The Most Effective Anti-Terrorism Law EVER

By Eric Goldman I really don’t understand the way legislators think. The latest example of proposed laws that make me wonder “is that really necessary?”: NY A5026/S631 (search here; apparently this law was also introduced in 2006 but died in…

Cyberspace Law Readers–Free to Good Home

By Eric Goldman [UPDATE: Sorry, they are all gone!] I have six leftover casebooks from my Cyberspace Law class last semester. These are lightly edited compilations of cases and statutes that I teach in class. (See my syllabus for the…

MSN Wins 47 USC 230 Case (Easily)–Eckert v. Microsoft

By Eric Goldman Eckert v. Microsoft Corp., 2007 WL 496692 (E.D. Mich. Feb. 13, 2007) We don’t see these cases any more. Man gets defamed on online message board and receives harassing messages through an online messaging tool, so he…

Buying for the Home v. Humble Abode Settles

By Eric Goldman Buying for the Home, LLC v. Humble Abode, LLC, No. 03-CV-2783 (JAP) (D. N.J. Stipulation and Order of Settlement filed Feb. 16, 2006) You may recall the Buying for the Home v. Humble Abode decision from last…

Steinbuch’s Second Battlefront Against Cutler Shut Down

By Eric Goldman Steinbuch v. Cutler, 2007 WL 486626 (E.D. Ark. Feb. 7, 2007) Everyone’s favorite blog law case, Steinbuch v. Cutler, spilled over to a second front. While the lawsuit over Cutler’s blog posts continues in DC, Steinbuch initiated…

MySpace Suit for Liability for Sexual Assault Dismissed

By John Ottaviani Doe v. MySpace, Inc., No. A-06-CA983-SS (W.D. Tex. 2/13/2007). “If anyone had a duty to protect Julie Doe, it was her parents, not MySpace.” (Sparks, J.) This is a HUGE win for MySpace! Plaintiff’s negligence and gross…

Google, Click to Call, and Prank Calls

By Eric Goldman Google has [re]launched [see below] a crazy feature called “Click to Call” in Google Maps that allows users to initiate a telephone call from their search results. When you search on a business in Google Maps, the…

Rescuecom v. Google Appellee’s Brief

By Eric Goldman Rescuecom v. Google, 06-4881-CV (2nd Circuit appellee brief filed February 12, 2007) Google filed its brief in the Rescuecom v. Google appeal to the Second Circuit. Admittedly, my view may be biased, but I thought this was…

Google Loses Belgium Copyright Case–Google v. Copiepresse

By Eric Goldman Google v. Copiepresse, No. 06/10.928/C (Tribunal de premiere instance de Bruxelles) (decision in French) (English translation) Google has lost (again) the Copiepresse copyright case in Belgium over Google News. In September 2006, the court initially ruled against…

City Law Requiring Taxi Co to Refer Competitors Isn’t TM Infringement–MCQ’s v. Philadelphia Parking

By Eric Goldman MCQ’s Enterprises, Inc. v. Philadelphia Parking Authority, No. 07-0067 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 11, 2007) As part of making the cab system more consumer-friendly, Philadelphia created a “coordinated dispatch system” for taxicabs. Each taxicab would install GPS. Then,…