Demonetized YouTuber Loses Lawsuit–Daniels v. Alphabet
Daniels is a YouTuber apparently of the #MAGA persuasion. Represented by Maria Cristina Armenta and Credence Elizabeth Sol, best known for litigating an ultimately unsuccessful censorial “Innocence of Muslims” lawsuit against YouTube, Daniels brought a routine “YouTube-is-censorsing-me” lawsuit seeking to…
31 Bogus Passages from Florida’s Defense of Its Censorship Law–NetChoice v. Moody
Florida filed its opposition brief to the NetChoice/CCIA request to preliminarily enjoin SB 7072, the Florida censorship law. This post critiques some of the brief’s worst parts. As I’ve said before, writing blog posts like this isn’t fun for me….
Domain Name Registrar Isn’t Liable for Hijacked Domain Name–Rigsby v. GoDaddy
Rigsby registered the scottrigsbyfoundation.org domain name via GoDaddy. He claims GoDaddy didn’t give him proper notice of renewal, so the domain name lapsed. It was then registered by an interloper who displays gambling-related material. Rigsby asked GoDaddy to give him…
Did Facebook Commit Tortious Interference Against BrandTotal?–Facebook v. BrandTotal
BrandTotal installs (with the users’ consent) researchware that collects data from Facebook, including automated pings for data that the user has the right to view but never requested to browse. BrandTotal bypasses Facebook’s API so it can obtain information not…
More Perspectives About Van Buren v. US (Guest Blog Post)
by guest blogger Kieran McCarthy [Eric’s comment: this is a supplement to my more comprehensive post on Van Buren v. US] This was a critically important case with far-reaching policy implications across dozens of industries. 23 amici curiae were filed….
Print Ad’s “Terms and Conditions” Don’t Create Binding Arbitration Clause–Soliman v. Subway
Subway ran a promotion offering deals if customers signed up for text messages. The stores displayed the following print ad: The language in the bottom right: Limited Time Only. Message and data rates may apply. Max10msgs/mo-Msgs may be autodialed from…
Do We Even Need the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (CFAA)?–Van Buren v. US
Last week, the Supreme Court decided Van Buren v. US. Many hoped the decision would clarify how owners can delimit third-party usage of their computer resources for purposes of the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (CFAA). Disappointingly, the court explicitly…
Amazon Can’t Force Arbitration of Minors’ Privacy Lawsuit Over Alexa Recordings–BF v. Amazon
Minors allege that Amazon’s Alexa service improperly stores or utilizes their voiceprints. The district court denied Amazon’s request to force arbitration of the claims based on the fact that the plaintiffs, who were minors, were not signatories (or had not…
CCPA Data Breach Lawsuit Against Walmart Fails–Gardiner v. Walmart
This is a data breach lawsuit against Walmart in which plaintiff (on his own behalf and on behalf of a putative class) asserts that his data is being currently sold on the dark web. Plaintiff asserted the typical claims, but…
YouTube (Again) Defeats Lawsuit Over Content Removal–Lewis v. Google
Lewis ran a YouTube channel, “Misandry Today.” (Misandry = hatred of men). He claims YouTube removed or demonetized some of his videos. The district court rejected his lawsuit. In a short unpublished memo opinion that basically echoes the district court’s…