US News Rankings and Mailbox Overflow
Academic reputation is a big component of US News rankings, but it’s hard to influence. The academic rankings are partially self-reinforcing–our perceptions of other schools are influenced in large part by what prior rankings said. To overcome this, many schools…
The Wall Street Journal Declares Us a 24/6 Economy
It’s always interesting to see reactions when a cherished institution changes its business practices (recall the furor over Coke changing its recipe). Today’s example: the Wall Street Journal is now publishing a Saturday edition. Perhaps this is the most reliable…
The “Southwest” Viewed Through Wisconsin’s Eyes
We went to the grocery store today, and the store was having an outdoor “Taste of Southwest” event to celebrate food from the Southwest. The grills were smoking and the music was blaring. So, what constitutes a taste of the…
Snow Season is Coming…
When the roads get salted down to reduce snow/ice, where does all the salt go? Surprise!–it drains into our fresh water system. Surely people have realized this before…haven’t they?
Two Recent Items About Preferred Stockholder/VC Liability
A couple of items came across my desk that may be apropos of the lawsuit over the Epinions/DealTime merger. First item: Jesse M. Fried and Mira Ganor, Common Shareholder Vulnerability in Venture-Backed Startups, UC Berkeley Public Law Research Paper No….
Bar/Bri Sued Again–Brewer v. West Publishing
Brewer v. West Publishing Co., No. 05-06211 (C.D. Cal. complaint filed Aug. 24, 2005). A second class-action antitrust lawsuit has been filed against Bar/Bri (the first was the Rodriguez case). The basic storyline tracks the Rodriguez complaint, but some tidbits…
Blogging Class…During Class?
Lydia Loren reminds her Cyberlaw students during the first class to sign up for an account on her blog. What happens? Students sign up right then and there—during class! (She knows because the account sign-ups are time-stamped). She wonders about…
eBay / Shopping.com Merger Closes
The eBay/Shopping.com merger has closed. Congratulations to all involved. In honor of the merger, I wore my original eBay-logoed T-shirt from 1999 during Dina’s birth. (In the old days, I had worn an Epinions shirt during Jacob’s birth).
The Goldman Family Welcomes Baby Dina
Lisa, Eric and Jacob are pleased to welcome a baby girl to our family: Dina Rebecca Goldman Born August 28, 2005, 4 pm Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, Milwaukee, WI 7 lbs, 4 oz // 19 inches Everyone is healthy and…
Are All Law Professors Democrats?
The NYT runs a story about a forthcoming Georgetown Law Journal article assessing political contributions from law professors at 21 highly-ranked law schools. The findings: * 1/3 of these professors gave to political campaigns * “81 percent who contributed $200…