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The term “body modification” can encompass everything from tattoos and piercing to plastic surgery and genital mutilation. And what is considered extreme to some, may seem ordinary and commonplace to others. As with many legal questions, then, the issue of whether extreme body modification is legal will depend on a variety of factors. Here’s a look. Anyone performing a body modification procedure will likely need to be certified and have a permit under state laws or municipal codes....

It didn’t take very long for Apple to seek an injunction against Samsung to ban eight of their smartphones from the market. Apple is actively seeking the ban of several old-model Samsung Smartphones including its Galaxy S2 and Droid Charge, reports Reuters. As no one is likely looking at buying one of these smartphones anymore anyway, is there a chance that the possible Samsung ban will have an effect on you (the consumer)?...

With the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington upon us, you may wish to revisit the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which he famously delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the march. But don’t expect to easily find it online, because the speech is actually copyrighted. Intellectual Properties Management is the King family business that works in conjunction with music company EMI Publishing to license King’s copyrighted image and works, reports Mother Jones....

As long as we have employees and employees have access to social media, we run the risk of those employees misusing social media and embarrassing our companies – or worse, exposing the company to legal risks. All of your social media staff training may not be able to save your employees from themselves. So when the inevitable happens and an employee posts something offensive on social media, what’s next? Here are a few tips that can help your company save face and possibly avoid litigation:...

One hundred years after the RMS Titanic sank, an Alaskan boat rescue was needed in Glacier Bay after a sightseeing vessel ran aground in the frigid waters off Alaska. Seventy-six people needed to be rescued from the boat after the ship struck ground and started to fill with water, reports Reuters. Fortunately for the passengers of the Baranof Wind, the boat owners and ship captain apparently had the proper safety measures in place and all the passengers were rescued with no major injuries reported....

A 2-year-old boy was mauled by a pack of wild dogs at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday. The boy’s mother reportedly wanted to give her child a better view of the zoo’s wild African dogs enclosure, and placed her toddler atop a 4-foot railing that overlooked the enclosure. Almost as soon as the boy was placed on the railing, he lost his balance and fell about 14 feet into the enclosure....

Limo drivers, bakers, florists, photographers, all the local bridal services vendors, not to mention brides in the Boston area, had been buzzing for weeks over the major bridal show, “The Boston 411 Bridal & Home Show 2010,” that was supposed to begin on Friday, March 5. “Supposed to” are the operative words here, because after months of tweets, ticket sales, Facebook friends and an extensive website, it turns out the whole thing was a scam....

Have you ever noticed that some kinds of businesses charge women more for the same services as men? California lawmakers noticed this a while ago and called for an end to the gender discrimination in pricing for haircuts and other services in 1995. But the disparity in prices for men and women receiving the same services persists in some places, which is why one woman is suing salons and dry cleaning businesses in Riverside, California....

A viral incident over a pastor’s refusal to pay a tip at a restaurant raises a common question for those who offer services: Can you sue or take legal action against a customer who doesn’t tip? Customers like the pastor – who wrote “I give God 10% – why do you get 18?” on his receipt, according to Gawker – may make you angry. After all, don’t they realize how hard you work?...

Flyers seem like an innocent and easy way to get some extra buzz around your business or advertise your new promotion. But don’t do it without taking some time to think first. How many flyers for a company would you want to see if it wasn’t your business? And more importantly, is it even legal to distribute them? There aren’t any hard and fast rules when it comes to hanging up flyers and notices around town....

A Pennsylvania couple recently learned the hard way that one ride home can lead to more than one DUI. The pair has agreed to enter a DUI first offender program. In many states, first offender programs allow people to save in legal costs and keep the DUI off their record. In the early morning hours of April 5, Robert and Tina Kotoff, of Daugherty Township, Pennsylvania, may have thought they got home safely and without incident… if a brief encounter with a tree could be ignored....

Facebook is a great tool for getting in touch with old friends, keeping current with family, and catching your husband marrying another woman in a lavish Disney World wedding. Ok, maybe the last one occurs less frequently than the other two, but that is exactly what happened to a Cleveland, Ohio woman. The Ohio housewife turned Facebook detective discovered all the key details of her husband’s second marriage through the “public” Facebook profile of wife number two, according to NBC News....

It is not uncommon for individuals, or couples, going through a legal separation, or divorce, to be struggling with finances as well. Legal separation can wreak havoc on an individual’s already distressed financial situation such that filing for bankruptcy can be a compelling option. However, there may be some legal issues with filing for bankruptcy before a divorce is finalized or while separated from a spouse. As an initial matter, filing for bankruptcy can be done individually, even while still married....

Florida high school teacher Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp is under fire this week for making her students wear a “cone of shame.” The plastic cone, also known as an Elizabethan collar, is traditionally placed around an animal’s neck to prevent it from licking wounds. At least eight of her 9th grade students wore the cone of shame during April, according to the Tampa Bay Times. She told district officials that she thought it would be a good way to “redirect student behavior....

The adage “finders, keepers” couldn’t ring truer for one New York lottery winner. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Long Island landscaper Marvin Rosales-Martinez was clearing debris with a leaf blower when he chanced upon a soggy “Win $1,000 a Week for Life” scratch-off ticket. To his surprise, it was a valid winning ticket for $1 million – and he was able to claim it. But how was Rosales-Martinez able to claim the winnings when he never even purchased the ticket?...

General Mills has nixed its controversial legal terms which potentially would have forced consumers into arbitration for “liking” the company online. After less than a week of worried consumers raising questions about the cereal titan taking away their rights to sue, General Mills took down its newest legal terms on Saturday night. The company decided to go back to its original online legal terms, citing that their new policy was “widely misunderstood, causing concerns among our consumers,” reports The New York Times....

After ringing in 2011, gun store owners should be aware of the new California ammunition law that is aimed at better tracking criminals who use handguns to commit crimes. Officially known as AB 962, there are important requirements and changes to the sale of ammunition about to be enacted this week. Outdoor and gun stores should be aware of: “The measure requires vendors of handgun ammunition to keep a log of information on handgun ammunition sales, store ammunition in a safe and secure manner and require the face-to-face transfer of ammunition sales,” The Los Angeles Daily News reports....

Like a lot of legal phrases, “common law marriage” gets tossed around quite a bit, but with little understanding of what it actually means. You just live with someone for a while, right? Maybe help them assemble some IKEA furniture? As easy as that sounds, some people might be a little worried about winding up in a marriage they didn’t intend. So here’s how to avoid a common law marriage....

When out in nature, you may feel the urge to feed any wild animals you might encounter. However, as your legal guides through the forest of state and federal laws, we strongly encourage you to resist that temptation. Not only is this practice bad for the animals you feed, but your “kindness” by feeding wildlife can potentially lead to your arrest. Here are some general rules about when it is and isn’t legal to feed wild animals:...

It’s time to send your child back to school (or perhaps to school for the first time), and all enrollment applications require a residential address for each student. But if you decide to use a relative’s address on his or her school enrollment papers, you may be heading for a heap of legal trouble. Do your homework first. Here are some of the potential legal consequences if you’re caught using a relative’s (or a friend’s, or anyone else’s) address for school:...