Anti-Scraping Lawsuits Are Going Crazy in the Real Estate Industry (Catch-Up Post)

By Jake McGowan with comments from Eric [Eric’s preliminary note: it’s taken me weeks to review this blog post, so I’ve been keeping poor Jake in a holding pattern. Still, I hope the wait is worth it.] The real estate…

Google’s Privacy Policy Integration Initially Defeats Legal Challenge — In re Google Privacy Policy Litigation

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani with comments from Eric] In re Google, Inc. Privacy Policy Litigation, C 12-01382 PSG (N.D. Cal.; Dec. 28, 2012) In a decision that should be closely watched by the Instagram plaintiffs who are complaining about Instagram’s…

Sale of “Damn You Auto Correct!” Website Leads to Fights Over Its Google Analytics Numbers — Studio 159 v. PopHang, LLC, et al.

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani with comments by Eric] Studio 159 v. PopHang, LLC & NextPoint, Inc., 2012 WL 6675790 (C.D. Cal.; Dec. 21, 2012) (Copy of Purchase and Sale Agreement) Studio 159 sold to PopHang and Nextpoint (Break Media) 22…

Court Dismisses Class Action Against Apple Over Its App Developers’ Information Collection Practices – Pirozzi v. Apple

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani with comments from Eric] Pirozzi v. Apple, 2012 WL 6652453 (N.D. Cal.; Dec. 20, 2012) This is one of several putative class actions over the information collection practices of apps. I previously covered how the lawsuit…

The FTC’s New Kid Privacy Rules (COPPA) Are a Big Mess (Forbes Cross-Post)

By Eric Goldman Earlier this month, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) promulgated new rules (effectively July 1, 2013) interpreting the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the new rules are a real mess.  They are riddled with…

Facebook Isn’t–and Shouldn’t Be–A Democracy (Forbes Cross-Post)

By Eric Goldman In 2009, Facebook ($FB)  nominally enabled user governance by obligating itself to honor user votes before making certain site policy changes.  This experiment in user self-governance was radical and largely unprecedented–especially given the size of Facebook’s userbase, which…

Lawsuit Against Instagram Over Terms of Service Changes Looks Flimsy — Funes v. Instagram

[Venkat Balasubramani with a comment by Eric] Funes v. Instagram, 12-6482 (N.D. Cal. complaint filed Dec. 21, 2012) Eric and I posted about Instagram’s recent TOS rev. Neither of us were particularly enthusiastic about the changes. (See Facebook’s Proposed Amended…

Facebook’s Proposed Amended Sponsored Settlement and Instagram’s TOS Revs

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Fraley v. Facebook, 11-cv-196193 (N.D. Cal.) (Amended Proposed Settlement) (Motion to Approve) (Preliminary Approval) (case docs, compiled by Citizen Media) I initially passed on blogging the amended proposed settlement agreement in Fraley v. Facebook, the Sponsored…

When Will We Give Up the Charade That Numbers Are Copyrightable?–National Football Scouting v. Rang

By Eric Goldman National Football Scouting, Inc. v. Rang, 11-cv-5762-RBL (W.D. Wash. Dec. 13, 2012) Individual numbers aren’t copyrightable, no matter how much work or judgment went into producing them. This proposition seems so obvious, I feel silly even mentioning…

How to Fix Software Patents (Forbes Cross-Post)

By Eric Goldman There has been a lot of angst about software patents, and I’ve already posted about some of the problems software patents create and some of the challenges trying to fix those problems.  Unfortunately, the rhetoric about software…