As the Washington, DC-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has started accepting electronic filings, now every U.S. federal appellate, district and bankruptcy court is doing so.
Please see:
All Federal Courts Now Accepting Electronic Filing
Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.
govDelivery, a “provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions,” has recently released an email best practices guide — please see:
Public Sector Digital Communication Management Best Practices: The Critical Role of Email
Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.
The Chesapeake Digital Preservation Group — with participating libraries including the Georgetown University Law Center Library, the Harvard Law School Library, the Maryland State Law Library and the Virginia State Law Library — has recently posted its 5th Annual investigative report
Some highlights:
Data Show Link Rot in 38 Percent of Online Publications within Five Years
Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Office of Information Policy (OIP) recently (on 29 March 2012) posted its latest annual Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) report — for 2011 –here.
Other DoJ FOIA-related resources are also available online.
Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), an independent, non-profit, research organization, has recently released:
The Gender Wage Gap (17 April 2012)
See also here.
In brief:
Women’s median earnings are lower than men’s in nearly all occupations, whether they work in occupations predominantly done by women, occupations predominantly done by men, or occupations with a more even mix of men and women. During 2011, median weekly earnings for female full-time workers were $684, compared with $832 per week for men, a gender wage ratio of 82.2 percent. Added to the gender wage gap within occupations is the gender wage gap between occupations. Male-dominated occupations tend to pay more than female-dominated occupations at similar skill levels, particularly at higher levels of educational attainment. Tackling occupational segregation is an important part of tackling the gender wage gap.
Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) late last month issued a report on the U.S. Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP):
Federal Depository Library Program: Issues for Congress
Here is the (March 29, 2012) report’s summary:
Summary
Congress established the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) to provide free public access to federal government information. The program’s origins date to 1813; the current structure of the program was established in 1962 and is overseen by the Government Printing Office (GPO). Access to government information is provided through a network of depository libraries across the United States. In the past half-century, information creation, distribution, retention, and preservation has expanded from a tangible, paper-based process to include digital processes managed largely through computerized information technologies.
The transition to digital information raises a number of issues of possible interest to Congress. This report discusses those possible concerns as they affect FDLP. These issues, which are in some cases interrelated, may not only affect FDLP, but also extend beyond the program to a variety of contexts related to the management of government information in tangible and digital forms. Issues include the following: maintenance and availability of the FDLP tangible collection; retention and preservation of digital information; access to FDLP resources; authenticity and accuracy of digital material; robustness of the FDLP Electronic Collection; and the costs of FDLP and other government information distribution initiatives.
The emergence of a predominantly digital FDLP may call the capacity of the statutory authorities GPO exercises into question. Whereas GPO is the central point of distribution for tangible, printed FDLP materials, its responsibilities are more diverse, and may be less explicitly specified, regarding its distribution of digital information. In some instances, GPO carries out activities to distribute digital information that are similar to its actions regarding printed materials. In other instances, GPO provides access to digital content that it does not produce or control. The agency has archiving and permanent retention authorities for tangible materials, but those authorities do not envision digital creation and distribution of government publications. Digital distribution authorities provide for online access to publications, but are silent on GPO’s retention and preservation responsibilities for digital information. These concerns may be addressed in their own right, or in the context of user demand for FDLP information, for which there is no uniform metric.
A number of efforts related to FDLP have been initiated by GPO and groups representing a number of libraries that participate in FDLP. These have included certain regional library activities; studies of the program by a private organization; proposals by a consortium of FDLP libraries to advance the consolidation, digitization, and cataloging of tangible collections; and a study of FDLP coordinated by GPO.
Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.
Bloomberg L.P. has added Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) content to the Bloomberg BLAW system.
Please see the Bloomberg BNA press release here.
And additional coverage is here.
Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.
Boing Boing, a group blog that started out as a zine, has recently posted an interesting and provocative piece by Carl Malamud of Public.Resource.Org:
Liberating America’s Secret, For-Pay Laws
Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.
Oklahoma lawyer Edward L. White and New York lawyer Kenneth Elan sued West Publishing and Reed Elsevier yesterday in the Southern District of New York — White et al v. West Publishing Corporation et al (12-cv-01340-JSR ~ Judge Jed S. Rakoff) — for reproducing their documents in the Westlaw and LexisNexis databases.
See:
Two Lawyers Sue West and LexisNexis for Reproducing Legal Briefs
See also:
For other blog coverage, see:
The docket sheet as of today is as follows:
U.S. District Court
Southern District of New York (Foley Square)
CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 1:12-cv-01340-JSR
White et al v. West Publishing Corporation et al
Date Filed:
Feb. 22, 2012
Nature of suit:
820 Copyright
Assigned to:
Judge Jed S. Rakoff
Cause:
17:101 Copyright Infringement
Jurisdiction:
Federal Question
Jury demand:
Plaintiff
Plaintiff
Edward L. White
on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated
Attorneys and Firms
Gregory A. Blue
Gregory A. Blue, P.C.
405 Lexington Ave., 26th Floor
New York, NY 10174
(646) 351-0006
blue@bluelegal.us
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICEDRaymond A. Bragar
Morgenstern Jacbos & Blue, LLC (NY)
885 Third Avenue
24th Floor
New York, NY 10022
(212) 750-6776
Fax: (212) 750-3128
bragar@bragarwexler.com
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED
Plaintiff
Edward L. White, P.C.
on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated
Attorneys and Firms
Gregory A. Blue
(See above for address)
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICEDRaymond A. Bragar
(See above for address)
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED
Plaintiff
Kenneth Elan
on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated
Attorneys and Firms
Gregory A. Blue
(See above for address)
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICEDRaymond A. Bragar
(See above for address)
ATTORNEY TO BE NOTICED
Defendant
West Publishing Corporation doing business as: West
Defendant
Reed Elsevier Inc. doing business as: LexisNexis
Filed
#
Docket Text
Feb. 22, 2012
COMPLAINT against Reed Elsevier Inc., West Publishing Corporation. (Filing Fee $ 350.00, Receipt Number 1030502)Document filed by Edward L. White, Edward L. White, P.C., Kenneth Elan.(mro) (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Feb. 22, 2012
SUMMONS ISSUED as to Reed Elsevier Inc., West Publishing Corporation. (mro) Modified on 2/23/2012 (mro). (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Feb. 22, 2012
Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis is so designated. (mro) (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Feb. 22, 2012
Case Designated ECF. (mro) (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Feb. 22, 2012
Mailed notice to Register of Copyrights to report the filing of this action. (mro) (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Feb. 22, 2012
STANDING ORDER IN RE PILOT PROJECT REGARDING CASE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR COMPLEX CIVIL CASES IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK (See M-10-468 Order filed November 1, 2011). This case is hereby designated for inclusion in the Pilot Project Regarding Case Management Techniques for Complex Civil Cases in the Southern District of New York (the Pilot Project), unless the judge to whom this case is assigned determines otherwise. This case is designated for inclusion in the Pilot Project because it is a class action, an MDL action, or is in one of the following Nature of Suit categories: 160, 245, 315, 355, 365, 385, 410, 830, 840, 850, 893, or 950. The presiding judge in a case that does not otherwise qualify for inclusion in the Pilot Project may nevertheless designate the case for inclusion in the Pilot Project by issuing an order directing that the case be included in the Pilot Project. The description of the Pilot Project, including procedures to be followed, is attached to this Order. (Signed by Judge Loretta A. Preska on 10/31/2011) (mro) (Entered: 02/23/2012)
Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.
The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates has approved a resolution — Resolution 102B — in support of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA) of the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) of the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws as to the authentication and preservation of laws, court decisions and other legal materials that are published online.
See:
ABA Supports Uniform Law for Online Publication of Court Decisions and Laws
Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.
