Questions tagged [united-states]
For questions specific to the United States as a whole, or that span multiple state jurisdictions. If your question is related to a specific state then you should use that state's tag instead (or as well).
982
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In the US, when is fair use a defense to copyright infringement?
What is fair use in the US? When would it be a successful defense to copyright infringement?
user3851
7
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1
answer
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Is this copyright infringement? Is it fair use? What if I don't make any money off it?
If someone were hypothetically working on a project that required them to incorporate copies of a copyrighted work (music, movies, books, etc.), how would they know if it would be considered fair use? ...
45
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4
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What are the legal repercussions of taking a stranger's picture in public?
With Snapchat and Instagram it is all too easy to abuse picture taking and really inexpensive to snap a photo of an unknowing stranger. If you are in public and will only post pictures online without ...
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32
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3
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Is it illegal to throw away the previous tenant's mail?
Say I move into an apartment. And over the next months and years, I keep receiving mail for the previous tenant, whom I do not know.
This is understandably annoying. The easiest and most convenient ...
user43
6
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3
answers
1k
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Can the Developer of a Program be penalized if it is used illegally?
If a developer writes a program, for example a password cracker or a code decipher, and it is used illegally, will the developer or the user get punished? A password cracker could be used, for example,...
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How can you tell if you have to follow a police officer's instructions?
If a police officer gives me an order, how can I tell whether or not I'm legally obligated to follow that order? If I ask the officer, is he/she required by law to answer truthfully?
If the police ...
16
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2
answers
3k
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Can you be accused of hotlinking/copyright violation if you use an iframe?
Can you be accused of hotlinking or copyright infringement if you use an iframe (web element) of another website?
Can you be sued for this if the website doesn't prevent iframe using and doesn't ...
- 163
24
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3
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In the USA, do parents have the right to control their children's possessions?
Let's say a minor (17 or younger) living with his parents gets a job or does chores, and with the money thereby earned, buys a video game console.
The parents decide that the console is not ...
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14
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1
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Can I defend myself from excessive police force?
Hypothetical situation:
Say the police are chasing me. I get tackled after which I go limp and stop resisting. Subsequently the officer starts throwing elbows to my face. I'm not sure why he's ...
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38
votes
6
answers
8k
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Why does browser cache not count as copyright infringement?
My browser is saving a copy of the web pages I visit on my computer. How is that not copyright infringement?
in this answer I read:
I would hazard a guess that displaying an HTML webpage online is ...
- 432
24
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4
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9k
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Can a US citizen be required to provide the authentication key for encrypted data on a confiscated computer?
I'm asking this for the sake of a story I was considering writing.
Assume that someone has a computer, and within that computer he has some encrypted data. He is accused of a crime and the police ...
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15
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2
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Can President of the United States pardon himself if convicted of treason or some other wrong doing?
I wanted to know whether the POTUS could pardon himself if he/she is criminally charged with treason or some other wrong doing.
13
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2
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902
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How exactly does civil asset forfeiture work in the United States?
Civil asset forfeiture is a concept that frequently crops up in the news, e.g. the recent Washington Post article "Drug cops took a college kid’s savings and now 13 police departments want a cut".
...
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6
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2
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Can a store sell merchandise I've left in the store?
If I purchase merchandise in a physical store, and then (accidentally or not) leave the merchandise at the store after I've paid for it, is the store allowed to resell that merchandise to another ...
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If someone steals something of mine, is it legal to steal it back?
Let's say someone steals my phone. I use tracking tools to figure out where it is, then call it to make it ring (so I know it is my phone and not just someone else's with the same model).
If I take ...
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