DERBY-PIE Trademark Owner Can't Stop Newspaper from Discussing Other Derby Pies
An interesting illustration of the "non-trademark use" doctrine.
Policy
Congress Targets Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google for Being Popular
After a 16-month investigation into the big four tech companies, it seems the most that congressional busybodies can accuse them of is routine business practices and having popular services.
Pandemic-Slammed Small Businesses Require Regulatory Relief
Entrepreneurs discouraged by red tape even before COVID-19 need officials to leave them alone.
Edward Glaeser's "Four Freedoms" Strategy for Revitalizing American Capitalism
The Harvard economist explains how to expand opportunity for the young by deregulating housing, labor, and education.
In a Last-Minute Reversal, HHS Voids FDA Fees on Distillers Who Produced Emergency Hand Sanitizer
Thanks to coverage at Reason and pushback from the industry, the federal government voided $14,000 fees on do-gooder craft distillers just in time for the new year.
Eviction Moratoriums Are Transforming From Emergency Stopgaps to Permanent Programs
A growing number of states are enshrining eviction moratoriums into laws that won't expire until well into next year.
How Biden Can Terminate Trump's Border Wall Project - And Save Money and Protect Property Rights in the Process
Joe Biden can easily stop further work on the wall, protect property owners against further takings of private property, and save money in the process. Additional steps may be tougher, but are still worth considering.
COVID Relief Bill Includes $25 Billion in Rental Assistance, 1-Month Extension of the CDC's Eviction Moratorium
Congress' extension of a federal ban on evictions does little to address the legal problems with the policy.
Therapist Elizabeth Brokamp Fights for the Right To See Patients Virtually
"I hope my case can start removing senseless boundaries to teletherapy," said Brokamp, who is suing in federal court on First Amendment grounds.
Trump Outlaws Ugly Federal Buildings
Plus: House OKs bloated $1.4 trillion spending package, new Amash bills aim to protect asylum seekers and immigrant detainees, and more...
What a Frozen Cherry Pie Says About FDA Regulatory Foot-Dragging
It took 15 years for the agency to decide that consumers didn’t actually need to be protected from the threat of substandard fruit desserts.
The U.S. Government Spent Billions Failing To Defend Its Own Agencies From Cyberattacks
Plus: Google gets hit with another antitrust lawsuit, the U.S. falls in a new ranking of human freedom, and more...
Dozens of States Just Sued To Break Up Google. The Biggest Losers Would Be Consumers.
If the lawsuit were to succeed, it would hurt the people it seeks to help.
The Case for Paying College Athletes
The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case challenging the legality of NCAA rules restricting compensation for college athletes. Legal issues aside, the policy case for abolishing these rules is strong.
Foxconn Debacle is Yet Another Example of the Dangers of Using Eminent Domain to Promote Economic Development
As in many previous cases, government officials promised huge economic gains from seizing property for transfer to private interests - but failed to deliver.
FTC and State Prosecutors Join Antitrust Dogpile on Facebook
Plus: Sexual misconduct at the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard and Mike Lee don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Walter E. Williams, Free Market Scholar and Iconoclast, RIP
"I just do my own thing," said the George Mason University economist and author of The State Against Blacks.
Sometimes Bigger Is Better
Republicans and Democrats are working together on an antitrust push against big tech. It will backfire big-time.
Will Cities Survive 2020?
COVID-19 is reigniting old debates about zoning, public health, urban planning, and suburban sprawl.
Giant Metal Monolith Discovered In Utah Desert Possibly Extraterrestrial, Definitely a Code Violation
Little gray men encounter reams of red tape.
The Conservative Antitrust Case Against Big Tech Is a Giant Self-Own
It's hard to take seriously complaints that there are no alternatives to Facebook when they're made on Twitter.
Department of Energy Rolls Back Obama's Dishwasher Restrictions
You might finally be able to buy a dishwasher that gets the job done, unless Joe Biden changes the rules again.
Libertarians Should Make More Use of Referendums
Libertarianism is far from wildly popular, overall. But libertarian causes have done well in referenda in recent years. We can build on that.
The CDC's Eviction Moratorium Is Neither Necessary Nor Legally Sound
Despite fears that a pandemic-ravaged economy would force renters from their homes in droves, evictions were down nationwide at the end of summer.
Unions Lost a Major Battle in Their War on the Gig Economy
Nearly 60 percent of Californians approved a proposition to exempt Uber and Lyft from most of Assembly Bill 5.
The Atlanta Sex Toy Magnate Who Can't Stop Picking Fights
Michael Morrison used to be a boxer. Now he brawls with zoning boards and tax collectors.
Trump Ran as the Nation's NIMBY in Chief. It Didn't Work.
The president promised to save suburbanites' neighborhoods from a wave of new housing development. They voted against him anyway.
The Nation's Top YIMBY Legislator Crushes His Socialist Opponent
California Sen. Scott Wiener coasted to victory in an election that pitted his deregulatory housing agenda against his opponent's socialist vision.
Victories for Liberty, Property Rights, and Nondiscrimination on Three Major California Ballot Measures
Beneficial outcomes on at least three of four important California ballot measures: racial preferences, rent control, and protecting ride-share businesses and workers.
Trump, Biden Voters Both Like Government Housing Spending a Lot More Than Housing Development
A new survey from realty company Redfin finds that only 24 percent of Trump supporters and 32 percent of Biden voters support reducing zoning regulations in their neighborhood.
Californians Vote on Four Ballot Measures with Major Stakes for Liberty, Property Rights, and Justice
These votes could have a big impact on the nation as a whole, as well as California.
The Trump Administration's Real Deregulatory Record
As is so often the case, Trump's claims are not matched by Trump's actual record.
Trump's Foxconn Deal Became Just Another Government Development Debacle
The Taiwanese manufacturer promised Trump and then–Governor Scott Walker 13,000 new jobs and a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant. They've delivered a mostly empty building that's one-twentieth the promised size.
Occupational Licensing Reform Is a Biden Policy We Can All Favor
Occupational licensing rules are more often arbitrary bureaucratic hurdles than they are protections for health or safety.
California's Rent Control Ballot Initiative Getting Crushed in New Poll
Only 37 percent of voters said they support Prop. 21, which would give local governments more power to limit rent hikes.
To Ban Evictions During COVID-19, the CDC Demands Huge Expansion of Executive Power
A mounting number of lawsuits are challenging the Trump administration's claim that it can adopt any policy it deems reasonably necessary to combat the pandemic.
The Republican Antitrust Suit Against Google Is a Progressive Dream
The government is going after Google not to stop consumer harm but to level the business playing field.
San Francisco Voters Will Have a Chance To Undo Regulations Strangling Small Businesses
Prop H will make it easier for businesses to set up shop or readapt their space, all while preventing nosey neighbors from bringing everything to a halt.
Justice Department Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google
Government claims Google uses its power to force users and advertisers on board. Google says that its popularity is not anticompetitive.
Massive Rent Declines in America's Most Expensive Cities Prove, Once Again, That Supply and Demand Is Real
San Francisco, New York City, Boston, and other large metro areas have posted double-digit drops in rent.
Who's Worse on Housing, Trump or Biden?
When it comes to the two major party candidates' housing plans, libertarians are left looking for the lesser of two evils.
The USDA Should Let People Plant Blight-Resistant American Chestnut Trees
Anti-biotech activists cite the precautionary principle to maintain chestnut tree-free forests.
Big Tech Is Just the Beginning: House Dems Seek Major Changes to Antitrust Law
Enforcement is supposed to be about protecting "consumer welfare." Overturning that goal would be bad for all of us.
Democrats and the White House Were Nearing an Agreement on Renter, Homeowner Assistance. Then Trump Tweeted.
House Democrats had approved $71 billion in assistance to homeowners and renters. The White House said it would agree to $60 billion. Now they'll get $0.
House Antitrust Report Hits Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google
Plus: Tech companies respond, proposed H-1B visa changes, and more...
