Tag Archives: Twitter

Rapper Turns Red Over Instagram Lawsuit

Controversy rolls on

Everyone knows the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” but in this day age words and statements are not to be taken lightly and can cause a lot of damage. While social media gives celebrities the ability to speak their minds to their fans, there have been plenty of public figures that have eaten their written words when they have not been cautious about while posting about others. In a recent incident, hip-hop superstar Jayceon Taylor, better known as The Game, has recently came out with a slanderous statement about his previous babysitter, Karen Monroe, on Instagram and Twitter. This resulted in a lawsuit from Ms. Monroe, who states The Game hurt her reputation. Read More

“Former” NFL Star Tackles Celebrity Lawsuits

Rashard Mendenhall #failwhale

Following the reports of Osama Bin Laden’s death in May of 2011, Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Rashard Mendenhall took to twitter in an attempt to curb the Nation’s enthusiasm.  The remark not only earned him public backlash, but also got him cut from his endorser Hanesbrands’ roster. Mendenhall retaliated in July of the same year by filing a lawsuit against the corporate clothier for terminating his contract.  His argument: Does a public figure concede the right to express an opinion that may not coincide with the views of the brand he or she endorses?
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Who Owns Your LinkedIn Account?

Ownership?

A recent court case, Eagle v. Moran, raises new questions regarding employee LinkedIn accounts and opens the door to ownership issues across the accounts of all social media platforms. Linda Eagle, former President of Edcomm, had come across predicament when she left the company. She created an account on LinkedIn to promote her company like millions of people in this country do as well.  Edcomm’s SOP has its employees use LinkedIn accounts to increase professional connections.  If they left the company, it was Edcomm policy to ‘mine’ the data on the account.  When Ms. Eagle employment  was terminated, an Edcomm employee who knew her password changed it, thus barring her from accessing the account she created.

Ms. Eagle filed suit, claiming Edcomm had illegally accessed the account and the intrusion was a violation of the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act.

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Sex and the “Motor City”

Let me reiterate, “Welcome to Detroit.”

The “Motor City” has seen yet again another scandal in its Police Department.  Looks like they will be moving on to its 5th Police Chief in the past 4 years.  Ralph Godbee has resigned from his position as Detroit Police Chief after news of an affair with a subordinate.  Angelica Robinson, an internal affairs officer, and Godbee had been in a relationship for a year before she tried ending it with the former Police Chief.  He apparently was upset by the breakup and went to a conference in California with another woman.  Oh yeah, he’s also married.  Ms. Robinson must have been angry because she posted a picture of herself on Twitter with her weapon in her mouth threatening to end her life.  Authorities tracked her cell phone and have had surveillance on her since.  Mayor Dave Bing got wind of the incident and suspended Godbee for 30 days.  He decided to overrule the Board of Police Commissioners and discipline Godbee on his own, since he appointed him to Police Chief just two years ago.

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New Apple iPhone Patent Raises First Amendment Concerns

iPhone issues

Apple recently acquired a patent  that would disable an iPhone’s camera, recording ability and even put it into sleep mode.  The patent characterizes its function as “forcing certain electronic devices to enter ‘sleep mode’ when entering a sensitive area”.  There are certainly some benefits of this feature that would make life a little less annoying.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to never enjoy a film without the interruption of someone’s cell phone?  College lectures would be silent of ringtones and it could even cut down on cheating.  While these functions appear to be harmless and even beneficial, there are serious legal questions being raised that cause some to worry about other uses of the patent.   What exactly is a sensitive area and who gets to determine this?

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