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donal brown

California court rules Public Records Act not cover GIS database

donal brown June 2, 2011

A California appeals court ruled that a public agency does not have to provide public access to  a geographic information system or GIS database under the state’s  Public Records Act. The court denied the Sierra Club’s bid to make public the Orange County Landbase, a parcel map showing over 640,000 parcels with street addresses and names of owners. The county wanted $375,000 for the entire Landbase system. In their opinion, the court wrote that the

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Copyright: IHOP sues church ministry for co-opting IHOP trademark

donal brown June 2, 2011

After dropping a similar suit in California in January, IHOP the restaurant chain is filing a new suit in Kansas City against the International House of Prayer (IHOP). IHOP the restaurant started to use the initials in 1973 and said it must protect its trademark with 45 of its 1500 restaurants in Missouri. From The Kansas City Star, June 1, 2011, by Mark Morris. Full story

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Opinion: PBS special puts WikiLeaks journalistic legitimacy in question

donal brown June 2, 2011

Jason Mick says the Public Broadcasting Service special “WikiSecrets” has raised serious questions about the WikiLeaks‘ whistleblowing credentials as many of the leaked documents revealed secret details about U.S. operations rather than exposed wrongdoing. Mick also cited the resistance put up by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to redacting the names of Afghanistan tribal leaders and others cooperating with the U.S.  including informants as evidence that Assange was waging a vendetta against the U.S. government rather

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Washington: Sex offender committed for writing fantasies about children

donal brown June 2, 2011

A Washington state appeals court ruled that the First Amendment rights of a convicted sex predator, James Aston Jr.,were not violated when he was committed for treatment for writing fantasies about children. The appeals court held that the Ashton’s comments and writings were not protected speech and constituted a “threat” and an “act”  under the civil-commitment law. Ashton had admitted to his parole officer that he would commit sexually predatory acts in the future and

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