Apparently everyone uses social media these days–even poachers. A string of wildlife traffickers based out of Vietnam have been discovered using Facebook to sell large amounts of ivory, rhino horn, and tiger parts. On Monday and Tuesday the results from a yearlong investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission WJC, will be presented at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

Investigators combed through a small Vietnamese village, Nhi Khe and found illegal goods worth $53.1 million, sold by 51 villagers both online and in person. Sadly, these products come from what are believed to be 907 elephants, 579 rhinos, 225 tigers, and other endangered species such as pangolins, bears, hawksbill turtles, and helmeted hornbills.

WJC tweeted early Monday morning the upsetting insight that people in the village didn’t even know what the animals used to make their products look like.

#WJCVietnam: @ossendryver on visit to VN found people didn’t really know what rhinos or elephants were ‘as animals’ just as products

— WJC (@WJCommission) November 14, 2016

The rise of social media has made it easier to sell products from the safety of your home. These sales happen through auctions in closed Facebook groups, where new visitors need to get approved by an admin before becoming members. Smugglers mainly sell processed products made from ivory or rhino, but there are also whole tusks and horns on the market. Payment is made via WeChat Wallet. They seem to be selling locally in Southeast Asia through Facebook, and use WeChat itself to sell to China.

Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Executive Director at WJC, said in a statement: “Our evidence shows that an amount of rhino horn equivalent to nearly half the rhinos poached annually in South Africa transits this village. Stopping this illegal trade requires urgent action.”

Tune into the #WJCVietnam Hearing by visiting: https://t.co/6QkP25KvfC pic.twitter.com/ymHayrIofW

— Born Free Foundation (@BFFoundation) November 14, 2016

But despite all the evidence, the statement said, in combination with diplomatic efforts, the Vietnamese government has not taken any action to stop the illegal smuggling. The government seems to have taken steps to prevent open trade, but behind closed doors, secret trading is still going on. This inaction is likely due to corruption.

#WJCVietnam: Milliken: we believe corruption is major issue at both ends of #illegaltrade supply chain. VN syndicates at both ends of chain.

— WJC (@WJCommission) November 14, 2016

However, on Monday morning, during the first part of the hearing, environmental reporting agency IISD tweeted that Vietnamese officials had made an arrest in connection to the wildlife traffickers.

#WJCVietnam: Viet Nam has made first arrest based on @WJCommission evidence last weekend. “An important first step.” https://t.co/xffQMd8JJD pic.twitter.com/0Mre9phfn3

— IISDRS (@IISDRS) November 14, 2016

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Vietnamese Wildlife Traffickers Sell Ivory and Rhino Horn On Facebook appeared first on Law Street.

On Saturday, landmarks around the world shut off their lights for an hour to draw attention to climate change. The event was started in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and has been held every March since.

This year, 366 landmarks participated in over 175 nations, including Big Ben, the Colosseum, and the Empire State Building. Each landmark turned off its lights between 8:30 and 9:30 PM in its respective timezone. Here are some pictures of the world’s most famous landmarks gone dark:

Great photos of the @EmpireStateBldg participating in #EarthHour. pic.twitter.com/MYcniHgBUl

— World Wildlife Fund (@World_Wildlife) March 20, 2016

#ChangeClimateChange! UN Headquarters in NYC went dark for #Earthhour on Saturday! Message: https://t.co/L34HPKY8hY pic.twitter.com/2nbVESfQ9r

— United Nations (@UN) March 20, 2016

Time for lights out! We’re proud to take part in this year’s #EarthHour
Pic: Simon Hewson/@wwf_australia @earthhour pic.twitter.com/uFCvtl2JIy

— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) March 19, 2016

We’ve switched off the lights at Emirates Stadium from 8.30-9.30pm for #EarthHour pic.twitter.com/aLGbPTJEuk

— TheArsenalFoundation (@AFC_Foundation) March 19, 2016

The Eiffel Tower is switching off its lights to celebrate #EarthHour in @Paris. @WWF@RoyalSegolene@Anne_Hidalgopic.twitter.com/iYB8Kyn0mH

— Pierre Cannet (@pierrecannet) March 19, 2016

The CEO of the WWF, David Miller, explained the uniqueness of this year’s event:

This year, because the nations came together in Paris in December for the first time and agreed on a plan of action, I think the goal is not only to draw attention but also to celebrate the fact we’ve seen really important action on this critical challenge.

However, while the world may have seen increased action against climate change, we have also seen mounting reason to be concerned about the state of the world climate. According to the Independent’s Geoffrey Lean:

Last month, it was revealed on 14 March, was not merely the warmest February ever, but witnessed the biggest month-on-month jump in temperatures ever recorded – and by a big margin. Normally cautious climate scientists called it ‘jawdropping’ ‘terrifying,’ and ‘a true shocker.’

Worse, the previous record rise occurred just the month before, in January. This has been the warmest winter ever worldwide, and February was the tenth successive record-breaking month.

The photos of the Earth Hour are always striking, but it’s important that the event be paired with action that is more than just symbolic. Miller is certainly correct that we’re making progress, and a blacked out Eiffel Tower (and other landmarks) are great reminders that it’s paramount that we continue moving forward.

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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Few things in the world are as marketable as sports. There’s just something about the mix of competitive energy and artistic renderings (especially when appearing on casual clothing) that’s fun. Even when tragedies befall us, opportunities to overcome often appear in the simple form of a sports-related symbol or catchphrase, capable of uniting folks behind a singular cause. But since most Americans have great minds (fact), and great minds think alike, some of our best symbols, catchphrases, or ideas in general have already been taken. The problem that arises in these scenarios is a contest of intellectual property (IP), often settled in federal court.

Are there specific examples of said IP struggles in sports? Oh well I’m glad you asked. Here at Law Street we’ve decided to list the top five examples for your entertainment and intellectual stimulation.

5. “B Strong” 

The most recent example of a prominent sports-related IP battle can be found in El Paso, Texas, home of the Braden Aboud Foundation, which was created in 2007 to honor the memory of its namesake. Aboud was a 14-year-old boy who passed away from injuries sustained during a ski accident. Also in ’07, the Foundation received trademark protection for their slogan, “B Strong,” which they’ve printed on merchandise to help fundraising efforts. Fast forward to 2013. That same slogan was adopted by the Boston Red Sox, who printed ‘B Strong’ on their merchandise to raise money for charity following the Boston Marathon bombings last April. The Red Sox have offered joint licensing with the Texas charity, but the parties have yet to agree upon licensing compensation. The conflict could soon be headed to court.

4. San Diego Chicken vs. Barney

In the early ’90s, two giant bipeds stole everyone’s heart: Barney and the San Diego Chicken (three if you count the Phillie Phanatic). In 1994, the San Diego Chicken began a campaign to push out Barney, as he repeatedly assaulted a Barney impersonator at San Diego Padres home games. The routine was in jest, of course, but Lyons Partnership LLP — the company that owned the real Barney’s copyright — was not laughing. Lyons sued the San Diego Chicken in federal court alleging copyright infringement. The fight for Barney however, didn’t last long. U.S. District Judge John McBryde dismissed the lawsuit, holding that the Barney lookalike in San Diego was intended to be used as a parody, and not as a source of confusion with the actual Barney.

3. Major League Baseball vs. Cape Cod Baseball League

Anybody who has played little league baseball knows that recreational team names are often borrowed from MLB teams. In 2008, Major League Baseball decided it would start to enforce the naming rights of its teams by threatening legal action against the Cape Cod Baseball League, whose teams share the names of MLB baseball squads. The Cape League however, is not your average amateur baseball league. It was founded in 1885, and many of the teams — such as the Harwich Mariners — have names that predate those of their MLB associates. Consequently, this struggle ultimately ended in a tie, as some Cape League teams agreed to change their names, while others were permitted to keep theirs.

2. 12th Man (Texas A&M) vs. 12th Man (Seattle)

Fans can often sway a game for the home team. Some teams recognize this home-field advantage and reinforce the raucous behavior of their crowds in less destructive ways than holding a ten-cent beer night. In football, this reinforcement comes in the form of merchandise labeled “twelfth man,” which refers to the home-crowd advantage which is often equivalent to having an extra man on the field. This clever slogan however, is trademarked by the Texas A&M Aggies. The NFL franchise Seattle Seahawks found this fact out the hard way, when they were sued by A&M for using the slogan on merchandise without permission. Despite retiring the jersey number 12 to honor Seattle fans, the Seahawks eventually acknowledged A&M’s trademark, and the two teams agreed to a licensing relationship.

1. WWF vs. WWF

You ready for this one, brother? The World Wrestling Federation and the World Wide Fund for Nature coexisted in harmony for years with both enterprises agreeing to use the descriptive acronym “WWF.”  Presumably, there was no need for a lengthy legal battle because there was no chance the two organizations would be confused with each other. Then came the internet and the alleged breach of the two organizations’ 1994 agreement by the World Wrestling Federation when it began using the domain WWF.com.  The environmentalists ultimately won when a U.K. Court of Appeals ruled that the wrestling giant had breached the ’94 agreement. Nature – 1, Nature Boy – 0.

—

Andrew Blancato (@BigDogBlancato) holds a J.D. from New York Law School, and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. When he’s not writing, he is either clerking at a trial court in Connecticut, or obsessing over Boston sports.

Featured image courtesy of [Rob Larsen via Flickr]

Andrew Blancato

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