Right. Well. Here we are.World events over the last few months have left most of us feeling like a pancake that's unceremoniously been flung across the room.Since the coronavirus outbreak in November last year, our collective situation has not been well-situated (and by that, I mean that things have deteriorated fast). It's been a cataclysmic chain reaction that has … [Read more...]
We coined the term "PopLaw" in 2015 to describe an emerging area of legal practice that focuses on the intersection between the law and popular culture. It refers to the legal implications of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, images, and other phenomena of mainstream Australian culture as reflected in news, popular music, television and other sources of entertainment. Our definition has now been included in the LexisNexis Online Australian Legal Dictionary 2nd Edition.
Have a topic you'd like to see us cover? Get in touch here: hello@bucketorange.com.au. Or why not join the #poplaw conversation on Instagram or Twitter!
#PopLaw: How Emojis Are Creeping Into The Courtroom
ccording to Professor Vyvyan Evans, an expert in language and communication, we are now living in the ‘age of emoji’ where the ‘stratospheric rise of emoji’ largely fulfils the function of non-verbal cues in spoken communication.The nature of modern communication in hyper-shortened digital snippets has made it more challenging than ever before to convey our true non-verbal … [Read more...]
Inside The Mind Of A Murderer: How Criminal Profiling Evolved Over Time
ou may have overheard your colleagues talking about the Netflix show ‘Mindhunter’ recently.Based on a true-crime book of the same name, ‘Mindhunter’ has quickly attracted a cult following which is hardly surprising given that the infallible David Fincher is an executive producer.Not one to miss out on a critically acclaimed TV show, I jumped on the bandwagon last … [Read more...]
Laws Of Conversation: How To Argue Like A Lawyer (Vol. 2)
ove them or hate them, learning to argue like a lawyer is still everyone's obsession.It's not just because lawyers can always identify the appropriate moment to combine mind-bending reasoning and logic with rapid-fire silver-tongued rhetoric in a way that consistently obliterates the opposition in an argument (although that's a big part of it).It's … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: Gene Simmons Files To Trademark “Rock” Hand Signal
KISS frontman and lead singer, Gene Simmons, has reportedly filed an application with the US Trademark and Patent Office to trademark the infamous "devil horns" rock hand gesture.The application, along with a handy diagram, was filed last Friday, 9 June 2017.Simmons claims to be the first to use the gesture commercially on Nov. 14, 1974, during the KISS Hotter Than … [Read more...]
Fear, Law & Urban Legends: Revelations From The Slender Man Stabbing
lender Man is a horror monster. He stalks, he kills, he kidnaps children and drives people insane.In 2014, two 12-year-old girls were arrested in connection with a violent premeditated attack on a classmate. The victim had been stabbed 19 times with the knife, missing a major artery in her heart by a millimetre. When interviewed by detectives, both girls claimed that they … [Read more...]
WATCH: Lawyers Remain Awkwardly Motionless As Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ Reverberates Around Court
ourt can be a sombre affair.But not today.Video of some of New Zealand's top legal minds getting on with business as Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' blares around an increasingly awkward courtroom has clocked over 94,000 views on Youtube this week alone.The magic moment was captured on film during initial proceedings in New Zealand's high court in Wellington.The 2002 … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: How Musicians Can Recover Unpaid Agent Fees
he excitement and adrenalin from your latest gig has finally started to wear off. You wait patiently for your money to be deposited ... and wait ... and wait ... and keep waiting. A few months pass and, in spite of a number of emails chasing your agent who is not responding, you still have not seen any improvements in your bank balance. Now you're starting to feel a bit stressy … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: Do You Need Permission To Cover A Song Live?
always look forward to a Friday night of live music especially when it involves listening to covers of my favourite songs, like The Kooks' 'Naïve' or Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love' at a local café.What didn't cross my mind, until recently, is how performing a cover of another musician's song may actually be against the law. Copyright Protection Of Songs Copyright law exists to … [Read more...]
Mark Ronson And Bruno Mars “Funked Up” (Again) Over Copyright Claim
In the latest music industry lawsuit to hit headlines, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are being sued for copyright infringement by 80s electro-funk band Collage, according to TMZ.Collage claims that the hit track "Uptown Funk" released by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson in 2014 is a thinly veiled replica of Collage's 1983 hit “Young Girls” and that the duo reproduced the song's … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: What Are Your Legal Rights If Your Song Is Used Without Permission
We are lucky to live in a country where copyright protection is automatically afforded to creative works, a saving grace that makes Australia's copyright law imperfections almost palatable.For musicians, the stakes can be high when it comes to copyright infringement. Contrary to what many Australians may think, there is no such thing as the innocent use of a song, nor is … [Read more...]
Criminal On 34th Street: The Surprising Victims Of Santa Crime
or centuries, Santa Claus has symbolised the fun and merriment of Christmas.He wears a jolly suit. He rides a jolly sleigh. He and his reindeer visit every child, around the world, on the eve of Christmas day.Once a year this benevolent fellow also enters your home, drinks your milk, eats your biscuits and deposits presents under your tree ... all while you slumber … [Read more...]
The Trials Of Dracula: What Crimes Would Dracula Be Convicted Of If He Lived Today?
#NurseryCrimes: A criminally fresh perspective on fairytales, nursery rhymes, villains, heroes and literary monsters. Once upon a late night, I read Bram Stoker's Dracula. In the book, mysterious puncture marks had begun appearing on the necks of townswomen and several characters had become unwitting hosts to winged creatures who tapped at their windows at … [Read more...]
Crimes Of Rick Grimes: Taking The Walking Dead To Court & The Zombie Apocalypse
t's tough being a lone sheriff in town.Rick Grimes from popular TV series, The Walking Dead, can attest.When it comes to the total dissolution of society in a hypothetical zombie apocalypse, the complete breakdown of law and order is inevitable.Characters must often resort to extreme measures to survive. Behaviour that once struck at the common morality, by causing … [Read more...]
Laws Of Conversation: How To Argue Like A Lawyer
Lawyers tend to get a bad wrap. From perceived profiteering from the misfortune of others to exorbitant fees and long delays in litigation, many young Australians would prefer a meaningful exchange with a sledgehammer and their face over a conversation with a legal professional. But while lawyers have long-endured all manner of jokes and … [Read more...]
Could Regina George Be Sued In Australia For Writing The ‘Burn Book’?
The ease of communication and relative anonymity afforded by the internet has left most of us quite complacent about the information we post and share.Ideas, opinions and impressions about colleagues, friends, politicians or public figures are all readily published online with little regard to the possible impact or consequences.But what you might not know is that by … [Read more...]
Spock Your Fives: Why It Doesn’t Pay To Be A ‘Trekkie’ In Australia
By now you might be starting to think that Canadians have all the fun.The latest trend lighting up the Twitter-sphere is not a weasel / woodpecker death match or even Nickelback’s colossally awful new single.It’s Dr Spock.“Spocking a $5 bill” has seen Trekkies from all walks of life pay tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy (who passed away last week) in an … [Read more...]
“The Bubble” is Real: The Surprising Reason the Law Favours Beautiful People
Do you want the good news or the bad news?The good news is that if you’re among the genetic elite blessed with flawless bone structure and a perfect pout, society will grant you a free pass from just about any wrongdoing.The bad news is that if you’re born with The Stephen Tyler Giant Mouth then the only thing you can look forward to is shoving a Double Bacon Deluxe … [Read more...]