Ripoff Report Hires New General Counsel
By Eric Goldman I don’t normally blog on personnel matters, but news about the Ripoff Report is a perennial favorite of blog readers. So I’m sharing the news that David S. Gingras has taken the mantle as the General Counsel…
47 USC 230(c)(2) Talk Slides Draft–COMMENTS REQUESTED
By Eric Goldman Later this week I’m giving a brand new talk on 47 USC 230(c)(2), the overlooked sibling of 47 USC 230(c)(1). With the help of a research assistant, we tried to identify and review every case referencing 47…
Lifestyle Lift Settles NYAG Claim Over Fake Consumer Reviews
By Eric Goldman Lifestyle Lift has settled a claim from the New York Attorney General’s office over its employees posting fake consumer reviews to the web. According to the NYAG press release, Lifestyle Lift will stop posting anonymous positive product…
Republishing Third Party Ratings in Marketing Material Might Be Copyright/Trademark Infringement–Health Grades v. Robert Wood Johnson Univ. Hospital
By Eric Goldman Health Grades, Inc. v. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Inc., 06-CV-02351-JLK (D. Colo. June 19, 2009) A Colorado judge has reached the remarkable conclusion that a hospital publicizing its star ratings and other recognition from a third…
Facebook Sued for Click Fraud–RootZoo v. Facebook
By Eric Goldman RootZoo, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc., 5:09-cv-03043-HRL (N.D Cal. complaint filed July 7, 2009) Facebook appears to have run into some trouble with click fraud recently. Last month, TechCrunch had a series of articles about Facebook click fraud….
Ninth Lawsuit Against Google Over AdWords–Rosetta Stone v. Google
By Eric Goldman Rosetta Stone Ltd. v. Google, Inc., 1:09-cv-00736-GBL-JFA (E.D. Va. complaint filed July 10, 2009) [Note: some of you may wonder how my litigation count reached #9 when my last blog post in this series was at #7….
“Keyword Advertising Law” Talk (New and Improved!)
By Eric Goldman I recently spoke on the state of keyword advertising law, which prompted me to rewrite my PowerPoint slides from scratch in light of the many recent developments. So, now available for your enjoyment: * my talk slides…
Mixed Ruling on Damages in Premier League v. YouTube
By Eric Goldman The Football Association Premier League Ltd. v. YouTube, Inc., 07 Civ. 3592 (S.D.N.Y. July 3, 2009) This is a ruling about potential damages in one of the copyright infringement lawsuits against YouTube. It’s a pretty technical ruling…
June 2009 Quick Links, Part 2
By Eric Goldman State Regulation of the Internet * iAWFUL, the Internet Advocates Watchlist for Ugly Laws * Texas HB 2003. Part of the anti-cyber-harassment mania. Very broad statute with lots of room for prosecutorial mischief. * BNA (BNA subscription…
ABA Antitrust Section Consumer Protection Conference Recap
By Eric Goldman Last month I attended the ABA Antitrust Section’s Consumer Protection Conference. This post recaps some highlights from the event. A few overarching themes: * in light of the country’s economic malaise, the FTC is focusing its enforcement…