Q3 2012 Quick Links, Part 4 (Facebook, Content Regulation)
By Eric Goldman and Jake McGowan Facebook * Facebook settles “Friend Finder” lawsuit. Prior blog post. * Two girls, ages 12 and 13, face felony for creating a fake Facebook account. * Facebook says ‘Likes’ are Free Speech in Sheriff…
Ninth Circuit Says Yellow Pages are Entitled to Full First Amendment Protection–Dex v. Seattle
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani, with comments from Eric] Dex Media West v. Seattle, Nos. 11-35399 & 35787 (9th Cir. Oct. 15, 2012) [pdf] The City of Seattle thought that Yellow Pages were not particularly useful and created unnecessary waste, so…
Employee’s Twitter Rant Means He Doesn’t Get Unemployment Benefits–Burns v. UCBR
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Burns v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, No. 1268 C.D. 2011 (Commonwealth Ct. Pa. Oct. 16, 2012) It’s almost become cliché to cite to examples of people fired due to their social media posts, but here…
9th Circuit Zings Best Buy Over Robocalls – Chesbro v. Best Buy
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani, with a comment from Eric] Chesbro v. Best Buy Stores, L.P., No. 11-35784 (9th Cir. Oct. 17, 2012) [pdf] The Ninth Circuit has issued a few consumer-favorable rulings in the unsolicited text and phone call realm….
Court Rejects Challenge to Indictment Over Facebook Threats — US v. Michael
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] US v. Michael, 2:12 cr 1 WTL CMM (S.D. Ind.; Oct. 9, 2012) Another case involving threats made via Facebook. Here the defendant was indicted for the following Facebook posts: These guys will get whats coming…
The Proposed “Cloud Computing Act of 2012,” and How Internet Regulation Can Go Awry (Forbes Cross-Post)
By Eric Goldman Sen. Amy Klobuchar has introduced a new bill, the “Cloud Computing Act of 2012” (S.3569), that purports to “improve the enforcement of criminal and civil law with respect to cloud computing.” Given its introduction so close to…
Ripoff Report and Topix Postings Protected by California’s Anti-SLAPP Law–Chaker v. Mateo
By Eric Goldman Chaker v. Mateo, 2012 WL 4711885 (Cal. App. Ct. Oct. 4, 2012) Chaker and Nicole Mateo had a baby together. After the messy breakup, Nicole and Nicole’s mom Wendy allegedly posted derogatory statements about Chaker and his…
Business School Professors May Be Liable for Defamatory Blog Post–ZAGG v. Catanach
By Eric Goldman ZAGG, Inc. v. Catanach, 2012 WL 4462813 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 27, 2012) Anthony H. Catanach Jr. and J. Edward Ketz are business school professors, Canatach at Villanova’s business school and Ketz at Penn State’s business school. Together,…
We Need Federal Anti-SLAPP Legislation, But Sen. Kyl’s “Free Press Act of 2012? Isn’t the Answer (Yet) (Forbes Cross-Post)
By Eric Goldman It’s a sad but all-too-common story nowadays. A consumer posts a negative online review about a business. Angered by the negative feedback, and fearful of the lost business, the business threatens the consumer with a lawsuit. Recognizing…
Court Says No Negligence Claim for Third Party Infringement via Open Wi-Fi Connection – AF Holdings v. Doe
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] AF Holdings, LLC v. Doe, C 12 2049 (PJH) (N.D. Cal.; Sept. 4, 2012) I blogged about a case where a P2P infringement plaintiff argued that a defendant should be held liable for failing to secure…