Tag: rights

Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, UK

Max Mosley

It appears as if Max Mosley has gotten whipped once again. But this time, it wasn’t in an alleged S&M dungeon with a gaggle of hookers dressed up as Nazi officers, it was in no less distinguished a forum than the European Court of Human Rights.

The former FIA president, as you may recall, was outed by the British tabloid News of the World back in 2008 for his sordid sex life. Rather than recoil as most might – particularly in light of longstanding accusations of Mosley and his family’s fascist sympathies and historical ties to high-ranking Nazi officials – Mosley went on the offensive. He made his case into a privacy issue and sued the newspaper, sued its publisher, and he sued a German newspaper that ran the story as well.

Once the dust settled from those lawsuits – including the nearly $100,000 (plus legal expenses) in punitive damages awarded him in court – Mosley took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. In a landmark decision being hailed by some as a victory for free speech, Mosley’s case was dismissed by the courts yesterday.

The decision ostensibly upholds the rights of the British fourth estate (that is, the media) to publish the news as it sees fit without the requirement which Mosley was seeking to notify the subject of reports before they’re published. Mosley may, however, appeal the decision, though to what higher judicial body remains unclear.

Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights”

Report: UAW’s King threatens to expose carmakers who avoid unions as “human rights violators”

Bob King

United Auto Workers president Bob King wants to reverse the UAW’s eroding course, and one of the best ways to strengthen its position is through increased membership. The Detroit News reports that King and company are looking to bring the power of one to the nearest transplant automaker producing vehicles in the U.S. King says that he wants foreign automakers to know that the UAW has learned from past mistakes and that the rank and file is not “the evil empire.” Good to know, right? Well…

After King informed the transplants that the dark side has no power over the UAW, he then went on to tell automaker management at Toyota and Honda that efforts to block the right to fair bargaining will be branded “human rights violators.” King reportedly went on to accuse some transplants of spending millions to keep unions out of plants, adding “I would not want to be a company that was branded as a human rights violator.” And what happens if the UAW feels the automakers are continuing to block workers’ rights to vote for or against the right to organize? King says the next step is to stage global protests that could cost automakers “hundreds of millions of dollars” to combat.

[Source: Detroit News | Image: Paul Sancya/AP]

Report: UAW’s King threatens to expose carmakers who avoid unions as “human rights violators” originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: UAW’s King threatens to expose carmakers who avoid unions as “human rights violators””

Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Lotus

Stick with us here, because this is going to get a little complicated. We have on the one hand Lotus Cars and Group Lotus. On the other we have the current Lotus F1 team. The former – producers of such sportscars as the Elise and the new Elite – is owned by Malaysian state automaker Proton. The former is also Malaysian-owned, but by businessman Tony Fernandes (pictured above, owner also of Air Asia), and uses the name Lotus under license from Proton.

Still with us? Hold on. We recently reported that the F1 team that currently runs as Lotus Racing was switching its name to Team Lotus. That name, which was used on the famous grand prix team of yore, was claimed by one David Hunt (brother of the late world champion James Hunt), who acquired many of the assets of the old team. Fernandes wanted to bridge that gap, and acquired those rights from Hunt. Thing is, Group Lotus (the automaker and engineering firm, not the F1 team) disputed Hunt’s claim on the name in the first place.

As a result, Proton has now terminated its licensing agreement with Fernandes, demanding that his outfit cease using the Lotus name – in any permutation, be it Lotus Racing, Team Lotus or any derivation thereof. Fernandes, girded by his rights acquisition, isn’t likely to back down, and we’re smelling a messy legal battle ensuing. So keep your eyes peeled on this space, and follow the jump for official statements from both outfits.

[Source: Lotus | Image: SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute

Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 embroiled in naming rights dispute”