Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• Taking on WestLaw and LexisNexis

  Carl Malamud is taking on WestLaw and LexisNexis . Carl Malamud has this funny idea that public domain information ought to be... well, public. He has a history of creating public access databases on the net when the provider of the data has failed to do so or has licensed its data only to a private company that provides it only for pay. His technique is to build a high-profile demonstration project with the intent of getting the actual holder of the public domain information (usually a government agency) to take over the job. Carl's done this in the past with the SEC's Edgar database , with the Smithsonian , and with Congressional hearings . But now, he's set his eyes on the crown jewels of public data available for profit: the body of Federal case law that is the foundation of multi-billion dollar businesses such as WestLaw. There's not much content there yet, but this would be such a welcome development if it takes off. The prices that WestLaw and LexisNexis charge are... Posted Aug 24 2007, 09:55 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Rants, Law School, Things that bother me, Law

• Why do gun manufacturers deserve immunity?

  Talk about double standards. A company can be held liable for making software, but somehow deserves immunity for manufacturing weapons ? The Senate is considering whether a bill designed to shield the firearms industry from most lawsuits that result from gun crimes should give children and police the right to sue. Supporters say the shielding legislation, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and backed by the National Rifle Association, is necessary to protect the gun industry from massive, court-ordered damages that could bankrupt it. The comparison between P2P software companies and gun manufacturers makes a lot of sense to me. Why should we hold them to different standards? But then, logic is moot when you have the NRA and RIAA on opposite sides of the fight. Read the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act here . This quote from the NY Times article sums up my thoughts nicely: "Opponents of Craig's bill say no industry should have that kind of legal protection, least of all one... Posted Jul 29 2005, 07:10 AM by Tim with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: Intellectual Property, Rants, Law School, Things that bother me