Zuckerberg Avoids Personal Liability for Social Media “Addiction”–In re Social Media Addiction
I never blogged the dual state and federal rulings in the Social Media Addiction cases from last Fall. I wrote up a 4,000 word draft about the state court ruling, but the federal ruling came out before I finished it….
Jawboning Defendants Are 6-for-6 in the Ninth Circuit–Hart v. Facebook
This is a routine jawboning case. Facebook and Twitter allegedly shut down Hart’s accounts for disseminating COVID misinformation. Hart claims he was targeted by the government. The district court dismissed the case (1, 2). The Ninth Circuit affirms in a…
Section 230 Applies to Tweeted Links to Defamatory Content–Coomer v. Donald J. Trump for President
This is another election integrity case. The plaintiff, Eric Coomer, worked for Dominion Voting. A conspiracy theory alleged that he planned to throw the 2020 presidential election against Trump. He sued various conspiracy theory traffickers for defamation. You would recognize…
They Should Have Used a Dickwrap–Weeks v. Interactive Life Forms
Brinan Weeks claims to be a comedian. I strongly suspect this lawsuit is an extension of his routine or that he’s using it to generate new material. He claims: he purchased a device called a Stamina Training Unit (STU) from…
The Supreme Court Didn’t Change Secondary Copyright Liability Standards in the Taamneh Ruling—In re Frontier
This is another case asserting that Internet access providers are liable for their subscribers’ copyright infringements. The IAP, Frontier, argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Taamneh modified the venerable standards for secondary copyright infringement. The court doesn’t agree. The…
SAVE THE DATE: Internet Law Works-in-Progress Conference, SCU, March 8, 2025
After a multi-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Internet Law Works-in-Progress conference is returning! (Some background about the series). The conference provides a venue for authors of Internet Law papers (broadly conceived) to workshop their drafts and get pre-publication…
Section 230 Preempts Clean Air Act Lawsuit Over “Defeat Device” Apps—U.S. v. EZ Lynk
This case involves “defeat devices.” When installed on a car, they suppress or bypass emission controls designed to protect the environment. It’s terrible that anyone uses defeat devices because we urgently must do more, not less, to prevent climate change….
Roblox Must Defend Illegal Gambling Claims–Colvin v. Roblox
[A reminder that I don’t do April Fools’ pranks.] The court summarizes the allegations: Roblox has a virtual currency designed for use on its platform called “Robux.” Users can buy Robux and exchange them on the platform for in-game experiences….
YouTube Defeats Claim Over Content Removal/Demonetization–Haocheng v. YouTube
Haocheng ran several monetized channels on YouTube. He claims that the Chinese Communist Party submitted takedown demands targeting his content, which YouTube ultimately honored. He sued YouTube claiming that the content removals breached YouTube’s contract. YouTube easily wins. The plaintiff…
TOS Formation Isn’t Hard to Do Right…Is It?–Tejon v. Zeus
Zeus Networks is a paywalled video site of “influencer”-produced content. 🙄 The plaintiffs allege that Zeus violated the VPPA. 🙄🙄 Zeus tries to direct the lawsuit to arbitration per its TOS, but the court says its TOS failed. Here’s the…