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Viacom is at it again. And this time they have the court’s backing. Google has been ordered to hand over YouTube users’ private data. TechCrunch says Viacom wants to use the information to find ordinary Joe’s to sue. I don’t think so.

I think Viacom will see it more as a marketing opportunity. Once the cold blows off and dissipates from the sinister news they will likely want to use the information for marketing purposes, which would be far worse than trying to sue YouTube users. If the court does get away with forcing Google to sell out its users to Viacom there should be a stipulation that Viacom cannot use the information for anything other than determining that there were in fact users who watched their copyrighted videos. But the more pressing issue is the privacy of users altogether.

There is no reason to make YouTube user privacy information available to Viacom or the public. The court should instead allow the information to be used in discovery and with the stipulation that none of the information can be used beyond the purview of use within this lawsuit and that none of it will be made public. But to be totally honest, I hope Viacom loses its pants off.

Lawyers for The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times and The Associated Press filed a motion requesting the Supreme Court to order the Cook County Circuit Court to unseal court records and transcripts related to R. Kelly’s pornography case.

The R&B icon pleaded not guilty to charges that he videotaped himself having sex with an underage girl. Judge Vincent Gaughan (GAWN) has said he’s “trying to protect Kelly’s rights and prevent information from influencing prospective jurors”.

R. Kelly’s trial is scheduled to start May 9th in Chicago. This isn’t the first time R. Kelly has been charged with allegations that he has sexual relations with a minor.

The news media has been all over the Jena 6 case from the outset and it seems they won’t be letting go of this story anytime soon. There are times when the news media does things right.

News media win suit to open Jena 6 case
By Howard Witt, Chicago Tribune

JENA, La. - A judge ruled Wednesday that the public and the news media should have full access to all legal proceedings involving Mychal Bell, one of the teenage defendants in the racially charged Jena 6 case in Louisiana whose prosecution had been shrouded in secrecy on orders of the trial judge.

Ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Chicago Tribune and joined by a coalition of major U.S. media companies, Rapides Parish District Judge Thomas Yeager ordered that Bell’s upcoming criminal trial, as well as any pretrial hearings, must be open to the press and the public. Yeager also ordered that the court record and transcripts of any closed proceedings held so far be made available to the news media, and that attorneys for Bell be released from the trial judge’s gag order directing them not to speak about the case.

“The right to an open trial is one that’s very important,” Yeager said in making his ruling, “so that the public has confidence in what we do.”

The Rest of The Story and video here

WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted Tuesday of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI in an investigation into the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to reporters.

Is anybody really surprised by this verdict?

Actually, I am. When so many top-level officials are doing wrong and getting away with it, this is surprising. Of course, it could just that Libby is a Republican. Right-wing crooks and demagogues seem to go down faster than their Democratic counterparts. Nevertheless, justice is justice and we should all jump for joy when it is served.

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