It’s the weekend, so time to check out Law Street’s weird arrests of the week. Give a look at the slideshow below:

Don’t Drink and Fly

Image courtesy of Bernal Saborio via Flickr

Jeff Rubin, 27, from Oregon, was arrested after he urinated on other passengers during a flight. He was, unsurprisingly, intoxicated and arrested upon arrival.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Many people would recognize actress Mila Kunis who is probably best known for her role as Jackie on “That ’70s Show.” She’s now engaged to Ashton Kutcher, and has appeared in a number of movies including the critically acclaimed “Black Swan,” and she voices Meg Griffith on “Family Guy.” Kunis grew up in the Ukraine, and was friends with a girl named Khristina Karo, now a “singer.” When they were seven years old, Kunis allegedly stole a chicken from the Karo family chicken farm. Now Karo is suing Kunis under claims of emotional distress that arose out of the chicken theft.

Karo apparently had one favorite chicken misleadingly named “Doggie.” Kunis also loved to play with Doggie, and when the actress was over one time, Doggie mysteriously went missing. According to Karo, the nefarious 7-year-old Kunis owned up to the chicken theft, saying to her friend, “Kristina, you can have any other chicken as a pet, you have a whole chicken farm.”

Karo claims that sought therapyafter this betrayal. When she moved to Los Angeles, the memories of her supposed friend’s theft came back to her, and she entered therapy once again. She claims that this emotional distress is preventing her from pursuing her dream of being a successful singer in the United States. She’s now suing Kunis for $5,000, which seems to be a pretty low request given that Kunis has an estimated net worth of $30 million, and her fiancé has a net worth of over $140 million.

The lowball request would seem to indicate that either Karo is sincere–which is unlikely, but possible–or that she’s doing this for the attention. Given her hopes of becoming a singer, this news pretty much screams publicity stunt.

If you’re interested in Karo’s music, check out her newest song, “Give Me Green Card,” below.

It also contains the immortal line, “Mr. Immigration Officer it is Kristina Karo with a K. A K, K. You know, like Kim Kardashian, only with talent.”

Karo’s publicity stunt does seem to be working, at least to some extent. Her YouTube clip of “Give me Green Card” had almost half a million views when I watched it. I can almost guarantee you that it wouldn’t have nearly that many had news outlets not picked up the story of her lawsuit against Kunis.

It’s pretty doubtful that this lawsuit will actually go anywhere, but Karo certainly seems to have gotten what she is looking for–“Give me Green Card” is sure to get really annoyingly stuck in all of our heads.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Mila Kunis Sued Over 25-Year-Old Ukrainian Chicken Theft appeared first on Law Street.

As per usual, it’s Friday, so it’s time to scroll through a slideshow of all the weird crimes that have happened. I’ve been told it’s an excellent way to procrastinate your way to five o’clock, so enjoy this list of the top weird arrests of the week!

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Rama via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Weird Arrests of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

You know that sinking feeling you get when you dig your hands into your pockets for your keys, but come out with nothing but lint? After a long hard day, nothing is worse than being helplessly locked out of your apartment. Locksmiths are expensive, often ranging from $35 to $150, and may be even more depending on your location and what time you call. App developers in New York believe they have found the solution to this problem with a new service called KeyMe.

KeyMe is an iPhone app that allows users to photograph their keys and upload them to the company’s servers. After the photo is taken, users can make copies in one of KeyMe’s five conveniently located kiosks around NYC. For the low price of $10, KeyMe customers can walk to a kiosk, wait 30 seconds for a brand new key, and then return home. To me, the idea sounds pretty clever: creating a cloud that you can upload your key to, and providing stores around the city that can cut them for you in a matter of seconds. There are absolutely no flaws in that, right?

Wrong. Andy Greenberg, a reporter for WIRED, wrote a step-by-step account of how he was able to copy his neighbors key without him noticing, cut a copy at a nearby KeyMe kiosk, and later “break” into his house. Greenberg says:

Such services also enable jerks like me to steal your keys any time they get a moment alone with them. Leave your ring of cut-brass secrets unattended on your desk at work, at a bar table while you buy another round, or in a hotel room, and any stranger–or friend– can upload your keys to their online collection.

While it’s convenient for those of us who frequently forget our keys, the app also poses some alarming security risks.

Greenberg is absolutely right–now that I know there is an app out there that can create a copy of my key, I think I’ll find it extremely hard to trust anybody with it. No more throwing down the keys to my friends to let them in, no more hanging them at the door, and certainly no more trusting valets. Unfortunately, KeyMe allows the most simplest of simpletons to become a thief, and I can’t blame them–it’s far too easy. From what I can tell, Greenberg has been the only person to admit to using KeyMe to break into someones house, but that will probably change as soon as KeyMe gains traction.

The app also has the potential to wipe out the locksmith industry entirely. Much like what Uber is doing to the taxi business, KeyMey’s user-friendly and convenient service may have the ability to disrupt the market. As more and more services shift to mobile devices, one can imagine of the possibilities to come in the near future. The recent trend toward mobility and instant gratification may also have a negative side; are services like KeyMe causing people to sacrifice security for convenience?

Greg Marsh, CEO of KeyMe, told WIRED that, “digitally reproducing keys is safer than other methods because it leaves a digital trail with KeyMe’s account information, credit card records, and its kiosk fingerprint scanners.” While those are all very valid points, Mr. Marsh, I hadn’t heard of KeyMe until a couple of days ago. If I were robbed I would assume it was done the old fashioned way–by picking the lock or breaking a window. The last thing I would think is that someone took a photo of my key, copied it at the Rite-Aid down the street, and then waltzed through the front door to rob me blind.

Marsh’s advice to his future users is “to be prudent with where they have their keys and store them, similar to a password.” This is pretty obvious advice–even before the introduction of KeyMe, criminals still had the ability to steal a key, copy it, and return it before the person even noticed. But KeyMe just made it simpler for them–instead of going through the trouble of copying the key or stealing it, they merely have to take a picture. With a click of a button you now have access to someone’s valuables. All I can say is that KeyMe might be facing a lot of lawsuits in the upcoming years.

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Trevor Smith

Featured image courtesy of [Moyan Brenn via Flickr]

Trevor Smith

Trevor Smith is a homegrown DMVer studying Journalism and Graphic Design at American University. Upon graduating he has hopes to work for the US State Department so that he can travel, learn, and make money at the same time. Contact Trevor at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The New Key to Breaking and Entering appeared first on Law Street.

Victoria’s Secret — can I call you Victoria? — has been a naughty, naughty girl.  As a dedicated brand minion for Victoria, I felt like a bit of a sleazeball when I decided to spill the specifics on her latest antics.  I really hate to break it to all my lovers out there, but the largest American retailer of lingerie has been accused of — wait for it — infringement.  Mmmmhmm.  And this isn’t the first time.

Unfortunately, I have to stand my ground on the opposite bedpost here, Victoria.  Hanky Panky Ltd., a Manhattan-based lingerie company, is suing Victoria’s Secret for trademark infringement of its registered marks “Indulge Your Inner Flirt” and “After Midnight.” First off, can anyone tell me why we’re automatically in the red zone?  “The Dupont Factors!,” shouted James Franco (cited merely because he’s an all-time overachiever and not because of the subject matter). Why yes, we have two lingerie companies. This means we’re already dealing with similar products that should be tossed in the indicative-of-infringement basket. Not that this should have been glaringly evident to Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret. No no no. Let’s dig deeper.

The “After Midnight” Infringement Claim

Hanky Panky registered the “After Midnight” mark to cover its 2010 collection of *ehem* “crotchless panties, sensual peek-a-boo bralettes, daring teddies and babydolls.” The complaint claims that this raunchy collection also features “sexual accessories such as lubricants and candles.”  Sounds good to me.  Problem is, it sounded pretty good to Victoria’s Secret, too. So good that they decided to slap the name on their own “aphrodisiac mood candle.”  Well, why stop there? Let’s also put the stolen mark on a few products in literally the same category, erotic unmentionables, that the mark represents for another company.

I don’t understand. Did Victoria’s Secret just think Hanky Panky was going to look the other way as they deliberately trampled on and sucked all of the commercial juice out of the mark?  Hanky Panky has a valid trademark. Sure the mark is suggestive, but it’s valid nonetheless. Victoria’s Secret took the exact mark of a competitor, with the knowledge that consumers would be confused, and placed it on extremely similar goods. It comes as no surprise that Hanky Panky is also asking for punitive damages under state law.  I see some much-needed discipline in your future, Victoria.

The “Indulge Your Inner Flirt” Infringement Claim

Hanky Panky trademarked the catchphrase, “Indulge your inner flirt,” in 2007, and has been using the slogan in its ads ever since. Yet Victoria’s Secret still thought they were entitled to thrust a strong middle finger to trademark law and appropriate the phrase in the ads for its own sexy PJs. This can’t be real life. Why should companies even utilize our trademark laws if they have no tenacity?

Soo…are you just running low in your fresh ideas bucket, Victoria? You knew better and chose not to do better. Sigh.

Still looking forward to the next semi-annual sale, though.

Gena.

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Featured image courtesy of [thinkretail via Flickr]

Gena Thomas

Gena Thomas, a recent graduate of Howard University School of Law, was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, she enjoys watching scary movies and acquiring calories from chocolates of all sorts. Contact Gena at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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