JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

Findlaw reports that a disgruntled litigant has put a judge up for sale on ebay. Janet Schoenberg placed a picture of housing judge Jerald R. Klein, together with criticism of the way the judge was conducting her case. In the fine print Schoenberg explained that she wasn�t actually selling the judge, but was instead selling a recording of the proceedings which she described as a �work of art�. The ad was subsequently removed by eBay on grounds of misleading description, unauthorised use of a photo and unauthorised use of a name. There were 21 bids, but the top price was only $127.50 (including shipping).



The IPKat�s heart is pounding with excitement at the thought of all the IP rights that may be involved here: (i) personality rights of the judge, (ii) copyright in the photo of him, (iii) copyright in the recording and (iv) (at a longshot) the judge�s goodwill in his image leading to a passing off claim.



Another judge for sale here

Other things you can buy for $127.50 here, here and here