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Freedom to Differ 

A blog that speaks freely about legal issues facing the media and the internet. It mainly covers issues relating to the legal regulation of the internet and the media, but at times Constitutional law issues and politics are discussed. While the focus is on Australia, developments in other nations around the world are considered as well.
Post Frequency: 25.4/day Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 09:11:39 Recent Entries: 2028
Go to Freedom to Differ, find other International Law blogs, or browse all law blogs.
Today Popeye, tomorrow Mickey Mouse?
Posted on January 02, 2009This week the cartoon character Popeye came out of copyright protection and into the public domain. Techdirt observes that it "be quite interesting to see what happens next, as it will be something of a preview of the eventual Mickey Mouse fight that will be coming":Disney was able to continually...
Slate V: the best viral political videos of 2008
Posted on January 02, 2009In a Power Recap, Slate V presents 20 of the best viral political videos of 2008. Congratulations to Australian Hugh Atkin whose video, John McCain Gets BarackRoll'd, was the number one viral video. Slate V says it was "a perfect metaphor for McCain's defeat and maybe the best mashup of...
Academic blogging
Posted on January 02, 2009Jeremy Gans has decided to bring a halt to his Charterblog, which for the past year has followed the progress of Victoria?s Charter of Human Rights. Although this is a loss to the Australian blawgosphere and to anyone interested in human rights and charters of rights, it is hard to...
Slate V: the best viral political videos of 2008
Posted on January 02, 2009In a Power Recap, Slate V presents 20 of the best viral political videos of 2008. Congratulations to Australian Hugh Atkin whose video, John McCain Gets BarackRoll'd, was the number one viral video. Slate V says it was "a perfect metaphor for McCain's defeat and maybe the best mashup of...
Academic blogging
Posted on January 02, 2009Jeremy Gans has decided to bring a halt to his Charterblog, which for the past year has followed the progress of Victoria???s Charter of Human Rights. Although this is a loss to the Australian blawgosphere and to anyone interested in human rights and charters of rights, it is hard to...
Best legal posts from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here are what I consider to be some of the "best" law-themed posts from 2008. Again, some of these posts are academic, some are trivial, some just link to what other people say, and some are a little random, but they do represent what interests me...
Best internet and technology posts from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here are what I consider to be some of the "best" internet and technology themed posts from 2008. Again, some of these posts are academic, some are trivial, some just link to what other people say, and some are a little random, but they do represent...
Best media and entertainment posts from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here are what I consider to be some of the "best" media and entertainment themed posts from 2008. Again, some of these posts are academic, some are trivial, some just link to what other people say, and some are a little random, but they do represent...
Op-ed pieces from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Over the next few days I'll be linking to some of the "best" posts from 2008 on this blog, but I thought I'd start by linking to the op-ed pieces I have had published in 2008: "Court judgment online through Facebook a sign of the times"...
Best internet and technology posts from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here are what I consider to be some of the "best" internet and technology themed posts from 2008. Again, some of these posts are academic, some are trivial, some just link to what other people say, and some are a little random, but they do represent...
Best media and entertainment posts from 2008
Posted on January 01, 2009Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here are what I consider to be some of the "best" media and entertainment themed posts from 2008. Again, some of these posts are academic, some are trivial, some just link to what other people say, and some are a little random, but they do represent...
Happy New Year!
Posted on December 31, 2008Happy New Year! I hope you have safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.Thank you for reading Freedom to Differ.
Best videos of 2008
Posted on December 31, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...What follows are the top ten videos I've embedded either here on Freedom to Differ or on Freedom to Dither this year. This list is very subjective - these videos are not necessarily the most viewed or most commented on, nor are they necessarily the funniest...
Nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award
Posted on December 31, 2008I am very excited and honoured that this blog, Peter Black's Freedom to Differ, has been nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award in the Best Law Blog category. The other nominated blogs (or blawgs) are without doubt some of the leading blawgs in the world and are written by some...
Happy New Year!
Posted on December 31, 2008Happy New Year! I hope you have safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.Thank you for reading Freedom to Differ.
Best videos of 2008
Posted on December 31, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...What follows are the top ten videos I've embedded either here on Freedom to Differ or on Freedom to Dither this year. This list is very subjective - these videos are not necessarily the most viewed or most commented on, nor are they necessarily the funniest...
Nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award
Posted on December 30, 2008I am very excited and honoured that this blog, Peter Black's Freedom to Differ, has been nominated for a 2008 Weblog Award in the Best Law Blog category. The other nominated blogs (or blawgs) are without doubt some of the leading blawgs in the world and are written by some...
Things to watch for in 2009 (or not)
Posted on December 29, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...The past two years I have boldly made a series of predictions (for see 2007 here and fror 2008 here) with about a 50% success rate. Rather than subject myself to more ridicule at the end of 2009 I had thought I'd just list a few...
Freedom to Differ on your iPhone or iPod Touch
Posted on December 29, 2008Last month I used Intersquash to "optimise" Freedom to Differ for the iPhone and iPod Touch (see here). However based on the feedback I have received since this change, I have decided to turn it off. So from now on, if you visit this blog on your iPhone or iPod...
Looking back at my predictions for 2008
Posted on December 29, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Here is a report card on how my predictions for 2008 turned out: Hillary Clinton will become the next President of the United States - This obviously didn't unfold as I had anticipated, with Barack Obama winning the nomination and then the presidency...
Things to watch for in 2009 (or not)
Posted on December 29, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...The past two years I have boldly made a series of predictions (for see 2007 here and fror 2008 here) with about a 50% success rate. Rather than subject myself to more ridicule at the end of 2009 I had thought I'd just list a few...
Best TV of 2008
Posted on December 28, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Best Australian TV Shows: Insiders - As followers of my Twitter stream know, I religiously watch Insiders every morning ("If it is Sunday, it is Insiders"). It is without doubt the best political talk show in Australia and it provides an entertaining and informed discussion of...
Best of the web in 2008
Posted on December 28, 2008The first post in my end-of-year wrap ...Best Australian Blogs: Somebody Think of the Children - Michael Meloni's blog has been the definitive resource on the Australian Government's ridiculous policy decision to introduce mandatory internet filtering...
Coming soon ... End of Year Wrap
Posted on December 28, 2008As I did at the end of 2006 (see here) and 2007 (see here), the next week or so will feature a series of posts that wrap up the year, including: Best of the web in 2008 Best TV of 2008 Best videos of 2008 Looking back at my predictions...
Best TV of 2008
Posted on December 28, 2008Continuing my end-of-year wrap ...Best Australian TV Shows: Insiders - As followers of my Twitter stream know, I religiously watch Insiders every morning ("If it is Sunday, it is Insiders"). It is without doubt the best political talk show in Australia and it provides an entertaining and informed discussion of...
The year in 140 characters
Posted on December 20, 2008Craig Stoltz presents a new use for Twitter:I think I?ve blundered into a novel and possibly world-changing use for Twitter: 140-character versions of those Holiday Family Update letters/e-mails. Like fruitcakes and 6 a.m. door-buster sales, the letters are a holiday tradition that persists despite wide public disapproval...
Guilt: a new way to stop piracy?
Posted on December 19, 2008Techdirt wonders whether you can guilt someone into not pirating software:A bunch of folks have been submitting this story about USB Overdrive X's response to anyone who uses a pirated key to use their software. Basically, the company allows you to go ahead, but tells you (in a very human...
RIAA comes to its senses
Posted on December 19, 2008The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports that the Recording Industry Association of America is rethinking its litigation strategy:Major news for online music geeks: The recording industry plans to lay down its litigation offensive against music pirates in favor of a more PR-friendly, if not more effective, strategy...
Today Facebook, tomorrow Twitter
Posted on December 19, 2008Techdirt asks did Burger King really just issue a CD through Twitter?Now that it's legal to serve papers to someone through Facebook, Burger King has apparently sent a cease and desist via Twitter to the user "whoppervirgins" for an unauthorized use of trademark...
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Scalia Opens Religious Freedom Conference
Justice Antonin Scalia gave the keynote address at a conference on...
Ads Ask New Hampshire Candidates For Religious Freedom Positions
A coalition of groups advocating church-state separation is runnin...
Must Freedom of Expression include the license to offend?
Yes
Imposing any limits on speech, no matter how seemingly reasonab...
I'm wondering about how the law applies to my marriage. How does being married differ from being single in the eyes of the law
Short answer is that it probably depends on the State you live in, whether the c...
How does assault differ from battery?
Assault requires only the expectation of contact; battery requires contact....

Must Freedom of Expression include the license to offend?
Yes
Imposing any limits on speech, no matter how seemingly reasonab...
I'm wondering about how the law applies to my marriage. How does being married differ from being single in the eyes of the law
Short answer is that it probably depends on the State you live in, whether the c...
How does assault differ from battery?
Assault requires only the expectation of contact; battery requires contact....








