Comments on the DOJ’s Proposed Modifications to the CCPA Regulations
In October 2019, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) published its first draft of regulations under the CCPA. These regulations attracted 1700 pages of comments, including a submission from me. Earlier this month, the DOJ published proposed revisions to those…
Section 230 Protects Zillow for Bogus Submissions of House Details–924 Bel Air v. Zillow
This lawsuit relates to 924 Bel Air Road in Los Angeles, a house known as “Billionaire” (seriously, who chose that brand???). It is one of the most expensive houses in the world. The house is located on an acre+ lot…
Yelp Defeats Businesses’ “Right to Be Forgotten” Claims—Spiegelman v. Yelp
The plaintiffs sued Yelp for using their business information, including their names, photographs and likenesses, without permission. Though the opinion doesn’t expressly state it, it appears these plaintiffs were seeking to get delisted from Yelp’s databases, which is why I’m…
The “EARN IT” Act Is Another Terrible Proposal to “Reform” Section 230
Another “fix Section 230” bill is coming. This one is called the “Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2020” or “EARN IT Act of 2020” and it’s being led by Sens. Graham and Blumenthal. The EARN…
Top Moments from #WIPIP2020
Earlier this month, the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara Law hosted over 90 intellectual property scholars from around the globe for WIPIP 2020. At the conference opening session, I outlined our three goals for WIPIP: Help authors improve…
Snapchat Temporarily Defeats Another Case Over Its Speed Filter–Lemmon v. Snap
Snapchat’s speed filter “allows users to record their real-life speed, including as a driver or passenger, and overlay that speed onto a mobile photo or video. Snapchat users can then share, on social media, that mobile photo or video with…
New Paper Explains How FOSTA Devastated Male Sex Workers
I call your attention to a new article: David Eichert (a JD/PhD student), “‘It Ruined My Life’: FOSTA, Male Escorts, and the Construction of Sexual Victimhood in American Politics,” 26 Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law 201 (Winter…
Can a Retweet Constitute Copyright Infringement? Uh….–Bell v. Chicago Cubs
Bell authored a book called “Winning Isn’t Normal.” He got a copyright registration for the book and a separate registration for a 241 word passage from the book (I won’t include that passage here for reasons that soon will be…
Video Excerpts Qualify as Fair Use (and Another 512(f) Claim Fails)–Hughes v. Benjamin
Hughes is a YouTuber. She made a 10 minute video of Hillary Clinton’s election night party called “We Thought She Would Win” and posted it to her channel. Benjamin also is a YouTuber, but on the opposite end of the…
Google Search Qualifies For Section 230, Whether or Not It’s a “Platform”–Chukwurah v. Google
This is a prisoner pro se lawsuit. “The Complaint avers that beginning February 28, 2014, Google identified Chukwurah as a ‘a triple murderer serving 50 years in a Maryland,’” allegedly because of false court documentation. The court explains: the Court,…