As part of a new weekly feature on our blog, I’ll post the highlights from the Center’s and my Twitter feeds.
Here is what had my attention on Twitter this week:
Call for Papers: New York Times v. Sullivan, A Fifty Year Retrospective
On October 12, 2013, we will be partnering with the First Amendment Law Review to help host their annual symposium, which will be focused on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan. We’ll post more information about the symposium in the next few weeks, but if you are a scholar who writes in this area, you may be interested in submitting a paper to the First Amendment Law Review (note: the deadline is October 1). Here is their call for papers:
The First Amendment Law Review is hosting its annual symposium in Chapel Hill, NC, on October 12, where scholars from across the country will participate in a discussion focusing on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan. In conjunction with our event, the First Amendment Law Review will also publish a symposium edition featuring articles related to Sullivan’s direct impact on the media, and articles that analyze Sullivan’s effect on a broader scale.
We are seeking articles that will be published in Volume Twelve of the First Amendment Law Review alongside work by some of our symposium panelists, which include Bruce Brown, Vincent Blasi, Ronald Cass, Stuart Benjamin, George Wright, and Ashley Messenger. As the only legal journal in the country dedicated solely to the First Amendment, the First Amendment Law Review is an ideal platform for those looking to contribute to First Amendment scholarship, and we have a tradition of hosting excellent symposia with impressive keynote speakers such as Erwin Chemerinsky and Floyd Abrams. This year, we are pleased to announce that Geoffrey Stone, Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, will give our keynote address.
If you would like to be considered for publication in our symposium edition, please submit an article of at least twenty pages, including footnotes, by October 1 to falr@unc.edu. Those selected for publication will be invited, but not required, to attend our symposium on October 12, and will be recognized at the event.
Greetings from San Francisco: A UNC Student’s Summer Internship at EFF
I’m very excited that one of our students is spending her summer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, funded in part by the Center’s Public Interest Grant Program. Natasha Duarte has graciously volunteered to blog about her summer experience at EFF. Here is her first missive:
On May 24, I witnessed a small victory in the fight against copyright trolls. I attended a hearing in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in the case AF Holdings, LLC v. Trinh. The judge ordered the plaintiff, AF Holdings, to pay the defendant $9,425 for attorneys’ fees.
Copyright trolls are companies that buy the rights to content online and then sue unsuspecting Internet users who allegedly use the copyrighted content without a license. AF Holdings is a “porn troll”—it buys the copyrights to pornographic films and then searches for IP addresses that download the films. It sues Internet users, often in large groups, for massive amounts of damages in order to pressure defendants into settling quickly and to avoid going to court altogether.
AF Holdings was represented by Prenda Law, which has been linked to other similar copyright troll cases and was recently sanctioned by a federal judge for abusing the copyright system.
Like many other copyright troll cases, no decision on the merits was reached because the case was dismissed after AF Holdings decided not to pay the costs of continuing with the case. However, the judge’s order granting the motion to dismiss acknowledged that the there was a “reasonable probability” that AF Holdings would lose because its evidence of infringement was “weak.”
On a more fun note, I experienced Bay to Breakers, an annual race followed by a massive outdoor party in San Francisco’s Panhandle where everyone wears crazy costumes (or nothing at all) in a display of free expression.
Look for additional posts by Natasha next week.
Carolina Law CLE Session: Media Law in the Digital Age
Next Wednesday, May 8, I’ll be presenting a continuing legal education (CLE) session in Wilmington, NC at the New Hanover County Executive Development Center. The topic will be “Media Law in the Digital Age: Internet Defamation and other Digital Torts.” Here is the description from the law school’s website:
With the advent of the Internet, everyone is a publisher today. Whether it is a company blog, Twitter or even Facebook, these publishing platforms can open you and your clients up to a potential lawsuit. Professor David S. Ardia will review the most recent case law on this evolving topic and share best practices for limiting liability and responding to claims involving speech on the Internet. UNC School of Law invites you to join Professor Ardia and other Carolina grads for this “lunch and learn” session as we explore the impact the Internet is having on media law, with a particular emphasis on libel, privacy, and other digital torts.
If you are in the Wilmington area, I hope you will come. It starts at noon and (bonus!) includes lunch. To register, go to the law school’s event page.
Summer Public Interest Grants for Law and Graduate Students
Each year, the UNC School of Law provides summer grants to law students taking unpaid or low-paying summer public interest jobs. Funding for these grants comes from several sources including: the Carolina Public Interest Law Organization (CPILO), private funds given through generous donors, law school funds allocated by the Dean, and student organizations that fundraise to support students working in a particular area of interest. This year the Center for Media Law and Policy is also contributing funds to assist students (both UNC law and graduate students) who have a summer job in the field of media law or media policy.
For UNC law students, the deadline for applying for a summer grant is March 21, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. The application process (and general requirements) for these funds is the same as for the law school’s Summer Public Interest Grant. Simply check the box on the general application for “Media Law or Policy” under the heading “Substantive Areas Your Summer Employment Will Involve” and you will be automatically considered for these funds. If you have already filled out an application, just log back in and check the box for “Media Law or Policy”; you can make changes to your application until the application deadline at 5pm today (3/21).
For UNC graduate students, the deadline for applying for a summer grant is March 25, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Please download the application form and send it directly to us at medialaw [at] unc.edu along with the other supporting material described below. Students will be notified of a decision in early April.
Requirements and Information on How to Apply
You must have a job offer from one of the following types of organizations to be eligible: a nonprofit organization (an organization that is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Code), a legal aid office, a state or federal government agency, a public defender office, or a district attorney office.
Applications will be evaluated based on (a) your demonstrated commitment to public service and (b) the quality of your essays (each essay must not be more than 500 words).
Required documents include:
- Resume (without grade information)
- Offer letter from your employer
- Essays (no more than 500 words each) *
* Essay questions:
- Essay #1: Describe your work responsibilities and the community needs you will be addressing.
- Essay #2: Describe your commitment to public service. How have your past interests and work experiences contributed to your proposed summer internship responsibilities?
- Essay #3: How do you see this summer work experience contributing to your long-term career goals?
Be sure to check out 10 Tips for Writing a Strong Grant Application.