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Think you know your legal trivia? These 5 questions will make you think again

You don’t need us to tell you that the law is everywhere. Not only does it govern everything that we do today, it has also shaped most of our history, and is even a part of our favourite movies and books.

The world of legal trivia is as fun as it is endless. The law is like fine wine – half the fun is in showing off how much you know about it. So how many of the following questions can you answer?

Q1. JFK

In his junior year at Princeton, X submitted a paper for a political science class about John F. Kennedy's plot to kill Fidel Castro, written as a poem. For his senior thesis, he turned the Bill of Rights into a play. "I made each amendment into a character", he said. "The First Amendment is a loudmouth guy who won't shut up. The Second Amendment guy, all he wanted to talk about was his gun collection. Then the 10th Amendment, the one where they say leave the rest for the states to decide, he was a guy with no self-esteem." While at Princeton, X was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Boston University School of Law, where he wrote for the Legal Follies, a sketch comedy group composed of Boston University law students which still holds annual performances. Identify X.

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A1. David E. Kelley, the creative mind and writer behind hit TV shows, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal.

Q2. Pepsi

Leonard v. Pepsico is a contracts case tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1999. Plaintiff John Leonard sued Pepsico to enforce an “offer”. What did John Leonard want?

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A2. A Harrier Jet

In Leonard v. Pepsico, known as the Pepsi Points Case, John Leonard tried to enforce an “offer” to redeem 7,000,000 Pepsi Points for an AV-8 Harrier II jump jet, which PepsiCo had shown in a portion of a televised commercial for the Pepsi Stuff Catalog. PepsiCo argued that the advertisement was intended to be humorous. The court found that even if the advertisement had been an offer, no reasonable person could have believed that the company seriously intended to convey a jet worth roughly $23 million.

Q3. Baba

Noted rationalist Basava Premanand filed a case against Satya Sai Baba in 1986, which was dismissed. He tried appealing - unsuccessfully - on the grounds that spiritual power was not a defence recognised in law. The law under which Premananda filed his case was eventually repealed in 1990. Name this a law.

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A3. Gold Control Act, 1968. Basava Premananda claimed that Sai Baba violated the act by producing gold necklaces out of thin air without the permission of a Gold Control Administrator.

Q4. X Files

The first time X was referred to in a reported Indian judgment was probably in the 2003 Delhi High Court judgment in Cellular Operators Association v. MCD. Since then X finds reference — for various reasons — in some 150 high court and Supreme Court judgments, with a marked spike since around 2006. In T.V. Venogopal v. Ushodaya Enterprises Limited and Another, Justice Bhandari of the Supreme Court agrees with the appellant’s contention that it is “an established position, internationally in law that X does not have any evidentiary value in the court proceedings.” In 2008, Justice Sinha in Ponds India Limited v. Commissioner Of Trade Tax, is categorical about X’s limited use in the judicial process but does acknowledge its widespread use and refers to Judge Posner’s glowing but qualified review and the reservations expressed by, among others, Lawrence Lessig. What is X?

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A4. Wikipedia

Q5. Copyright

In 1935, this song was copyrighted as a work for hire crediting Preston Ware Orem and Mrs. R.R. Forman for the Summy Company. A new company, Birch Tree Group Limited, was formed to protect and enforce the song's copyright. Warner/Chappell Music, a division of the Warner Music Group, acquired Birch Tree Group Limited in 1988 for $25 million. The company continues to insist that one cannot sing the lyrics of this song for profit without paying royalties: in 2008, Warner collected about $5,000 per day ($2 million per year) in royalties for the song. Warner/Chappell claims copyright for every use in film, television, radio, anywhere open to the public, and for any group where a substantial number of those in attendance are not family or friends of whoever is performing the song. Which song?

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A5. “Happy Birthday To You”

A Question of Law

Those questions were from last year’s iteration of A Question of Law – India’s premier law quiz. A Question of Law is back this year on National Law Day, that is, this Wednesday on November 26, 2014. This one promises to be the most exciting and fun-filled version yet.

The quiz will be held at Monkey Bar, Connaught Place – and the main agenda is to have as much fun as possible while celebrating the law. There are some great prizes for the winners, but stick around even if you don’t qualify for the finals, because there are a lot of audience questions and prizes up for grabs. You stand a chance to win free drinks, books, a lot of legal accessories and other goodies. You can expect some insane legal trivia and some even more insane rounds. Supreme Court advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan will be the quiz master.

The preliminary rounds of the quiz start at 7:30 p.m. Make sure you are on time. You can register on-the-spot, but we suggest you register now! Click here to register your team.

Share this with your friends and colleagues to see if they're as good at legal trivia as they think they are...

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