ABA Issues Outsourcing Ethics Opinion

Just yesteday, the ABA issued Ethics Opinion opinion 08-451 (not available online) dealing with the outsourcing of legal services. In brief, the Opinion permits outsourcing assuming both the attorney and the outsourcees adhere to certain standards of ethics and competence. See this ABA Journal article as well as this Daily Record article (subscription) for more.

FCC's Ruling On Net Neutrality

Following on my post from a little while back, the FCC finally published their Order regarding Comcast's violation of the Agency's net neutrality principles. The Order gives Comcast 30 days to disclose their method for managing internet traffic.

ID Theft Ring Uncovered

Prosecutors announced that they have uncovered the identities of the thieves behind the T.J. Max, Barnes & Noble, and The Sports Authority identity theft cases. The case, which involves 11 people, is being dubbed the largest identity theft case ever prosecuted. The thieves reportedly stole 40 million confidential records. Investigators say the suspects obtained their information largely through hacking into wireless networks. See here for a copy of the indictment.

New Copyright Suit Against YouTube

YouTube now faces a new copyright suit. Italian media company Mediaset has sued YouTube, alleging the video-sharing website unlawfully made use of thousands of copyrighted video clips. This latest suit comes after a similar suit by Viacom for $1 billion.

FCC Rules On Net Neutrality

The FCC issued its much anticipated ruling today on net-neutrality, alleging that Comcast interfered with the free nature of the web when it wrongly slowed some of its customers' Internet traffic. Consumer groups had initially sued Comcast but then later asked the FCC for a declaratory ruling on the matter. The FCC's opinion effectively changes the playing field by making the US government a regulator of the internet. The FCC's Memorandum Opinion and Order (FCC 08-183) is not yet available online.