Some Upcoming Internet Law and Privacy Events at Santa Clara Law
We’re holding some outstanding Internet Law and privacy events on campus this semester that I wanted to make sure you knew about: * January 30, noon to 1: Ed Felten on the Future of Artificial Intelligence * February 2, all day: Content Moderation and…
Section 230 Again Preempts Suit Against Facebook for Supporting Terrorists–Force v. Facebook
[It’s impossible to blog about Section 230 without reminding you that it remains highly imperiled.] This is one of the many cases against social media sites for allegedly providing material support to terrorists. In May 2017, the court dismissed this case…
55 Academics and Advocates Urge NAFTA Trade Negotiators To Add Internet Immunity
55 scholars and organizations submitted a letter to NAFTA negotiators from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. encouraging them to incorporate Section 230-like protection into NAFTA’s proposed digital trade chapter. Here is the SCU media alert: * * * Fifty-five Internet law experts…
What’s New With SESTA/FOSTA (January 17, 2018 edition)
It’s been over a month since I last blogged about SESTA, FOSTA, and Congress’ efforts to address Section 230 and sex trafficking. So it seems like a good time to do an update on recent developments. The holidays were quiet,…
Search Engines Aren’t Liable for Indexing ‘Scam’ Locksmith Listings–Baldino’s Lock v. Google
[It’s impossible to blog about Section 230 without reminding you that it remains highly imperiled.] The plaintiff in this case, Baldino’s Lock & Key, brought a very similar lawsuit in 2014. It alleged that Google indexed scam locksmiths and allowed them…
A Patent For Geotagging IP Packets Raises Important Internet Law Questions (Guest Blog Post)
by guest blogger Marketa Trimble On September 12, 2017, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent on a technology that could significantly affect the functioning of the internet and the course of internet-related law and policy, and achieve an…
Online Marketplace Not Enjoined Over Gray Market Goods Sales–Dentsply v. Net32
Dentsply Sirona is a dental supply company. They use a chain of distributors and engage in international price discrimination (i.e., goods in the US market are priced higher than in international markets). Net32 runs an e-commerce site for dental supplies that relies…
Airbnb Gets Crucial Section 230 Win Over Unauthorized Subleases–La Park La Brea v. Airbnb
[It’s impossible to blog about Section 230 without reminding you that it remains highly imperiled.] Many of Airbnb’s short-term rental listings are illegal. For example, some listings violate local ordinances regulating short-term rentals. Also, apropos to this case, some listings constitute…
Some Blog News: We’re Now Hosted by Justia!
[Apologies if you’re seeing this a second time] The blog has been on an unscheduled and unannounced hiatus for the past few weeks. The hiatus partially reflects the holidays and my need to finish grading over 200 student papers. However, mostly it’s due…
New House Bill (Substitute FOSTA) Has More Promising Approach to Regulating Online Sex Trafficking
Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will markup the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (abbreviated to “FOSTA”). It appears a new substitute version of FOSTA will be marked up, not the bill as introduced. This makes a total of…