Moritz Legal Information Blog

Bob Ross , illustrious PBS painter, would be 70 years old today were it not for his untimely death. Mr. Ross, perhaps best known for his distinctive hairstyle, pet squirrel, and soothing voice, taught television viewers how to paint beautiful landscapes with "happy little trees." A quick Google search indicates scores of websites where one can purchase a t-shirt or other memorabilia to commemorate Mr. Ross. This may leave you wondering, however, whether Mr. Ross's estate benefits from the proceeds of these sales. The answer, of course, is that it depends. Rights of publicity are governed by states, and a person's rights of publicity depend on any restrictions their domiciliary state places on them. For example, in some states, the right only arises if you are a celebrity. In other states, you can only exercise your rights posthumously if you exercised them during your lifetime. In Mr. Ross's case, he was a lifelong Floridian (despite a stint in the Air Forc

Just over a month ago, the Library of Congress launched a new website, www.congress.gov , in conjunction with the legislative branch and the Government Printing Office . If you're in need of government documents (e.g., House and Senate Reports, the Congressional Record) in pdf form and dating back to 2001, make this your first stop. Following suit, the Law Library of Congress has revamped its website to make searching easier. Now you'll be able to troll your favorite Law Library of Congress collections---like the digital archive of legal blogs (a.k.a. blawgs) and the Global Legal Information Network ---faster. Curious to see what the states are up to? This site recently reviewed and ranked the 50 U.S. States Websites according to design and access. This site recognizes notable government websites based on "innovation, functionality and efficiency."

Missed the third presidential debate, but not too eager to slog through newspapers and blogs for a summary? Take a look at the musical mash-up created by the Gregory Brothers for the New York Times. NY Times If you're curious about whether using clips from the debate to create the video was legal, the answer---as usual---is "it depends." The Gregory Brothers may have licensed the video, or they may have decided to rely on fair use as grounds for why they didn't need to ask permission in the first place. For more on music and video licensing issues, check out these books in the law library: Music Licensing Rights and Royalty Issues Getting Permission: How to License & Clear Copyrighted Materials Online & Off  (e-book!) Hey, That's My Music!: Music Supervision, Licensing, and Content Acquisition

During Edward Glasmann's trial for assualt, kidnapping, attempted robbery, and obstruction, prosecutors showed a PowerPoint presentation as part of closing arguments.  Slides included Glasmann's booking photo, with the word "GUILTY" printed over Glasmann's face. Last week, the Supreme Court of the State of Washington ovetturned Glasmann's convictions, finding that the PowerPoint amounted to prosecutorial misconduct, and was "flagrant and ill-intentioned." Opinion here . WSJ Law Blog Tacoma News-Tribune H/T: Legal Blog Watch

You may have a LinkedIn account with all the bells and whistles touting your work and educational experience. If you aren't familiar with LinkedIn, however, consider signing up. The site is essentially Facebook for professionals, allowing folks to post r é sum és, collect recommendations, and network. For example, you can join groups to meet like-minded types, like Moritz grads , possibly hearing about the latest employment opportunities well before they are posted in other places. LinkedIn is also a great research tool. Simply log in, click "Advanced" next to the search bar (see below), and you're on your way. Looking for lawyers in a particular city who practice civil rights law? Select the Law Practice industry type and the city or zip code where you're looking. Curious about the types of work or employment trajectories from alum from your undergrad? Type the undergraduate institution in the School field. Interested in working for the Disney cor

If you have a paper or draft due for a journal, but you don't know where to begin, don't forget you can check in with the law librarians .  The reference desk is open 10am-5pm during the week and on Sundays from 1pm-5pm. Stop by if you're not finding what you're looking for online, and we can help you develop your research strategy and suggest resources. If you're working after library hours, take a look at Writing for & Publishing in Law Reviews to get started. Trolling some of the law library's online databases, like HeinOnline  (with collections like " Foreign Relations of the United States " and " U.S. International Trade Library ") or the Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises 1800-1926 may be a quicker way to start digging into secondary sources than searching Google.

A Seattle ordinance required the publishers of yellow pages phone books to pay a fee for each book, as well as have an advertisement for an opt-out service on the front cover. On Monday, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the ordinance did not survive strict scrutiny and declared that the yellow pages enjoys full First Amendment protection. Opinion WSJ Law Blog Seattle Post Intelligencer