What follows in an excerpt from The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney’s War Against the Counterculture (Fantagraphics 2003) by investigative journalist Bob Levin. The book describes the so-crazy-it-must-be-true story of Disney’s attack on a group of underground cartoonists who, under…
Category: Legal
Singapore Cartoonist Arrested for Sedition
In April, Singapore cartoonist Leslie Chew was arrested by authorities for alleged racial insensitivity and sedition. Chew shares his comic, Demon-cratic Singopore, on Facebook, and his arrest was the result of a complaint filed by a private citizen who took…
New Jersey Ponders Restricting Video Games
Despite a 2011 Supreme Court decision that struck down a California law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, New Jersey lawmakers are now considering similar legislation. In an apparent attempt to skirt the Supreme Court…
Appeal Against Tunisian Blasphemy Conviction for Sharing Cartoons Fails
Last year, Tunisian citizens Jabeur Mejri and Ghazi Beji were sentenced in their home country to 7.5 years prison for blasphemy. The two were convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad after they shared cartoons depicting Muhammad and criticizing Islam on…
COMIC MEGA STORE Publication Suspended Due to Obscenity Investigation
Anime News Network reports that publication of the adult manga magazine Comic Mega Store has been indefinitely suspended due to a police investigation for obscenity. The magazine was clearly marked 18+, but apparently still ran afoul of Article 175 of…
Obscenity Case Files: United States v. One Book Called “Ulysses”
James Augusta Aloysius Joyce is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. His book Ulysses has been called one of the most challenging and rewarding novels ever written and is considered to be…
New Zealand Man Jailed for Watching Anime
Ronald Clark, a man from Auckland, New Zealand, has been sentenced to three months jail and may be further sentenced to 10 years of supervision and penalties. His crime: watching Japanese anime featuring pixies, elves, trolls, and other fantasy characters…
CBLDF Board Member Dale Cendali Named One of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America
Congratulations to CBLDF Board of Directors Secretary Dale Cendali, who was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by The National Law Journal! In their synopsis about Cendali, The National Law Journal describes just a few of…
Holding Strong Against the Rise of Censorship in Egypt and Tunisia
Despite legislation protecting free expression, an Egyptian satirist and Tunisian rapper find themselves caught in a wave of rising post-Arab Spring censorship. Political cartoons have been an ongoing target, and now Bassem Youssef and Weld El 15 have both been…
Obscenity Case Files: “I know it when I see it”
In the last edition of the Obscenity Case Files series, we discussed the Pope v. Illinois decision and how it impacted the Miller Test for identifying obscene material, which is not protected by the First Amendment. In this edition, we’ll take…