2H 2020 Quick Links, Part 3 (Trademarks)

* John Bean Technologies Corp. v. BGSE Group, LCC (D. Utah Aug. 13, 2020). Plaintiffs are still litigating keyword metatag cases in 2020… JBT asserts likelihood of confusion under a distinct theory known as initial-interest confusion. “Initial-interest confusion ‘results when…

Facebook Isn't a Constructive Public Trust--Cameron Atkinson v. Facebook

Facebook Isn’t a Constructive Public Trust–Cameron Atkinson v. Facebook

Cameron Atkinson self-describes himself as “a Christian, a published constitutional scholar, a soon-to-be trial and appellate lawyer, and a general hell-raiser.” He also describes himself as “Liberty’s sheriff” and you can even buy t-shirts apparently depicting him in that role….

2H 2020 Quick Links, Part 2 (Section 230)

2H 2020 Quick Links, Part 2 (Section 230)

* Griffin v. Google, 2020 WL 6781624 (S.D. Ga. Nov. 18, 2020). “Plaintiff only alleges these Defendants failed to screen to make sure their users were legal entities without providing any other basis for liability….Aside from some very limited exceptions,…

2H 2020 Quick Links, Part 1 (Copyright)

* UMG Recordings v. RCN Telecom Services, LLC, 3:19-cv-17272-MAS-ZNQ (D.N.J. Aug. 31, 2020): Plaintiffs have made allegations sufficient to satisfy the knowledge requirement at the pleading stage. As to actual knowledge, Plaintiffs aver that the five million notices sent to…

Ninth Circuit Says Amazon Isn’t “Seller” of Marketplace Items–State Farm v. Amazon

This is another Amazon marketplace hoverboard case. The majority summarizes its conclusion: While Amazon provides a website for third-party sellers and facilitates sales for those sellers, it is not a “seller” under Arizona’s strict liability law for the third-party hoverboard…

Google Isn't Liable for Allegedly Problematic Search Results--Diez v. Google

Google Isn’t Liable for Allegedly Problematic Search Results–Diez v. Google

Diez claims to be a “naturist” (note: these facts are taken from Diez’s complaint). He conducted Google image searches for the keywords “family naturist females,” “family naturist girls,” “family nudist females,” and “family nudist girls.” [PLEASE DO NOT INDEPENDENTLY INVESTIGATE…

Domain Name Lawsuits Are Stupid (and the Initial Interest Confusion Doctrine Is Too)--Wooster Floral v. Green Thumb

Domain Name Lawsuits Are Stupid (and the Initial Interest Confusion Doctrine Is Too)–Wooster Floral v. Green Thumb

This case concerns the domain name WoosterFloral.com. It was initially owned by Wooster Floral, a florist in Wooster, Ohio. However, in 2014, the owner wound down the business and didn’t renew the domain name. The store manager then bought out…

Jury Will Decide If Videogame Character Infringes a Wrestling Persona--GI Bro v. Call of Duty

Jury Will Decide If Videogame Character Infringes a Wrestling Persona–GI Bro v. Call of Duty

The plaintiff is a wrestler, primarily known as Booker T. When he wrestles for WWE, he used the stage name G.I. Bro. There’s also a comic book line based on the G.I. Bro character. The defendant makes the Call of…

CDT Lacks Standing to Challenge Trump's Anti-230 Executive Order

CDT Lacks Standing to Challenge Trump’s Anti-230 Executive Order

In May, Trump issued an executive order designed to destroy Section 230 (EO 13925). Rather than actually work with Congress, Trump tried to amend 47 USC 230 only within the executive branch, which is largely a dead-end. I’m hoping Pres….

Fair Use Permits Newspaper to Republish Photo Taken By Drone–Castle v. Kingsport Publishing

Yes, this is another defense-favorable fair use ruling produced by a Richard Liebowitz lawsuit. 🙏🙏🙏 The case relates to a construction site for a proposed new school, which may have sinkholes. This concern sparked substantial community debate. The plaintiff flew…