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Legal Potpourri

There are too many great stories out there right now to choose just one to feature, so here are links to all of my current favorites:

The Law and Order Database: If you're an L&O junkie, this site has the stats for you on the outcomes of every trial on the show. For example, just over 35% of the time, the jury came back with a guilty verdict. Using this data, you can also assess which character had the best job performance outcomes.

In labor union news, the NHL lockout continues. If the season will run fewer than 48 games, it will likely be cancelled.

The government can register trademarks, and it has with the GI Bill® to protect veterans from confusion when applying to colleges that may deceptively use the trademark to increase enrollment.

In local news, and Ohio attorney is suing to protect rights of publicity potentially held by arrestees featured on mugshot websites. Rights of publicity are a state law issue, however, so the likelihood of success on the claim depends in part on the state in which the arrestee resides.

Finally, a research tip: don't do all the work of compiling a legislative history of a law if someone has already done it for you. A legislative history is, essentially, anything that tells a person why a bill became a law. It can include committee reports, transcripts of hearings, and even presidential (or gubernatorial) signing statements.