Overlawyered

Here's your daily fix of unnecessary litigation:

• Are you a person of color living with the heartbreak of lactose intolerance? You may be entitled to money damages! That's the message of ads posted by the so-called Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on Metrobuses around DC. (You may remember PCRM and its insidious vegan agenda from last year's smackdown versus the Atkins people.) Seems PCRM have taken a page from Peter Angelos and are seeking class-action damages from the American dairy industry, alleging their award-winning Got milk? campaign "dangerously misrepresents serious health concerns" about dairy products.




• Pity the poor government. Courts aren't the only ones who have mediate cat fights between food producers and their special interest adversaries. Today's WashPost covers an on-going battle before regulatory agencies by one do-good group that wants warning labels on sugary soda pop. (Cuz calories cause fat!?) In a move to deflect criticism, the grocers have suggested voluntary limits on product placement in children's movies and TV. In a related story, SpongeBob will soon begin promoting vegetables and -- you guessed it -- milk for kids.
• Finally, Chris linked me to this dispute from Down Under in which McDonalds is taking a local rubgy team to court because the sponsor's shortened name sounds too much like the restaurant chain's trademarked kids promotion. (Brisbane lawyer Malcolm McBratney thought "McBrats" sounded like a great moniker for the boys of the Irish R.F.C., but I guess he doesn't specialize in intellectual property.)

Sometimes even I have a hard time seeing the benefit lawyers and lobbyists provide to society.