Can you say WOW!
I knew you could.
When I joined the Bear Flag League, it had around 40 members, and I don't think ANY of us, even the more sophisticated, outspoken, and politically knowledgeable, ever thought we would come so far.
At first it sounded like a nutty idea ( What's an Amicus , and what the hell does it have to do with men's shorts? this non-lawyerly dude wondered ), but my comrades in the Bear Flag League, especially the Legal Eagles, ran with it and it stopped seeming such a crazy idea ( Ahhh, so THAT'S an Amicus, I said, after all was said, and done ).
I've read the articles they recommended, kept up with the internal discussions, even contributed my own small bit of insight ( based on experiences I had, related to events reported on my other blog, The Cycling Dude ), when asked by one of our Crack Team ( Justene Ademec ), and cheered from the sidelines as they went about their work.
I've been reading the results, which I support wholeheartedly, and my admiration for these folks is boundless.
On April 15th, 2005 , the Bear Flag League’s brief reached the appellate court.
What follows is our Official Press Release about our stand on the issues involved in the O'Grady vs. Superior Court case:
Today, the Bear Flag League — a coalition of 80 bloggers who are current and former California residents — filed a friend of the court brief with the California Sixth District Court of Appeal in O’Grady v. Superior Court. The O’Grady case is an appellate proceeding arising from a lawsuit filed by Apple Computer in Santa Clara County in December 2004. Apple sued unnamed individuals who are accused of leaking information regarding Apple’s new products to several news websites. Apple has initiated discovery procedures available under California law to identify the source of the leaked information, including serving a subpoena to the Internet service provider for one of the news websites. Apple hopes that the subpoena will reveal the identity of its employees or other parties involved in the leaks. The publishers of the news websites have asked the Santa Clara County Superior Court to block Apple’s discovery in order to protect the publishers’ confidential sources. When the Superior Court denied that request, the publishers filed a petition with the Sixth District Court of Appeal. The lawsuit involves the competing interests of the First Amendment guarantees of a free press on the one hand and Apple’s rights to protect the unlawful dissemination of its trade secrets on the other.
The Bear Flag League is an unincorporated association of current and former residents of the State of California who operate and/or contribute to 80 blogs. The League was formed in July 2003 in order to collaborate and publish articles concerning California culture, current events, legal issues and politics for the reading public.
The brief filed by the League today urges the Sixth District Court of Appeal to afford these website publishers and all bloggers the same privileges and protection from discovery that traditional print and broadcast journalists enjoy under the United States and California Constitutions. Because these website publishers targeted by Apple are engaged in the same news gathering and reporting activities as print journalists, broadcast reporters and Internet bloggers, they have the right to protect their confidential sources and thereby maintain a strong, independent and free press.
The League’s brief was prepared by a number of the League’s lawyer members, including, Justene Adamec of PUMILIA, ADAMEC, LLP, and Jeffrey Lewis and Benjamin P. Pugh of Enterprise Counsel Group, ALC.
A copy of the League’s brief may be downloaded here.
The League’s homepage is located at www.BearFlagLeague.com.
The Original Release of the above was done, on the 15th, at SoCal Law Blog, under the title of 80 California Bloggers Weigh in on Apple Subpoena Case.
It is there that you can connect with links to info about the above named signees, and their firms.
One final, important, note:
If you don't think that issues such as this, among others, are important for the continued health, and growth, of the Bloggerverse then I suggest you also read 2 pieces I wrote on my Cycling Blog last month:
1. Blogging may be imperiled by Federal Election Commission.
2. A look at proposed FEC Rule.
Don't go messin' with the League. :-D
***NOTE- 4/19/05***
For a better understanding of issues directly, and indirectly, concerned with this evolving story go here.
*** END NOTE***
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