Another Competitive Keyword Advertising Lawsuit Fails–Infogroup v. DatabaseLLC
The plaintiffs run several well-known databases, such as infoUSA and Salesgenie. The defendants are former employees of plaintiffs who split off and launched a competitive rival. The plaintiffs are upset that the defendants’ databases contain fake listings created by the…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 4 (Potpourri)
Commerce * NAD tells CheapoAir that it can’t run keyword ads showing the lowest priced flight in its database if it can’t deliver that fare to the consumer. * United Airlines sues 22-year-old who found a method for buying cheaper…
Court Might Enforce A Contract Ban On Consumer Reviews (Forbes Cross-Post)
Claude and Violaine Galland own an apartment in Paris, France. They offer it for rental through VRBO, an online service for vacation rentals. The Gallands’ rental agreement include the following language: “The tenants agree not to use blogs or websites…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 3 (Facebook)
* AP: Facebook Tells DEA To Stop Operating Fake Profile Pages. Really, that even needs to be said??? Facebook’s letter. WSJ Law Blog: U.S. to Pay Woman $134,000 for Impersonating Her on Facebook * What do people mean when they “like”…
Company’s Social Media Accounts Transferred in Bankruptcy
This case addresses whether social media accounts used in connection with a business become property of the bankruptcy estate. The debtor, known as “Tactical Firearms,” was formed by Jeremy Alcede. Originally it was owned by Alcede and his then-wife, but…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 2 (Dating, Sex, Pornography)
Dating and Sex * The Atlantic: The Adultery Arms Race * NY Times: Extramarital Dating Site Unsettles the Land of Discreet Affairs * San Francisco Magazine: The cold mathematics of sugar daddy dating. * FTC: Online Dating Service Agrees to…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 1 (Privacy/Security)
Sony * Fusion: The Sony Pictures Hack Included Many Employees’ Detailed Medical Information * WaPo: The cyberattack on Sony Pictures made employees collateral damage * Fusion: More from the Sony Pictures Hack: Budgets, Layoffs, HR Scripts and 3,800 Social Security Numbers…
Do Employers Own LinkedIn Groups Created By Employees?–CDM v. Sims
Simms worked for plaintiff CDM Media but switched jobs to work for Box, allegedly one of plaintiff’s larger customers. Plaintiff alleges that Simms violated a non-compete and misappropriated its trade secrets. Among other issues, plaintiff sought control of a “LinkedIn…
A Bibliography About Federal Trade Secret Law Reform (Guest Blog Post)
Eric’s introduction: patent and copyright reform get a lot of attention, and they have overshadowed proposals to create a new federal trade secret civil cause of action that have been floating around in Congress for a few years. I’ve previously…