US Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) on Monday introduced a bill aimed at limiting frivolous patent lawsuits. The proposed legislation, known as the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act of 2013 , is designed to increase transparency in the US patent process and improve resources for small businesses that are targeted in patent [...]
The Primorsky Court in St. Petersburg granted bail on Tuesday to seven Greenpeace International activists awaiting trial on charges of hooliganism . The activists, who may be released on bail , are from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, New Zealand and Poland. Bail was set at 2 million rubles (approximately USD $61,500) and must be paid [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Alfred Williams, Jr., St. John’s University School of Law Class of 2014, is the author of the seventh article in a 10-part series from the staffers of the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. Williams explores issues with New York City’s current land use procedure and offers a possible solution…
Washington, DC, Mayor Vincent Gray , signed into law the DC Drivers Safety Amendment Act of 2013 on Monday, which will allow the District Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue “limited purpose” driver’s licenses to undocumented DC residents. Gray introduced the bill in May, saying, “the legislation is the right thing to do for [...]
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Monday restating its call for member states to take steps against piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia and the Horn of Africa. The resolution urges UN member states to cooperate with “relevant international organizations to adopt legislation to facilitate prosecution of suspected pirates, as well [...]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday reported concern regarding recent violent incidents in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, which have left in excess of 40 people dead and hundreds injured. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSIL) visited hospitals in the area to confirm the number of deceased [...]
Two citizens from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) received prison terms on Monday for their Twitter posts, which were deemed to be insulting to Islam or in opposition to state security. Musaab Shamsah, a Kuwait citizen, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, while Waleed al-Shehhi, a UAE [...]
A German prosecutor on Monday recommended that a 94-year-old man living in Minnesota be charged with 40 counts of murder for his involvement in an attack that razed a Polish village to the ground in 1944. An earlier investigation found that retired Minnesota carpenter Michael Karkoc was formerly a commander in a Nazi SS-led unit, [...]
An international team of lawyers on Saturday accused the Egyptian military and the country’s interim government of crimes against humanity and a number of human rights abuses since president Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July. At a press conference held on Saturday in London, UK based lawyer Tayab Ali announced that evidence compiled by their [...]
You may have noticed some changes to JURIST over the course of the last month, to put it mildly. First, the top of the page was taken over by a big banner screaming about our Fall 2013 Fundraising Drive. Second, your objective legal news coverage has been occasionally interrupted by entreaties from yours truly asking [...]
