Britney Spears Hires Private Investigator?
ARIZONA - For months now, the tabloids have been filled with news that pop singer Britney Spears is feuding with her mother. The singer is apparently furious that her mother, Lynne Spears, is forming a close relationship with Kevin Federline, Britney's ex-husband. Rumors suggest that Lynne also insisted that Spears check herself into rehab earlier this year. As a result, Britney Spears served her mother with legal papers recently and according to some reports is trying to legally prevent Lynne from seeing her two sons. Star Magazine also reports that Britney may be in the process of hiring a private investigator to unearth some details about Lynne. Already, there are reports that the pop princess used PIs to reveal some phone calls that Lynne had with Federline, in which she can allegedly be heard bad-mouthing her daughter.

Source: The National Ledger, July 5, 2007
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Woman sues RIAA Over Investigation
TEXAS - A Texas grandmother is suing the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and is alleging that the trade body is trying to extort her. The charges stem from the fact that the RIAA claimed that Rhonda Crain was illegally downloading more than 500 files. The RIAA threatened Crain with a fine of $150,000 for each file. An investigation into the case showed that the files did not belong to RIAA members. Crain is claiming that the private investigators that the RIAA used to find stolen files were not licensed properly, making their investigation illegal. Texas law stipulates that private investigators must be licensed by the state in which they work. It is alleged that the RIAA investigators had not obtained a license.

Source: VNU Net, July 5, 2007
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PI Firm Seeks Michigan License For Police Investigation
MICHIGAN - A while back we reported that a PI company was hired to investigate police Chief Ervin Portis in Michigan, who was under fire from the Michigan Council of Private Investigators because the firm was licensed in North Carolina, contrary to Michigan laws. It now appears that Risk Management Association Inc. of Raleigh, N.C. will be seeking a Michigan license to pursue the case. It is expected that the firm will be legally licensed within a few days.

Source: Michigan Live LLC, July 4, 2007
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New Business in Australia to Focus on Cheating Spouse Investigations
AUSTRALIA - Spouse Busters is a first in Australia. The PI firm is in business exclusively to investigate cheating partners. In only eighteenth months, the business has grown from three investigators to more than twenty, thanks in part to the fact that cheating spouse investigations are becoming big business in the region. In Sydney alone, the firm is getting an average of twenty eight cases per week.

Source: Malaysia Sun, July 4, 2007
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Australia Will Not Pay PIs to Crack Down on Brothels
AUSTRALIA - We recently reported that in Australia, authorities were considering bringing back controversial programs that saw private investigators paid to visit illegal brothels in order to shut them down. However, it now appears that the Melbourne City Council has decided not to pay the PIs. Rather than paying investigators, Lord Mayor John So and the Municipal Association of Victoria will pressure the State Government's Consumer Affairs Department to take stronger legal action against brothels.

Source: The Age, July 4, 2007
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New Calling Card May Be of Interest to PIs
CALIFORNIA - A new calling card, SpoofCard, allows callers to fake a Caller ID, change their voice, and record crank calls. The company makes it impossible for users of the card to dial toll-free numbers or 911 with the card, but most other phone numbers are fair game. Although the card is aimed at the public market, the company is reporting that PIs may be interested in the card for pre-texting and investigations.

Source: Wired Blogs, June 29, 2007
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