Cooney on Larry Potter and the Deathly Canon @WMUcooleylaw @jmarkcooney

Mark Cooney, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, has published Larry Potter and the Deathly Canon at 99 Mich. B. J. 48 (Sept. 2020). Here is the abstract.

This Michigan Bar Journal column discusses the ejusdem generis canon of statutory construction, using a courtroom-based Harry Potter parody as its vehicle.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.

"The Office" Comes To Northeastern Law @NUSLclic

Northeastern University School of Law parodies "The Office" with this video. What you can do with that law degree!

Who Wilt Thou Calleth? Ghostbusters!

If you like Shakespeare, Ghostbusters, and parody,  Ministers of Grace may be your cup of, er, tea.  Written in iambic pentameter by Jordan Monsell, it's a parody of the film starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Dan Ackroyd, set in England, and written as if by the Bard.  It's available from CreateSpace, and lists for $14.95. Forsooth!

Lawyer/Parodist Entertainers at the ABA Bar Association Annual Meeting

The ABA made certain that CLE was more fun than usual at this year's Annual Meeting by inviting Ethics Follies, a group of lawyer/musicians from Texas who put legal ethics to music, to perform. The group put on an entertainment called Scamalot, inspired by (of course) Monty Python's Spamalot (but by not the legendary luncheon meat, we're sure...). There's serious stuff amid the frivolity: "The Holy Grail means the ethical treatment of our clients and each other,” says one of the characters.

Well, we knew a lot of lawyers are hams underneath. (Sorry....)  More here from the ABA Journal.

Come and Knock On His Door (Now)--He's Been Waiting For You

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that a young playwright did not infringe the copyright of DLT Entertainment in his work, 3C, which resembles the popular 1970s sitcom Three's Company. Judge Loretta Preska found that in spite of numerous similarities pointed out by DLT,  David Adjmi's play is a parody and a "drastic departure" from the original. It is also not a competitor in the same market as the original.  All sweet vindication for Mr. Adjmi, who has been waiting for three years (since he received a cease-and-desist letter from DLT's attorneys), to be able to pursue marketing opportunities for his work.

More here from the New York Times. Recap of the court's analysis here from Rebecca Tushnet at 43(B)log.

Funny Politicians

From the Dirksen Congressional Center: Serious Consequences of Congress as a Target For Humorists.

The Mewsroom

Aaron Sorkin's HBO cast/cats. Is that a feliny?

From the Capitol Steps: Happy Newt Year (and Other Song Stylings)

That irreverent group, the Capitol Steps, turns thirty, and has added some Newt Material to its repertoire. I'm referring, of course, to its song, "Three Little Wives of Newt" (cribbing from the Gilbert and Sullivan staple "Three Little Maids From School Are We"). Isn't the protection of the First Amendment wonderful?