FTC Wins Deception Case Over Faux User-Generated Content–Fanning v. FTC
John Fanning challenged the FTC findings that the website he developed, named Jerk.com, materially misrepresented its attributes. On appeal, the First Circuit affirms. Jerk.com resembled Ripoff Report, but for people….
Google Isn’t Required To De-Index Negative Ripoff Report–Fakhrian v. Google (Forbes Cross-Post)
…removing user posts, even if defamatory (Ripoff Report has since slightly relaxed its absolutist stance), and (3) Ripoff Report’s venerability causes its posts to show up highly in Google’s search…
2H 2015 Quick Links, Part 8 (Consumer Reviews, Google)
…on its websites and a republisher via hyperlinks to the Ripoff Report webpages the subject of those paragraphs being those for which the plaintiff sues and of which the plaintiff…
Threatening to Post Sex Video to Facebook Isn’t a True Threat
…Federal Criminal “True Threats” Require More Than Negligence–Elonis v. U.S. Court Rejects Bizarre Attempt To Scrub Consumer Review–Goren v. Ripoff Report Court Says Uber and Lyft Drivers May be Employees…
Another Tough Section 230 Ruling For Ripoff Report–Vision Security v. Xcentric
…Contrary to the stated tag line, the Ripoff Report allows competitors, not just consumers, to post comments. The Ripoff Report home page states: “Complaints Reviews Scams Lawsuits Frauds Reported, File…
Two Tough Section 230 Rulings From Last Week–General Steel v. Chumley & Xcentric v. Smith
…Smith, who threatened to prosecute Ripoff Report (a/k/a Xcentric Ventures) and its principal Ed Magedson and allegedly committed various prosecutorial abuses along the way. Ripoff Report and Magedson sued to…
Washington Anti-SLAPP Statute Violates Right To Jury Trial–Davis v. Cox
…Anti-SLAPP Laws and Housing Anti-Discrimination Two More Cases Hold That Anti-SLAPP Laws Protect Consumer Reviews Ripoff Report and Topix Postings Protected by California’s Anti-SLAPP Law–Chaker v. Mateo We Need Federal…
Ripoff Report Gets Easy Section 230 Win In Third Circuit–Obado v. Magedson
Photo credit: enameled house number two hundred and thirty // ShutterStock This was a really interesting pro se challenge to Section 230. The lower court opinion contained all kinds of…
Court Rejects Bizarre Attempt To Scrub Consumer Review–Goren v. Ripoff Report
…didn’t mention exclusivity, so the court says that this checkbox gave Ripoff Report only a non-exclusive license to the review. Goren also tried the Blockbuster/Zappos argument that Ripoff Report’s terms…
Theater Employee’s Post-Termination Blogging Isn’t a Matter of “Public Concern”
…Talk Slides on Section 230, Anti-SLAPP Laws and Housing Anti-Discrimination Two More Cases Hold That Anti-SLAPP Laws Protect Consumer Reviews Ripoff Report and Topix Postings Protected by California’s Anti-SLAPP Law–Chaker…