Shell has agreed to pay a settlement of $15.5m over the death of Nigerian environmental activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995, after they allegedly provided the Nigerian army with vehicles, patrol boats and ammunition used in the killing.
Legal affairs
San Francisco may fine non-recyclers
San Francisco city officials are likely to introduce a law making recycling and composting mandatory, with a $500 fine for people who don’t comply.
JD Salinger’s latest law suit
Though he is frail and deaf, JD Salinger is trying to halt an alleged sequel to Catcher in the Rye. The Smoking Gun has the Affidavit. Apparently Salinger has even refused a Spielberg film of the novel.
The Gatorade-Powerade showdown
Coke’s Powerade and Pepsi’s Gatorade are locked in an epic courtroom battle over the former’s advertising. Which drink will reign surpreme?
When copyright is specious: Salinger and The Catcher
The dogmatic insistence that The Catcher in the Rye is a masterpiece beyond change, adulteration or imitation is naïve at best, disingenuous at worst, writes Binoy Kampmark.
Could Google’s summaries get your website into trouble?
A Dutch website has been found liable for the way that Google summarised the content on the website. That’s what you call opening up a can of worms…
Dear Fairfax: Martin Bryant’s mother set to sue
Crikey has obtained a copy of a letter from Slater and Gordon to Fairfax Media on behalf of convicted serial killer Martin Bryant’s mother Carleen Bryant.
The search for an unbiased Pirate Bay judge
Finding a judge in Sweden who isn’t aligned with the Swedish Copyright Association is proving difficult for those involved in the Pirate Bay trial.
Shell goes to court over murder
Oil giant Shell is headed to court, standing accused of complicity over the 1995 murder of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Is Annie Leibovitz facing bankruptcy?
An involuntary bankruptcy petition is set to be filed against celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, claiming she owes $189,00. If successful, her entire photographic archive could be taken.
Italian judges: lawyer guilty of lying to protect Berlusconi
Premier Silvio Berlusconi says he will respond to an Italian judicial panel’s determination that a British lawyer lied in court to protect him in exchange for $600,000. The three-judge panel released a 400-page document laying out its reasons for finding British lawyer David Mills guilty of corruption.
How I found out a killer was stalking me
Earlier this month, psychiatrist Jean Eric Gassy was found guilty of murder. Dr Peter Arnold writes that shortly after Gassy was charged, he was told that the accused was found carrying a photo of him.
Warhaft reaches for a lawyer in The Monthly fracas
The battle over Sally Warhaft’s departure from The Monthly could be about shift to the courtroom.
The anti-corruption czar and the caddy
The chief of Indonesia’s anti-corruption body has been accused of ordering the murder of a business executive who was caught up with him in a love-triangle.
Could Cheney be convicted for torture?
There’s a case to be made for prosecuting Dick Cheney and co. for torture-related offenses, but the real question is whether he’d ever get a conviction.
Guy Rundle: David Souter — the Republican’s Democrat
Appointing liberal-minded Republican David Souter to the Supreme Court bench has had momentous consequences for American society.
Law students dig up dirt on Supreme Court Justice
A US University law class pieced together a 15-page dossier of private information about US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He’s none too pleased.
Abu Ghraib guards take the Nuremberg
With the release of the CIA torture memos, guards jailed for their treatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison plan to appeal on the grounds that they were “scapegoats” for the Bush Administration.
Conman Peter Foster’s untold stories of Tony and Cherie Blair
Conman Peter Foster intends continuing a Supreme Court action against London’s Daily Mail.
Pirate Bay judge accused of bias
The judge who found file sharing site Pirate Bay guilty of copyright breach has been accused of bias, after revelations that he is a member of several pro-copyright groups.
Fawcett to sue Tele over those ‘Hanson’ pics
It seems the notorious Pauline Hanson fake nude photos saga is headed for a delicious postscript.
Queensland’s ‘antiquated and repressive’ abortion laws
The incoming Queensland government should follow the lead of Victoria and send the abortion laws to the Law Reform Commission for review, writes Dr Caroline de Costa.
Police officer’s Facebook frolics dredged up in court
Note to members of Facebook’s “I secretly want to punch slow-walking people in the back of the head” group: it can and will be used against you in a court of law.
