Volume 5, Issue 4

Editors

Cherie W. Blackburn

Robert W. Pearce, Jr.

John C. McElwaine

 Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P.

1-800-237-2000

www.nmrs.com

Nelson Mullins has more than 275 attorneys firm-wide, with over 25 attorneys having significant representation of e-commerce clients in areas including patent, copyright and trademark protection; business planning, securities and venture capital; and licensing, distribution and contract preparation. 

Atlanta Contacts

Neil Grayson

neg@nmrs.com

  Lloyd Farr

lgf@nmrs.com

  Charleston Contacts

Cherie Blackburn

cwb@nmrs.com 

Robert Pearce

rwp@nmrs.com

John McElwaine

jcm@nmrs.com 

Charlotte Contact

Larry Scott

ljs@nmrs.com

Myrtle Beach Contact

Franklin Daniels

fgd@nmrs.com 

Columbia Contact

Mark Dukes

mcd@nmrs.com 

Greenville Contact

Marvin Quattlebaum

amq@nmrs.com 

William Herlong

wdh@nmrs.com 

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 DEMOCRATIC TEAM OF KERRY AND EDWARDS HAVING WEB ADDRESS PROBLEMS

Shortly after Senator John Kerry announced that Senator John Edwards would be his 2004 presidential running mate, Indianapolis resident Kerry Edwards put a “For Sale” sign on his six year old Web site. The Indianapolis Edwards is a 34-year-old bail bondsman who received a call from the Kerry-Edwards campaign regarding purchase of the site. With the asking price apparently too high, no transaction occurred. Other choices for the Democratic candidates, including “KerryEdwards04.com”, “KerryEdwards-2004.com”, and “KerryEdwards2004.net” had all been registered. The owner of several of these Web sites, Kevin Draftz of Chicago, described himself as a lifelong Democrat but was demanding thousands of dollars and would not rule out selling the names to the competition. With Internet law protecting the use of such named Websites for political commentary, it will probably be very difficult for the Kerry-Edwards campaign to obtain any of these sites without purchasing them. At present, the official Website of the Democratic campaign remains “JohnKerry.com”. Source: WashingtonPost.com.

“DO – NOT - CALL” LIST PASSES 62 MILLION TELEPHONE NUMBERS

According to the Federal Trade Commission, in the one year since the agency established the anti-telemarketing registry for U.S. telephone numbers, more than 62 million telephone numbers have been posted to the list. During that time, 428,000 complaints were filed against more than 130,000 companies. Approximately 200 companies fall into the repeat offender category, with more than 100 complaints against each. Fines run up to $11,000 for each registered and listed number that a telemarketer calls. Unfortunately, the FTC has brought only one action under the “do-not-call” rule but claims that it has a significant number of matters under investigation. According to a recent survey, 87 percent of consumers who are registered on the “do-not-call” list said they had received fewer phone calls. The survey reported that these consumers received an average of 30 telemarketing calls per month before they registered on the list and received on average of 6 calls per month after registering. The American Teleservices Association, which represents many call centers, is still attempting a legal challenge to this list and has asked the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the list. Source: TheWashingtonPost.com

THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES VS. CYBERCAFES

The Los Angeles City Council has passed an ordinance that restricts the hours that those under 18 will be permitted in Internet cafes. On school days between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and after 10:00 p.m., visitors to these Internet cafes in Los Angeles will be required, on request, to provide proof that they are 18 or older. Los Angeles cites its growing problems with truancy and youth violence as a reason for this new ordinance. Cnetnews.com

FAKE DEGREES OFFERED FOR $300 ON WEB SITE

In Britain, all it takes is £165 for an individual to obtain forged qualifications ranging from medical and law degrees to masters degrees. Universities and employers say that the forgeries look very authentic, and the education secretary in Britain has been asked to investigate. The individual forger lives in Liverpool and has been questioned by police but was released because bringing him to justice has proven to be prohibitively lengthy and expensive. The forger will also provide false school exam results and transcripts for a further £245. In response to a request from a British newspaper for a comment on his forging, the Liverpool forger sent an email saying, “Strange are the ways of Man, in each, we do what we do!” Source: Guardian.co.uk

CHINA BATTLES PORN ON THE INTERNET

The Chinese minister of public security has launched a “people’s war” against pornography on the Internet. China has identified more than 500 Web sites across the country that it vows to shut down due to their pornographic content. These Web sites have been given until September to remove the offending material. This crackdown on Web sites follows last month’s closure by the Chinese government of approximately 16,000 Internet cafes for violating the ethical standards of the young and providing subversive material on the Internet. Source: UK.news.yahoo.com