Law

Law Change Makes It Harder To Unlock Cellphones

9:41am February 20, 2013

by Laura Sydell

A copyright ruling from the Library of Congress covers whether people may buy a phone from one carrier and then use it with another. A recent change makes it illegal to unlock a phone, or untie it from the original carrier, without permission. But some people are petitioning the White House to undo that change.

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A 3-D printed bust of Yoda is one of the more popular digital designs shared on Thingiverse.

National

As 3-D Printing Becomes More Accessible, Copyright Questions Arise

4:13pm February 19, 2013

by Steve Henn

A 3-D printer allows people to easily create Yoda busts, Tintin's rocket ship — and even NPR action figures. But as this technology gets cheaper, the budding industry could face the same intellectual property battles that upended the music business a decade ago.

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Economy

Social Media And Work: Is It Ever OK To Complain Online?

2:52pm February 19, 2013

Many employees lost their jobs in recent years after posting negative comments about work on social media sites. A recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board may give workers more freedom to talk and complain about work on social media.

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Cyberbullying Law Shields Teachers From Student Tormentors

12:33pm February 19, 2013

by Lisa Miller

There's a new cyberbullying law in North Carolina — but it's not for students who torment other students. It's one of the first of its kind that punishes students who target teachers online. Teachers groups and free speech organizations are split on what the law hopes to accomplish.

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National

Prisoner's Handwritten Petition Prompts Justices To Weigh Government Immunity

12:33pm February 19, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether the federal government can be sued for the actions of prison guards. It comes 50 years after the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright ruling required states to provide counsel for indigent criminal defendants, a case that also began with a long shot, longhand plea from behind bars.

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Vernon Hugh Bowman lives outside the small town of Sandborn, Ind.

National

Farmer's Fight With Monsanto Reaches The Supreme Court

8:35pm February 18, 2013

by Dan Charles

On its surface, the case is about whether farmers can use seeds derived from patented crops. But the bigger question is, how much control does a company have over its patented products once they're in the hands of consumers?

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Todd Macy, a banker from Marin County, Calif., was the victim of identity theft. Nearly a year after filing his return, he's still waiting for his federal tax refund.

What Happens When Someone Else Gets Your Tax Refund

6:27pm February 18, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

If you usually wait until April to file your taxes, you might want to hurry up — before identity thieves beat you to it. Using stolen names and Social Security numbers, these criminals file fake tax returns. This generates big, and fraudulent, refunds, before the real taxpayer gets around to filing.

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Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, accused of masterminding a vast doping network, has refused to name his clients. The case stems from a 2006 raid in which Spanish police seized some 200 bags of blood, in the "Operation Puerto" investigation.

Doping Trial May Reach Far Beyond Spain, And Cycling

6:42am February 18, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

A famous doctor is on trial in Spain, accused of masterminding one of the world's largest sports doping rings. Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes' client list is believed to include at least one former teammate of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. The doctor says he treated athletes from other sports, as well.

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Now 59, George Prendes works as a telemarketer in New York and struggles to make the rent on his small Bronx apartment.

National

Decades On, Stiff Drug Sentence Leaves A Life 'Dismantled'

1:11pm February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

George Prendes was 23 when he was sentenced under New York's Rockefeller drug laws — tough mandatory sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug crimes. The 15 years Prendes served for a drug transaction still reverberate for him and his family.

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The Jan. 4, 1973, edition of the New York Daily News reports that Gov. Rockefeller's State of the State speech called for a life sentence for drug pushers.

National

The Drug Laws That Changed How We Punish

3:05am February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

Forty years ago, New York enacted tough laws in response to a wave of drug-related crime. They became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, and they set the standard for states looking to get tough on crime. But a new debate is under way over the effectiveness of such strict sentencing laws.

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