Mixed Ruling in Competitive Keyword Advertising Case–Goldline v. Regal
The lawsuit’s principal participants are rivals in the precious metals and coin industry. The defendant organization, Regal, has an affiliate program, and it appears that some affiliates bought competitive keyword advertising using the plaintiff Goldline’s trademark. The ruling is on…
Europe’s Antitrust Move Against Google: A Linkwrap
For outside observers, it’s always thrilling to see two elephants like the EC and Google go tusk-to-tusk in a high-stakes battle. Normally, the government holds the edge in such clashes; after all, their enforcement resources are functionally limitless. But Google’s…
Union Isn’t Liable For Members’ Posts To Private Facebook Group–Weigand v. NLRB
This case relates to a bus drivers’ strike in 2012. During the strike, union members posted “impassioned and bellicose” comments about the strike on the union’s Facebook page, which was accessible only to union members. The union didn’t authorize those…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 7 (Consumer Reviews, RTBF, Defamation, Censorship, Sec. 230)
International Censorship * WaPo: This was the Internet’s worst, best year ever * Wired: Russia’s Creeping Descent Into Internet Censorship * Washington Post: Russia just made a ton of Internet memes illegal * NY Times: Hungary Drops Internet Tax Plan…
What Bothers Brussels: Geoblocking on the Front Burner of the EU Commission (Guest Blog Post)
By guest blogger Marketa Trimble In 2012, when my article on the legal implications of the evasion of geolocation was published, the topic concerned an obscure problem that was of interest to few internet users – not many people were…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 6 (Google, Search Engines, Antitrust)
The big news this morning is that the European Commission sent a Statement of Objections to Google. Other links from the past few months, many of them related to this development. Google * Mistakenly released FTC Staff Report on its…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 5 (Trademarks, Domain Names, Marketing)
Trademarks and Domain Names * TheDomains: .Sucks Releases Pricing With “Premiums” For Trademark Holders Up To $2,499 A Year. A pox on the .sucks operator and on ICANN for permitting this pricing scheme. ICANN wants federal regulators to declare the…
Law Professor Blogger Wins Anti-SLAPP Ruling, But It’s Hard To Celebrate The Win–Welch v. USD
I love blogging about the law. I really do. But I also live in constant fear that my posts will trigger a lawsuit that will throw my life into turmoil. After all, I’m usually blogging about legal cases where, by…
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…