Top Internet Law Developments of 2011
By Eric Goldman As usual, I’m running late with my year-end recap. This post begins with my countdown of the top 5 Internet Law developments of 2011, then it lists other interesting developments and cases. It concludes with some of…
Federal Prosecution Over “Threats” on Craigslist – US v. Stock
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] US v. Stock, Cr. No. 11-182 (W.D. Pa.; Jan. 23, 2012) I blogged about a case before where a defendant was charged under a federal threat statute of posting a threatening video to YouTube. (“Court Finds…
Facebook Boasts/Taunts Undermine the Legal Defense for a Fight at a House Party–In re DLW
By Eric Goldman In the Matter of the Welfare of: D.L.W., Child, 2012 WL 171412 (Minn. App. Ct. Jan. 23, 2012) The opinion indicates the following facts: BP supplied DLW with $200 of dope for resale. Before DLW could move…
Comments on United States vs. Jones: What’s Old is New Again (Guest Blog Post)
By Ethan Ackerman with comments from Eric U.S. v. Jones No. 10–1259 (U.S. Supreme Court; Jan 23, 2012) In 2005 federal agents convinced a judge to issue a warrant so they could affix a cellular-based GPS tracker to the underside…
Comments on the Golan v. Holder Supreme Court Ruling (Guest Blog Post)
By Tyler Ochoa In a decision that favored the 1% (copyright owners) over the 99% (consumers and the public domain), the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that neither the Patent and Copyright Clause of the U.S. Constitution nor the First…
Photobucket Qualifies for the 512(c) Safe Harbor (Again)–Wolk v. Kodak
By Eric Goldman Wolk v. Kodak Imaging Network, Inc., 2012 WL 11270 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 3, 2012). Prior blog post on this case. As I’ve indicated before, blogging 17 USC 512 cases has gotten tedious because they are just TOO LONG….
Connecticut Supreme Court Says no Error in Admission of Facebook Photos at Probation Hearing — State v. Altajir
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] State v. Altajir, SC 18706 (Conn. Supreme Ct.; Jan. 3, 2012) Altajir was involved in an automobile accident while she was under the influence. One of her passengers died. She was sentenced to five years in…
Google Gets Significant Win in AdWords/Parked Domains Case
By Eric Goldman In re Google AdWords Litigation, 2012 WL 28068 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 5, 2012) Google defeated class certification in an AdWords-related case over Google’s placement of ads on parked domains. This almost certainly ends this case in practice,…
Just How Egregiously Must a Trademark Plaintiff Act Before a Court Awards Attorneys’ Fees to the Defendant?–1-800 Contacts v. Lens.com
By Eric Goldman 1-800 Contacts v. Lens.com, 2012 WL 113812 (D. Utah Jan. 13, 2012). Prior blog posts on the case dismissal in December 2010 and 1-800 Contacts’ fee dispute with its attorneys. The federal trademark statute says judges may…
Third Circuit Says Data Breach Plaintiffs Lack Standing Absent Misuse of Data — Reilly v. Ceridian
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Reilly v. Ceridian Corp, 11-1738 (3rd Cir. Dec. 12, 2011) Ceridian is a payroll processing firm. Reilly and Pluemacher were employees of a law firm that was a Ceridian customer. In December 2009, Ceridian suffered a…