Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul loses bid for identities of those posting online spoof

A federal judge ruled that Republican presidential contender Ron Paul could not force YouTube and Twitter to provide the identities of whoever uploaded videos with a spoof of Ron Paul bashing former candidate Jon Huntsman for being a Chinese agent. It is unusual for a candidate to sue in these matters given the courts’ tolerance [...]

First Amendment Center protests Indiana lawmaker’s attempt to censor ‘non-traditional’ versions of national anthem

The First Amendment guarantees that the government not regulate the expression of those who sing “off tune” argues Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center. That someone might offend someone else by doing a non-traditional rendition of the national anthem should not be grounds for censorship writes Policinski. -db From a commentary for [...]

Free speech: Peabody Energy objects to parody

Peabody Energy was not amused by a website that offered a free inhaler to any family within 200 miles of a coal plant and wrote a letter demanding that its name be removed from the website. EFF attorney Carynne McSherry pointed out the weakness in Peabody’s position, “The legal analysis is not hard: the trademark [...]

Free speech: Electronic Frontier Foundation warns against California law undermining parody

A new “E-Personation” bill now in the California legislature would make it a crime to personate someone online to “harm” that person. EFF claims that the law would severely restrict online parodies criticizing government and big corporations. -db Electronic Frontier Foundation Commentary August 22, 2010 By Corynne McSherry A bill that could undermine a new [...]

Political speech: Federal court rules satirical ads violated copyright law

An Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer finds fault with judges’ downgrading satire as a form of protected speech as in Henley v. DeVore in which a senatorial candidate attacked his opponent by setting his own words to two songs, “The Boys of Summer” (The Hope of November”) and “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” (“All [...]

Free speech: Federal judge rules for comic for onstage jokes about in-laws

A First Amendment Center director says that the First Amendment, properly understood, protects a wide range of humor, from satire and parody to editorial cartoons. -db First Amendment Center Opinion May 16, 2010 By Gene Policinski What is it about humor that all too often results in situations that decidedly are not a laughing matter? [...]

Arbitrator nixes talk show host Glenn Beck’s charge that parody infringed copyright

Online Media Daily November 6, 2009 By Wendy Davis Controversial talk show host Glenn Beck came up empty as a World Intellectual Property Organization arbitrator ruled that a unflattering url intended to be a parody came under the protection of the First Amendment. -DB