January 2010 Quick Links
By Eric Goldman
Copyright
* An English translation of Google’s December loss in France on a Google Book Search lawsuit.
* Ed Felten reports on a survey of files available via BitTorrent. Acknowledging some methodological limits, he estimates ~99% were likely copyright infringing.
* Elsevier B.V. v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc., 2010 WL 150167 (S.D.N.Y. Jan 14, 2010). Denying copyright statutory damages and attorneys’ fees to unregistered foreign works is constitutional because the Berne Convention (which Elsevier argued prohibits the statutory formalities) is not self-executing.
* Techdirt: Singapore Court Rules That Online DVR Is Infringing…While Noting How Copyright Law Isn’t Really Set Up For This
* Techdirt: If Banning The Internet For Sex Offenders Is Unfair, Is Banning The Internet For Copyright Infringers Fair?
* The Copyright Office issued new regulations on the deposit of online-only works: “The regulation establishes that online–only works are exempt from mandatory deposit until a demand for deposit of copies or phonorecords of such works is issued by the Copyright Office.”
Trademark/Publicity Rights
* American Airlines v. Yahoo settled. Previous coverage:
– Yahoo Subpoenas Expedia in American Airlines Lawsuit
– Fifth Circuit Denies Yahoo’s Jurisdictional Appeal in American Airlines Case
– American Airlines v. Yahoo Venue Transfer Denied
– Yahoo Countersues American Airlines for Declaratory Judgment
– American Airlines Sues Yahoo for Selling Keyword Advertising
* Duplicity alert! Rescuecom is in court defending its keyword ads triggered by competitor Best Buy’s TMs.
* Bev Stayart sues Yahoo again over publicity rights. My September 2009 blog post on her prior loss against Yahoo.
Pornography
* Clark v. Commonwealth, 2009 WL 5125009 (Ky. App. Ct. Dec. 30, 2009). Upholding a conviction when “Clark knowingly used a computer for the purpose of getting a minor, or a peace officer whom Clark believed was a minor, to take a sexually explicit photograph of herself.”
* Am. Booksellers Found. for Free Expression v. Cordray, Slip Opinion No. 2010-Ohio-149 (Jan. 27, 2010). Ohio’s Supreme Court partially upholds its state law restricting Internet distribution of harmful to juveniles material to juveniles when the communications are to recipients known or believed to be juveniles.
Spam
* United States v. Zein (E.D. Mich. 2009). Posting an ad on Craigslist constituted a “mass marketing” activity sufficient to trigger a 2 level sentencing enhancement.
* Comcast and e360 settled their lawsuit. Previous blog coverage.
Blogs/Social Networking Sites
* Sieber v. Brownstone Publishing Company, 2007 CA 002549 B (D.C. Superior Ct. Dec. 23, 2009). A building contractor sued Angie’s List and other people over consumer reviews. My prior mention of the case. After 2 years of litigation, a DC trial judge dismissed all defendants on summary judgment and awarded one defendant-counterclaimant $18k+. The entire text of the memo opinion:
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT OF ALL DEFENDANTS, DENYING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, and GRANTING POOLE’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON HIS COUNTERCLAIM signed by Judge Long, efiled, eserved, and docketed in chambers on December 23, 2009. It is ORDERED that the Motions for Summary Judgment of Brownstone Publishing Co., the Washington Post Company, John Kelly, and John W. Poole are granted; and it is FURTHER ORDERED that the Motions for Summary Judgment filed on behalf of the plaintiffs are denied; and it is FURTHER ORDERED that judgment shall be entered in favor of all defendants against the plaintiffs as to all claims in the Second Amended Complaint; and it is FURTHER ORDERED that judgment shall be entered in favor of defendant Poole and against plaintiff SCS Contracting Group LP as to Poole’s Counterclaim against plaintiff SCS Contracting Group for $18,300 plus 6% (six percent) per annum interest, and a separate money judgment for this sum shall be docketed. Court Jacket not in chambers.
* FINRA Regulatory Notice 10-06: Guidance on Blogs and Social Networking Web Sites.
* Duer v. Henderson, 2009-Ohio-6815 (Ohio App. Ct. Dec. 23, 2009). A web publication telling a ghost story and describing the location of purportedly paranormal phenomenon on private property is not liable for any resulting trespass to real property.
* The “moldy tweet” lawsuit was dismissed.
* Two lawsuits holding that bloggers aren’t subject to jurisdiction in the plaintiff’s home court:
– Silver v. Brown, 2009 WL 5220297 (D. N.M. Nov. 30, 2009).
– Workman Sec. Corp. v. Phillip Roy Financial Services, LLC, 2010 WL 155525 (D. Minn. Jan 11, 2010)
* BBC: France ponders a right-to-forget law.
E-commerce
* Appliance Zone, LLC v. NexTag Inc., No:4-09-cv-0089-SEB-WGH (S.D. Indiana Dec. 22, 2009). Upholding NextTag’s clickthrough-formed advertiser agreement. Mehmet Munur’s comments.
* Edward A. Zelinsky, “New York’s ‘Amazon Law’: Constitutional But Unwise.”
* Largo Cargo v. Google, a new complaint over allegedly mismanaged AdWord bids. This is the latest incarnation of the Almeida case. I think Largo Cargo’s complaint is still a no go.
* The NYT catalogs an impressive roster of futility for US dot coms trying to compete in China.
Miscellaneous
* Gmail will consult the user’s prior emails to pick an ad if a particular email doesn’t lend itself to a good ad.
* Illustrating the divergence between the open source community and the Wikipedia community, APC reports that 75% of Linux code is now written by paid developers.
* Oddee: 15 Funny Facebook Fails.
* I expect to be in the Netherlands May 23-30. Let me know if you would like to meet up there.