| Volume 51 Number 11 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
In Texas, there is no wage garnishment except for child support, student loans and certain taxes. A debt collector's threat to garnish your wages when he cannot do so, for example for a credit card debt, violates Texas and federal debt collection laws. Click here for more.
YouTube Wins War With Viacom
For more than three years, Viacom has been battling Google's YouTube in court over copyright infringement. Viacom, the owner of MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures, asserted that YouTube was responsible for its users' copyright violations. A U.S. District Court in New York disagreed, citing the "safe harbor" clause in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. According to the court, YouTube must address the copyright violations once they are made aware of them, but they do not need to monitor and seek out violations. Click here for more.
iPhone 4 Released With Problems
The new iPhone 4 was officially released on Thursday, leading to long lines at the Apple store and numerous consumers writing blogs with their complaints. Thus far, complaints are primarily related to serious reception problems and translucent yellow splotches that appear on the phone. Did you purchase the iPhone 4? Is it better to wait until all the problems have been addressed? Click here for more.
Twitter Settles Charges With FTC
Twitter, the popular social networking site, settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission this week after the FTC charged Twitter with deceiving consumers and failing to protect sensitive personal information. From January and May 2009, security holes allowed hackers to gain access to personal user information through administrative control. The Federal Trade Commission said Twitter "failed to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized control of its system." Is your personal information safe on Twitter? Click here for more.
Food That is Poison to Pets
Last year, the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center handled over 17,000 cases of pets poisoned by eating regular food. Pet owners must be very careful. If you think you're giving your pet a treat, you may be giving your pet poison. For a list of dangerous foods, Click here for more.
Your Money
Should you buy or rent your next home? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Lawyer advertising rule doesn’t violate First Amendment. The Eleventh Circuit held that a Florida state bar rule requiring lawyers to submit broadcast advertisements for review 20 days before airing doesn't violate the First Amendment. Click here for more.