Can the President fire the Postmaster General without involving the Post Office Board of Governors, or by replacing the Governors themselves?

texts:
Generally, the Postmaster General is appointed, and can be fired by, the Board of Generals.
Is there a law or case law precedent that would likely allow the President to do any of the following:

Fire the Postmaster General directly, or
Fire the Postmaster General indirectly, by replacing the Board of Governors with governors amicable to replacing the Postmaster General?

Myers v. United States might be applicable here. It states that the President can fire any federal official without permission of any body of Congress. This seems to imply that all federal officials serve at the President's pleasure, regardless of what their contract or any law says. The question then becomes whether the Postmaster General is a federal officer, for the purpose of Myers v. United States.


texts: Do you have to answer questions in English when pulled over?

texts:
When you have been pulled-over when operating a vehicle on public property (i.e. a highway), do you have to communicate with the officer in English in (Arizona) United States of America?

I understand that you must give them driver's license, proof of insurance, and registration, and I vaguely remember reading in the Arizona's driver's handbook that there are a set of questions you must be prepared to answer in English. However, I am not sure if this is correct.

There are generally two theories on being the best way to deal with traffic stops: 1. is to be nice and comply with the officer, nicely answering any questions; 2. is to be nice and comply only to orders they are legally obligated to follow, answering only questions they are legally obligated to answer, and speaking to the officer as minimal as possible.

But I would like to test a third theory: speaking a language the officer does not understand, and making it appear that I either barely understand the officer, or barely can speak to the officer in their language (presumably English or Spanish, most likely, in the United States).

I am thinking I will start speaking in German to the officer, and hope the officer doesn't speak German. This will frustrate the officer (and make them feel sorry for me), and make the officer want to ask as few questions as possible, without getting frustrated that I refuse to answer them. Thus, reducing the self-incriminating evidence, while reaping the benefits of not being the "I won't speak to you" jerk.

So if I spoke and listened perfectly in English, would it be obstruction of justice (or otherwise legally a lie) to intentionally construe myself as (or pretend to be) a German speaker, and not an English speaker, to the officer?


texts: Can I protect a logo against registration by publishing it to GitHub with a licence?

texts:
Can I use GitHub to release a logo with the CC BY-NC-ND licence aside? Would this legally prevent anyone from registering it since the release dates are tracked by GitHub?

Edit: Assuming that I created the logo


texts: Are there laws regarding boarding cruise ships while at sea?

texts:
I don't know the technical term for it, but some people actually have told me a thing exists where people board cruise ships from the middle of the sea without paying.

Given that there's no jail/confinement facility on these ships and the company will probably not cancel a whole trip just to take one buffoon back to the land and arrest them, ruining everyone's paid trip/jobs/etc.

Would such an act even be illegal? Would they maybe just restrict the hopper from any events/amenities and make them stay out port? I ask because somethings like this are probably rare, but totally possible, especially with massive cruise lines where you may be likelier to go unnoticed and get off easier too.

Even if the cruise line did tell the authorities, it's not like boat police are always present, especially if the ship is near international waters/boundaries/not in one specific geological region/etc.

I'd imagine that even if someone did get caught doing this, or if they actually did enforce this rather than simply forget about the hopper, punishment would be very minimal/petty.


texts: Can a worker capable of performing job functions from home be terminated for avoiding office due to COVID–19?

texts:
There's a popular thread on Twitter in light of COVID–19 that brings attention to all the workplaces where people could work from home (due to being tech/knowledge workers), but, for one reason or another, aren't allowed to:

https://twitter.com/dhh/status/1239286206803742721

  Do you know of a tech company that’s asking people who could work from home to come to the office? Reply to this thread, so we can track these irresponsible organizations, and remember their names even after this is over.

What's the legal perspective on this issue in the United States?

Can COVID-19 be classified as an occupational hazard for an average tech-worker / knowledge-worker?
Is it reasonable for a tech-worker to not physically show up to work in light of possible COVID-19 exposure concerns, especially for companies that do not restrict arrivals from outside the local area from being in the same space as the local folk?  (Do companies have a duty of care to enforce 14-day self-quarantines for any of their workers in the US right now?)
If you get fired over avoiding the workplace in light of coronavirus concerns, what's the likelihood of winning a wrongful termination lawsuit?


texts: UK corporate law: Can I move my brand to another company?

texts:
I have a brand "ABC" and a company ABC Ltd.  However I want to close ABC Ltd, open a new company XYZ Ltd, and have XYZ Ltd own the brand "ABC."

Is this legally possible?
What if ABC Ltd. has an existing shareholder that won't be in the new company?
If everything related to the "brand" like logo, branding, domain name, etc. for this brand, is all in my personal name, does the company even have any rights to that?


texts: If an AirBnB host doesn't disclose that it's not allowed, in which countries does a landlord have direct recourse against the *guest*?

texts:
So this question stems from an article on cbc, describing how it can happen that an AirBnB host rents an apartment in a block where short term rentals are forbidden. The article states that in some cases the guest learns this too late, and is in effect told that if staff discover the fact they are an AirBnB guest, the staff will stop them from staying at the apartment, or prevent entry.

What I'm wondering is, can staff legally do this in many countries? Because any lease (or other legal agreement) that the staff would rely on, doesn't bind the guest (or sublessee?), who had not agreed to it. It's a bit like privity of contract - the usual inability to assert a term of a contract against a person who isn't a party to that contract.

(Of course there may be other grounds which can be asserted, and law is different between countries, especially land law, but still, I'm left wondering.)

Scenario

Suppose for the sake of making this straightforward, we model this kind of situation with a simple and scrupulously law-abiding landlord and guests, who are each determined and have a fixed intent, but otherwise professional and cool-headed:

The landlord absolutely doesn't want AirBnB guests, but if one is discovered, they won't forcibly kick the guests out unless the law would back them in doing so, for fear of litigation/conflict. If they can't legally remove such guests, they would take action against the renter/apartment owner instead, later, but by then the guests will have left. Similarly they would lock the guests out or block the doorway physically, if they can, but not if this puts them at risk of lacking legal basis for doing so, or losing a legal case.
The guests are very well behaved, but determined and desperate to stay (they don't have anywhere else for the short duration). They don't cause any nuisance or damage except perhaps the absolute minimum to gain entry if blocked by the landlord. They persistently tell the landlord it's not their problem and to take up any complaint with the tenant/renter, and walk on by. If locked out or the way is blocked, they will take action to the maximum level that would be supported by local law for a person in their situation, and ignore the landlord's insistent directions that they have to leave or can't come back in the door. If the law doesn't clearly allow the landlord to lock them out or evict them, they would take any action that could be free of criminal consequences within the law if the landlord tried to ban them. They might push the block door open if held shut, call police to gain entry, (gently) push past the landlord in the doorway/corridor, bluntly disobey landlord instructions not to use their keys, or get a local lawyer (or even if permissible by law a locksmith with master keys).They might even be willing to break a window to get in, on the pragmatic basis that if it's not a crime to break into a place you have a legal right to stay, when locked out by a person who doesn't have such a right, and reason that the renter/tenant wouldn't have any recourse given they'd deceptively let the apartment and created the situation which led to it (hence safe in practice).
The police will attend if asked, but only interfere if there is an actual crime, or an actual correct basis (fear of affray etc). They are likely to support the guest if the landlord cannot show a legal right against the guest (not just the tenant) to prevent entry.

Assuming this kind of simple model for the situation, in which countries would the landlord be able to eject the guest, or prevent them reentering the block, and in which countries couldn't they?

Note - because AirBnB is international and often used for overseas stays, I'm interested in a sense of general view worldwide, rather than just US/UK.


texts: Can a minor file for a Business Certificate in Massachusetts?

texts:
I am a minor living in the state of Massachusetts and I am interested in getting a "doing business as" / Business certificate. I am already doing business in my town (online sales), however, I wanted to get an official business registration for tax / other related purposes.

Earlier, I called my Town Clerk's office (they are the ones that take in / manage business certificates) and at first they said minors could not start a business. This prompted research into Massachusetts state law and I got a call back from the Town Clerk themselves who told me there were two issues with me getting a business certificate:

Minors could not be notarized.
Minors cannot enter a legal agreement. (They gave an example of if you were doing babysitting for a customer, you could not be held contractually liable because you are a minor).

The Town Clerk also stated herself that the state of Massachusetts had nothing in their laws regarding businesses (sole propreitorships) that there was an age requirement.

The first point of theirs is simply not true and I have found several sources saying it's perfectly fine in most states (Massachusetts included) but that they recommend the Notary explain what the minor is signing. Furthermore, later when I talk with the Town Clerk, they state that they (they also provide Notary services) would not notarize the document because I am a minor.

My response for their second point was that the town had no jurisdiction about business to business or business to customer contractual relations and that their only job was to recognize the business.

Today, I went to a Notary Public and got the form for my town (for a Business Certificate) notarized with my signature. I met every requirement outlined by the Business Certificate. After going to the Town Clerk's office, they presented me with an email from another Town Clerk who cited the Age of Majority for Massachusetts. Their argument was that because the town considers the Business Certificate to be a "legal document" and because as a I minor I am not fully legally capable of entering into an agreement, they could not and would not accept my completed Business Certificate. My general reply to that was that I was not agreeing to anything in the business certificate rather that I was simply notifying the town that I was doing business in it.

Even when I suggested that I get my parent to be an officer as well (I really do not want to have to do this), the Town Clerk stated that they would probably deny that too since I am listed as an officer and a minor cannot be held liable. However, the Town Clerk said that they would have to check with the Town Council.

In the mean time, is there anything I can do? The state does not restrict any age ranges to start a business and it is just my town that is causing a problem.


texts: Drinking water is contaminated; what can a tenant do?

texts:
I'm renting an apartment in a rural part of California where I've lived for about three years, on a month-to-month rental agreement.  The landlord is responsible for providing / paying for the water, according to the rental agreement.

The water was tested and it turned out to be contaminated with E. coli.  All the tenants were notified of this with a "Boil Water" notice on our front doors.  After about five weeks, the water stopped entirely.

As far as I can tell, the water here is provided via a "state small water system" owned by the landlord.

Is there anything I can do as a tenant?


texts: Can 3rd party websites share my personal information without my consent or knowledge?

texts:
I have stumbled across a few websites:

https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/
https://www.familytreenow.com
https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com
www.truthfinder.com

that contain a lot of detailed information about me:

my age,
and all the places I have lived in the U.S.
possible names
people I hang out with
email
phone numbers

I know that I have never put my addresses anywhere online. In addition, they do share information about my associates (people I hang out with). I understand that you can see who hangs out with whom on Facebook, however, that information in principle can be hidden from public and Facebook shouldn't share it(or whatever)

Is there a way to report websites like this? Can they legally share my information with the public like that? They do allow removal of the information, but I don't want to hunt down all websites and try to remove it manually.

Can I report these websites to U.S. regulators?


texts: I lent someone money then they moved out of state and stopped communicating. How do I track down this individual for prosecution?

texts:
Against my better judgement I tried to help a fellow renter, my housemate, in a time of need. I had him sign a promissory note and lent him $1200 in Virginia.

After the deadline passed I followed up in person where he came up with excuses to push it back. I relocated for a new job and over the grace period of a few months I reached out a few times to which he did not respond.

Finally, I drafted a letter of intent, which threatened that I would contact collections and pursue him in small claims court. Checking with our then landlord to confirm he would receive the letter I learned that he moved to NYC and failed to mention a forwarding address because he even owed our landlord money.

What approach can we take to locate and prosecute this individual without breaking the bank?


texts: 501(c)(3) Bylaws Question - Does this clause mean a motion to amend bylaws can go forward without quorum?

texts:
Voting Rights

  e. Quorum at annual or special meetings will be at least 51 percent of the directors and the lesser of 10 percent of the voting members or 10 voting members including any proxies.

  f.    Voting on matters unrelated to the board elections will proceed
  with a motion, discussion and passed by a majority of members in
  attendance so long as those present represent a quorum.

Amendments

  The Membership may amend these bylaws by a two-thirds (2/3)
  vote of the membership voting at the annual or special meeting


texts: Is it legal to install MacOS (Hackintosh) on Windows (inside VirtualBox) in a commercial environment?

texts:
I'm a developer and I'm working in a company where i will have to develop cross-platform desktop apps (with electron), mobile apps (with Cordova) and even extensions, including Safari. So it goes without saying that I need all three platforms.

I currently have really powerful laptop (so virtualization is not a problem) where I have Windows and Linux (as dual-boot & vagrant VirtualBox).

I have MacOS and iPhones at work, but i would like to install MacOS in a VirtualBox, so i can work from home too (that I do a lot), since I don't have any apple products at home (and I can't take any from work).

The problem is not MacOS itself as I have already installed Hackintosh in the past.

My question is, is it, somehow, legal to install MacOs or Hackintosh on my laptop, so I can use it in commercial environment (work), as we get legal checks quite often. (Buying new licence is not a problem, or I can use one of the MacOs at my work - I don't know how this works with Apple)


texts: What is the basis that allows a judge to reject a defense in a criminal trial in the USA

texts:
I have another question inspired from watching Law and Order.

Often, a defense attorney will give notice of a defense, and both the defense lawyer and prosecutor will be in the Judges chambers making their arguments, with the judge deciding if they allow the defense or not.

Why does a judge have this power? What is the basis in law?

Why is a defense attorney not free to use whatever defense they feel best serves their clients?


texts: Can I mention the official Dungeons and Dragons campaign names on youtube?

texts: We want to start a YouTube channel playing Dungeons and Dragons. Some of our DM's run official campaigns while other's homebrew. I know I can't use pictures and can use the SRD but can I use other titles?


texts: Would a judge release a potential Juror who's only complaint was that he didn't want to be a juror?

texts:
From what I have heard of the selection process for jury duty it seems as if anyone who makes an argument for why they can't or shouldn't be a juror is excused by the judge, no matter how flimsy the argument.   I assume the reason judges are so lenient with exceptions is because they don't want to risk a juror being resentful of their position, as it could bias them against one side or keep them from putting in a proper good faith effort to fulfill their responsibility as a juror.

I'm wondering how far a judge would take that mindset.  Are they willing to let a juror go just to avoid resentment if the juror otherwise has no excuse to not be a juror?

So hypothetically Lets say that I am called for Jury duty tomorrow and I don't want to be a juror.  There are plenty of ways I'm sure I could get myself dismissed; From the obviously like constantly shouting "hang them all" to the more 'subtle' like giving a dissertation on why I think jury nullification is such a swell idea.  However, lets say I am unwilling to do anything remotely unethical and admit I don't have any valid reason I should be dismissed as a juror. However, I tell the judge despite this fact I really don't want to be a juror because I think it would be boring and I prefer to sleep in on the mornings.

What are the odds the judge would let me go anyways, just to avoid having an unwilling juror?


texts: Patent Claims: software vs machine taxonomy classification

texts:
An invention consists of a system and method.  The system component comprises an electronic measurement system, which is software configurable \ programmable.  I would like to understand which of the two labels the invention will be classified.

LABEL 1: SOFTWARE

As I understand the USPTO patent landscape regarding software, this usually refers to products that are downloadable such as MS-Office: they lack physical embodiment and they are difficult to patent \ maintain due to the challenge of being merely an implementation of an abstract idea.

LABEL 2: MACHINERY \ HARDWARE

In contrast, there is software that is associated with hardware that has been granted patents.

INVENTION

The invention's best embodiment of electronic hardware (computer) is not 'invented' in the sense that all parts can be purchased from a vendor.  The inventive step (design) is the arrangement / deployment of the measurement devices to produce high-fidelity measurements for the invention's methods.

QUESTIONS

The Mayo/Alice Framework's Step 1 poses the question:  Which of the four categories labels the claim:  a process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter?

Based on the limited information, does the invention fall into Label 1 or 2?
What strategies, wording, etc. can be engaged to tip the scales in favor of Label 2?

Update: How to engineer an application to avoid Alice rejections
Update: Testing a claim against an abstract idea

If the patent claims an electronic measurement system and describes its functionality (inputs / algorithm / outputs), is there any benefit to claiming the software?  (this assumes category 2)


texts:
I'm trying to get my account deleted from AirAsia site. Sent them request and in response I was asked to provide them scan of my passport as confirmation it's really me requesting it.

I never provided them my passport data before (as passport section on my profile is empty) and I feel that's quite unreasonable request - if they really want to confirm it's valid request they can just do email verification as most other sites would do. In the end my goal is for them to have less of my data not even more.

My question is - can they really require scan of my passport on data deletion request?

I'm citizen of Poland living in the UK (as that probably matters for GDPR and similar).


texts: What happens if the debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding cannot afford to stay in bankruptcy?

texts:
Imagine a U.S. debtor in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, operating as a "debtor in possession". At the beginning of the case they have $10 million in the bank.
During the case, they have to pay their own lawyers, and the lawyers for various creditor committees. Let's say they were hoping to end the case in 8 months, but they're spending $1 million a month for their own and other parties' lawyers and professionals, and negotiations with and between creditors are taking longer than expected. At ten months into the case, they literally have $0 in the bank.
What are the debtor's options at that point? And what are the options of any creditors, and of the lawyers that represent the parties, and of professionals working for all of them?
Can the debtor start paying its legal fees with IOUs?
Or can the debtor sell property that's part of the estate, and use the proceeds immediately to pay lawyers? Can the lawyers force it to do so? Can some creditors force it to do so, over the objection of other creditors?
What other ways could the case change in response to such a condition?


texts: Is there a comprehensive list of licenses on the web?

texts:
Is there a comprehensive list of licenses freely available on the web? It should include both copyleft and copyright licenses.

A link to the webpage and description would be very helpful.


texts: How can section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US constitution be enforced?

texts:
This arises out of Can state lawmakers who participated in the Capitol riot be removed through the 14th Amendment?
The 14th Amendment, section 3, says:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Is a separate law needed to prohibit people to whom Section 3 applies from taking office, or to remove such people from office? What proceedings would be needed to establish that a person had "engaged in insurrection or rebellion"? Can a Congressional resolution or a Federal statute declare that specific people have so engaged? Is a criminal conviction required? Can a private person take steps to enforce this section?


texts: Can data from computer forensic investigation be denied as evidence?

texts:
3 computers were sealed and taken from a person's apartment. Investigators invited him to unseal the PCs; the seals were intact and confirmed by owner and they started the cloning process. However, the hashes were just photographed by an expert without putting them into a document and giving it to the person who's being investigated, saying that they will invite him the next day to finish the paperwork. He wasn't invited, not even after 4 days, meaning that all devices remained unsealed all these days.

Considering the above facts:

Can evidence found by computer forensic expert be used in a court?
Could a lawyer challenge this evidence in court given the procedure of investigation?
Is there any applicable case law?

Note: All hard-drives were cloned using a write-blocking device. Click this link to see what it looks like. Software that was/is used in investigations is FTK if I am not mistaken.


texts:
I'm an engineer and I'm studying for the law and ethics exam to become a registered engineer in Canada. I'm studying a chapter on a book about Bonds where I see:

  A bond is a special form of contract, whereby one party, the surety,
  guarantees the performance by another party, the principal, of certain
  obligations. The party to whom the obligations are owed is called the
  obligee.

Reading this link I find:

  Insurance:  When a claim is paid the insurance company usually doesn’t expect to be repaid by the insured.

  Surety Bond:  A surety bond is a form of credit, so the principal is responsible to pay any claims.

  Typically, the surety requires the principal and its major
  shareholders to indemnify the surety against any loss. In fact, the
  indemnity given by the principal is one of the things that
  distinguishes a bond from an insurance contract

My doubt is:

If as a contractor(principal) you will be required to repay to the surety for any losses that the surety had to pay to the owner(obligee). What are the advantages of a bond over liability insurance where the insurance company pays and the contractor doesn't have to repay anything else that the usual monthly premiums?

Why creating the figure of the surety if the contractor will end up having to pay the surety to compensate for what the surety paid to the obligee anyway? Why not using liability insurance for this?

I don't understand very well the notion of face value of a bond which is "the maximum potential liability of the surety". Does the principal have to pay up to this to the surety ?


texts:
Bait bricks are pallets of bricks (allegedly) left near protest areas in an effort to encourage violence. I've seen people joke about just taking the bricks.

If somebody saw a pallet of what they genuinely believed to be bait bricks and took one (with no intention of throwing it of course), would this be considered theft, or are the bricks considered to be abandoned and therefore free to take?


texts: Could a car get a ticket with no one in the car?

texts: I just saw this youtube video where a Telsa using the Summon feature was pulled over for going through a stop sign. Summon makes it drive itself to a target location to pick up the driver. Say the car ran a stop sign and the cop wanted to give a ticket. Would the owner still receive the ticket even though he wasn't driving it? What would happen if it got pulled over far from the summon so there was no owner near by? This is different issue then pulling over a self-driving car, since there is no one in the car.


texts: Why was Ahok convicted of blasphemy when so many similar cases are around?

texts:
Ahok said that people may be lied to by using Al Maidah 51.

Why is Ahok in prison? A legal analysis of the decision

The court effectively says that Ahok speech implies that the Quran is a tool for lying.

The problem is, is there a guarantee that anyone that is using religion isn't lying?

To the opposite.

We have many cases where people use the religious textbook for many fraudulent aims.

Heres an article about a Quran corruption case in Indonesia, called KPK Questions Witness of Quran Procurement Corruption

Abu Tours and First travel using Umrah (a Muslim pilgrimage) case, to defraud people.

Another Umrah scam

Trial starts for alleged 'umrah' fraud case

So clearly here, religions have been used for a dishonest purpose.

Yet almost 0 Muslims complain about Abu Tour. Many newspapers tell about people using the Quran to commit corruption. No body-mind. We sort of knew it happens. Duh...

Yet, when Ahok said that people are using the Quran to lie, somehow it's a big deal. Most politicians lie or mislead. It's politics. C'mon.

Why is Ahok case such a big deal from the law perspective?


texts: Signing over intellectual property rights in Ontario

texts:
I have an employment contract to sign which contains a clause that states any intellectual property rights for things I produce outside of work will become property of the firm if it relates to their business.

How enforceable is this in Ontario Canada?
Is there any history of the courts making decisions on matters like this?

My internet research found nothing relating to time outside of work.


texts: Using the BSD 3-clause license with splash screen

texts:
If someone is using a BSD 3-clause licensed software in their own product, what would be considered "endorse or "promote". The license states:

  Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
  this software without specific prior written permission.

Would the developer be able to add something like a splash screen in a video game with the software's name? So as the game is loading the different software used to create it would be displayed to the user or would that be considered an implied "endorsement" from the software's creators?


texts: Is there a system of property titles In Israel or is all possession determined through color of titles?

texts:
During some of the reports about the current outbreak of violence in Israel, some of the commentators have attempted to explain the details of the incident that spurred the current wave of violence.
It's been reported that this was a result of an eviction of 6 Israeli Arab families from properties owned by Jewish landlords in East Jerusalem.  The claim which I have seen was that the eviction process went through the court system for 3 years and the courts at all levels have sided with the landlords.
However, I have also read a claim that there are no property titles as such in Israel.  I am curious how is real estate property possession established and proven without a title system.


texts: Popular websites using images from other websites with a link-back to source in the credit

texts:
I've seen this happen all the time. Hugely popular websites like Buzzfeed, Scoopwhoop and several other use images from other websites and leave a link back to source in the credits. What is the legality or this? So if need an image I can just take it from any website and leave a link to the original source?

Let me show you some examples,

Buzzfeed:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/audreyworboys/employee-company-secret-confession - Uses gifs from TV shows and leaves the names of the production houses in the credits.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/tiktok-egirls - They took images from someones Instagram account, uploaded it to their servers and left a back link in the credits.

Scoopwhoop:

https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/trillion-trees-to-make-earth-healthy-again/ - The last image is taken from National Geographic and re-uploaded to their servers. Again they've linked to Nat Geo article.
https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/chennai-man-orders-food-swiggy-tries-to-deliver-from-rajasthan/ - Images are taken from news websites with links to the news articles.

Is this okay to do?


texts: Can I sue employer/manager for false promises for a raise?

texts:
My manager verbally told me I was getting a raise (12/10/10)

On payday, Friday afternoon, he asked me to call him again. He advised I would not be getting the 10% pay increase at this time. When asked why, his response was that "it had not gone completely through the approval process". He's been a manager and with the company for over 10 years.

As a follow-up, I sent an email to my manager asking to clarify why I was not receiving the pay increase.

His response this time (and in writing) was that I would not be getting the raise due to my 2018 end of year review and it would not be discussed again until the managers review our 2019 EOY in March.

Note: Early 2019/when bonuses were received- mine was docked due to my 2018 review. Can they legally hold my 2018 review against a raise for 2019 also? It sounds like double jeopardy.


texts: Algorithm (pseudo)code in academic papers -- what is the copyright/license status?

texts:
When you see an algorithm described in pseudocode in an academic paper, what are you legally allowed to do with it, from a copyright and/or licensing standpoint?
Could you legally just copy-paste this into your own program and then fix the minor differences without anyone's permission?

Assume:

The "pseudocode" is very close to being real code... e.g. it might say x := x^2 when the equivalent real code in your language might be something like x = x**2.
The publication is (obviously) copyrighted as usual, but nothing is specifically said about the code.
There are no patents on the code. I'm not asking about patents here.


texts: Personal mobile device monitoring by employer legal or not?

texts: So here is my case. I work at a company where I recently came to know that they were monitoring my personal mobile whenever I was connected to the company Wifi. No consent was taken nor was there any transparency about this. I was not told that even personal mobiles are monitored. Besides I want to know that can I sue my employer for this? Please suggest me regarding the applicable laws in India and how strong my case is because their monitoring has resulted in some personal issues which are now affecting me so I want to take them to court and sue them.


texts: What percentage of patients who attempted to sue their psychiatrist for negligence have succeeded?


texts: Are there laws in the USA that prevent news from reporting false information about a situation that could put lives at risk?

texts:
There has been quite a bit of misinformation flowing about COVID-19, some of it has even been reported on major news agencies, the one most heard about being Fox and Friends claiming, falsely, that the ability to hold your breath for 19 seconds is a good indicator of COVID-19 infection; but this is hardly limited to one show or wrong fact.  Given the threat of COVID-19, and how each infection increases the risk of future infections exponentially, the misinformation being spread could realistically put lives at risk.

Now I'm not suggesting anyone be punished for COVID-19 misinformation specifically, for many reasons.  However, it got me wondering at a more general level if there are forces in place to handle more direct and blatant spread of dangerous misinformation via the news.

It does make me wonder what laws exist for intentional spread of misinformation.  Slander and Libel laws only apply to misinformation about an individual, they wouldn't apply to other forms of misinformation.  The FDA has stepped in to stop false claims about drugs and medication, but again that is only one specific type of misinformation.

What about more general misinformation?  If some news agency decides as an April fools joke to report that the government is encouraging all kids to play on highways today, or some other grossly negligent and potentially dangerous fact, and there is reasonable evidence to suggest it was done intentionally what laws may be used to penalize such a dangerous spread of misinformation?


texts: Does a text message count as an oral or written agreement?

texts:
This must depend on a state. Let's take some small state like Arkansas, or Michigan. (In my experience California, Florida, and Alaska are outliers :) . Other states have similar laws.) Arkansas is one of those states with "typical" laws. Here is an extract from the guideline

  The length of time you have to file depends upon the type of claim you
  are bringing.
           If a written agreement has been broken or breached,  you have five years after the date it was broken to file your complaint.
           If an oral agreement or contract, rent or injury to goods is involved,  then you usually have three years to file your claim.

If you agree about something by a phone call, then this is a oral agreement, right? What if the other party got that call recorded? (In Arkansas it is legal to record phone calls if one party agrees to that.)

What about text messages? Are those considered a written or oral?


texts: Taking a mid-size company to small claims court, by example (in NY)

texts:
Upstate NY here. I believe I am in the right to take a company to small claims court (for the sake of this question, it doesn't matter if I'm right or not). This company is registered as a 'Foreign Business Corporation' in NYS (I checked th DoC website) and does business in NYS.

Not sure if this makes any difference, but I use their services in my county of residence ("County A"), but within NYS, they are located in a different county ("County B").

Like I said, I want to take them to small claims court, and am wondering:

What county (and/or state) do I file the claim in?
I assume that, as part of filing a claim (at the court house), I'll need to provide their contact info as the defendent. What address should I be using, their NYS address (from the NYS DoC website) or their true, out-of-state headquarters?
Will I need to specifically name a defendent? If so, who do I choose? The CEO? The poor soul who picks up the phone when I call their 1-800 number?!?


texts: How can I report Fake News with deceptive misleading statements?

texts:
Jessica Nabongo is an "influencer" on the popular social media apps instagram, twitter, and Facebook.

She marketed herself as attempting to be the first black woman to visit every country. Her "brand" is based on this phrase. She gives speeches about being the first..., sells photography branded "first..." and sells consultations on travel, branded "first...."

While she was attempting to visit every country, another woman named Spotts was verified as already visiting every country from 1979-2018.

Nabongo has internal connections with the media and has intimidated them out of covering Spotts the way she should have been covered. Detroit media and tourism continued calling Nabongo "first" on live broadcasts until outrage grew against them. She also manipulated naive interns into posting "first...." Most have stopped but the Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts continue. Nabongo's refusal to acknowledge, causes her followers to bully Ms. Spotts. Nabongo has continued to raise money, obtain sponsors, and deceive unaware media, under the false pretense that she's going to be "first" black woman to visit every country.

Is this fraud?

Wonnie Spotts, the first women to visit every country

List of African-American firsts


texts: What would happen if my girlfriend got pregnant?

texts:
What would happen if my girlfriend got pregnant and gave birth to our child? Who would get custody of our child? How much child support would I have to pay? Would either of us have to drop out of school? What are the worst-case and best-case scenarios? I read the Indiana Parenting Guidelines, and they said that, to start off the first year or so, the non-custodial parent only gets one night per week.

Ideally, I want to split parenting responsibilities like my parents did. But she said that all her life she wanted to be a stay-at-home home school mom like her mom was. What if she quits school and her job to stay at home, will I have to financially support our family all by myself? What if I lose my job, do I have to go to court to lower child support? What if one of us moves to a different state? What if we get married? What if we get divorced? Will I have to pay alimony? What if I go crazy or flee the country? I feel scared, and I am looking for honesty and reassurance. I am also starting to see the value of abstinence (if it's not already too late).

Update: In order to narrow down the scope, my question is: How can we set up shared earning/shared parenting marriage in our situation?


texts: Are Text Messages Legally Binding Even If I Signed A Contract

texts:
I paid someone a lot of money for 3 different services. All 3 of these services were agreed upon in text message format but then I signed a contract that only explicitly mentioned 1 of those services (I took it at good-faith that the other 2 services would be fulfilled since we agreed in text that they would).

Are those text messages legally binding for the other 2 services even though they were not mentioned explicitly in the contract I signed?

Edit: This was a "mentorship" which was supposed to include the 3 services (all of which were mentioned in text messages - it was 1 comprehensive agreement). The 2 services that I did not receive were only mentioned in the text messages and not at all in the contract.

Edit 2: The services we agreed upon were as follows: (1) a mentorship of 10 1-hour sessions. (2) A newly built/redesigned website. (3) 1 month of marketing performed by their marketing team.  (1) was agreed upon both in text messages and in the contract.  (2) & (3) were agreed upon in text messages but not mentioned at all in the contract.  From the text messages we exchanged, it was very clear that the money I paid was for all 3 services. However only (1) was provided (the only one in the contract).


texts: In US, what happens if you owe money to doctor and forget about it?

texts:
If I owe money to some family physician or a dentist, but because my phone number has changed I was not able to be contacted by them.

What does a doctor/dentist do if I owe them about $500 or so ?
Is there are short cut, then dialing every single doctor I visited?


texts: Technical basis for the binding nature of precedent or stare decisis

texts:
I understand that US district courts are generally required to follow precedent set by the appeals court directly superior to the district court, while opinions of other appeals courts may be influential, but are not binding.  Similarly, appeals courts (indeed all inferior courts) are of course bound to follow precedent set in rulings of the supreme court.
Is the mandate to respect the precedent set by superior courts explicit in statute somewhere?  I looked in the US code, but could not find it.  Is it specified in the judiciary's rules of procedure?


texts: In Los Angeles can I defend my own property against looters?

texts:
Currently, there is looting being done in Los Angeles by many people who are pretending to protest against the killing of George Floyd (some others are actually protesting and a few people are helping to stop looters).

If someone were to loot my property (business) would I be within my rights to deter them by shooting at them with a paintball gun and / or using a long-leashed German Shepard near the door?

Also to potentially citizen arrest with zip-ties? (if feasible)


texts: What states allow victims to a writ of mandmanus when the DA adopts a position of nolle prosequi?

texts:
In the case of felonies which a DA has, for one reason or another, refused to prosecute, what states allow the victim to petition a judge for a writ of mandamus to force the prosecution?

I know West Virginia allows such pleadings. Is there any other state that does?


texts: Will China's new encryption laws affect electronics exported to the USA?

texts: China is about to roll out a new encryption law that will require the Chinese government "to seize all communications, data, and other information stored in electronic form that belong to foreign companies." (reference) The article referenced goes on to mention that VPNs will no longer be private, if even allowed, and even private servers may be prohibited. My question is how this new law will affect devices produced in China and exported to the US. For example, will OnePlus devices receive an OTA update that will contain a backdoor? What about Oppo, Lenovo, Huawei, and others?


texts: Legal differences between birth records and hospital records?

texts:
In the U.S. and Canada, I believe birth records are private -- they aren't things anyone can get without some express consent or being the relevant party or their parents/guardian/etc.

My question is, what's the legal distinction between a birth record and a hospital record?

A hospital record need not include a birth record -- as such, could it be obtained by anyone legally?

Hospital records may include stuff like baby weight, size, etc.; a birth record has the entrusted person's full name, birth location, parents, and usually a federal mark/symbol of that state/province.


texts: Can a realtor show my apartment at will, with notice?

texts:
My apartment is for sale by its owner, who I'm currently renting from.  The owner uses a management company and I deal with that company to pay rent, have things fixed, etc.  I've never seen or talked to the apartment owner.  The owner is hiring a realtor to help sell the apartment (to someone else; we are leaving after our lease.)  This realtor visited and said they'd like to show the apartment over the next few months, before our lease ends, and implied that there could be many showings.
My contract is very simple.  There's no provision for the management company to enter the property even with notice, though I assume there's some law that allows them to do so.
My question is, do I have to let the realtor in with notice?  What if they're with the manager?  If they wish to do open houses and frequent tours (which they've implied they'd like to), do I have any rights other than obtaining 24 hour notice?  I reiterate that there's nothing about this in my very simple renter's contract.


texts: Is employment discrimination against obese people legal?

texts:
Some scientists have proposed links between obesity and personality traits, e.g.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2914627/

More self-controlled boys and girls are less likely to become overweight as they enter adolescence. The ability to control impulses and delay gratification enables children to maintain a healthy weight even in today's obesogenic environment.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6209053/

Better behavioral working memory and better self-reported inhibition skills in daily life were predictive of greater weight loss.

Is employment discrimination based on these legal?


texts: Can I legally make a website about boycotting a certain company?

texts:
Located in the US. Can I make a website which is specifically aimed at boycotting a certain company?

There is no lawsuit between myself and the company.

There would be no defamation on the website and no editorials or subjective content. There might be links to editorials hosted on other websites. This website content would simply be information about alternatives.

However, I would want the name of the website, including the domain name itself, to have the name of the company this is in reference to. For example, boycott-company.com


texts: Can I get a Supervised Instruction Permit at 17 in Idaho?

texts:
I'm almost 17 in Idaho. I don't have a burning desire to drive, but it would be nice for a few reasons. Driving with my parents is fine.

Given this, I'd like to stay under a 'supervised instruction permit' (SIP), the "you can drive, but only with a licensed adult" version of a license. I also don't really want to go through driver's training and all that red tape.

It seems I could walk into the DMV, take the test, and get my 'real' license when I turn 17 (or that's how I read the first bullet list on http://itd.idaho.gov/dmv/driverservices/driver_license_facts.html).

For insurance purposes, it would be better for me to have an SIP.

Can I get an SIP when I turn 17 without going through driver's training? For how long would it be valid? The DMV website seems fuzzy on this; I would imagine it's a rare case for someone to not want a full license.


texts: What law grants life tenure to federal judges in the US?

texts:
In the United States, what law grants life tenure to federal judges? The Good Behaviour Clause of the Constitution says:

  The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their
  Offices during good Behaviour....

It is said that this was intended to mean that federal judges should have life tenure ... but I cannot find a reference for that (and in fact the link I posted never quote anything from the framers which would suggest that this clause was intended as a guarantee of life tenure to federal judges).

To me the clause would mean that they can stay in office until they show "good behaviour", that is, until and unless they are impeached.

Can Congress approve a statue which says that all federal judges will stay in Office for 5 years? If not, what provisions would that status violates and why? I don't interpret the Good Behaviour Clause as implying that judges will hold their offices for all their lives unless impeached. It only says that they stay in office until impeached, without specifying how long they stay in office.


texts: How long an arm does the U.S. have against foreign "violators" of U.S. law outside the U.S.?

texts:
Suppose there is a foreign manufacturer who observes say, anti-pollution laws in his home country, but engages in practices that would be clearly illegal under U.S. environmental laws. Suppose the company also has legitimate business interests in the U.S. that do not violate U.S. law. Can the United States sanction the legitimate business for "illegal" acts that took place outside the U.S.?

My question was inspired by this link about how the pharmaceutical industry wants to force U.S. ISPs to stop providing services to companies that manufacture and sell pharmaceuticals outside the U.S. in "violation" of U.S. law. These manufacturers do not sell in the U.S.;  some of their customers might illeally re-sell in the U.S., but that's a different violator.

Is this possible, and if so how (that is under what theory or doctrine)?


texts: Can the author of software claim copyright on the data it generates?

texts:
The Tagxedo FAQ states:

Q: What is the licensing requirement for using images created or derived from Tagxedo?
A: The images created by Tagxedo, and their derivatives, are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike License 3.0, and must be attributed to http://www.tagxedo.com. The images created by Tagxedo and their derivatives are free for personal use, including usage on personal blogs, non-profit organizations, and non-profit education institutions, subject to the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike License. For more information on licensing please contact licensing@tagxedo.com

If I created the image and the fonts' authors claim no rights over my use of their font, should the image not be mine? Is this permissible under United States copyright law?


texts: How do lawyers get people out of custody?

texts:
On TV and in books, you often see someone getting picked by the police, held/interrogated for several hours, until a lawyer appears and forces the police to release them. Is this realistic? How do they do that? The police obviously don't want to let the person go, so how does the lawyer convince them to do so? What would happen if they refused?

Also, what if the lawyer was the one being held? Could they use the same whatever-it-is from inside the holding cell, or do they have to be on the outside?


texts: Understanding incentive stock options in a consulting contract for a startup

texts:
I have a verbal agreement with a pre-seed startup to do some work for them on a part-time, consulting basis. We had agreed to some cash and a specific equity percentage and vesting schedule (x% over y years).

I got the contract today, and the only place stock is mentioned is in the following paragraph, which seems to be talking about a stock incentive plan for me to purchase stock, not for me to just be granted it as part of my compensation:

  Subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Company, the
  Company may grant to you an incentive stock option (the "Option")
  under the Company's 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the "Plan") for the
  purchase of an aggregate of 72,000 shares of common stock of the
  Company at a price per share equal to the fair market value at the
  time of Board approval. The Option shall be subject to all terms,
  vesting schedules and other provisions set forth in the Plan and in a
  separate option agreement.

How do I interpret the above statement? It doesn't seem to say anything about my agreed on equity stake in the company as part of my compensation. Should it? What language would it use?


texts: Can a Civil Court in England and Wales force a university to award a diploma to a student?

texts:
I attend one of the world's best universities, where I recently completed a master's degree (MSc). I did very well in the modules, scoring mostly distinction grades. However, despite resitting an examination I sadly failed a core module overall by just 0.75 which is under a mark.
The exam was mathematical in nature, and wrote by a new professor who did not write the first exam I sat. The first question on the exam used an initialism I was unfamiliar with, for example using NSC (Nice Sizzled Chicken) instead of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) leaving me unable to answer the question. The next problem was he used a mathematical symbol in an incorrect and different way to which I had been taught by the original professor, and the core reading book. I do understand that in Computer Science people are allowed to change the definition of mathematical symbols, provided they explain what they want them to mean, however I had no way of knowing this professor's definition because I was told to study the course material from when I took the class.
I am under the impression that their appeals process will simply reject my complaint about the exam for nonsense reasons, forcing me to take legal action in London. I will get their response within a few months. I am open minded about other routes of action too.
Is it possible for a Civil Court to force the university to award me the full MSc, as opposed to a less impressive PGDip which is what they are currently offering me? I have no interest in a financial settlement.


texts: Why don't Nordic countries have codes of private law?

texts: I'm aware that there are some major differences between Scandinavian law systems and other European systems, e.g., the fact that Roman Law had very little influence in Scandinavian countries. But why has the idea of a general civil code like the BGB or the Code Civil been rejected? Why resort to case law or legal doctrine instead, considering that, in many EU countries, they aren't even considered sources of law?


texts: 25th amendment: what happens in the period between the VP's two declarations?

texts:
Section 4 of the 25th amendment provides:

Whenever the Vice President [transmits a declaration] the Vice
President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office
as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President [transmits a
declaration], he shall resume the powers and duties of his office
unless the Vice President [transmits a declaration] within four days [...]

This seems a little ambiguous to me. On the one hand, the language suggests that the P resumes their powers as soon as their declaration is made. At that moment in time, it is uncertain whether or not the VP will transmit a 2nd declaration, so the "unless" qualifier doesn't yet apply. On the other hand, if the VP does eventually re-declare, then the "unless" is contradictory if the resumption of power has already taken place.
For example:

Day 1: VP makes 1st declaration.
Day 2: P makes declaration.
Day 3: VP makes 2nd declaration.

On day 2, there has been no 2nd declaration, so the "unless" provision isn't (yet) applicable and there is nothing to stop the P resuming powers. But on day 3, the "unless" provision is invoked, meaning that no resumption can take place. But it already has if the earlier interpretation is correct.
My guess is that any resumption is effectively on hold until either the full 4 days elapses, or the VP re-declares. Any other views or authority?


texts: Legal requirements to build exercise equipment?

texts: I want to fabricate a powerlifting rack for my local gym either as a donation or possibly bought to advertise my racks. It just occurred to me that there may be structural legalities when making such a piece of equipment. All the gym members signed a waiver I believe, so were something to fail and an injury is sustained, then the owners are not held liable. I’m not a certified/licensed manufacturer, but I could be, but for now I just want to fabricate cool powerlifting racks and sell them. Is there anything illegal about this? Location: California


texts: What does common law duty of care refer to? My gut tells me it is just another way of referring to the reasonable/prudent person test but I am not sure.


texts: Should I have been told my rental property has previously been broken into? (UK)

texts:
I live in the United Kingdom. I've noticed that the door to my flat has been repaired badly and underneath you can see that the door was kicked down in the past. The letting agency did not mention this to me. The main door to the building is also always open and cannot be locked.

Should I have been made aware of this prior to renting or is it my responsibility to investigate?

Will I be unable to claim my insurance if my flat is broken into, since I told the insurance company there are two locked doors between the outside world and my belongings (when it's actually one poorly locked door)?


texts: Which countries' law should be considered for Privacy Policy and Terms of Use in a localized website

texts:
Should a multi-language website have different privacy policy and terms of use content for the languages it implements?

Or is it just perfectly legal to have a mot-a-mot translation of the base articles which regard and compatible with the laws of the country/region in which the website owner company resides?

For the sake of the beauty of bringing examples: When a website owned and served in Europe is decided to support Chinese language, is it necessary to hire a Chinese lawyer and re-write policy and the terms on the grounds of Chinese laws or just handshaking with a translator is enough?


texts: Why don't Commonwealth judges always write out the headings "Ratio Decidendi" and "Obiter Dictum", to definitively distinguish them?

texts:
I ask solely about Anglo-American written judgments. Why don't judge's written judgments always comprise the headings "Ratio Decidendi" and "Obiter Dictum", just like how the headings "Material Facts" and "Issues" are always used to separate the Facts v. Issues?
This view appertains to each judge deciding a case. So if a case comprises 5 justices, there can be a total of 5 "Ratio Decidendi" and 5 "Obiter Dictum" headings that appear.
Obviously "Ratio Decidendi" will never be empty. "Obiter Dictum" can be empty if a judge has no obiter to "dictate", but always printing this heading will assist all readers to definitively distinguish what is ratio and obiter, and to forestall the following bafflements.
Glanville Williams: Learning the Law (2016 16 edn). p 110.

It is a mistake to suppose that every case has one and only one fixed and incontrovertible ratio decidendi. What exactly is the ratio decidendi of a case is often a matter for much argument. Also, the pick-lock art of distinguish depends upon a critical examination of all the facts of the case that might by any possibility be regarded as material.

Holland, Webb. Learning Legal Rules (10 edn 2019). pp 220-221.

7.8.2 Multiple and Inconclusive Rationes

It will not now come as a surprise that a case can be said to have different rationes in that
there may be different interpretations of what is the proposition of law for which the case
stands as authority. Equally, you need to be aware that: (i) even ‘crystal-clear’ judgments
occasionally contain more than one ratio; and (ii) that in some cases no one can find the ratio.

Different formulations of a ratio

At section 7.3 we noted that a judge may reformulate the ratio by using different words
later in his judgment. Th at certainly adds confusion but in many ways it is part of a normal
thought process. Here, we have in mind a slightly different position—where a judge says:
‘I find for X for the following reasons . . . I would also say that there is another (unconnected)
reason for which I find for X.’ Which is the ratio? This occurred in the Court
of Appeal case of Turner v London Transport Executive [1977] ICR 952. The traditional
answer is that both statements are ratio . Later judges do not, however, follow a consistent
line when dealing with such cases; they ‘relegate’ one of the statements to mere obiter dictum: see Lord Denning’s comments on Turner in Western Excavating v Sharp [1978]
ICR 221; [1978] 1 All ER 713 (also Court of Appeal). [...]

No clear ratio

We also have in mind a number of confusing cases which the lawyer usually relates as
being ‘an authority for any proposition of law for which you care to use it’. This will arise
where the judges are agreed as to the decision (X won) but present their reasons in quite
different formulations. Bell v Lever Bros is one example.


texts: Why would a split legal profession explain why 'the rules of court in many [such] jurisdictions are cast as regulations rather than as statutes'?

texts:
Source: Civil Litigation (Feb. 2010). pp. 29 Bottom - 30 Top.

    In Canada, lawyers are officially both barristers and solicitors but,
  as a practical matter, most will work primarily as one or the other. So-licitors, whose work rarely takes them into court, need to understand
  the law of procedure as a backdrop to their area of specialization much
  as they do the other basic areas of law in which they do not specialize,
  but barristers who practice in the area of civil litigation come to know

  court procedures and rules through and through. In jurisdictions with
  a divided bar, such as England and Wales or Australia, the judges are
  traditionally drawn from the ranks of the practising barristers. They,
  too, have a keen interest in the law of procedure and a considerable
  knowledge of the rules and precedents. This may help to explain why
  the rules of court in many jurisdictions are cast as regulations rather
  than as statutes. [Bold mine] They are a finely tuned set of interrelated rights and
  obligations between the parties to the dispute and, sometimes, other
  affected persons, and the collateral effect of changes to the rules, which
  may be obscure to persons who do not regularly work in a courtroom
  setting, is likely to be obvious to those who do.

I understand the distinction between solicitors and barristers under jurisdictions with split legal professions, but still don't clinch how this explains the bolded sentence?


texts: Can a US citizen with dual citizenship travel without getting a US passport?

texts:
Flying with my daughter next week to Israel.

She was born in the US, has currently only Israeli passport.
Her passport does have a US visa of course.
We're nonpermanent residents.

So I have to go and urgently get her a US passport?


texts:
Can a fugitive make a pleading in court to quash the warrant for their arrest?

For example, let's imagine a warrant has been issued for the arrest of some person who is nowhere to be found, but against whom no indictment has been made, and an attorney for that person comes to court and complains that the warrant is defective because it was made on the basis of false testimony or is in some other way invalid.

Can the court refuse to hear the pleading under English Common Law? What about the current practice in the United States?


texts:
I am about to enter into a rental agreement.  A section of the agreement reads:
"The balance refunded alone the deposit"
I am unfamiliar with the use of the term "alone" in this context.  Does this mean "along with the deposit", "not including the deposit", or is it just meaningless rubbish? (some other parts of the contract have typos and such)


texts: Creative commons license vs copyright, who wins?

texts:
There's an image of a pokeball (from Pokemon, which is owned by Nintendo) that I found online.

It has a creative commons license 3.0.

Could I sell this image without being sued by Nintendo? The creative commons license says I can sell it for commercial use, but I found articles online of Nintendo suing people for selling their stuff. So who owns this image? Am I safe from the law if I sell it?


texts:
I moved into this flat 5 months ago, I pay rent to the roommate which has a first hand contract. I gave 2 months notice as required in the contract. I did not pay the last month of rent as the deposit would cover it and the other roommate said I didn't break anything. She still wants me to pay but I have strong signs showing that she won't pay it back (severe drug user with debt). Today, as I came back I was locked out. What should I do ?
Will the police come ?


texts: Can a contract remain in effect after it is terminated?

texts:
Take the following clause from an employment contract:

  If and whenever required to do so (whether during or after the
  termination of this Contract), you shall at the expense of the Company
  (or the Company’s nominee) apply for or join in applying for letters
  patent or other equivalent protection in England and/or any other part
  of the world for any such discovery, invention, idea, process or
  improvement referred to above, you shall execute all instruments
  necessary for vesting the said letters patent or other equivalent
  protection when obtained and all right, title and interest to and in
  the same in the Company (or the Company’s nominee) absolutely and as
  sole beneficial owner or in such other person as may be required. You
  hereby irrevocably appoint the Company to be your attorney in your
  name and on your behalf to execute any such instruments and generally
  to use your name for the purpose of giving to the Company or its
  nominee the full benefit of the provisions of this clause.

Unless I've misread, one implication is:

Even after this contract doesn't exist any more (i.e. you stopped working for us), it still compels you to participate until the day you die in any patent application processes anywhere in the world that the company wants you to be a part of.

Have I misread? If not, and the ethics of this aside, is this even possible? Can a contract act on someone after it is terminated?


texts: landlord asking other tenants to spy on each other

texts: We recently got a new property management company. She is evicting people at an alarming rate and asking for deposits for pets that were waived by our previous prop mgmt and wanting to see our apartments so that they can access damages so they can deduct them from our paid deposits. She seemed to have information about tenants that seemed odd; like she could see into apartments. I am no accusing her of that!!! We, meaning me and other tenants, have discovered that she is asking tenants to report on what they know about certain tenants. If someone has a pet, or how many people are living in the unit, questions about their visitors, etc. She even asked a tenant to keep their eyes and ears open to find out who the target and offender was in a drive by shooting. Most of them don't want to comply but are afraid that if they don't they might be evicted. Is she allowed to do this??


texts: Does it count as false advertisement if a company knowingly lies about third party shipping time?

texts:
I live in Washington. I ordered a replacement part for my dishwasher from a company based out of Florida. When I selected the product on their website and entered my zipcode, I was told that it would ship from a warehouse in Oregon and arrive in 1 day. When the product actually shipped, I saw that it was coming out of a warehouse in New York, and it would take a full week to reach me! When I reached out to customer service, they said, "yeah, it happens, deal with it." The company ships through FedEx, and they're blaming the delay on FedEx.
I understand that mistakes can happen, or that someone else might have purchased the last one in their Oregon warehouse before I could, but when I checked their website again, it still showed that they can ship it to me from Oregon and get to me within one day. This seems like false or misleading advertisement, since they're not reporting the correct origin city, and they have clear evidence that the product will take much longer than a day to ship to me.
Do I have a case to lodge a complaint against this company with a regulatory organization? If yes, would I lodge that complaint in Florida, Washington, or at the federal level since this is a transaction across state lines?


texts: Abuse of DMCA for content licensed under CC BY and recourse

texts:
There was a video of a county's legislative session posted by their authorized film company posted on YouTube under CC BY. A guy then downloaded it and reposted it on his YouTube channel with attribution.

A few days later a representative of company, who made the film changed the licence, took down video on his own channel and contacted the guy who reposted the film and demanded takedown from guy's channel. He refused. Afterwards he sent DMCA and video got removed.

Now does the guy have any legal recourse for having to file counter notice and expenses occured or a right to punitive damages? Shouldn't have YouTube prevented a DMCA takedown if content was shared under a CC BY licence?

Can he also be sued for something as the guy whose video got taken down had a valid irrevocable licence and the copyright owner was obviously aware of that?


texts: Does the sixth amendment protect the right to compulsory process for other types of evidence?

texts:
As an example, would it protect the right for a defendant to get a subpoena for phone company records to try an establish an alibi?

Read literally, the compulsory process clause only provides "compulsory process for obtaining witnesses". It would seen reasonable that this could be interpreted to apply to other types of evidence rather than exclusively to witness testimony, but I don't know if it is or has actually been interpreted this way.

Does the sixth amendment compulsory process right extend to other types of evidence beyond witness testimony? If not, what (if any) law does provide for it?


texts: Is it legal to sell a 3d scan of a car in the USA?

texts: Suppose someone were to provide high quality 3D scans of vehicles for the off-road industry.  Would it be legal to sell these scans via an online marketplace?  They would be either component, chassis, or whole vehicle scans.


texts: When can jobs discriminate against a protected class?

texts:
In Canada the Human Rights Act protects against discrimination relating to

race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered.

Despite this, I know certain job types that routinely discriminate based on sex. For example (at least where I live) jobs to promote certain products face to face in public venues often specify 'male' or 'female'. Also when hiring actors for film, they hire based on skin colour and sex (e.g. a military scene probably has mainly males). Wouldn't non-co-ed sports teams technically be in violation too? Are there exceptions to the law to allow such activities?


texts: What can individual programmers do to limit their liability risks from programs that they make available to the public?

texts:
This questions stems from my earlier question, Do individual programmers expose themselves to liability risks when they make their programs available to the public?.  From the answers to the above question, it appears that individual programmers, who might produce software programs, apps, browser plugins, etc., face significant liability risks from making their programs available to the public.

Short of incorporating a company to shield themselves from these personal liability risks, or purchasing expensive business liability or E&O insurance policies, how can an individual programmer protect himself/herself from these liability risks?


texts: Is it illegal to create code that causes damage to a computer system?

texts:
I'm reading about the Computer Abuse Amendments Act of 1994 and I just read: 'it is illegal to create any type of malicious code that might cause damage to a computer system.'  Can someone clarify this for me?

When they say damage do they mean physical damage like code that destroys the fan so the pc gets cooked?
Does that mean penetration tools are technically illegal?
If i write code that has the potential to harm a computer and put it on my site for learning purposes but never use it, would that be illegal?

I know I should chat with a lawyer, and I will if I ever find myself in this situation, but i just wanted a quick answer from someone that may have dealt with this in the past, thanks!


texts: Survivability of Definitions from One Letter to the Next

texts: If I have defined a set of terms in a letter to a person at a state agency, and then I send a second letter to the same person to follow up on a related, but more specific matter which requires use of some of the same terms from the first letter, can I use terms in the second letter which I defined in the first?


texts: Can I use this Golden Eagle in a Non-Commercial Game or this is a prohibited with the Golden Eagle Insignia


texts: Are legal precedents or tests ever created outside of a traditional trial?

texts:
Layperson question ahead.

My understanding is that laws as passed by federal, state, and local bodies are often open to interpretation. When a question arises during a trial, a judge's logic and reasoning are often used as the foundation for future understanding of a given issue.

Other than a judge's decision during a court case, are there other times when such legal 'clarification' takes place that is at least (if not more) binding than precedents? In essence, I'm curious if legal professionals have a mechanism for testing and improving new laws that falls between the two extremes of "try it in court and find out" and "start a petition to motivate a senator to introduce a bill to make a new law"


texts: Risks of Working for Medical Marijuana Company

texts:
Some states allow marijuana for medical use and recreational use, although it is still illegal federally.

Is there any risk at going to work for one of these companies? If so is there a difference between jobs, such as handling the products versus say office admin?

In essence, if the feds busted one of these companies would all employees go to prison?

Update

I did some more googling and came across this: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/837011 It looks like feds can't shut down medical marijuana facilities. If this is the case, then I would assume it is safe to work for these companies?


texts:
Under what law, can the U.S. forbid other countries and companies from selling products to Huawei?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/huawei-warns-u-s-chip-ban-will-damage-operations-globally-11589801706

Under what jurisdiction or law, is the U.S. permitted to do a blanket ban on a Chinese product without going through some kind of legal process with a legal body? In my knowledge, the U.S. jurisdiction should have no power on what TSMC should be able to sell to Huawei, and yet the U.S. is somehow exercising power over TSMC it seems. How does that work?


texts: How to protect an idea when you don't own the brand or the process? (UK)

texts:
I have an idea I'd like to take to a company, but I don't know how to protect it.

The best analogy I can think of is the following (I fully realise this example exists; it's an analogy):

I want to approach a marketing company that has access to a drinks company, (or the company directly).
My idea is: to take the drinks company logo and put it on a pint glass.

So,

I can't protect the logo (it's not mine).
I can't protect the glass (it's not mine).
I can't protect the process of putting the logo on the glass (I don't have the tech, and something similar has been done - I wouldn't be doing the processing).

All I have is the idea.

Is it possible to protect the idea, to stop the company just using it please?


texts: Can someone face legal consequences for infecting someone else with COVID due to not following COVID regulations?

texts:
Jurisdiction is Belgium.
Suppose a college student goes to an illegal student party and catches COVID there. He doesn't get caught by the police, he has no symptoms and he then doesn't self-isolate and goes to visit his grandmother. She is infected with COVID due to it and dies.
Could the student get charged with one of the "causing the death of another person" crimes like murder or manslaughter? And if not, Could there be any civil grounds for a lawsuit?
Bonus question: does it make any difference if the student beforehand posted a social media message stating he would be throwing parties and visiting the elderly without a mask because humans are born to socialize (actual tweet I've seen posted, though by a UK TV personality)?


texts: Accountability for Attorneys - does it exist?

texts: I’ve had a number of initial consultations with various attorneys for estate planning and entity structuring, and almost every one of the opinions I’ve heard is different and often contradictory. If I just choose one on a hunch to proceed with and they turn out to be wrong (e.g. results in higher tax liability than they claim or doesn’t protect my assets as they claim) is it possible to recover “damages” from them (e.g. make a claim on their E&O insurance)? It seems like the engagement agreements I’ve been presented with suggest no guarantees, no warranties. One even says the company isn’t in the business of providing legal services, and if considered to be legal services they retain the right to facilitate use of attorneys to complete the work (even though it also says all members of the company are licensed attorneys, and they have even emailed me with a note stating that communications are under attorney-client privilege). I assume these are ways they avoid any liability if they are wrong, so how can you hold an attorney accountable?


texts: Does keeping an MD5 hash of user data violate GDPR?

texts: If a user requests to have their data deleted, would we still be permitted to keep hashes of user data for later use, even after the original data has been deleted?


texts: Trademark infringement between product and software

texts:
If a toy company has a registered trademark, does it stop an app developer from creating a social app using the same name which has got nothing to do with any toy products whatsoever?

Would this even come under "confusingly similar"?


texts: Can I use droid as a character class in my game?

texts:
We all know Droid is trademarked by Lucasfilms but I wanted to use it as a character class for my game.

The droid class in my game is also a robot, but it looks nothing like the droids on Lucasfilms. The only similarity is they are both a type of robot.

Could I be sued for using the Droid name in my game?

When I say character classes, something like: Humans, Elfs, Droids... (and maybe Androids too?)


texts: Can I deny people entry to a political rally I co-organise?

texts:
Can I deny entry or remove unwanted guests from a political rally I co-organise?
If we organise an officially authorised political rally in a public place for a particular cause (Palestinian solidarity, covid-19 restrictions, generic anticapitalism) and guests turn up who we don't want to be  associated with (known antisemites, known violent extremists, salafists) — can we refuse them to participate in our rally and/or make them leave?  Can I make participation conditional upon respecting our code of conduct?
I'm interested in answers for Germany and other countries.
By guests, I mean anyone who attends the rally, not speakers.  I assume that the organisers in any case usually restrict access to the podium to invitees, but would rarely/never restrict attendance to a public rally to invited visitors.
I'm interested in answers for the regular situation, not considering current (temporary) restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic (in which getting official authorisation may in many countries not happen anyway).
(This question is inspired by media reports of radicalisation within demonstrations against covid-19 restrictions in Germany, with at least some organisers cancelling their announced rallies completely after far-right groups encouraged each other to turn up in support.  This was from a period during which such rallies were still being authorised.  I have anecdotally heard of incidents before where left-wing groups struggled to keep neo-nazis away from pro-Palestine demonstrations or how to deal with radical nationalists in leftist environmental groups.)


texts:
I'm interested in purchasing a laser source for some product development as a side project, however I understand lasers are a touchy subject.

So, what are some proper avenues to pursue when attempting to purchase a laser either domestically or from a foreign supplier?

Alternatively, can any directly provide information on what regulations and procedures are in place when trying to purchase a laser source in the U.S.?

I live in Washington state and I'm potentially looking at about a 10W laser (20W max!) for the project.


texts: Would it be legal to change the functionality of your own software to do something apparently malicious if fullly documented?

texts:
This topic came up when discussing the infamous left-pad disaster from awhile back.  To give a brief summary the author of a small package hosted on the npm repository that numerous other packages had (indirect) dependencies on decided to remove his package in protest of the repositories policies.  The result was that a significant number of highly important programs and packages all failed overnight when the dependency they all required could no longer be found.

We were wondering, purely hypothetically, could the developer have done something more malicious legally.  Let's say, purely hypotehtically, that instead of removing the left-pad software he instead changed it so that it now did some bizzare or malicious behavior, like trying to remove everything from the computer (which the browser should prevent), or giving the wrong response 1/5 of the time (which would be allowed and would be much harder to trace the root issue to.

Assuming the individual fully documented the change and new behavior when he updated his source code then this package would still be doing exactly what it reported to do, and as such arguably anyone who downloaded the package would thus be choosing to run whatever bizzare apparently-malicious behavior he had added to the code.  In reality the nature of how package dependencies work means that most people wouldn't know they had a dependency on the package, much less read the documentation to know that this package their unaware of now does something malicious.

Legally, if a develop tried something like this with a package would they be guilty of a crime?  Or is it within the developers legal rights to change a package to do whatever he chooses, so long as documented, and thus fall under some 'buyer beware' clause where it's their fault they didn't realize the package had new functionality?

for now I'll narrow this down to focusing on US law, since I believe that's where the original author of the package lived.


texts: Are people born in a foreign embassy on US soil american citizens?

texts:
This question seems hard to google, since all the results are about people born in US embassies on foreign soil.

I'm wondering about the situation where someone's born in, say, the French embassy in Washington, DC.

I know there are limits to the extraterritoriality of embassies, but I don't know if this is one of them.


texts: Master Service Agreement templates in Japanese?

texts:
My company has started doing business with several Japanese clients and we are moving beyond a letter of intent to a master service agreement. We have a standard template we use for all of our clients; however, it's currently in english. I don't want to pay to have it translated into Japanese.

I'm wondering if there are MSA templates in Japanese? A more abstract question is are there common repositories for legal documents in different languages?

Here is an example MSA: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/information-technology-master-service-ag-84601/


texts: Why are some ebooks readily available as PDF?

texts:
There are some ebooks that are readily available as PDF, and can be downloaded from multiple sources. For example, "Effective Java" by Joshua Bloch can be found easily on the web. There are even repositories on Github containing multiple ebooks on programming.

In "Effective Java" the following paragraph can be found:

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This
  publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained
  from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a
  retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means,
  electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For
  information regarding permissions, write to: (...)

Why is it so easy to find these PDF versions, and why is no action being taken here?