Infostream Group Inc. v. Avid Life Media Inc., 2013 WL 6018030 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 12, 2013) There is an active, long-standing and wide-ranging litigation war being waged between two groups of websites in the “sugar daddy“/”sugar baby” hook-up category. I…
Avepoint, Inc. v. Power Tools, Inc. d/b/a Axceler, 7:13CV00035 (W.D. Va. Nov. 7, 2013) Avepoint and Axceler are competitors providing “infrastructure management and governance software platforms for Microsoft Sharepoint products and technologies.” Avepoint alleged that Axceler denigrated Avepoint online. Specifically,…
Smizer v. Community Mennonite Early Learning Ctr, 2013 WL 5769936 (7th Cir. Oct. 25, 2013) [pdf] Lawrence Smizer was a teacher’s aide at Mennonite Early Learning Center. His sister was apparently involved in a bitter custody dispute involving her son….
We’ve previously covered AFP v. Morel, the case where photographer Daniel Morel is suing AFP, Getty and downstream licenses for allegedly infringing on his copyrighted material. In a nutshell, he took some iconic photos following the Haiti earthquake. AFP sourced…
Last week, the High Tech Law Institute hosted a performance of “The Passionate Patent,” perhaps the only opera ever written that relates in any way, shape or form to patent law. The creators self-describe the opera as “Experience the challenge…
Shepherd v. McGee, 2013 U.S. Dist LEXIS 159432 (D. Or. Nov. 7, 2013) Plaintiff Jennifer Shepherd was a child protective services (CPS) caseworker for the Oregon Dept. of Human Services (DHS). She investigated reports of child abuse and made recommendations…
Most employees think they are indispensable to their employers, but in fact, most employees are easily replaced. A recent legal ruling involved an IT manager who sought job security by holding “the keys to the kingdom”–the passwords to the company’s…
At what point does online mudslinging become actionable defamation? In September, an appellate court in California upheld a wig seller’s liability for defamatory statements made on online forums, focusing on the false factual nature of the claims. Cite: Sanders v….
Be In v. Google, 12-cv-03373-LHK (N.D. Cal. Oct. 9, 2013) Be In developed “CamUP,” described as a “social entertainment consumption platform that allows a group of friends to simultaneously watch, listen, chat and collaborate around shared videos, music, and other…
Hupp v. Freedom Communications, Inc., 2013 WL 5947033 (Cal. App. Ct. Nov. 7, 2013) This is a minor case involving a pro se plaintiff and a straightforward application of the law, so normally I wouldn’t blog it. However, over the…