Fifth Annual Internet Law Work-in-Progress Conference: Initial Participant List
On March 7, 2015, Santa Clara University will be hosting the Fifth Annual Internet Law Work-in-Progress conference. Over 50 Internet Law scholars from around the globe have signed up to come. If you’d still like to join us, please contact…
LinkedIn Can’t Shake Publicity Rights Claims Based on Reminder Emails
This is a lawsuit against LinkedIn alleging that LinkedIn wrongly sent out repeated invites to users’ contacts. In an initial ruling, Judge Koh denied LinkedIn’s request to dismiss on the grounds of standing but dismissed the federal claims for alleged violations of…
Bleg: Help Us Prepare For the Blog’s 10 Year Blogiversary
This blog launched on February 8, 2005, meaning that our 10th anniversary is just a couple of months away. Where did the time go??? With our big milestone looming, we’re cooking up some special features to help celebrate in style. It…
Bad Idea: Overdisclosing People’s Positive STD Status–Doe v. Successfulmatch
This is a privacy lawsuit brought by people who signed up for a dating site (Positive Singles) for people with STDs. Plaintiffs allege that Successfulmatch, the company that operates the site, made numerous privacy representations stating in its website copy…
Are Parents Liable For Their Children’s Online Pranks?–Boston v. Athearn
Dustin Athearn, who was 13, decided to “have some fun” at a “friend’s” expense. He did what any modern teenager does to poke fun at someone: he created a fake Facebook page in their name. Along with a friend Melissa,…
Manuel Noriega Loses Right of Publicity Suit Against Activision (Guest Blog Post)
By guest blogger Tyler Ochoa What does former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega have in common with former NFL running back Jim Brown and a host of former college athletes? All of them are suing videogame companies for using their likenesses…
Duplicitous Competitive Keyword Advertising Lawsuits–Fareportal v. LBF (& Vice-Versa)
OK, let me offer a proposition that seems so obvious to me that I feel silly saying it. If you buy your competitor’s trademarks as keywords, it’s not advisable to sue your competitors for buying your keywords. Yes? Are you…
California Anti-Spam Law Doesn’t Require Sender’s Name In The ‘From’ Line or Domain Name
While spam litigation generally has diminished, plaintiffs continue to push claims under California’s anti-spam statute. Federal court decisions were mixed on what types of California’s anti-spam claims are preempted by CAN-SPAM (whether plaintiffs had to allege fraud or merely misleading…
Another Messy Employee-Employer Dispute Over Facebook Page Ownership
Courtney Austin managed the Preston County Animal Shelter. She was initially hired on an hourly basis but converted at her request to salary. Shortly after she was hired, she created a Facebook page for the shelter, and she sought and…
Venue Clause in YouTube Terms of Service Upheld–Song Fi v. Google
This is a dispute over YouTube’s takedown of a music video. Song Fi, along with Rasta Rock, Joeseph Brotherton, and his six year old son, sued YouTube for taking down their video titled “LuvYa LuvYa LuvYa.” YouTube said it removed…