As ever, the Source has been trawling the web for those gems which may have passed you by.
Bogus debt hearings
Threats to send round the heavies clearly weren't working for Indiana debt collecting company Unicredit America Inc, which came up with a rather more ingenious plan to coerce customers into paying up.
According to a lawsuit filed last week, Unicredit staged kangaroo hearings in a fake courtroom to persuade petrified debtors to hand over all their bank details. And these mock-hearings were no budget affair. According to the complaint, Unicredit decorated its fake courtrooms with all the furniture and accoutrements usually associated with a genuine courtroom. There was a raised bench, a witness stand, legal books on the shelves and, according to the Erie-Times News, in some hearings there was even "an individual dressed in black....where observers would expect to see a judge".
If you find yourself hauled in front of these darkly-clad chaps for not paying your gas bill, fair bet it's probably not for real
But as with so many flawless criminal plans, it couldn't last. Unicredit was busted and is now facing a consumer protection lawsuit for using deceptive tactics to mislead, confuse or coerce customers. It will have its day in a genuine court next month.
Hells Angels get litigious
The Hells Angels maintain that they are just a group of fellows who like to ride their bikes and get together for social events, like parties and fundraisers. According to the FBI, however, they're one of the "big four" (motorcycle gangs, not accountancy firms) and are responsible for widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods and extortion. Oh and their logo - daubed across their leathers - is called "death's head" and comprises a skull with wings.
Hells Angels - like the Hairy Bikers only a bit more terrifying and possibly less fond of shellfish
So far so scary. But they're not just an intimidating bunch of beefy guys on motorbikes - they also have legal savvy. Back in 1984 they decided to patent their logo and now they are suing three fashion houses for using the brand on handbags, jewellery and accessories without the group's permission.
The fashion houses in the bikers' firing line include Alexander McQueen, Saks and Zappo.com - who all thought that their wealthy customers would rather fancy the "death logo" adorning their £2.5k handbags and - of course - couldn't imagine which self-respecting sloane would sashay down the Kings Road without her Hells Angel Pashmina.
The group claim that the unauthorised use of their logo will cause its reputation "irreparable harm". And you can see where they're coming from. It does seem likely that association with ladies who lunch and C-list celebrities may well render the "death logo" a little less, well, scary. The Hells Angels are demanding the destruction of all the merchandise they mention in their lawsuit and are claiming that they should receive three times the profits made by the sale of these items due to the deliberate nature of the infringement.
If they do win at least they'll have a nice pot of cash for all those parties and fundraisers of which they're so fond.
Bogus debt hearings
Threats to send round the heavies clearly weren't working for Indiana debt collecting company Unicredit America Inc, which came up with a rather more ingenious plan to coerce customers into paying up.
According to a lawsuit filed last week, Unicredit staged kangaroo hearings in a fake courtroom to persuade petrified debtors to hand over all their bank details. And these mock-hearings were no budget affair. According to the complaint, Unicredit decorated its fake courtrooms with all the furniture and accoutrements usually associated with a genuine courtroom. There was a raised bench, a witness stand, legal books on the shelves and, according to the Erie-Times News, in some hearings there was even "an individual dressed in black....where observers would expect to see a judge".
If you find yourself hauled in front of these darkly-clad chaps for not paying your gas bill, fair bet it's probably not for real
But as with so many flawless criminal plans, it couldn't last. Unicredit was busted and is now facing a consumer protection lawsuit for using deceptive tactics to mislead, confuse or coerce customers. It will have its day in a genuine court next month.
Hells Angels get litigious
The Hells Angels maintain that they are just a group of fellows who like to ride their bikes and get together for social events, like parties and fundraisers. According to the FBI, however, they're one of the "big four" (motorcycle gangs, not accountancy firms) and are responsible for widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods and extortion. Oh and their logo - daubed across their leathers - is called "death's head" and comprises a skull with wings.
Hells Angels - like the Hairy Bikers only a bit more terrifying and possibly less fond of shellfish
So far so scary. But they're not just an intimidating bunch of beefy guys on motorbikes - they also have legal savvy. Back in 1984 they decided to patent their logo and now they are suing three fashion houses for using the brand on handbags, jewellery and accessories without the group's permission.
The fashion houses in the bikers' firing line include Alexander McQueen, Saks and Zappo.com - who all thought that their wealthy customers would rather fancy the "death logo" adorning their £2.5k handbags and - of course - couldn't imagine which self-respecting sloane would sashay down the Kings Road without her Hells Angel Pashmina.
The group claim that the unauthorised use of their logo will cause its reputation "irreparable harm". And you can see where they're coming from. It does seem likely that association with ladies who lunch and C-list celebrities may well render the "death logo" a little less, well, scary. The Hells Angels are demanding the destruction of all the merchandise they mention in their lawsuit and are claiming that they should receive three times the profits made by the sale of these items due to the deliberate nature of the infringement.
If they do win at least they'll have a nice pot of cash for all those parties and fundraisers of which they're so fond.
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