The Internet Bill of Rights
Thomas & LoCicero Partner Susan Tillotson Bunch offers a fresh, practical perspective on the newly conceived “Internet Bill of Rights.” Kara Swisher’s recent article in The New York Times offers an interesting take on the proposed Internet Bill of Rights created by Ro Khanna, the Democratic representative whose California district is home to Apple, Intel and Yahoo. …
Partner Earns Privacy Law Specialist Certification from the American Bar Association
Susan Tillotson Bunch is among the inaugural class of newly approved Privacy Law Specialists among the American Bar Association’s certification program. Thomas & LoCicero PL is pleased to announce that Susan Tillotson Bunch, a partner practicing in its Tampa office, has earned the Privacy Law Specialist (“PLS”) certification by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, “IAPP,”…
Partner Earns Third IAPP Designation
The CIPP, CIPM, and CIPT designations are the most coveted privacy certifications available for data protection and information security professionals around the world. Thomas & LoCicero PL is pleased to announce that Susan Tillotson Bunch, a partner practicing in its Tampa office has earned the Certified Information Privacy Technologist, “CIPT,” certification by the International Association of…
South Florida Citizen Achieves Second Supreme Court Victory
As a society that champions liberty, encouraging respectful and insightful discourse with our public officials is vital to protect our First Amendment values. On Monday, June 18th, 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of a South Florida native for the second time in the last five years. The Court held that the presence…
Partner Earns CIPM Designation
Firm Leader in Data Privacy Receives Additional Designation Thomas & LoCicero is pleased to announce that Susan Tillotson Bunch, a partner practicing in its Tampa office, has earned the designation of Certified Information Privacy Manager “CIPM,” by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, “IAPP”. The CIPM designation demonstrates an understanding of privacy program governance and the…
#SaveStudentNewsrooms
Although independence is the ideal, financial difficulties are forcing some student papers around the country into making tough choices. At many universities and colleges throughout the United States, student-run newspapers are editorially overseen and financed—in part or in full—by the school itself. Other student publications are self-funded and -managed; in a word, they’re independent. These…
Civil Rights Commission Violated Baker’s First Amendment Right to Freedom of Religion
A state commission that ordered a baker to prepare wedding cakes for gay couples violated the baker’s First Amendment right to freedom of religion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled. The government must not base laws, regulations or decisions on hostility to a religion or religious viewpoint, the Court explained. In baker Jack Phillips’ case, the…
“Disparaging” Trademarks – The Supreme Court May Take Up a Difficult Conflict Between Trademark Law and The First Amendment
In 2014, in a widely reported decision, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office canceled several trademark registrations owned by the Washington Redskins because the term “Redskins” is disparaging of Native Americans. But last year, the Federal Circuit ruled that Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a), which prohibits registration of “scandalous, immoral,…
“Revenge Porn” Law Ruled to be Unconstitutional
A Texas appeals court finds that a state statute is unconstitutional and extremely broad. An appeals court has struck down a “revenge porn” statute as unconstitutional and overly broad. So-called “revenge porn” laws are intended to prohibit use of intimate photographs to cause embarrassment. Although in some circumstances sharing such photos might support a civil…
Are Some Speakers More Equal Than Others?
Are First Amendment rights of free speech and free press contingent rights, available only to those who qualify as members of ‘the press?’ In Maethner v. Someplace Safe, Inc., the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently held that a defamation plaintiff could recover presumed damages without having to prove actual malice (i.e., that the defendant knew his statement…