Insights
Does a Public University Need a Protective Order?
Colleges and universities that receive public funds are subject to open records law. Are there any limits? At Oklahoma University, NonDoc Media and their editor-in-chief, Tres Savage, have been engaged in a struggle with OU’s petition for a protective order. The goal...
How Far Will Racine, WI Go to Conceal a City Public Records Misstep?
If you’re the “wrong” person requesting the “wrong” city public records from the “wrong” officials, you can have a very tough time indeed. You might even endure a years-long legal struggle. Of course, by “wrong” in all these instances, I really mean: Some public...
Did PETA Public Records Suit Misreport OSHU’s Behavior or Hold them Accountable?
Does a public records suit always conform to a good guy vs. bad guy narrative? Is the requester always the hero, and the public entity is always the villain? Of course, it’s not that black and white. Public records laws were created to support government transparency...
Can Foreign Nationals Volunteer While Waiting for Work Authorization?
🤔 I’m often asked by employers …. 👉 My employee wants to Do Volunteer Work while waiting for his/her work authorization… CAN WE DO THAT? Although volunteer work is essential and good for our communities to thrive because this work makes a tangible impact on the lives...
MetaBirkin NFTs Ruled a Trademark Violation
The line between art made from existing products and brands has always been murky, and it is likely going to be a never ending question. Warhol’s pop culture prints. Dom Pérignon in Cédric Peers’ work. MSCHF’s “Wavy Baby” shoes. And now we can add NFT trademark...
Private Donations to Public Universities = Public Records?
There have been numerous cases lately regarding what records should be considered public versus private when public officials or funds are involved. Here's an interesting corner of that larger question: have you ever wondered if large private donations to public...
My Why: What Led Me to Practicing Law in Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction
In March 2020, another woman gave birth to our son in Nevada, 2,226 miles away from our home in Florida. The battle to get to that day began six years earlier, and involved diagnoses of infertility, multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization, two devastating...
DMCA Abuse & How Anonymity Protects Free Expression
Have you ever been served a DMCA Takedown Notice? This legal tool was created by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998 to protect intellectual property on the internet. But decades down the road, we’ve seen that some internet users experience DMCA abuse –...