Yelp Wins 47 USC 230 Dismissal of Dentist’s Lawsuit–Reit v. Yelp
By Eric Goldman Reit v. Yelp!, Inc., 2010 WL 3490167 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Sept. 2, 2010) Dr. Glenn Reit is a Manhattan dentist. His Yelp page and website. As of May 2009, the Yelp page had 11 reviews: 10 favorable…
July-August 2010 Quick Links, Part 1
By Eric Goldman Content Regulation * Wolk v. Olson (E.D. Pa. Aug. 2, 2010). Defamation claim against “Overlawyered” blog dismissed on statute of limitations grounds. The court treats the blog as equivalent to a mass-media publication. * Kelledy v. Cockerham,…
P2P Gambling Site is Illegal Bookmaker–Betcha v. Washington
By Eric Goldman Internet Community & Entertainment Corp. v. Washington State Gambling Commission, 82845-8 (Wash. Sup. Ct. Sept. 2, 2010) Betcha is one of those too-clever-by-half dot com ideas that practically beg VCs to roll the dice. Rather than allow…
Griping Patient Goes Too Far Posting Fake Content in Doctor’s Name–Eppley v. Iacovelli
By Eric Goldman Dr. Barry Eppley v. Lucille Iacovelli, 2010 WL 3282574 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 17, 2010). The CMLP entry. The Internet is filled with commentary about this long-running saga if you want more information. Dr. Eppley is a plastic…
Broadcaster Gets 230 Defense for Readers’ Website Comments–Miles v. Raycom
By Eric Goldman Miles v. Raycom Media, Inc., 2010 WL 3419438 (S.D. Miss. Aug. 26, 2010). WLOX is a TV broadcaster in coastal Mississippi (although with those call letters, I expected it would be located in Brooklyn). Toni Miles, a…
FTC Dings PR Firm for Fake Reviews — In re Reverb Communications
[Post by Venkat] In re Reverb Communications, FTC No. 092-3199 (Aug. 26, 2010) (Settlement) Professor Goldman has posted a bunch about the FTC’s endorsement guidelines. (See, e.g., “Do the FTC’s New Endorsement/Testimonial Rules Violate 47 USC 230?;” “A Fuller Explanation…
47 USC 230 Preempts Sponsorship/Endorsement Liability–Black v. Google
By Eric Goldman Black v. Google, Inc., 2010 WL 3222147 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 13, 2010). The complaint. The Blacks run a roofing company. They claim someone posted an anonymous defamatory comment on an unspecified Google website, and this “comment misrepresents…
Creation of False Blog and LinkedIn Account Targeting Utah Resident Supports Personal Jurisdiction in Utah — Buckles v. Brides Club, Inc.
[Post by Venkat] Buckles v. Brides Club, Inc., Case No. 2:08-cv-00849 CW (D.Utah; Aug 11, 2010) A federal district court in Utah recently concluded that several individuals who were allegedly involved in the creation of a false blog and LinkedIn…
New Anti-Libel Tourism Act (HR 2765) Extends 47 USC 230 to Foreign Judgments
By Eric Goldman President Obama signed HR 2765, the “SPEECH Act,” into law, codified at 28 USC Secs. 4101-4105. The act prohibits US courts from enforcing foreign defamation judgments unless (1) the judgment would satisfy First Amendment or similar state…
Web Host Gets Easy 47 USC 230 Win in Catfight–Johnson v. Arden
By Eric Goldman Johnson v. Arden, 2010 WL 3023660 (8th Cir. August 4, 2010). The CMLP page with lots of source materials. I’ve been looking at over-the-top cute kitty pictures all morning. Just try to suppress the “aahs” on a…