texts: Stop and Account vs Health Protection legislation (UK)

texts:
Police in the UK have the power to stop and question a UK citizen or visitor at any time.  According to the information here, they can:

These powers are limited in that a member of the public is not required to stop, nor answer any questions, and such a refusal cannot be used against the individual concerned.

My question is: does this conflict with the new Health Protection legislation that has recently been introduced? I link to the version for Wales, here.

This new legislation makes it illegal for a UK citizen residing in Wales to leave their home, except with reasonable excuse.  A small list of reasonable excuses is provided with the legislation.

Now, consider a scenario where a Police officer exercises a stop and account for the purposes of determining whether there has been a breach of this new legislation.

A member of the public could, according to the law on stop and account, continue on his or her journey and choose not to engage with the Police officer*.  Since this cannot be used as evidence or suspicion of a crime, then the officer theoretically has no power to go any further.

However, I wonder if the officer could reasonably argue that given the new legislation which makes it illegal for one to leave their home except by reasonable excuse, this forms the basis of reasonable suspicion that a person who is seen on the street has breached the Health Protection legislation.

*. an exception to this is if the member of public was driving, in which case the Police have powers under the Road Traffic act to stop them and obtain identification for the purposes of ascertaining whether they are fit to be driving a motor vehicle on the road.  But still the right to not answer further questions would apply.

Is there a conflict here?


texts: EU-Wide laws on Crime and Punishment (of individuals)

texts: Although at present there is no 'Single Market' for Crime and Punishment, is there mutual recognition of Criminal Laws across all EU members, such that any offense commited in one Country is also an offense in every EU Country? For example, a person commits a (non-corporate) crime in one country, and subsequently goes on holiday in another Country. Can he be prosecuted for the original crime (and possibly jailed) in the Country he is in while on holiday, without requiring extradition back to the original Country? Similary, lets assume that somebody that somebody publicly insults the EU (e.g. on Social Media) while in his home Country. Can he be punished anywhere in the EU for it, including his home Country?


texts: Where is the line between copying code that isn't yours and getting idea from trivial code?

texts:
I have a tendency to overthink things. Even when writing a paper in school I wondered when I needed to add a citation, as technically people are born knowing nothing and must have learned any fact from somewhere. For example should I cite who claimed Obama is the current president of the US? Should I cite where I got the speed of light from?

This over thinking still haunts me when it comes to code without a license (or a restrictive license) found on the internet. Where is the line drawn between

studying example code and applying what you learned
violating copyright

For example if I see some code with a license saying it can't be reproduced, and it has a method called is_prime(int x) and has a for loop checking odd numbers up with the square root, would I be breaking copyright if I wrote a similar method? What if I copied and pasted? What if I changed the names?  (E.g. maybe is_prime is a better name for the method than check_if_prime.)  The point is some ideas are so simple they can't really be changed, yet still complex you probably won't create it by yourself yet.

If a person is implementing a linked list, they probably have seen example code for it somewhere. Is this not violating copyright as they just aren't looking at the code while they implement their own?


texts: When did religious public schools become illegal?

texts:
Follow up to https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/24571/why-cant-a-local-government-run-a-religious-public-school

Before the 14th amendment and it's incorporation of the establishment clause to the states, is it safe to say there was nothing illegal about a religious public school as long as the state permitted it?

I understand it took decades before the Supreme Court ruled on the matter but I believe this amendment was the basis.


texts: International Transfers to a Data Subject

texts:
A membership organisation based in the EEA receives membership applications from people based outside of the EEA, in countries which do not have an adequacy decision. During the course of the applications and membership, it needs to communicate with the individuals, including sending them personal data pertaining to themselves or others.
Two questions:

Would sending the data to the individual member constitute a restricted transfer?
If so, how could this be done lawfully in accordance with the GDPR?

The same principles would apply to an EEA business wanting to send personal data to customers or clients (who are individual data subjects) outside of the EEA in countries for which no adequacy decision had been made.


texts: Must the credit reel be displayed in a public performance/display of copyrighted works?

texts:
I'm the technical volunteer for a non-profit youth ministry.  I do front-of-house sound and lighting for a weekly live show while (usually) another volunteer runs the video projector.  I also setup the media beforehand that plays on the projector.

I'm not very good at searching legalese and so I haven't seen this directly, but I've gotten the idea that credits are required at some point during or immediately after the show, but beyond that, it's open to creativity as to when and how they appear.  Even a spoken credit is sufficient.  Just as long as that information is reasonably available to the one anonymous audience member that wants to know what something actually was.  That includes videos, pictures, music, song lyrics, poetry/prose, etc.

So just to be sure that they're there in some form, I've started putting those credits on the projector at the end of the show because, like a movie theater, nobody's paying attention anymore except the one who happens to notice and cares to know.

Our president insists strongly that showing credits at all is too obtrusive (as far as I can tell at least - he's not very good with details despite the insistence, even when I try to clarify, and some of my earlier attempts were a bit more obtrusive than what I'm doing now), and cites a concert and some churches to back up his claim that they're not necessary.

Most churches' legal credibility notwithstanding (most of the ones that I've worked with directly had a print license for song lyrics only because everyone else does too, not knowing what it actually is, even after years of maintaining it), this is the same guy that put up a fierce fight against buying public performance licenses for about $500 / year.  (In fact, I ended up paying that.)  His primary argument was essentially the same bandwagon with the same churches, plus his personal precedent, against my (admittedly indirect but still) legal research.

So is it necessary to have credits for a live show when someone else's work is used?  I would especially appreciate, if it exists, a reference to the exact section of code that says explicitly one way or the other.  Thanks!


texts: What protections are available when reporting problems at nursing homes?

texts:
Betty is a resident at a nursing home, where her bills are paid in part by Medicare/Medicaid. Betty's daughter believes the nursing home is providing substandard care: failing to provide her mother with appropriate amounts of food or water, using excessive physical force to restrain her during procedures, violating sanitation protocols, etc.
Betty's daughter complains to a nurse and files a complaint with state and federal health authorities.
The owner of the nursing home finds out that Betty's daughter has complained to the nurse and the government. She decides to retaliate -- perhaps by reducing the number of people caring for Betty, or by cutting the phone lines to Betty's room, or by evicting Betty altogether.
Assuming the owner's retaliatory acts did not violate any laws, does the retaliation itself violate any laws? Does Betty's daughter have any remedy?


texts: When a company sues the "U.S.", who are they really suing?

texts:
According to this Wall Street Journal report, Huawei is suing the "U.S.".

What does this really mean?

Are they suing the entire U.S. government, a branch of the U.S. government, the people of the U.S., or something else?

And in which type of court will this lawsuit be heard?


texts: Is it legal to sell hardware that downloads non-commercial software?

texts:
I am interested in creating and selling hardware for emulating old arcade games. However, I am very aware that there could be several legal issues here.

First of all, many emulators are open-source, but have non-commercial licenses. Would it be legal to create a piece of hardware that would download and install the software upon the user's consent?

If the above is legal, is it necessary to ask for user confirmation?

Theoretical Software: RetroPie, which includes many non-commercially licensed components. All components are open-source.

Location: United States


texts: (When) are police required to identify themselves?

texts:
It was my understanding that when a citizen asks for an officer's name and badge number, they're required to provide it to you (in Michigan).
Is there a law pertaining to this? If so, is it only the case if I'm being detained, cited, or arrested, or any time I request?


texts: Can old landlord withdraw money using ACH information without my consent

texts:
My landlord uses a web client called securecafe to automate rent payments. I enrolled to auto payment using ACH.

Due to covid-19 I had to terminate my lease early and leave my apartment. My landlord is asking for 4 months of rent for termination. I am not planning to pay this ~$11K and will fight it since my early termination is solely due to the pandemic.

My question is : My landlord has my routing and account numbers since I entered these in the auto payment system. After moving out I removed auto payment order and also removed my bank account information from the system. However it is technically possible my landlord to be keeping these numbers although the tenant automation system shows that there are no electronic checks nor auto payment orders when I log in to my account. Can my old landlord still withdraw money using my electronic check information without my consent?

Thanks


texts: Can public elementary schools present material with a partisan viewpoint?

texts:
I was listening in on my 3rd grader's online lesson about environment. The pre-recorded video went more or less like this:

Environment needs our protection; otherwise you the kids won't have clean air when you grow up.

Many countries, including the United States, agreed on protecting environment in Paris Accords.

Republicans decided to withdraw from Paris Accords.

A multiple choice question: was the withdrawal from Paris Accords good or bad for the environment?

And the video goes on like that about several environment related things, such as Kyoto, etc. And on every item the video makes sure to stress that the blame for destroying the environment falls squarely on the Republicans.
Thus the question: can public schools teach this sort of material that clearly blames one political party for problems?


texts: Married when joint tenancy right of survivorship signed, now divorced

texts: We divorced on paper and continued to live together in our joint tenancy right of survivorship titled home. No mortgage - one party paid off the house by a substantial amount while the other party pays all the bills from utilities to property tax. Because we are not married anymore and will be going our separate ways soon, is the title in any way null and void because we were married when we signed it 16 years ago? Can one party be forced to sell if the other doesn’t want to? Live in Las Vegas Nevada.


texts:
I am currently developing a website for a company called Used Guitar Gear and are looking to use UGG throughout their site. They trade in music equipment and only in the UK just now, however, are looking to establish a brand throughout Europe.

Initial research has shown UGG to be a registered trademark of the California-based company Deckers Outdoor Corporation in over 130 countries worldwide, including the U.S., the European Union, and China.

Would using "UGG" in this way be a trademark violation?


texts: What does it mean to 'enter' property in the Massachusetts trespass statute?

texts:
The Massachusetts trespass statute reads (emphasis mine)

  part IV, Title I, Chapter 266, Section 120

  Section 120. Whoever, without right enters or remains in or upon the dwelling house, buildings, boats or improved or enclosed land, wharf, or pier of another, or enters or remains in a school bus, as defined in section 1 of chapter 90, after having been forbidden so to do by the person who has lawful control of said premises, whether directly or by notice posted thereon, or in violation of a court order pursuant to section thirty-four B of chapter two hundred and eight or section three or four of chapter two hundred and nine A, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days or both such fine and imprisonment. Proof that a court has given notice of such a court order to the alleged offender shall be prima facie evidence that the notice requirement of this section has been met. A person who is found committing such trespass may be arrested by a sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable or police officer and kept in custody in a convenient place, not more than twenty-four hours, Sunday excepted, until a complaint can be made against him for the offence, and he be taken upon a warrant issued upon such complaint.

  This section shall not apply to tenants or occupants of residential premises who, having rightfully entered said premises at the commencement of the tenancy or occupancy, remain therein after such tenancy or occupancy has been or is alleged to have been terminated. The owner or landlord of said premises may recover possession thereof only through appropriate civil proceedings.

(source)

What, exactly, does it mean to enter a dwelling?  Does part of the person have to enter the dwelling, like sticking their arm inside a window?  Or are they trespassing if they insert a tool into the dwelling, like if they stick a hose in the window? What if they stick a tool against the dwelling, with the design and intent that the tool disrupt something inside the dwelling, such as placing that same hose against the window and blowing high pressure air through at sufficient force to knock books over?

For the sake of this question, assume that the dwelling abuts common or public space, such that touching the outside of the building can be done without entering private property.


texts: What is the council's legal obligation to provide hot water?

texts:
Background

I live in a large block of 176 flats that is owned by Lambeth Borough Council (in London, UK).  The majority of the flats are rented as "council flats", though some are leasehold.  Residents include families with young children, the elderly, and some vulnerable people.  The building is serviced by a communal boiler that provides heating and hot water to each flat.  Leaseholders (and possibly council tenants too) pay a (hefty) monthly service charge to cover the costs of maintenance, hot water, heating, waste management, concierge etc.

For the past 15 days there has been no hot water provided to the entire block.  The heating is still on and working (though as it is only September that's not too much of an issue).  Residents have reported the problem and contractors have attempted and failed to resolve the issue.  Specialists have now been called who will report their findings by what will then be day 18 without hot water.  The system will still need to be fixed, which may take another week.

Question

What obligation does the council have to provide a hot water service, and what actions can residents (or the residents association) take against the council?

So far we have reported the issue via the council's contact centre, and also contacted the local councillors for support.  Another resident has started a petition though it only asks the council "do something".


texts: Does the Apache 2.0 license require attribution on a commercial work on which it is based?

texts:
I'm using Nativescript which is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.

Provided that I do not intend to change Nativescript itseft, but I'm using it to develop an application, am I expected to give attribution to the license and/or Nativescript in the final app that I deliver?


texts:
Do financial regulations require banks to collect marital status, annual income and liquid net worth in the United States?

Wealthfront is claiming so when creating Individual Cash Accounts:


texts: Can a company insist that contract terminations be done over the phone?

texts:
This article in The Guardian says:

  Virgin Media is one of those companies – Sky is another – that insist customers terminate their contracts verbally, rather than by email or letter. It is very frustrating for some customers, who have claimed it would be easier to leave the mafia than their phone/TV company. Virgin cites data protection reasons, but is likely making you call to cancel so it can try its hardest to keep you as a customer by offering a new deal.

Is this legal? Can a company ignore a contract termination letter or email on the grounds that they want to do it over the phone?


texts: Are there warrants from 100 years ago? When do they assume the person dies? Does it go back to the digitization of records in the late seventies, or further back?


texts: Why can ONLY federal authorities regulate interstate commerce?

texts:
The Constitution of the United States gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. It seems the federal courts have held that only Congress, and not state legislatures, can regulate interstate commerce. In Sporhase v. Nebraska in 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Nebraska law forbidding commercial exportation of water from the state was invalid because of that.

I can imagine Congress passing a statute forbidding states to regulate interstate commerce, and that would be within their power to regulate interstate commerce. Did they? Or is there some other rationale for "only"?


texts:
Can a person violate copyright by taking notes? For example if I am reading a book and want to copy a full paragraph, word for word, into my notes and don't cite it, is that copyright violation? What if the notes are online (Google Drive) and I want to add a picture, and I copy and paste a picture of McDonald's or a famous piece of artwork into it. Technically, would that be breaking copyright?

My understanding is that fair use has nothing to do here as fair use applies to something (sort of) new.


texts: Can I use a pen name that is a trademark?

texts:
I am about to publish my first novel under a pen name. This is not the name, but I will use the example of Monique Jay-Wood. I have done a trademark search and "Jay Wood" is trademarked. Is it better that I don't use Jay-Wood or do trademarks and names fall under different categories?

There is a minor celebrity with the name Jay Wood, again not the real name. He has not trademarked his name, but could he in theory claim that my pen name is causing confusion?

I basically want to know if it is best to avoid all these problems and choose a different name or if the use of pen names (not business names) can't be the subject of a lawsuit.


texts: Mobile app broke after an update. Am I entitled to a downgrade / refund?

texts:
The immediate problem I have encountered is described here, but I'm interested in the general concepts which apply in situations like this. What happens if a paid app stops working after an update? Google Play store provides no way to revert an upgrade, and according to their ToS a refund is only possible within two hours after an initial purchase:

  As a courtesy to our users, Google offers a full refund on apps and games purchased on the Play Store if the purchase is returned within 2 hours. You can only return an app or game once for a courtesy refund.

Afterwards, Play Store recommends contacting the app developer. In my case the app developer doesn't seem to provide any ToS on their web page.

Does the developer have any legal grounds to refuse providing me a downgrade / refund?


texts: My teacher is requesting private family life details, is this legal?

texts:
I live in England. My teacher is requesting private family information as homework. We're studying the play Romeo and Juliet, and she wants us to ask our parents about their dating experiences.

I don't want to do this: she did say she'd be reading them, and it's unclear whether or not she's going to be publicly showing this information.

If I deny her request and she attempts to punish me for it, would that be legal? I was looking at Article 8 on the Human Rights Act 1998, but am not sure if that covers the situation.


texts: Is a conversation "private" (in a two-party state) if it is at your desk at work with a co-worker?

texts:
In the context of an in-person conversation in the State of Washington (a two-party state), an online reference states:

  Whether a conversation or other communications is "private" depends on
  a number of case-specific factors, such as the subjective intention of
  the parties, the reasonableness of their expectation that the
  conversation would be private, the location of the conversation, and
  whether third parties were present.

Suppose the location was your desk at work, and a co-worker came up and propositioned you. Further suppose that though this is in the midst of a cubicle farm nobody else was in earshot.

Would it be legal to record such a conversation at your workplace without getting the consent of the co-worker?

I can't tell from this as it seems to me: a) The subjective intention of the co-worker would probably be that the conversation was private; b) the lack of other people within earshot might have provided the co-worker with the expectation the conversation would be private; but on the other hand, c) at that location you would not expect privacy.

(I will accept as valid, BTW, an answer pointing me to reasonably authoritative documentation, up to and including court cases on point.  I was unable to find it: Stuff I found was all in the context of telephone conversations (i.e. not in-person) or public hearings or being a journalist.)


texts:
Can a company be sued for using a similar name to an existing company? For example if a company was called "The Kraken liberties" and a new company were to be named "The Kraken Club", could the company come after it?
The jurisdiction is the UK.


texts: What are the existing regulations and laws about on-call shifts in retail industry in California?

texts:
My wife has recently started working as a floater pharmacist at one red-colored pharmacy chain in California. Just a side note, while my wife has worked there, she personally vaccinated more than 1000 people with Covid vaccines.
Her schedule is unpredictable and when the scheduler sends out a schedule for an upcoming month, my wife's schedule shows less hours in certain weeks than the amount that constitutes a full-time position (32 hours constitutes a full-time job, according to the policy of that pharmacy chain).
It has been indicated to her in work emails that she is expected to accept a last minute on-call shifts and she shall not have personal plans for days where she does not have scheduled in advance shifts, in case if she is needed to cover for someone else. It has also been alluded to her that if she were to refuse an on-call shift, she could potentially face certain consequences, including not being assigned to a single pharmacy with a more predictable schedule or a demotion to a part-time position.
I would like to know what rights my wife has as an employee of that company. The practices of her employer do seem very coercive to me. They expect their employees to have the "suck it up, soldier" attitude, without any regard for them as human beings.


texts: Is it illegal to sell a picture of an item (rather than the actual item) with the intent of fooling automated scripts into purchasing it?

texts:
As of right now, a lot of scalpers are setting up bots that are buying up hard to get things like capture cards, Xbox Series X, and PS5s.
Is it illegal for someone to post a picture of one of these things on eBay, and then, in the description, tell people not to buy it as they are only selling a picture of the device in question, and that it is meant as a way to prevent scalpers from causing shortages?


texts: Is there a law that requires schools and doctors to provide records to a parent with legal custody

texts: In the United States, I have joint legal custody of children but not physical. Children's mother has convinced school and family doctor to withhold all records. Is there a specific law that says schools and medical providers must communicate with parents?


texts: Is there contract law to protect tenants from leasing under false pretenses?

texts:
I've recently signed a lease for an apartment in Maryland. Before signing the lease I visited the unit in person, spoke with leasing staff, made a deposit to reserve the unit, and received a written receipt for that deposit with the sq. ft., style (3B2B), and other features of the unit. It did not have the specific address of the unit.

The lease I signed had only the address of the unit, cost, duration of lease, but no information regarding the features of the unit.

The leasing company switched the address on the lease changing it to one at a different address with completely different features. Its hundreds of sq. ft. less and is only a 2B1B but my price remained the same and I was never told orally or in writing of this change. The unit was switched without my knowledge seemingly right before the contract was signed.

Is there some kind of consumer protection against this activity?


texts: Is "US Citizenship required" a legal qualification for jobs, housing, etc.?

texts:
Despite what the DoJ or EEOC might say about employment discrimination (or perhaps because of broad terms in the exceptions), I see various jobs, housing, grants, and other opportunities, advertised with the "US Citizenship Required" qualification, commonly enough that it seems like it must be legal.
On the one hand, there seem to be laws against this in theory.  On the other, those laws might not outlaw advertising the job in a particular way that discourages certain applicants, and an employer might be able to find other reasons why not to hire someone who doesn't match the desired citizenship status; it could be hard to prove that national origin was the sole reason and hard to say that any specific person was significantly and provably directly harmed as a result.  Politically, I could see how broad exceptions might have been passed that allow people to make things easier on "Americans" than on others.

In practice, is it legal to advertise citizenship requirements for jobs, housing and/or other opportunities?  (Please indicate which part you're responding to in your answer.)  If not, what actually happens to people/companies who do?


texts: Can William Barr fully comply with the House Judiciary Committee's Subpoena?

texts:
Background

Given the comments from the question of the same name on Politics.SE, I thought it would make sense to also ask it here.

On April 19th, Jarrold Nadler, head of the House Judicial Committee, subpoenaed Attorney General William Barr for the full unredacted Mueller Report, with very little exceptions.

Problem

According to this question there are several forms of redacted information that have strong basis in legal and constitutional precedent. The main example is the redaction of Grand Jury Testimony that cannot be unredacted under any circumstances (as I understand the article on the case cited). I did not see an exception for Grand Jury Testimony, or other forms of redaction, in the subpoena

Question

Given the situation above, can Barr be able to legally fully comply with the House Judiciary committee's subpoena?


texts: Restrictions on international data storage?

texts:
Firstly, I apologize for any brevity in my question and description.  I'm under a NDA and can't really give out specifics.

A company in the Netherlands is saying that it would not be lawful for them to locate their primary data storage (specifically, supplier and part information) internationally in the United States, underneath a parent company.  From all of my research I have not been able to find any evidence that this would be illegal.

Would anybody be able to give any advice on this?


texts: In Victoria, does a LR license held by a P2 allow you to drive a car without probationary plates

texts:
If I have a P2 license in Victoria, Australia after 1 year of holding it I become eligable to obtain a Light Rigid truck license. A LR license allows you to drive any vehicle under 12 tons including all vehicles in the previous license class.

Hence, does this mean I can drive a regular car under my LR license without displaying probationary plates on the rear windscreen, as plates are not a license condition of my LR license?


texts: Who is liable for material on a website?

texts: Someone wants to make a website but had trouble registering with the host. He has asked me to do it with my ID. Hypothetically if copyrighted content or something illegal was done with website, who would be liable? The person who the host is registered to, the person who the domain is registered to, the person who uploaded the content, or someone else?


texts: Do Indian companies need a written letter before registering a user?

texts: The first link act here leads to a PDF where it seems the honourable authorities have prescribed letter consent for processing sensitive personal information like passwords . Now every account should have a password which the company generates or takes from user . Does this mean they need written consent from the people ?


texts: Can I reward people in-kind for donating to a political party (or candidate) of my choosing?

texts:
Suppose I would like to reward people who contributed to a political leader in the past year. I intend to give those donors private property, influence, or other compensation.

This would occur after the campaign has ended, and the donors have no knowledge that this reward system would occur.   (not sure if this matters)

Question

Is soliciting this information, and rewarding them legal?
What steps can I take to ensure I'm not running afoul of FEC laws?
Would any aspect of this reward system be considered a PAC, or can it be construed as exceeding an individual maximum contribution?
(e.g. the maximum donation by individuals is $2,500, but Citizens United allows for greater contributions by corporations)

What I don't want to do is to be considered coercive, or bribing an individual, on a legal, or ethical level.  My goal is to kick start a community project among likeminded peers.


texts: What determines the valid jurisdiction for a subpoena for written information collected by a 3rd party who has connections to multiple jurisdictions?

texts:
Which of the following affect the valid jurisdiction:

The location of the collecting party?

What if the party (resides/does business/practices/is licensed) in more than one state?

The location where the information was collected?

What if it was collected via some form of telecommunication from parties in other locations?

The location where the information is stored?

What if it is stored in an online cloud service, where the physical location(s) of the data may not be easily determined or may change at
any time?

The party holding the information, if it is different from
the collector (e.g. an archival service)?

If more than one of these factors is relevant, does one take precedence? Can there be multiple valid jurisdictions?

If the type of information being subpoenaed is pertinent, I'm specifically interested in the case of mental health records, but if there is a general case that is the same or similar, please discuss that too, pointing out any differences.

If the answer is different for state vs. federal law, please point out the differences, where possible.

EDIT: Just to clarify, this is a theoretical question. I am researching the extents to which the protections on protected health information (PHI) in the United States can be overridden in legal actions, and how that varies with location, especially in the context of today's connected society.

From Dale M's answer below, it appears this is not clear cut, so it would be useful if anyone can provide citations relevant to the subpoena of medical and mental health records, especially in situations where:

The medical professional who generates the records in licensed in
more than one state
The medical professional who generates the
records practices in more than one state
The patient saw the medical
professional at his/her practice in state A, but the patient resides
in state B
The records are stored with a third party in one or more
states other than that of the medical professional


texts: Hate-Speech website hosted in the USA, but targeting an audience overseas

texts:
A website promoting Nazism and Racial hatred is hosted in the USA, but targeting an audience overseas - specifically Australia. Does this break any obvious laws?

EDIT: I strongly suspect that the persons generating and submitting the content for hosting are not US Citizens, but are citizens of Australia.


texts: Is this a legitimate Title IX investigation or is this an abuse of power by the Title IX coordinator?

texts:
I used to be a student at a certain NYC public college, I graduated, and after graduation, I still had access to the school because I was a "research assistant". However I never was paid, nor did I ever sign a contract. My ex is a student (and was a student at the beginning of the investigation) in a masters program at the same school.

He filed a complaint against me saying I'm stalking him (I was/am not). The Title IX coordinator said that I'm not an employee nor a student at the school, yet she solely decided to treat me as an employee. She was incredibly biased in favor of my ex, and she kept accusing me of doing things, without any evidence or proof. So I thought it would be best to "quit" and just do research with my professor off-campus. I told the coordinator that I was quitting, and she said because of that the university no longer has jurisdiction over the case.

However, two weeks later, she emailed me saying that she realized I had alumni privileges (including access to the school with an alumni ID card). She took away my access until December 2017 without explanation, and said she has to resume the investigation to see if I am permanently going to be barred from the school.

How can she remove my access without any proof or without giving me ANY reason whatsoever? There was NO outcome of the stalking allegations because I quit the school, so how can she take away my access? Also, she stated that she would be treating me as an employee for the entire duration of the case (no one from HR could see me in the system because I wasn't an employee and no one from HR contacted me) nor was I told any of my rights. Also, if she said my status was employee, how can she resume the case when I am no longer affiliated with the school nor am I seeking employment at the school again? How can she resume the case with my status being an alumni and is there such a thing?


texts: Life insurance: Primary vs contingent beneficiary percentage amounts

texts:
I am filling out a life insurance policy form, and it is asking for both primary and contingent beneficiaries AND the percentage amounts for them. It is my understanding that the contingent are payed out only if the primaries are dead.

  What percentage should I list for the contingent person when I won't know how many of my primaries would be dead?

In particular, consider the hypothetical form with two primaries and one contingent. I'd list 50% for both primaries, but it is unclear what the contingent should have.

Primary: Person A (50%), Person B (50%)

Contingent: Person C (??%)


texts: VAT in B2B transactions between two EU countries

texts:
If I were to buy some equipment as a d.o.o. from a site that offers business to business (b2b) payment model, I was told I would not have to pay VAT on that equipment. Note that the shop and d.o.o. are both in EU, but not in the same country.

How does that work? Would I have to pay VAT elsewhere at a later date? I do have to pay the VAT somewhere, right?


texts: Is it possible to sell a debt that has been ruled by a court

texts:
In the UK, say Mr. Jones has a bad tenant and in getting him evicted racks up costs of £50,000. If the court rules in favour of Mr. Jones that the bad tenant owes him £50,000, is it possible to sell that debt to a collection agency?

Is it also realistic that any debt collection agency would want to buy it?


texts: Penalty for greatly exceeding the speed limit in Virginia

texts:
This question is inspired by my GPS being overly literal-minded, and complaining about the fact that the airplane I was riding in was going somewhat faster than the speed limit for the road it was flying over.

Say your airplane really did get pulled over for going 471 miles per hour in a 45 zone.  What penalty would you be facing?


texts: If one invents a real life portal gun, can Valve sue them for copyright infringement?

texts:
I am just curious, whether an owner of an artistic depiction of non-yet-existent device has any rights on that device in case it's actually invented later? Can owner use their rights, if any, to issue cease & desist letters to inventors based on the fact that they were first to describe the thing, but not actually invent it?

By artistic depictions I mean pictures, books, games, movies etc. So, in an unlikely case somebody implements a device that visually operates with principles akin to what was depicted in fictional ASHPD device, can Valve actually pretend it's infringing their rights? Or, alternatively, if somebody implements dynamic environments consisting of robotic composable panels, can Valve say that they had described this earlier, so they have the priority?

And, as a side question — if somebody gets a patent on something non-yet-existant (e.g. "portal device") and gives vague description of a device that allows instant travel via connected portals, without giving any accent on how would it work — will this patent (being actually a work of fiction) be actually infringed later on actual invention?


texts: Dual Consent Laws of California Relating To Residents Of Other State's

texts:
CA Penal Code 632 sets forth that all parties must be notified that a conversation is to be recorded.

I have a person whom I'd like to assist in a proceeding, possibly, given the situation is correct.

I live in a different state, Texas, which is not a dual consent state.

Am I correct in thinking that I can record a phone call with a California resident, while I'm located in Texas? The product of which would eventually be used in a California court if all goes well.

EDIT for better context:

1 - The phone call would be made from Texas, by a Texas resident;

2 - The phone call would be made to the wife of a family member (who both live and are married in California);

3 - The recording would be given to the husband's attorney, who would then try the divorce/custody case in the State of California with the recording as evidence (if admissible, granted I'm not stepping on any laws)

I'm not concerned that I'd get in trouble as a Texas resident. I'm concerned about admissibility in California Family Courts.


texts: Does the law sets requirements for what can or cannot be inside a Company Constitution?

texts:
This is for the best interest of share holders.

Say someone puts an outrageous statement in the constitution, such as making a clause that he's a permanent director on the board.

This is a general question.
To be specific, I live in Australia, and I'm referring to a proprietary limited company.


texts: What kind of lawyer can review and advise on a LLC operating agreement?

texts:
I plan to invest in a fund that is provided by a company that does real estate business. I have conducted business with them for a while and have established some trust.
The fund pays a fixed interest rate on capital investment with a 3 year lockup period.
The fund works by having investors become "class B" members of the LLC under which the company operates.
I am aware of the risks of the investment as it pertains to the business that is being conducted (real estate trends, etc.)
However, the agreement is 90 pages long and I feel that I should get it reviewed for any big "gotchas" (e.g. the company gets sued for millions and I am one of the defendants because I am technically a member of the company, stuff like that ... )
What type of lawyer should I search for to review the document?


texts: Can you re-assign TAA lease without being liable for damages?

texts:
Texas Apartment Association (TAA) apartment lease contract has the following:

  30. REPLACEMENTS AND SUBLETTING.
  Replacing a resident,
  subletting, or assignment is allowed
  only when we consent in writing.
  If departing or remaining residents find a replacement resident
  acceptable to us before moving out and we expressly consent to the
  replacement, subletting, or assignment, then:

  (1) a reletting charge
  will not
  be due;

  (2) a reasonable
  administrative (paperwork) fee
  will
  be due, and a
  rekeying fee
  will
  be due if rekeying is requested or required; and

  (3) the departing and remaining residents
  will
  remain liable for all
  Lease Contract obligations for the rest of the original Lease
  Contract term.

  Procedures for Replacement.
  If we approve a replacement
  resident, then, at our option: (1) the replacement resident must sign
  this Lease Contract with or without an increase in the total security
  deposit;
  or
  (2) the remaining and replacement residents must sign
  an entirely new Lease Contract. Unless we agree otherwise in
  writing, your security deposit will automatically transfer to the
  replacement resident as of the date we approve. The departing
  resident will no longer have a right to occupancy or a security deposit
  refund, but will remain liable for the remainder of the original Lease
  Contract term unless we agree otherwise in writing–even if a new
  Lease Contract is signed.

I would presume TAA members would use the same screening criteria for the replacement resident as were used for the original tenant.

As such, if the replacement tenant turns out to be some crazy person who decides to completely ruin the property, or, alternatively, re-assigns the lease to some other such person (whether officially or under the table, e.g., as a vacation rental through craigslist), would the original tenant really still be liable for all the damage caused to the landlord, provided that the new resident(s) disappears etc?


texts: What prevents companies form putting "You can't sue me" in their disclaimer?

texts:
In a disclaimer or a Terms of Use document, there are often pages and pages of statements like "We are not liable if you do this", "We are not liable if you do this", "We will not give more than $50 if this happens", etc.

The sentence "You can't sue me" probably goes against a fundamental right that you can not forfeit, but why can't they simply put "By agreeing, you forfeit your right to make any claims against this company" or, more formal, "We are not liable for anything, related to the product you bought, or otherwise"  in their disclaimer?


texts: Providing services to only nationals (eu country)

texts:
Within the EU, are there any provisions which discuss how businesses should/are allowed to treat customers based on type of residence.

Context: First heard about a shop which was refusing to sell to immigrants from a nearby refugee camp, which obviously (at least in my opinion) was deemed illegal. Now personally I live as an expat in another EU country and got refused services by a telecom provider because I don't have a local nationality or permanent residence (I don't need a permanent residence legally to live, work and pay my taxes here). Personally I just went to another provider, no big deal, but it did got me wondering whether any such things have been touched upon by the EU.


texts: What is the meaning of “High crimes and misdemeanors”

texts:
I have searched the internet for a coherent statement of the meaning of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, especially in the context of presidential impeachment. I have not been very successful. Summarizing the findings: the wording came after much argument and was finally just lifted from British law, British law appears to have taken an inclusive view as to what was impeachable (e.g. incompetence, drunkenness, ...), “high” means that offenses target the state (as in high treason).

Beyond that, I have no information. Pathetic. This is partly because most resources I found espoused a very partisan view of this contentious issue (e.g. what does Ann Coulter think in 2018 versus 1998).

Is there any reliable, timeless(I assume that this phrase is an example of “dead constitution”) interpretation? For example, what is a misdemeanor in this context? Presumably not a crime as crimes are separately treated in the phrase.

Some say that impeachment is “what congress wants it to be” but I am inclined not to accept this, especially if an impeachment trial is subject to judicial review (is it?)

I am ready to read so references are welcome.


texts: Does a resident (Non owner/renter) of a condo have any responsibility for damages done to another unit? (US/Florida)

texts: Situation: I live with my mother in a condo.  The condo is 100% in her name,  the only legal relationship I have with the property is that it is my official residence.  A water leak caused damage to the downstairs neighbor's ceiling.  The subrogation company for the neighbor's home owner insurance keeps trying to collect from me.   I am 99% certain that all legal liability in this case should go to my mother, which I have told them.    Is there any way in which a pure resident could be held at all liable in a case like this?  (Take this as a hypothetical, I'm not looking for official legal advice.)


texts: What would happen if a constitutional amendment were passed that forbade the passing of any more amendments? Would it be able to achieve that, or would something get in the way? I realize this  would be practically impossible to pass, in addition to being a terrible idea. This is purely hypothetical.


texts: Is gidazepam considered legal in Ukraine?

texts: I've checked the table of illegal drugs, and it seems like every other benzodiazepine is in there. But for some reason gidazepam is not. So is it considered legal (because I'm not sure)?


texts: Isn't forging a signature on a car title a crime?

texts:
I let someone borrow my car, and the title was in the car. They stole the title and signed it over to themselves and registered the car.

Although the police  acknowledge a forgery occurred (if this is true), they say that the DMV is a magical godlike entity that decides the law therefore it is not a criminal  offense but a civil issue. Is this correct?


texts:
I want to use the GPL v3 version of EXT JS for a project, but I'm very confused about how it should be used and whether or not I should get the paid version. I'm seeing different answers on the net so I don't know who to believe. There is a topic about it on their forum, but even there I see contradictory answers. I tried to contact the customer support, but I'm still confused so now my question is more global and it's about GPL v3 in general. What does it do and what I am allowed or not allowed to do with my code?

I would like to use EXT JS to create web apps to be used internally by the company, and I also would like you use some of its elements like grids on websites. In the emails, the customer support mentioned that if I were to use the GPL version, I had to "publish" my code. I don't know what that means, since the JavaScript code is visible to anyone.

Thanks


texts: Do you automatically own half the IP created by your spouse?

texts:
https://twitter.com/richgel999/status/1334061416433807360
This Twitter thread raised an idea I'd never heard before: that in a marriage intellectual property is jointly owned by the spouses, which could prove complicated in divorce, and make an open source license invalid if it wasn't made with the consent of the spouse.
Is there any legal merit to this idea, that without any explicit agreement (or a prenup) your spouse will own half the IP that you create? Do any countries' copyright laws explicitly discuss this situation, or is there any relevant case law?


texts: What can I do to use classical music in an advertisement?

texts:
I'm considering using one of the following pieces of music for a commercial (advertisement of my book):

Richard Wagner, Ride of the Valkyries
Carl Orff, Carmina Burana, O Fortuna - Fortune plango vulnera
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 - Finale
Gustav Holst, The Planets - Mars, the Bringer of War

Which options do I have, in order to do it legally, provided that

my product will be sold primarily via American Amazon store (hence, I must design the ad so that it complies with US laws) and
I need the ability to legally remix the record (i. e. cut out pieces of it, make it shorter)

?

From my point of view, I can do in several ways:

Purchase the rights from the performers (e. g. some orchestra) to use one of their records in a commercial.
Sign a "work-for-hire" contract with a musician. He or she will play that piece of music and the rights for the record will belong to me.
Use a record in public domain.

All these options theoretically give me the rights for the recording (audio version of the work). But I'm not sure if the copyright holders of the notes/score version of that music (e. g. relatives of R. Wagner, C. Orff, D. Shostakovich and G. Holst) can't sue me for copyright infringement (or do any other legal action).


texts: Can I publish a conceptual logo for a real company in a portfolio?

texts:
A company exists.
I make a conceptual/redesigned logo for that company, though I have not been hired by them to do so.
I publish my proposed redesign (not their current logo/mark) for this company in my online portfolio of graphic design work.

Is this legal?

Can I include a disclaimer in my portfolio that addresses this issue?


texts: Have there been any cases of successfully challenging interstate extradition?

texts: It seems like in every case I've ever seen, interstate fugitives either waive extradition or the extradition is successful.  I've never seen a case where the fugitive fought extradition and succeeded in blocking it.


texts:
I read on one of the COVID-19 testing websites (https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/covid19-testing.aspx but the following text can only be viewed but booking an appointment) [emphasis is mine]:

Free testing is available to all County residents, regardless of insurance status.
If you have health insurance, your health plan is required to pay for approved COVID-19 tests, according to the State of California. By providing your insurance information, this allows the County to be reimbursed for the cost of the tests from your insurance company. Insurance companies cannot bill individuals or charge any co-payments for COVID-19 tests. Your test is no cost or “free” for you.

This causes me: the first bold section seems to say that only approved COVID-19 tests must be fully reimbursed, whereas the second bold section bold says that all COVID-19 tests must be fully reimbursed.
Must all COVID-19 tests be fully reimbursed by health insurances in California, United States?


texts: How do I protect my assets in a will from being passed to potential second spouse if my wife should remarry and die?

texts:
Jurisdiction in in the USA . I do have children and want them to have my assets should my wife remarry and --pass away-- and not to her  second spouse.
We are writing our will out and someone mentioned to us that if either one of us should remarry and die - any assets would go to the surviving spouse instead of
to our children. I want my assets to stay within our current family and want to know of a legal way to do this.


texts: To what extent can a person use Wizards of the Coast's D&D monster information?

texts:
I am creating some software that, at the moment, uses parts of the same format of summarizing creatures as the published works of Wizards of the Coast. Specifically the 2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D 2nd edition).

For reference, this is what I'm talking about:
What I'm including
What theirs look like (if linking to this isn't allowed here I apologize)

From what I understand from the research I have done this does not fall under copyright, though despite the research I still have a hard time understanding it all. Where I get slightly more confused is trademarks and what some refer to as "product identity" however I haven't been able to find much information on the latter.

I don't understand how and what is protected outside the illustrations and perhaps the physical descriptions/explanations of the creatures. From my understanding of copyright and trademark the name and what I could refer to as the "recipe" (the list of attributes) of the creature can't be protected.

So what exactly is protected here and how, if at all, am I allowed to use parts of what is protected to stay kosher.


texts: What is the history of rules requiring prosecutors to disclose evidence?

texts:
I was surprised to discover that Brady v. Maryland was decided as recently as 1963.  Not knowing enough about the context in which it was decided, I am having trouble understanding exactly what changed as a result of the decision.

Brady only addresses the disclosure of exculpatory evidence, and specifically in the context of sentencing rather than determination of guilt.  (The case was remanded for resentencing consistent with the decision, but the conviction was affirmed.)  I have not been able to find out what the rule was in the U.S. prior to Brady.  Pre-Brady, was there any duty to disclose exculpatory evidence?  Is Brady establishing this duty for the first time, or is Brady's contribution to extend this duty to apply to evidence that might only affect sentencing?  Or it it significant for some other reason?  If there was a Pre-Brady duty to disclose exculpatory evidence, when was it established?

I have read the original decision but I find it hard to interpret, so here I am.

I imagine that the rules about disclosure of inculpatory evidence must be much older and much stricter.  Is this so?  What are the major landmarks on this topic?


texts: Is it still a contract even if it is described by a party as "not a contract" even if adhesion law applies between multiple parties?

texts:
Suppose two parties have a relationship that might be a contract under U.S. law. Suppose one party is an individual and the other is not, so that if it's a contract it would be a contract of adhesion, thus with any ambiguities to be interpreted in favor of the individual. Suppose in all respects the relationship is a contract except for one possible issue, which is that the party who is not an individual says it's not a contract.

Is it a contract?

(I ask because I increasingly see in advertising or promotion that a company says that you can have their service without a contract and I'm dubious.)


texts: Guidelines on insulting U.S. state flags

texts:
According to the Nebraska Secretary of State's website,

  Insulting the flag is forbidden.

This statement begs many questions, like "What constitutes an insult," "Does the law apply only to Nebraska residents" and "What are the penalties?"

So let me first approach it from this angle: Are you aware of a resource that offers a good overview of laws pertaining to the treatment of U.S. state emblems and/or the history of their enforcement? Ultimately, I'd like to compile a list of states that have similar statutes along with records of people who have been prosecuted for insulting emblems.


texts: Book published in the UK, public domain in home country, still under US copyright?

texts:
I'm looking at publishing an e-book from a public domain book, and wondering if I can distribute it in the US. The book is Sex & Culture by J. D. Unwin.

The book was published in 1934 and the author died in 1936, so it is public domain in the UK and most other countries. According to the Hirtle Chart it is in the public domain in the US if its copyright wasn't renewed, which it wasn't explicitly. However, I stumbled upon some information that might mean that it was renewed implicitly if all of the following are true:

At least one author was a citizen or resident of a foreign country (outside the US) that's a party to the applicable copyright agreements. (Almost all countries are parties to these agreements.)
The work was still under copyright in at least one author's "home country" at the time the GATT copyright agreement went into effect for that country (1 January 1996 for most countries).
The work was first published abroad, and not published in the United States until at least 30 days after its first publication abroad.

Source: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/renewals.html

In my case, it appears that all of above are true:

J. D. Unwin was a British citizen, which is a party to the agreements.
In, 1996, UK copyright term was author's year + 70 years, which means the book was under copyright at that time.
The book was never published in the US.

Is my understanding correct here?


texts: Is it legal to create a program intended to gain unauthorized access?

texts: If I make a program which is unquestionably intended for other people to use to gain unauthorized access to a network, but I do not use the program myself except on my own network for testing, have I committed a crime? Can I be charged with cooperating to commit a crime?


texts: What does the phrase "...is well founded in fact and in law" mean?

texts:
I have a basic question that stems purely from curiosity. It might be important to mention that I am not a lawyer nor a student of law.
I have read multiple pleadings in which some of them end with a paragraph around the lines that the application

  " ... is well founded in fact and in law."

What does this mean? I was under the impression that all applications that are filed at any court would be filed with the genuine belief that it is well founded.  It seems to me as an obvious statement to make, and I am curious if there is a reason why people do mention it, and if it makes any difference.


texts: Treatement of premarital assets in prenuptial agreement where couple loses assets after marriage

texts:
One kind of simple prenuptial agreement states that all property acquired prior to the date of the marriage is separate, and will be distributed separately, and all property acquired after the date of the marriage is community, and will be split evenly.

Suppose a couple marries with this kind of boilerplate prenuptial agreement.  Just to put some numbers to it, suppose A has $500,000 in assets and B has $50,000 in assets prior to the date of the marriage.  Further suppose for the sake of simplicity that both hold their assets in cash or cash equivalents such as publicly traded stocks or government bonds, as opposed to real estate or other less liquid assets.

While the couple is married they do a poor job managing their finances and when they file for divorce their assets total $100,000.  How is their remaining asset likely to be split?  I realize the exact split is likely to be conditioned upon the skill of the attorneys involved, and the state the marriage began / ended in, but what would be some reasonable outcomes to expect?  In particular, is the $100,000 likely to be split evenly between the two, or is A likely to receive more of the marital assets, seeing as A contributed much more to the combined asset pool?


texts: Is it illegal to post an "owner is armed" sign in Canada?

texts: I've been watching a TV show about border security in Canada and in the episode a border officer mentions that posting an "owner is armed" sign inside your vehicle is illegal. Is this true and if so, what law is being violated in this case?


texts: Why is the Miranda warning typically given during an arrest?

texts:
I'll admit that this question stems more from indirect experiences through popular culture and not real-life experience (fortunately), but I think there's still some real-life backing to it.

The "Miranda rights", as established in Miranda v. Arizona, must be read to a subject prior to interrogation so he or she is aware of the possible consequences of statements/confessions/etc. However, typical depictions of arrests - at least in popular media - show suspects being "read their rights" during their arrest, despite the fact that they are not undergoing, nor immediately about to undergo, any form of interrogation.

Why is the Miranda warning typically depicted as being given during an arrest, and not immediately before an interrogation? Is there a law that states that this is necessary?


texts: I live in Boston MA with a TD visa. I don't want to buy a car in USA. Can I drive my Canadian car (car registered in Canada) here? How long can I drive it? How about car insurance? Any detailed information about this?


texts: Are German Police allowed to ask about private contact information?

texts:
This question is based on a story that happened a couple of days ago.
Two friends and I were walking outside. Right now, in Germany there are strict regulations about the number of persons and households that are allowed to meet together. So, as we were seen from a police car passing by, the car stopped and two officers went towards us.
One of us, a friend who didn't want any contact with the police, instantly ran away, which was seen by the officers. They didn't try to chase him. They then stopped us and started to ask questions about the friend who escaped. Seems like the fact of us gathering wasn't a problem at all, compared to the fact that one person escaped from them.
We told that we were just hanging around as friends, after which the officers asked if we could call our buddy and ask why he ran away and if he could get back. We told that his phone is dead, after which we should prove it to the police by calling him. After a failed call, police asked us to provide them the contact information, which we obviously had, because we tried to call him.
We were let go after police got our IDs but it just doesn't feel right that they tricked us to get the phone number of our friend who escaped. I understand that it was our own fault, that we responded to the question if we could call him, but could we just refuse to call him or answer any of their questions in that situation?
Were the officers even allowed to ask if we could call him or to ask us to show our phones to them, so they could get the contact information?


texts: What if I am called for jury service while away from home for extended periods (UK)?

texts:
I live in the UK, and I may be away from home for over 6 months. During this time I will still be in the UK, but will not have a postal address.
What happens if I am called for jury service while I am unable to receive the letter? Will I be fined for not responding?


texts: Lawyer-approved statement to say to the police to unequivocally retain all rights

texts:
I understand that I have the right to remain silent, and that I shouldn't need to explicitly say that in order for my rights to be in effect. But we don't live in a perfect world. And should we end up in court, I would like to be able to tell the court that I did—in fact—explicitly tell the police officer(s) at the scene that I did—in fact—retain all of my rights, lest the police use some sort of convoluted interpretation of my actions (or inactions) to falsely conclude that I have given up my rights.
Would love feedback on the wording. Also would love any references to relevant case law. Thanks!
Current statements/questions (which should be repeated as necessary):

Am I free to go?
I want a lawyer.
I do no consent to any searches.

Original draft statement:
I retain and invoke all of my rights, including—but not limited to—my 4th amendment right against unwarranted search and seizure of my person and property, and my 5th amendment right to remain silent.


texts:
In a resedential lease, what does this paragraph mean?

  No Waiver.  The failure of either party to insist in any instance upon  the strict keeping, observance or performance of any provision of
  this Lease or to exercise any election in this Lease shall not be
  construed as a waiver or relinquishment for the future of such
  provision, but the same shall continue and remain in full force and
  effect. No waiver or modification by either party of any provision of
  this Lease shall be deemed to have been made unless expressed in
  writing and signed by the party to be charged. The receipt and
  retention by the Landlord of Rent with knowledge of the breach of any
  provision of this Lease shall not be deemed a waiver of such breach.

Also is this considered a clause or provision?


texts: What are the contours of communication INTERCEPTION?

texts:
A nuanced understanding is sought with regards to the bright-lines + contours of what it means to intercept as it pertains to Florida communications state law.  A Google search of interception returns:

the action or fact of receiving electronic transmissions before they reach the intended recipient.

"the clandestine interception of other people's telephone calls"

As a concrete example: Bob is invited to a meeting conducted through Zoom or a telephone call.  As an invitee, Bob is entitled to engage the communication system and presumably would not be "intercepting" as he has standing to receive communications.  Bob's memory is not particularly good and takes notes as best he can.
Given that Bob has not intercepted the communication and he has:

Engaged an electronic transcription computer program to document the decisions
Recorded the audio to confirm the transcription

Questions:  Based on said rules and that Bob has not 'intercepted' communications, as he is the intended recipient:

What if any of said rules does Bob risk running afoul?
Is there any scenario where invited Bob could 'intercept' said communication?

Bonus round: new context
Assume that Bob has standing to attend the virtual meeting and the state indicates that Bob "may tape record or videotape the meeting".  Again the same questions:

What if any of said rules does Bob risk running afoul?
Is there any scenario where invited Bob could 'intercept' said communication?


texts: If I obfuscate someone else's source code, can I avoid copyright infringement?

texts:
I know the answer is probably no, but I'm confused about something. The underlying algorithm is never copyrightable. So as long as you "learn from the code" someone else has wrote, and re-implement it,  you are allowed to reuse what you learned. But isn't this the same as making a few changes to the source code, i.e. reordering things, changing names etc.? So does this mean running source code through a code obfuscater would avoid copyright infringement issues? I know it's a strange question, but I'm serious.

I'm talking about small portions of code, less than 100 lines, not whole programs.

I ask this question after having read Does copyrighted code protect intellectual property rights on novel algorithms it implements? and Algorithm (pseudo)code in academic papers -- what is the copyright/license status?


texts: If a medic claims on a medical report that he is a fellow of a specialist medical college when he no longer is, what kind of wrong is committed?

texts: If a medic claims on a medical report that he is a fellow of a specialist medical college, but actually he isn't, because his membership lapsed many years ago, is he committing an actionable wrong against the college, or against the American Medical Association, or indeed against any party other than the patient?


texts:
I find the various licenses for open source software confusing. If a license is not copyleft, like MIT, does that mean a person can change one small piece of code and patent it and sell it as their own? If a license is copyleft, like GNU General, does that mean you can't use your own code in the future when you want to include it in a commercial closed source product?

In this comparison, does "Same License" refer to copyleft?


texts: Very simple static website with Google Analytics. How to make it GDPR compliant?

texts:
There is a very simple static website for a commerce. That website only shows information. It has Google Analytics to count visits with the default GA script placed in :
<head>
    <script>
      (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
      (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
      m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
      })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

      ga('create', 'UA-XXXXXXX-1', 'auto');
      ga('send', 'pageview');
    </script>
</head>

As you can see, is the default script that google gives you for a simple integration of GA in your website, and it's placed in the default place (header).
Now it haves a lower bar displaying this:

This website uses 'cookies' for your navigation. By using our services you accept their use.
If you want to restrict the use of cookies, click on More information.

That bar has two buttons, "Accept" and "More information". Accept simply hides the bar forever, and more information displays the legal info of the commerce and tells the users that it is using google analytics to track the visits, and that Google Analytics uses cookies. It also tells the user that they can remove the cookies and prevent the website collecting cookies disabling it in the navigator, and gives the user some links with official help about how to disable and remove cookies for a website in four big navigators (Firefox, Chrome, IE, Safari).
Is enough with that to be compliant with GDPR in this very simple website which only uses GA to track visits?


texts: Although there are conflicting claims about what happened on June 4th, 1989 in Tiananmen Square

texts:
... the government of China doesn't claim that nothing happened.  There is an official narrative, including the claim that soldiers working for the government of China were victims of protesters.

Given that the government of China acknowledges that something happened on June 4th, 1989, and given that there are living eyewitnesses who were there, what is the legal basis for the government of China to stifle discussion of that topic?

For example, suppose that some people decide that research and study and formulating questions is too risky on the topic of what happened on June 4th, 1989.  Nevertheless, there is an official narrative, so people should be able to memorize the official narrative word-for-word and hold competitions reciting that narrative.  Also, students in all grades in school in China could refrain from answering any questions on examinations in mathematics, unless they were already provided with an answer to exactly the same question, and they could compete to recite the official answer, word-for-word.

Would such actions risk penalties under laws of China?  Are people in China required by law to go beyond repeating the officially correct answer to questions that they have already seen in mathematics, but forbidden to go beyond the official narrative on the topic of events in Tiananmen Square on June 4th, 1989?


texts: Is selling pictures of merchandise illegal if you imply that you are selling the actual merchandise?

texts:
Is it illegal if I take a picture of a piece of merchandise such as a new Xbox One, and sell the picture of that piece of merchandise?
Is it illegal if I advertise the picture of the piece of merchandise on a website where people are trying to buy the actual product?
Is it illegal if the name of the website where I sell the picture is completely unrelated to selling pictures and may imply that the buyer is getting a great deal?
Is it illegal to use pricing to make it seem like the picture of the product is the actual thing? For example, I could price a picture of an Xbox One the same as an actual Xbox One but offer 25% off.

For example, someone goes to eBay looking for an Xbox One. When they click on the product they want to buy, they see an ad in the sidebar with an advertisement saying "Check out this picture of a BRAND NEW Xbox One! Save 25% if you order in the next 10 minutes!". They would click on the advertisement and be brought to an ecommerce website. In the description of the item it would clearly state "This is a picture of a brand new Xbox one with a 250GB hard drive." The buyer might then purchase the product possibly under the impression they are getting the actual item.

Is any of this illegal?


texts: Can a business put a specific cancel-by date into a contract?

texts:
I attended a gym in Michigan and canceled my membership on 8/28/19. I paid month to month and was under no long term contract. Even though I moved and haven't visited the gym since 8/17/19, I'm being charged for the entire month of September. My contract states that I needed to cancel by 8/20/19 in order to avoid being charged for September.

Even though the contract lays this out, can a business legally operate in this manner? I'm being charged for a service I'm not using. The gym claims that due to processing and accounting fees, cancellations must be performed before the 20th every month in order to avoid paying for the following month. If so, shouldn't I receive a partial refund and just be required to pay the additional processing fees?

It's not reasonable to assume that you have to cancel before the 20th every month. The gym belongs to a local college, and I'm just a student. Surely, they could allow me to pay a late processing fee and receive a partial refund. I'm trying to research whether Michigan allows for these kinds of practices.


texts: Do I have to pay movie licensing fees if I rent DVDs along with outdoor pavilions with movie projector/screen setup?

texts: I know that if I were to show movies to a public audience, I would have to pay a licensing fee. But what if I were renting DVDs to customers along with renting out to them a small, private outdoor pavilion with a movie projector/screen set up? They would be showing the movie to a small private gathering. Would anyone in this situation be in the wrong?


texts: Must I pay rent to be considered a Lodger in the UK?

texts:
This question is inspired by How to prove you live somewhere when you live at some friend house for the National Insurance Number in UK and How to prove you live somewhere when you live at some friend house for the National Insurance Number in UK at the Workplace and Expats.

Is it required to pay rent to be considered a Lodger in the UK? For example, can I get a lodger agreement without any rent, or something like £1?

This section at citizensadvice.org.uk suggest that rent is optional, but it's not entirely clear:

  Lodgers generally pay a charge that covers rent and bills and in some cases other services, such as cleaning, may be provided too.


texts: Bought tokens in a game but the game quit, can I get my money back?

texts:
So there was this small scale online game where I bought some ingame tokens to buy a different sprite. I bought 20$ worth of ingame tokens a month ago and spent most of it on items in the game. The game quit some weeks ago and I still had like 5$ in tokens left, also I wasn't able to use the special sprite for long since the game quit after a week of me buying it.

I'm actually not really worried about the money, I think it was worth it even if I could only use it so shortly. But I was wondering if games can just do that, or if there is some sort of legal way to get unused tokens back(and if you can get money back if you a bought an ingame item and where only able to use it for a short while)


texts: Can I legally wear a facekini in US beaches?

texts:
Can I legally wear a facekini on  beaches in the United States?

I am asking as there are sometimes regulations that prevent individuals from wearing some types of clothes (e.g., anti-mask laws).

I am mostly interested in the states of California, Florida, and Massachusetts.

I found the following information on http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/mcs/maskcodes.html:

  CALIFORNIA: Penal Code Section 182-185
  185. Section One Hundred and Eighty-five. It shall be unlawful for any person to wear any mask, false whiskers, or any personal disguise (whether complete or partial) for the purpose of: One--Evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification in the commission of any public offense. Two--Concealment, flight, or escape, when charged with, arrested for, or convicted of, any public offense. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

  MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 268 Section 34. Whoever disguises himself with intent to obstruct the due execution of the law, or to intimidate, hinder or interrupt an officer or other person in the lawful performance of his duty, or in the exercise of his rights under the constitution or laws of the commonwealth, whether such intent is effected or not, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year and may if imprisoned also be bound to good behavior for one year after the expiration of such imprisonment.

  FLORIDA Chapter 876 Criminal Anarchy, Treason and other Crimes Against
  Public Order
  876.13 Wearing mask, hood, or other device on public property.--No person or persons shall in this state, while wearing any mask, hood,
  or device whereby any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or
  covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter upon, or be,
  or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality or
  county of the state.

  876.155 Applicability; ss. 876.12-876.15.--The provisions of ss. 876.12-876.15 apply only if the person was wearing the mask, hood, or other device:

  (1) With the intent to deprive any person or class of persons of the
  equal protection of the laws or of equal privileges and immunities
  under the laws or for the purpose of preventing the constituted
  authorities of this state or any subdivision thereof from, or
  hindering them in, giving or securing to all persons within this state
  the equal protection of the laws;

  (2) With the intent, by force or threat of force, to injure,
  intimidate, or interfere with any person because of the person's
  exercise of any right secured by federal, state, or local law or to
  intimidate such person or any other person or any class of persons
  from exercising any right secured by federal, state, or local law;

  (3) With the intent to intimidate, threaten, abuse, or harass any
  other person; or

  (4) While she or he was engaged in conduct that could reasonably lead
  to the institution of a civil or criminal proceeding against her or
  him, with the intent of avoiding identification in such a proceeding.

Am I correct to infer from this that wearing facekini is legal in California, Florida, and Massachusetts as long as I do not intend to perform unlawful acts, or obstruct the execution of the law?


texts:
Strzok indicated in testimony that he did not think that his text messages would become public.  I realize that FBI agents give-up a certain degree of privacy and rights (admirable).   That being said, under what line of reasoning and authority were the Strzok-Page texts acquired?  I wonder if the messages 'swept up or netted' by a computer and then pushed to a human analyst?  Politics aside, I am trying to understand how these messages become national news.

This truly reinforces the notion of once it is sent, it is there forever and that one should carefully consider the optics of a message, because the mens-rea is always debatable (sarcasm, hyperbole vs a serious threat).


texts: How will anyone know if an employer fires an employee for an illegal reason?

texts:
From the Wiki article "At-Will Employment":

At-will employment is a term used in U.S. labor law for contractual relationships in which an employee can be dismissed by an employer for any reason (that is, without having to establish "just cause" for termination), and without warning,1 as long as the reason is not illegal (e.g. firing because of the employee's race, religion or sexuality).

If I'm an employer and want to fire an employee

for a reason like I ask the employee to do something criminal (or illegal but not criminal) like commit fraud or deal drugs or something against public policy

or in retaliation against the employee for a protected action taken by the employee

or family or medical leave

or for reason of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability

then why don't I make up some dumb whatever reason to fire the employee and thereby get away with discrimination?
I mean, if I can fire an employee because, say, I was bored and I just wanted to fire someone for the hell of it, and if this is allowed, then why can't I make use of this to fire an employee for reason of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability?

Edit: Something I thought of last night:
ah well i guess that's why not everywhere is 'at-will' but personally i think if you really wanted to protect, say, people with disabilities, i figure there would need to be 'just cause' to really ensure employers don't abuse the freedom given in at-will employment

Update:
Azor Ahai -him- was right in this comment:

It turns out that people dumb enough to fire someone because of their race are occasionally dumb enough to brag about it or make their intentions known.

based on this question: Regarding a PhD Advisor Rejecting Student Due to Health Problems.


texts: Would automated builds of a game violate single-user licenses on assets?

texts:
I have access to a number of sound effect libraries via a personal single-user commercial license, allowing one backup copy each (which I am understanding GitHub to count as, purely out of caution) file without needing to be "synchronized" with some other form of media, in which case I have unlimited use. I would like to run automated builds and unit tests, but I'm worried about whether this would be a violation of the single-user licensing since the assets would be present on another machine in order to be built.

Sound synchronization in games seems particularly ambiguous to me. What counts as synchronization when a sound must be kept in some sort of raw format and could be "synchronized" at any point in gameplay? Does having all your sound effects in the project tree count as synchronization or does it need to be in a packed asset file?

Am I legally allowed to run automated builds on another system or would it violate single-user audio library licenses?

For my particular project, the commercial sounds I am using have been purchased through Sonniss. (Sonniss license)


texts: Is discrimination based on job occupation legal in United States?

texts:
Recently some cops were asked to leave a coffee shop because other people didnt feel safe. In my country you can't deny service based on anything, as far as I know, they list a large number of reasons with ellipsis, one of the listed ones could be "social condition" for this case, which isnt the same as "economical status" which is also listed.

Some people argued that it was discrimination and others argued it wasnt because police men aren't a protected class. As far as I know, the  Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination based in race, color, religion or sex. Does that mean discrimination based on job occupation is legal in United States?


texts: How to create a long-lived organization that executes a certain program?

texts:
I'd like to start an organization that, similar to the website Patreon, enables people to set financial rewards on mathematical proofs of their choice and holds their money in escrow.
Since some proofs take decades to be written (and some might be impossible to write), this would have to be a pretty long-lived organization, protected against the failings of individual humans (theft, death).
If this were about a single person awarding price money for a single proof, a will might do. But this organization should enable many people to contribute money and objectives.
Ignoring issues like inflation and the complex and possibly costly process of proof verification for now, what kind of organizational form would be best suited for this undertaking?
A Charitable trust?
A Nonprofit organization?


texts: Are attorneys, as officers allowed to advocate for positions in supposedly-neutral courtrooms?

texts:
An Ohio judge jailed an public defender (and blocked her from appointments for further work) for contempt of court when the attorney refused to remove a "Black Lives Matter" pin.  The logic seems to be (A) courts are supposed to be neutral, (B) neutrality means that officers of the court may not demonstrate non-neutrality, (C) attorneys are officers of the court, and therefore (D) attorneys may not express non-neutral viewpoints.  The judge's specific reasoning, cited at 2:54 in the article video, is that "he could not let someone demonstrate a viewpoint in a court that is supposed to be fair and impartial."  That's a very broad rule.

However, that seems to run against the idea that attorneys are supposed to be zealous advocates for their clients' positions in an adversarial system, the opposite of attorney neutrality.

Where does the logic chain in A-B-C-D above break down, or how far does it extend to restrict attorneys' expression of or advocacy for non-neutral positions?


texts: Is a "Cash Price" sign legal in the UK (and Republic of Ireland)

texts: Long story short we have a load of "Cash Price" sale tickets in stock (small tickets with "Cash Price" written on top, and then you can write the price underneath), but we have been told in passing it's not legal to use "Cash Price" anymore, but I can't find anything online to confirm this.


texts: Is it kidnapping if I steal a car that happens to have a baby in it?

texts: Suppose I steal a car, and there's a baby in the back seat. Did I just kidnap the baby?


texts: Does a patient have a right to obtain a copy of documents verifying a physician's claims of his qualification?

texts: Some physicians offer online consultations to patients who reside abroad. In these cases do patients have an opportunity to verify the identity of the physician? Some information is not intended for disclosure. Do documents proving a physician's education or affiliation with an employing institution belong to this category?


texts: (UK) How to negotiation rent abatement and/or inconvenience compensation due to urgent disruptive flat repair?

texts:
TL;DR: Upstairs neighbour renovation discovered a structural damage that affects my privately rented flat. Week-long very disruptive repair pending whilst I have to teach from home with no where else to go or live. How do I negotiate/estimate the inconvenience compensation? Short of hiring a solicitor, what can I do to motivate my landlord to give me rent abatement and inconvenience compensation?
edit: clarified my questions and made the post shorter.

I live in a privately-rented flat in Scotland under the Private Residential Tenancy Agreement. The flat is managed by the letting agency and I've never come into contact with my landlord.  However, I've been a model tenant.
The owners of flat directly above mine is doing a big renovation, during which they discovered a structural damage to their floor (my ceiling). Now there will be a big and disruptive repair work done to my flat that will render at least part of my flat unusable for one week.
My workplace is shut completely and I have to work from home. I don't have family that I can stay with in the meantime and all the chaos in the flat means that I will have to board my pet. Also we are still in the middle of a pandemic with daily rising cases and potential second wave. With workers in and out everyday, they will have to use my toilet and touch everything, so I'll have to disinfect everyday.
I read on Shelter Scotland that for disruptive repairs I can ask for rent abatement and/or inconvenience compensation if the repair is affecting your quality of life. But the landlord is NOT obliged to give rent abatement and/or compensation, and pay for other costs such as hiring movers or storage of furniture, cleaning after the repair, or necessary pet boarding.
My landlord hasn't been amenable to any minor repair/upgrades before, so I don't expect to get much compensation/rent abatement from her, if anything at all. What can I do if she refuses or only agrees to a paltry amount? How does one even calculate or justify the amount? Short of getting a solicitor, is there anything else that I can do to motivate my landlord?
Thanks!


texts: What automatic citation/bibliography programs are well-designed for law papers?

texts:
I have tried Mendeley for citations and bibliography for writing law papers at my university, but it seems not to be designed for legal citations.

For example, when I want to add a Case file as an item in mendeley, and choose "case" as the item's type, it asks for "volume" rather than "case number", which causes the citation to be incorrectly formatted.

So which citation program is well-adapted to legal citations? Which program(s) should I use?

e.g. I'm using a citation style like OSCALA or Bluebook.


texts: Is there an eventual legal obligation to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece?

texts:
Greece as a state was born in 1829 with the London Protocol so it would have to be a nasciturus for it to have ownership (retroactively) between 1801-1812 when the Elgin Marbles were being removed.

If Greece was not a nasciturus then the Ottoman Empire has ownership and they did nothing to get them back.

I do not know what was the international public law and the international property law then. The absence of an international public Law would mean there would be no legal obligation to return the Elgin Marbles. If contemporary law recognises the British Museum's ownership of the Elgin Marbles because they acquired it in good faith, then only by retroactively enforcing a different law could we reach the conclusion that they never acquired ownership because Elgin didn't own the Marbles himself.

Can there be any legal obligation of the British Museum to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece without retroctively applying/enforcing any law?


texts: Is it legal to use screen recording of different google image search results for profit?

texts: Is it ok if I make a video which is a screen recording of me doing different google image searches and putting it on youtube with ads enabled?


texts: Misprision of felony by a (potentially) foreign entity

texts:
According to USC,

  18 U.S. Code § 4. Misprision of felony
  Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

Say if someone posted a post on SE that is clearly a crime under US federal laws. However it is unclear whether the author is of US citizenship. Is it a legal obligation for a US citizen to report such posts to authorities? Is it considered active concealing by down/close/delete voting the post?

My understandings: No. Since it is required that the case is cognizable by a US court, and it is not the case if the author is not a US citizen or on US territory; since it is unclear whether the author is a US citizen, one does not have knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States. Hence a US citizen is not legally obligated to report such posts, and down/close/delete voting is not a crime.


texts: Cookie compliance with GDPR when cookies don't collect the PII?

texts:
We are using Google Analytics and Facebook Login button (Which comes with preset Facebook Analytics).

So here is the question with Google Analytics we are not assigning users with GA UserID and IP anonymization is turned on. So GA assigns the Client ID only, which is randomly generated to each visitor of our website.

Regarding to Facebook Analytics – Facebook states that they are not collecting Personal Identifiable Information in their Privacy Policy notice “Advertising, Measurement and Analytics Services (Non-Personally Identifiable Information Only).”.

So do we still need to get the consent from users as information that both Analytics services collect is not PII?


texts: What constitutes as a place of "Public Accommodation"

texts:
In most anti-discrimination law, the term "public accommodation" comes up a lot, but the definition is vague at best. From what I gather it refers to all public (government-owned) establishments and certain private ones.

So would it be legal for a private shop owner to refuse service to someone because of their race/creed/religion/etc?


texts: Which country's laws take precedence in a war?

texts:
Let's say the speed limit in country A is 110 km/h, and in country B it is 100 km/h. One day the two go to war, and country A conquers half of country B, but the war is still ongoing. For a person who lives in the conquered half of country B, which speed limit applies?

The obvious answer is that the moment A conquers the place, A's law applies; and if B reconquers the place, B's law applies. However, this sounds pretty artificial - how would one know if one has been conquered if one lives in the countryside where no battles were fought? - so I'm wondering how this has worked in history. Clearly after the war is ended, the peace treaty should settle the question, but I'm wondering about the case where the war is ongoing.


texts: Why are occupants (tenants) required to be on leases?

texts: Some leases require that all occupants (tenants) are required to be on the lease.  What is the reason for this?


texts: Mandatory participation in workplace holiday potluck

texts:
NOTE - this is strictly hypothetical and I am not asking for legal advice. In the case that I ever do need real legal advice I'll find a real lawyer and pay them for it.

Suppose my employer decides to throw a holiday potluck and mandates participation by employees. Employees are required to bring in a dish to feed so many people. Suppose further that I refuse to participate and, as a result, my employer fires me citing failure to participate in the potluck as the reason.

Am I eligible for unemployment insurance benefits?
Do I have any hope to sue for wrongful termination or anything like that?

Jurisdiction: any US, although if there are notable situations in specific locations in the US I'd love to read about them.

As an aside - this is strictly hypothetical. What's not hypothetical is that I hate workplace potlucks.

Some more information:

Salaried exempt (IT)
USA, at will, right to work
Various tenures at the job

For instance - suppose my employer asked me to bring in $50k or get fired. Would that be "constructive dismissal"? Would it be for a much smaller amount - say $50? If so, would that make any difference at all?


texts: How can I challenge university's policy to provide Alternative Formats for only "Core" books?

texts:
I've print disability, and my university in England sorted my requested books into 3 kinds: Core, Recommended, and Not on Reading List. Like the quote beneath, it'll furnish me  Alternative Format (hencefoth AF) for only core books because of "legal requirements and operational limitations", but this I don't believe as  the process looks as easy and quick as requesting PDFs from publishers like OUP, which  doesn't constrain AF to core books.
How can I challenge this, for free without lawyers? It discriminates against students with print disability, who should be granted a reasonable quota of AF for any book in the library.

What does the service do?
We provide alternative formats for disabled students who can't access printed materials. We can reformat anything held by the library that is on the core reading list for your course. You can find out more about reading lists in this short video: readinglists.uwe.ac.uk - an overview for students.


texts: Michigan 6% sales tax on food prepared in a supermarket

texts:
In Michigan, food sold in supermarkets is exempt from the 6% sales tax.  In contrast, food that you get in say a restaurant is not.

The fuzzy area is food that is prepared in supermarkets. E.g. Pizza or rotisserie chicken baked in the supermarket itself. (Most people who buy such items will usually bring it home. But in many supermarkets you will also have the option of sitting and eating there, because there will be some tables and chairs.) Are these supposed to be subject to the 6% sales tax?

On such food items, most supermarkets do not seem to charge that 6% sales tax. However, I bought a rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart yesterday (prepared in Wal-Mart itself) and at the register, a 6% sales tax was added on.

So what should the correct tax treatment be?