CA Anti-SLAPP Cases Involving Consumer Reviews as Matters of Public Concern

By Eric Goldman (with research assistance from the HTLI Graduate Fellow Michael Scapin) As I’ve indicated previously, I support efforts to enact a federal anti-SLAPP law. While I think it’s a good idea for a number of reasons, I especially…

Yellow Pages Companies Challenge Seattle Opt-out Ordinance on First Amendment Grounds

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Dex Media West, Inc., et al. v. City of Seattle, et al., Case No. 10-cv-01857 (W.D. Wash. complaint filed Nov. 15, 2010) In what many will probably characterize as a dinosaur’s last gasp litigation strike, two…

Web Host May Be Liable for Removing Only 1 of 3 Websites Operated by Its Customer–Hermeris v. Brandenburg

By Eric Goldman Hermeris v. Brandenburg, 2:10-cv-02531-JAR -KMH (D. Kan. Jan. 23, 2011) This is yet another web hosting copyright infringement case where the 17 USC 512 safe harbors aren’t discussed. (For other recent examples, see Rosen v. Hosting Services…

Free-to-Consumers Ad-Supported Website Isn’t Illegally Priced–Cammarata v. Bright Imperial

By Eric Goldman Cammarata v. Bright Imperial Ltd., 2011 WL 227943 (Cal. App. Ct. Jan. 26, 2011). The complaint. The trial court ruling. If you can’t compete with free, can you litigate it away? Kevin Cammarata ran subscription-based porn sites…