Mark Fox's Weblog

During the past week the media talk shows have been consistently suggesting that Paris Hilton is getting special treatment while in jail. While that is likely true, the Los Angeles Times examined seven years of L.A. County Jail booking and release records to identify cases similar to Paris Hilton's and has found that if she serves 23 of her 45 day sentence for driving were her license was suspended due to a DUI she will have served more time than 80% of other people in similar situations. From the article:

The Times' analysis of jail releases found that more than 60% of those with cases similar to Hilton's walked free after serving less than half their time. Under the department's current guidelines, Hilton probably would have served even less time. Most nonviolent female offenders sentenced to less than 90 days are released immediately.

Techdirt notes that a ruling by Judge James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia halting NTP Inc’s patent infringement lawsuit against Palm Inc. until the U.S. Patent and Trademark (PTO) rules on whether they infringe on wireless e-mail patents held by is the exact opposite of the same judge’s previous ruling against a simialr halt in NTP’s lawsuit against Research In Motition. Faced with a potential injuction shuting down its BlackBerry email service RIM paid NTP $612.5 million in March 2006 to drop its lawsuit.

One reason for the ruling may have been the May 16, 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a injunction does not have to be automatically issued against am infringing company.