2007 Cyberspace Law Syllabus
By Eric Goldman I’ve posted my 2007 Cyberlaw syllabus. Unlike the past few years, which were a little slow cyberlaw-wise, the past 12 months saw a lot of important developments. Let me recap some of changes I made to my…
Taking Intangible Electronic Files is Criminal Fraud–NM v. Kirby
By Eric Goldman New Mexico v. Kirby, 2007-NMSC-034 (N.M. June 13, 2007) This is a very confusing case, so maybe you can help me figure out what it means. At minimum, this case highlights the problems that can be arise…
July 2007 Quick Links, Part I
By Eric Goldman Search Engines * According to this study, up to 40% of search queries are “re-finding queries” (i.e., the searcher is trying to re-find previously viewed information). The implication: “Because people repeat queries so frequently, search engines should…
Third Circuit Bounces Lawsuit Over Google Groups–Parker v. Google
By Eric Goldman Parker v. Google, Inc., No. 06-3074 (3d Cir. July 10, 2007) Parker v. Google was one of the troika of district court opinions involving Google and copyright from Q1 2006 (along with the Perfect 10 and Field…
Seventh Circuit Opinion Cites Infringing YouTube Video–Stoller v. Brett
By Eric Goldman Central Manufacturing, Inc. v. Brett, 2007 WL 1965673 (7th Cir. July 9, 2007) Leo Stoller, the notorious trademark gadfly, lost another case, this time at the Seventh Circuit. Among other denigrations, the Seventh Circuit said that “were…
Credit Card Providers Aren’t Liable for Third Party Infringement–Perfect 10 v. Visa
By Eric Goldman Perfect 10, Inc. v. Visa International Service Association, No. 05-15170 (9th Cir. July 3, 2007) The Ninth Circuit has completed a hat trick of appeals involving Perfect 10’s litigation frenzy over online infringement of Perfect 10’s copyrighted…
SAP Has Bad News in Oracle Lawsuit, But Tries to Bury It
By Eric Goldman Oracle Corp. v. SAP AG, Case No. 07-CV-1658 MJJ (N.D. Cal. answer filed July 2, 2007) You’re an international corporate giant with some bad news in a high-profile case that you want to bury. What do you…
June 2007 Quick Links
By Eric Goldman Email * Spam cases are coming at a regular clip, and it’s tricky divining the latest state of the law. Two recent cases that caught my attention: – US v. Impulse Media Group, 2007 WL 1725560 (W.D….
Tur v. YouTube SJ Motions Denied
By Eric Goldman Tur v. YouTube, # cv-06-4436 (C.D. Cal. summary judgment motions denied June 20, 2007). In the lawsuit by photojournalist Tur against YouTube, the judge has denied cross-motions for summary judgment based on 512(c). Tur’s motion (that YouTube…
Dumb Law of the Month–Public Diplomacy Resource Centers Act of 2007
By Eric Goldman I’m announcing the 2007 Dumb Law Derby to proclaim the dumbest law proposed or enacted in 2007. I’m not looking for garden-variety dumb; legislators do that every day. Instead, I’m looking for the head-shaking, jaw-dropping, this-is-what-Thomas-Jefferson-meant-when-he-said-we-should-have-a-rebellion-every-20-years dumb….