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That annoying comment might be more than spam telling visitors how to solve their intimacy issues, or how to make easy money at home. Instead, it may be malicious code that could hijack your site, lock you out completely, and even take over your server as a whole – a nightmare for larger companies that store more than a simple webpage on their servers. Fortunately, the bug, discovered by Finnish IT security company Klikki Oy, was reported to WordPress months before being made public, and security patches are already being automatically (no pun intended) deployed....

Can you get a court order against nobody in particular? Apparently so, if this Fifth Circuit ruling is any indication. World Wrestling Entertainment, like all entertainment entities, battles bootleggers. Bootleggers sell merchandise on tables in the street near WWE events. Determining the identities of these pop-up bootleg shopkeepers is nearly impossible in advance, so the WWE sought a blanket order that would basically cover anyone within “broad geographic and temporal limits,” the district court noted....

The company behind an implantable transvaginal mesh medical device, Boston Scientific Corporation, failed to convince the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that the lower district court helped the jury make the wrong decision. The appeal was over four cases that were consolidated into one action due to the commonality of the cause of plaintiffs’ injuries. The plaintiffs’ injuries all involved Boston Scientific’s transvaginal mesh implant. Notably, one of the component manufacturers clearly labeled their product in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to avoid use in permanent or long term implantable devices....

A good paralegal can be invaluable to your practice, managing your schedule, fixing your typos, and making sure your documents actually get to court. Paralegals are the unsung heroes of many small practices and are often the first support staff small firms bring on. With a bit of training and investment, a good paralegal can become a great paralegal. Professional development can expand the range of your paralegal’s skills, allowing them to stay up to date on legal developments and develop new skills that aid the practice....

Seriously, when was the last time you saw a circuit split happen in a matter of hours? The law nerd inside of me is quivering right now, I tell you! The D.C. Circuit read a statute, § 36B, which provides tax credits (subsidies, in essence) to qualifying low-income individuals who purchase plans though an “Exchange established by the State.” To them, that text is pretty clear – state exchanges are eligible for subsidies, while the federal Heathcare....

The long July 4th weekend just passed, and if you were able to take our nation’s birthday off, you might be thinking to yourself this Tuesday that a three-day weekend just isn’t long enough. We agree. After all, your kids get the whole summer off. Even bar exam takers get a few weeks free after the test. We’re pretty sure French lawyers get paid to spend six weeks on the Rivera every summer....

The ACLU just upped its geek factor (and possible cred points with the EFF) by launching a handful of pro-tech-privacy bills in just as many states across the nation. The “TakeCTRL” campaign will impose various technology-privacy related limitations on mostly state actors. Take that, Big Brother! The campaign actually refers to multi-state level legislation that could potentially have a huge impact on large swaths of the US population. The bills, if passed, will address student data, employee data, and phone tracking....

The high-powered world of international espionage can lead to laser beams, women who can kill you with their thighs, and henchmen with metal teeth. Or it can lead you to the Fourth Circuit Court Appeals, arguing over jurisdiction. Albert R. Broccoli presents … “Dual Proceedings.” From Iran (via Switzerland) With Love Nader Modanlo was indicted for violating the Iranian trade embargo by helping the Iranians, in concert with a state-owned Russian conglomerate, launch a communications satellite....

In what some might call a turning of the table, billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn has filed a lawsuit to stop the Karfunkel family, which has a controlling interest in AmTrust, from taking the insurer private. Icahn’s lawsuit alleges that the Karfunkel family is seeking to transfer “huge amounts of value” through a share purchase at a time when the insurer is poised to recover from its recent setbacks. On Icahn’s own website, he explains that the deal price the Karfunkel family proposed is less than half of what the share price was about a year ago....

Alexander Michael Roy, 31, was an eighth-grade teacher. He’s now a convicted felon, or at least he might be after the Eleventh Circuit makes up its mind on his appeal of a conviction for online enticement of a minor and five counts of child pornography possession. After Roy was caught in a sting operation, convicted, and sentenced, the Eleventh Circuit reversed his conviction because the trial proceeded for seven minutes while his attorney was late returning from lunch....

Even though Texas generally outlaws gambling, it does allow bingo halls to operate, subject to some restrictions. One of these is that bingo halls can’t use their proceeds from bingo for political advocacy. After Citizens United, SpeechNow.org, and McCutcheon, the stage is set for the next great challenge to political advocacy restrictions – plus, there’s bingo. And everyone loves bingo. Here we have bingo games being granted a license to operate by the state on the condition that they don’t use their profits for political speech....

Berik Stiftung v. Plains Mktg., L.P., No. 09-20631, involved an action alleging that defendants purchased assets in a Canadian pipeline without the consent of its true owner. The court of appeals affirmed the dismissal of the complaint, on the ground that plaintiff was the only named plaintiff and alleged in its complaint that it was a foreign corporation organized and existing under the laws of the country of Liechtenstein, and thus it was a foreign citizen for purposes of 28 U....

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that displaced hurricane evacuees may not sue the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for formaldehyde exposure under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) because the plaintiffs lacked subject matter jurisdiction. The plaintiffs, evacuees who were placed in FEMA Emergency Housing Units (EHUs) in Mississippi and Alabama, filed a class action FEMA trailer lawsuit against over 100 defendants, including the federal government, alleging that the EHU trailers that FEMA provided for displaced Gulf Coast residents after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita jeopardized the plaintiffs’ health....

The concept of unlimited paid vacation seems unbelievable, and confusing. But, as many firms are starting to realize, to get the best talent, you have to offer the best perks, and unlimited paid vacation is actually a thing now, but is it really better than a fixed amount of vacation time? Taking the natural extension on that concept, Susman Godfrey LLP has announced that it will, in addition to offering unlimited paid vacation, also now offer unlimited paid parental leave for all associates....

It’s a rare condition, in this day and age, that a non-English speaking litigant in a courtroom will get an unqualified translator. Given that trial attorneys have to worry about how testimony given in English is transcribed and punctuated by a court reporter, attorneys should be doubly concerned about mistranslation compounding that problem even further. Despite the federal judiciary, years ago, taking the lead by example, as well as “motivating” states to provide better in court interpreters, the lack of qualified court interpreters is still staggering....

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet. Internet service providers (ISPs) like to believe that in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) Congress afforded them broad immunity from any liability potentially caused by third-party content posted on ISP sites. But how secure is that immunity? Let’s explore a few important cases to explore the answer to that question....

Alabama has the lowest property tax revenues in the country. That’s because the Alabama Constitution, drafted in 1901, requires voters to approve tax increases, caps tax millage rates, and allows farm and timberland to be taxed below market value, The Huntsville Times reports. Since the state funds education primarily through sales and income taxes, schools are underfunded. But is the tax system racist? Last year, District Judge Lynwood Smith ruled in an 854-page opinion that Alabama’s history of discrimination had resulted in underfunded schools, but the system was based on economic interests, not racist intent, Alabama....

An Apple v. Samsung iPad infringement case has led to a victory for Samsung. A UK judge has ordered Apple to pay for a series of newspaper and magazine ads that disclaim any infringement, Reuters reports. Apple must also post a notice on its UK website that says Samsung’s Galaxy tablets do not copy the iPad’s design, the judge ruled. The notice must stay up at least six months. The same judge last week ruled the design of Samsung’s Galaxy was indeed far, far and away different from Apple’s design for its much more popular iPad....

The innovative, too good to be true, movie ticket service, MoviePass has filed a patent infringement action against its new competitor Sinemia. And while MoviePass may not be able to prevent competitors from entering into the newly created space, it can certainly try to stamp out those competitors that steal their tech. If you like going to the movies (but hate the rising price of movie tickets), and haven’t heard of MoviePass, you’ll want to read on to learn how this innovative service works....

Alright, so you celebrated your success in 2012 with champagne. But this is no time to rest on your laurels. New state laws in 2013 bring plenty of opportunities to expand your practice. After all, who can’t use a few more clients? Across the country, about 400 new state laws became effective as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day, reports Reuters. So depending upon where you live, there may be exciting opportunities for you to check out a few new practice areas....