Archive for April, 2009

How legal is the reproduction of Sprites in webcomics?

Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Hyren asked:


I draw a webcomic, and in an upcoming arc I reference the Direct X demo Space Donuts. I wanted to feature actual sprites from the game (over original artwork), but I want to stay legitimate. I know there are several all sprite comics around now, and I’m unclear how legal this practice is. Furthermore, I’m not even sure if the Donuts sprites are copyrighted– they’re a free download with the demo and there’s no license file included. Can I use them?
I was actually referring to computer graphics sprites, the image files used by the game to represent objects on screen.

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Posted in Law & Ethics | 3 Comments »

is it legal in oregon for an adult to date a minor?

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
aruel100 asked:


im 17 going on 18 in 4 months. me and this girl that is 14 like each other, is it legal for us to date once im 18? a friend told me its legal as long as we dont have ***. my parents say its illegal just to date her once i turn 18. i do not know.
if anybody is a lawyer from oregon and knows, i’d appreciate it if u answered. (be sure to give reference thou cuz i dun want a whole bunch of ‘i think…’ answers.
thnx, and ay the force be with u.

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Posted in Law & Ethics | 6 Comments »

Where can software developer/web service creators find experienced legal assistance with documents?

Saturday, April 11th, 2009
darkhat032 asked:


If a software developer (or web service firm) creates a product or online service (such as an application, or a service like YouTube or MySpace), lawyers need to write all of the Terms of Use and conditions legal documents, as well as assist in future partnerships with other companies.

Is anyone out there either a lawyer who has experience in this field or has developed web applications or personal computer software that can reference a firm or a place to find one?

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Posted in Law & Legal | 1 Comment »

What’s the legal basis for the government to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Erik asked:


What is the specific legal basis for the takeover?

Is this part of a Federal statute? If so, what’s the specific reference? Which section of Federal law governs these two corporations?

Is this part of a contractual legal agreement between the US government and Fannie and Freddie? If so, what agreement? A loan agreement between the government and Fannie / Freddie?

Thanks.
I’ve done a little more investigation and found this: http://www.ofheo.gov/media/PDF/FHFACONSERVQA.pdf

It states “In this instance, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) has been appointed by its Director to be the Conservator of the Company in accordance with the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-289) and the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4501, et seq., as amended) to keep the Company in a safe and solvent financial condition.”

This apparently provides the answer to the question . Here’s a link to the 2008 act: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-3221.

Here’s a link to the 12 USC 4501: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode12/usc_sec_12_00004501—-000-.html

Based on a quick check (not yet a detailed review), it appears that the 2008 act is the source of the statutory authority for the conservatorship.
Here’s a corrected link for the 2008 act: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-3221

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Posted in Other - Business & Finance | 5 Comments »