Happy 10th Blogiversary! (Blogiversary Celebration Part 1)
Today, we’re celebrating the 10th year anniversary of this blog! This is the first of a four-part series celebrating 10 years of blogging. A Short History of the Blog The blog traces its roots to my Internet Law course at…
No Spam Lawsuit When Plaintiff Asked For The Emails–Beyond v. Kraft
Beyond Systems initiated this spam lawsuit. The court characterizes Beyond Systems as (barely) an internet service provider. Beyond was owned by Paul Wagner and its servers were kept at his parents’ Maryland residence. As mentioned by the court, not only…
Google Isn’t Liable For Including Unlicensed Locksmiths in Directories–Baldino’s Lock v. Google
Some states, including Virginia, require locksmiths to obtain state-issued licenses. Baldino’s Lock & Key, a licensed locksmith, is unhappy about being on the same search results pages as unlicensed locksmiths. It sued Google and various business directory providers for commingling…
Are Facebook Photos More Discoverable In Litigation Than Other Social Media Content? (Forbes Cross-Post)
Social media posts often play an important part in litigation. Posts can provide more insight into the truth than a litigant’s “official” story in court. A 2009 case stands out: a woman was accused of illegally racing on a freeway…
Reports on Expunged Arrest Can’t Be Erased From the Internet–Martin v. Hearst
We don’t have a “right to be forgotten” here in the United States, so plaintiffs are experimenting with doctrinal workarounds to achieve the same outcomes. As today’s case illustrates, those workarounds are destined to fail. Lorraine Martin was arrested in…
One Is Not Enough, How Many Is Too Many? How Many Countries’ Copyright Laws Should and Actually Do Apply to Copyright Infringements on the Internet? (Guest Blog Post)
By Marketa Trimble By now, activities on the internet should have generated a very large number of cases in which copyright owners claimed simultaneous infringements of their copyrights in multiple countries – claims based on the copyright laws of each…
Top 10 Internet Law Developments of 2014 (Forbes Cross-Post)
It’s time for my annual recap of the top Internet Law developments of the year. #10: Copyright Fair Use Tilts To Defense. Larry Lessig has famously said that “fair use in America simply means the right to hire a lawyer…
Lawsuit Fails Over Ridesharing Service’s Disclosures To Its Analytics Service–Garcia v. Zimride
Plaintiff sued Lyft (and others) over privacy violations based on the allegedly improper disclosure of user information by the Zimride service. He alleged that he used the Zimride service, once owned by Lyft and now owned by Enterprise Holdings, and his…
Chicago State University Professors Fight Back Against University’s Efforts To Shut Down Their Blog (Guest Blog Post)
By Guest Blogger Stephen F. Diamond Earlier this month, two faculty activists at Chicago State University (CSU) prevailed against a motion to dismiss a lawsuit they had filed in federal court against CSU’s President, Vice President of Labor and Legal…
Are Takedowns in 48 Hours “Expeditious” Enough?–Square Ring v. UStream
This case involves the March 21, 2009 boxing match between Roy Jones Jr. and Omar Sheika, broadcast as a pay-per-view. (Spoiler alert: Jones won a TKO in the 5th round). Anticipating users would live-stream the fight, promoter Square Ring contacted…