Tag: USA

LAPD Officers Faked Reports, Added Innocent People To Its Gang Database | Techdirt

More than a dozen Los Angeles police officers with the elite Metro Division are being investigated on suspicion of falsifying information they gathered during stops and wrongly portraying people as gang members or associates, according to multiple sources.The officers, assigned to special patrols in South Los Angeles, are suspected of falsifying field interview cards during stops and inputting incorrect information about those questioned in an effort to boost stop statistics.

Source: LAPD Officers Faked Reports, Added Innocent People To Its Gang Database | Techdirt

Marvin Gaye Family Not Done With Pharrell Just Yet: Bring Him Back To Court Claiming Perjury | Techdirt

in a new filing by the Gaye Estate (first noted by THREsq), they’re claiming that Pharrell perjured himself in his deposition by saying that he had no intention to channel Gaye

Source: Marvin Gaye Family Not Done With Pharrell Just Yet: Bring Him Back To Court Claiming Perjury | Techdirt

U.S. Government’s Family Separation Policy Continues


The U.S. government is still taking children from their parents after they cross the border. Since the supposed end of family separation — in the summer of 2018, after a federal judge’s injunction and President Donald Trump’s executive order reversing the deeply controversial policy — more than 1,100 children have been taken from their parents, according to the government’s own data. There may be more, since that data has been plagued by bad record keeping and inconsistencies. The government alleges that separations now only happen when a parent has a criminal history or is unfit to care for a child, but an ongoing lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union argues that the current policy still violates the rights of children and families. Border Patrol agents, untrained in child welfare, make decisions that some parents are unfit to stay with their children based solely on brief interactions with them while they are held in custody.

Source: U.S. Government’s Family Separation Policy Continues

Revolving Door Revolves Some More: Head Of Copyright Office Leaves To Join MPAA | Techdirt

This is all perfectly legal, but given some of the many questions people have raised over the years about why the Copyright Office frequently appears to be more an arm of Hollywood, rather than the American public (as is supposed to be the case), this move should raise a few more eyebrows. It won’t, of course. This is just how things are done.But even Hollywood folks should be concerned about this. For all the laughable claims it makes about how we need more “respect” for copyright, the one doing the most to undermine that respect is Hollywood itself, with such a blatant display of “soft corruption.” No one actually believes the Copyright Office has any of the public’s interests in mind, when the head of the office is simultaneously lining up her next job directly with Hollywood’s biggest lobbyist.

Source: Revolving Door Revolves Some More: Head Of Copyright Office Leaves To Join MPAA | Techdirt

ICE Says Students Duped By Its Fake College Sting Should Have Known It Was A Sting | Techdirt

For most of the past year, ICE’s fake college sting has resulted in a long string of arrests, but not very many prosecutions.The sting involved a fictitious university set up by ICE to ensnare foreigners seeking to extend their US stays by complying with the law. That’s the underlying truth that was dismantled by ICE’s fiction. Visitors on student visas are allowed to stay in the country as long as they continue their studies.

Source: ICE Says Students Duped By Its Fake College Sting Should Have Known It Was A Sting | Techdirt

Want To See Pete Davidson Do Standup? There’s An NDA You Have To Sign First… | Techdirt

Whatever you do, never tweet at a Pete Davidson comedy show. The “Saturday Night Live” cast member has recently been doling out non-disclosure agreements before each of his recent comedy shows.Most recently, fans attending Davidson’s standup at the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco were asked to sign a lengthy contract that forbade them from tweeting or instagramming any opinions about the performance.

Source: Want To See Pete Davidson Do Standup? There’s An NDA You Have To Sign First… | Techdirt

Company That Acquired ‘Copyright Troll’ Warns ISPs & VPN Providers – TorrentFreak

American Films Inc, a company that ‘acquired’ the US operations of notorious ‘copyright troll’ outfit GuardaLey earlier this year, says it has made a new acquisition. With the addition of “strategic data company” Maker Data Services LLC, the company hopes to help Hollywood bring lawsuits against ISPs and VPN providers.

Source: Company That Acquired ‘Copyright Troll’ Warns ISPs & VPN Providers – TorrentFreak

Devin Nunes Demands Satirical Internet Cow Stop Making Fun Of Him… Or Else | Techdirt

Nunes’ lawyer in the case has sent a threatening demand letter to Andrew Janz, a lawyer and state prosecutor who ran against Nunes in the last election and lost (much more narrowly than many people seemed to expect). The full letter is truly a piece of work, demanding Janz make the @DevinCow account stop making fun of Devin Nunes and issue an apology.

Source: Devin Nunes Demands Satirical Internet Cow Stop Making Fun Of Him… Or Else | Techdirt