Contractual Control over Information Goods after ML Genius v. Google (Guest Blog Post)
by guest blogger Prof. Guy Rub, The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law The copyright – contract tension Stewart Brand famously said that information wants to be…
Trademark Extraterritoriality: Abitron v. Hetronic Doesn’t Go the Distance (Guest Blog Post)
By Guest Bloggers Margaret Chon and Christine Haight Farley [Margaret Chon is a Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law, and Christine Haight Farley is a Professor of…
Armslist Defeats Lawsuits Over Illegal Gun Sales (Without Section 230’s Help)–Webber v. Armslist
Armslist publishes users’ classified ads for guns. Two estates sued Armslist for allegedly facilitating illegal gun sales that led to murders. My blog post on the district court rulings. Section…
Court Finally Rejects “Discrimination” Lawsuit Against YouTube–Divino v. Google
This long-running lawsuit started in 2019. When I first blogged this case in January 2021, I wrote: This lawsuit, like many others before it, claims that UGC services like YouTube…
Reddit Defeats Lawsuit Over Removal of r/WallStreetBets Moderator’s Privileges–Rogozinski v. Reddit
Jaime Rogozinski, a/k/a “jartek,” created the r/WallStreetBets subreddit, which became notorious for (among other lowlights) its role as a venue for hyping meme stocks like Gamestop. Rogozinski sought a trademark…
How Will the Digital Services Act (DSA) Affect the European Internet?
I expect the Digital Services Act (DSA) to be one of the most consequential regulations of the Internet. Yet, I have so far avoided blogging the DSA because it’s so…
Amazon Isn’t Liable for Selling Suicide “Kits”—McCarthy v. Amazon
Speedpera, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons This case involves the tragic suicide of two teenagers, both of whom died by consuming sodium nitrite they purchased from a third-party Amazon…
European IP Office Denies Trademark Registration for “I Love You” Emoji 🤟
…I’m not sure if the same result would occur in the U.S. The symbol would be unregistrable for its generic meaning (i.e., I love you), but if it were used…
A Thumbs-Up Emoji Costs a Canadian Seller $82,000–South West Terminal v. Achter Land
…back from 306-264-XXXX a “thumbs-up” emoji. [Eric’s note: I took out the last four digits of Achter’s phone number, though it’s in the opinion.] The parties had a course of…
Why I Oppose the California Journalism Protection Act (the Short Version)
I recently wrote a lengthy blog post explaining the many problems with the California Journalism Protection Act (JCPA), AB 886. I submitted a letter of opposition to the Senate Judiciary…