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UK Facebook and Twitter users warned over sharing court case information
In an effort to ensure UK courts can conduct fair trials, the UK Attorney General's Office (AGO) will soon start advising Facebook and Twitter users about the dangers of commenting on legal cases. In a world of super-injunctions and tweeted court cases, users have often shared sensitive legal information, believing they are entitled to free speech online. However, Facebook and Twitter posts are subject to the same laws that apply to newspapers and TV media, meaning a status update or a tweet about a case or defendant could go viral, potentially influencing a jury or revealing the names of victims. By publishing guidance, the UK Attorney General will "help stop people from inadvertently breaking the law," reducing the chances of prosecution for contempt and possible imprisonment. Advisories will be delivered via the @AGO_UK Twitter feed and website, giving those who commit contempt of court less wriggle room if they choose to plead ignorance.
TiVo asks court for a billion dollars in EchoStar case
Remember when we thought that those $90 million and $190 million judgments in the endless TiVo / EchoStar case were big noise? Yeah, they were apparently pocket change: according to documents recently filed with the court, TiVo's asking for nearly a billion dollars in contempt sanctions against EchoStar. Unfortunately, the original document in which TiVo made the request was filed under seal because it contains confidential information, but it appears that TiVo's none too pleased that EchoStar violated the permanent injunction that ordered it to disable some 193,000 DVRs in the wild, and it's looking for some payback. For its part, EchoStar says that it doesn't have to comply with the court's order because the injunction was put on hold pending appeal -- an argument that appears on the surface to make perfect sense, but since we can't read TiVo's motion we can't say for sure what's going on, and there's always a chance the company's just playing hardball in order to force a late settlement. Given the rocky history of this endless case, we doubt that's likely, but one thing's for certain: all these lawyers are eating well tonight.
Today's hottest game video
Yes, we know, it's more Jack Thompson than you care to stomach. But it's also a hidden camera view inside the contempt of court hearings. If you can get past the terrible first three minutes of the video, which concern the cameraman being late to the hearing, and the godawful audio, then you'll finally be rewarded with a few shots of Thompson looking like he has an Xbox 360 power brick up his ass, a bailiff who looks like he could be taken out by a strong cough, and one of the squeakiest chairs in the world. Things finally get interesting around 9:20 when Thompson starts holding up his stupid sign (how long until someone Photoshops this?), and the judge gets very pissed off. Thompson does look like the surliest mofo on the planet, and the only game he's probably ever played must have been checkers. We have no doubt he was around when they invented it. On second thought, he probably decried it as the devil's tool, since it mixes colors, and he went on a campaign around his neighborhood on the back of a horseless carriage telling people to stop playing it.At 14:20, the genius cameraman (or the guy next him) has his cell phone goes off, and he has to bolt from the room. That's about as action packed as this video gets. Please, invest in a microphone so we don't all go deaf. Then again, that's about the last Thompson video we'll be watching unless he's a playable character in an upcoming fighting game.Video is after the jump, enjoy the new legal hotness.
