Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Enjoy the Holiday Season and Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season along with a happy new year! May the new year bring good health, happiness, and success!

To learn more about the social media legal issues that your entity may confront in the new year you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Professional Athletes Must Be Careful When Using Social Media

During the past two years, professional athletes have started to embrace social media. For example, active NFL players such Chad Ochocinco and Reggie Bush have more than a million Twitter followers. These two NFL players have successfully combined their on the field play with their off the field personalities to become popular on social media.

Social media offers professional athletes new and exciting ways to engage and interact with their fans. Unfortunately, social media usage by professional athletes may also cause some unforeseen problems. During this time, some NFL players have been fined for violating the NFL's social media policy because they tweeted during a game. Other players have made inappropriate comments on Twitter. For example, former Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson lost more than $300,000 in game day compensation for his Tweets that slurred homosexuals. Johnson's Tweets so enraged Chiefs fans that an online petition garnered more than 32,000 fan signatures to keep Johnson from returning to the team. In addition to lost game day compensation, Johnson may have lost possible lucrative post-career marketing opportunities in Kansas City.

Social media usage by professional athletes may also have serious legal consequences. For example, on December 22, 2010 it was reported by the Baltimore Sun that Ravens rookie Sergio Kindle expressed uncertainty about his NFL career on Twitter after he met with his doctors. Kindle has been on the reserve/non-football injury list since fracturing his skull before training camp opened earlier this year. Discussing one's medical condition is not something that should occur via social media. Less than a week after Kindle's Twitter medical update he was charged with a DUI. In addition, Kindle through an interview allegedly admitted to drinking and driving. It appears that Kindle has deleted his Twitter account within the past 48 hours of this writing.

Kindle's social media usage along with his poor judgment may end up not only harming his NFL career, it may also cause him legal trouble. A prosecutor may utilize Kindle's Tweets and his alleged interview admission regarding the DUI against him in court. Even if Kindle's attorney is able to have Kindle's blood alcohol score and/or other evidence excluded from the case, a prosecutor may still be able to utilize Kindle's Tweets before and after the alleged DUI and his alleged admissions to a reporter regarding the incident.

As more and more people utilize social media, these type of issues will drastically increase. Therefore, it is imperative to think twice before making a social media post because you never know how it may be used against you at a later date.

To learn how to protect your social media profile you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

New York Jets' Rex Ryan Needs to Take His Feet Out of His Mouth and Address Foot-Fetish Gate

The New York Jets' Rex Ryan needs to take his feet out of his mouth. Usually, when you hear the saying that someone has their foot in their mouth it means that they are saying things that are not very intelligent. However, in this instance, Ryan has figuratively put both of his feet in his mouth to intentionally avoid addressing what will become known as Foot-Fetish Gate.

According to Deadspin.com, a woman who looks very similar to Ryan's wife Michelle has been posting videos onto YouTube about feet fetishes. In addition, if you listen to one of the videos posted the voice sounds similar to Ryan's. The YouTube account ("ihavepretty feet") that originally contained these videos was so popular that YouTube allegedly terminated the account for terms of service violations.

Foot-Fetish Gate was on the Cover of today's New York Daily News. According to NJ.com, when Ryan was asked about the videos in a press conference today he stated, "This is a personal matter and I'm not going to discuss it. This is a personal matter, I hope you can respect the fact I don't want to discuss it."

Ryan should have followed the way Dave Letterman handled his social media situation when Letterman was blackmailed about his personal conduct last year. On December 2, 2009, I blogged about how well Letterman handled his social media crisis and stated that Tiger Woods should follow David Letterman's social media crisis playbook. David Letterman came out publicly very quickly on his show and admitted what had happened. Letterman's honest response made the story die very early in the news cycle with no apparent professional consequences.

In contrast, Tiger Woods for months refused to address his personal problems that became public soon after Thanksgiving 2009. Woods' handling of his social media crisis has derailed his career, cost him millions in sponsorship dollars and destroyed his marriage. The final chapter on Brett Favre's sexting scandal has not been written yet so it is too early to properly review his social media crisis response.

From the facts I have seen so far, it does not appear that Rex Ryan or his wife have engaged in any activity that could cause him legal problems. Therefore, I would advise Rex Ryan to come clean and make this a non-story quickly. Ryan may want to take a page from Hugh Grant's personal incident from 15 years ago when Grant was caught with a hooker. Grant did the talk show circuit and made light of the matter. Grant's career did not suffer because he apologized and acted sincere and audiences have embraced him ever since. If you win football games people generally don't care what you do in your spare time. Even then, the U.S. is a very forgiving country. For example, Michael Vick has resurrected his career due to his recent on the field play and his positive contributions to his surrounding community.

Since Ryan and his wife may only be guilty of poor decision making he should do a 180 as soon as possible and give a press conference that honestly addresses Foot-Fetish Gate before this weekend's NFL games begin. Nobody cares what Ryan and his wife do in their spare time as long as the Jets win. However, if the Jets lose this Sunday and don't make or go far in the playoffs Ryan and/or his wife's off the field activities may be further questioned. Personally, I can't wait to see and hear what the Chicago Bear fans will say to Ryan at this weekend's game. Are you ready for some football?

To learn how to properly handle a social media crisis you may contact me at http://www.shearlaw.com/.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

UK approves Tweeting in the Court Room During Assange Bail Hearing

You have to give credit to Julian Assange where credit is due. His name and his organization WikiLeaks strikes fear in every government and large corporation throughout the world. He has the ability to destroy international relationships and expose secrets with a simple keystroke. Due to Assange's creation, no "For Your Eyes Only" document is safe from "inquiring minds."

So far, Wikileaks' infamous document releases have been a big disappointment to me. Reading how U.S. diplomats view leaders from around the world is boring. I want WikiLeaks to release its documents on Bigfoot, the incident at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, and its information on the Warren Commission. I want to know if Lee Harvey Oswald was the only person involved with President Kennedy's assassination.

Despite WikiLeaks major shortcomings, we can thank Assange's actions and current celebrity for a UK court's acceptance of the usage of Twitter during a court room proceeding. Howard Riddle, the Chief Magistrate presiding over Assange's bail hearing was asked and provided permission to a reporter that he could send Tweets if it is done quietly and does not disturb the court. Therefore, it appears that mircoblogging during a trial by reporters may be acceptable in the UK.

As of this writing, the US does not have a uniform rule on microblogging by reporters during trial. In a recent high profile trial in Chesire, Conn a defendant is using as part of his basis for appeal that Tweeting during trial created a "circus atmosphere." So far this argument has fallen on deaf ears. However, until there is uniformity throughout the US this argument may succeed in some jurisdictions.

In my opinion, up until this point in time,WikiLeaks' major contribution is that it has assisted a UK court in deciding that Tweeting during a judicial proceeding is acceptable. Only after WikiLeaks uploads the documents that answer all of my questions regarding Area 51, the Roswell Incident, and the Bigfoot can I truly say that it has topped its biggest accomplishment to date which is having a UK jurist determine that Tweeting during a court proceeding is acceptable.

To learn more about how your legal rights may be affected by social media usage you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

How To Choose A Social Media Lawyer

Choosing a social media lawyer is difficult because there are so few bona fida social media attorneys around. You should choose a social media lawyer in the same manner that you choose a lawyer for any other matter: via due diligence. Social Media Law is like entertainment law and sports law in that there are several different areas of the law that a practitioner should understand.

Some of the areas of the law that a social media lawyer should be knowledgeable about include: Internet law, intellectual property, employment law, business law, media law, and privacy law. A social media lawyer should also know how social media may be used in other legal specialties and the business of social media. In addition, a social media lawyer must understand social media technology and how social media is utilized. A social media lawyer must not just talk the talk, he must walk the walk.

I have noticed some lawyers falsely advertising they have social media experience and some who have even fraudulently created social media credentials. Due diligence via a Google search, a review of an attorney's social media usage, and personal recommendations should enable a client to determine a lawyer's true social media knowledge. Having a blog, a Twitter account, or a Facebook or Myspace page for your practice does not mean you are a social media lawyer. It just means that you spend your spare time creating content that you want the entire world to see.

To learn more about my social media credentials I welcome you to do a Google search and review my lawyer profile. If you are in need of social media lawyer you may contact me at http://www.shearlaw.com/.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Copyright Office Has Extended Comment Dates For Sound Recordings Fixed Before 2/15/72

The Copyright Office has extended the comment and reply period for its Notice of Inquiry requesting public input for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972. Initial comments due in the Office of the General Counsel of the Copyright Office by January 31, 2011. Reply comments due by March 2, 2011. The Copyright Office prefers that comments be submitted electronically via www.copyright.gov. For more information check out the Federal Register notice regarding this update.

A change in the law will have significant consequences for social media usage of the content that falls under this category.

To learn how to protect and monetize your intellectual property you may contact me at http://www.shearlaw.com/.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Does Google agree with my 1 day DMCA safe harbor definition of expeditiously?

According to the Associated Press, Google has stated that it will respond to complaints about pirated material within 24 hours after receiving notification. This announcement also states that Google will better police the sites that utilize its ad network to try to limit copyright violations. This long overdue announcement is great news for content creators.

On June 30, 2010, I stated that even though Viacom lost the initial round of the Viacom v. YouTube case, the case may be a win for copyright holders in the long run. I made my prediction because if YouTube was able to remove more than 100,000 infringing copyrighted clips within 1 business day of being notified more than three years ago, there is no reason why commercial entities shouldn't be held to this standard today.

Google's new 24 hour policy is welcome news because content creators have lost billions of dollars to intentional copyright infringement over the past ten years. Google also needs to enact this policy for trademark infringement. I am waiting for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc... to agree to the same policy for not just copyright infringement but also for trademark infringement. Only after these companies actively enforce a 24 hour turnaround for intellectual property infringement may they claim they are actively protecting content creators.

I challenge Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and every other social media company to follow Google's lead in protecting intellectual property.

To learn how to protect and monetize your intellectual property you may contact me at http://www.shearlaw.com/.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.

Did a Social Media "October Surprise" Derail the U.S. 2022 World Cup Bid?

There will be a tremendous amount of soul searching in the coming weeks from the U.S. soccer community regarding its failed 2022 World Cup bid. U.S. bid chairman Sunil Gulati did everything legally possible to bring the World Cup competition back to the United States. Gulati traveled all over the world and enlisted President Clinton and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman for the final presentation. Unfortunately, that was not enough. Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup.

After FIFA announced who would host the 2022 World Cup Gulati stated, "Can I sit here today and say these are the seven things that we would do different? No..I think we did everything we could." President Obama weighed in and stated it was the "wrong decision." As a U.S. soccer fan, I am disappointed about the outcome. However, I am not surprised.

According to ESPN, the U.S. bid "far exceeded its rivals in the areas of ticketing, media rights, licensing, hospitality and sponsorship." Having the best bid or pitch does not guarantee success. Even though there have been accusations that graft may have occurred during the bid process, the bottom line is that the U.S. will not be hosting the 2022 World Cup.

In my opinion, the latest WikiLeaks document release may have swayed the voters. In other words, Social Media may have been the cause of the U.S. not being the host of the 2022 World Cup. Some of my colleagues may think I am off my rocker and that I sound like a modern day Fox Mulder right out of the X-Files. However, during the past several days the WikiLeaks U.S. cable document release has dominated international news. This story has been on the cover of every major news publication all over the world. You had to be living in a cave without a modern day electronic device not to hear about it.

WikiLeaks is a website that relies on user generated content. According to its website it is, "a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public." On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks made available on its website more than 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables. The fact that WikiLeaks was able to obtain these secret cables in the first place demonstrates that the U.S. has a serious problem with data security that I am hoping will be resolved in the near future. However, the content inside some of the cables provides the impression that some of the U.S. State Department employees are using diplomatic cover to spy. This allegation along with many other embarrassing revelations such as how U.S. diplomats view some world leaders was not helpful to the U.S. World Cup bid.

If I was a World Cup voter from another country I may have been angry at the U.S. and may have have taken my anger out against it by voting for Qatar. I may have asked myself, "if the World Cup is held in the U.S. will my fellow countrymen and diplomats have to worry about being spied on during the competition?

It appears that WikiLeaks has been in possession of these documents for some time. Therefore, why were these documents released just a few days before the World Cup vote? Was this release an "October Surprise" that was done with the precision akin to a smart bomb? Is WikiLeaks part of a modern day SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) that wreaked havoc on the world in the James Bond books and movies? The latest WikiLeaks document release is extremely politically damaging and it appears that it was intentionally timed to inflict maximum political and economic damage on the United States. Why else were the documents released over Thanksgiving weekend just before the World Cup vote?

To learn more about these issues you may contact me at http://www.shearlaw.com/.

Copyright 2010 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved