Section 230 Protects Another Newspaper From Liability For User Comments–Hupp v. Freedom Communications
Hupp v. Freedom Communications, Inc., 2013 WL 5947033 (Cal. App. Ct. Nov. 7, 2013) This is a minor case involving a pro se plaintiff and a straightforward application of the law, so normally I wouldn’t blog it. However, over the…
“Does the U.S. Patent System Stifle Innovation” Notes
Last night, I moderated an Oxford-style debate at Zero1, which describes itself as “where art meets technology to shape the future.” The debate motion was “Does the U.S. Patent System Stifle Innovation,” and the two “pro” speakers were UCLA professor…
No One Owns The Number ‘3.95%’ (We Think)–Banxcorp v. Costco (Forbes Cross-Post)
Banxcorp v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 09-CV-1783 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 17, 2013). Who owns a single number, such as 3.95%? The question probably sounds crazy. Numbers are just facts, and the Supreme Court said in 1991 that facts aren’t copyrightable. So of…
Want To Avoid Defaming Someone Online? Link To Your Sources (Forbes Cross-Post)
Adelson v. Harris, 2013 WL 5420973 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 30, 2013) When you are tweeting or Facebooking, you probably don’t think much about your risk of being sued for defamation. Fortunately, such lawsuits are rare. Unfortunately, even quickly written and seemingly…
Landlord May Be Liable When A Tenant’s Facebook Harassment Leads To A Rape (Forbes Cross-Post)
Lindsay P. v. Towne Property Asset Management, 2013-Ohio-4124 (Ohio Ct. App. Sept. 23, 2013). If you’re a landlord, what should you do if you learn that a resident is harassing another tenant on Facebook or other social media websites? If…
Check Out the New Blog Design!
By Eric Goldman Over the weekend, we converted the blog from Movable Type to WordPress. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new page layout, I encourage you to do so. You can see the difference by…
Some Exciting Changes to the Blog–PLEASE READ
I don’t often make purely administrative posts, so let me start by thanking you for reading the blog. Whether you’re a long-time reader or a relative newcomer, it means a lot to me that you’re willing to share a portion…
California’s New Law Shows It’s Not Easy To Regulate Revenge Porn (Forbes Cross-Post)
California enacted a new law against “revenge” porn, sometimes called “involuntary” porn. SB 255, codified as California Penal Code 647(j)(4). The law says it is “disorderly conduct” for a defendant to take intimate and confidential recordings, such as photos or…
CFP: Fourth Internet Law Work-in-Progress Symposium, NYC, March 8, 2014
FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS ******************************************************** Fourth Internet Law Work-in-Progress Symposium March 8, 2014, New York Law School ******************************************************** The Institute for Information Law and Policy at New York Law School and the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University…
How California’s New ‘Do-Not-Track’ Law Will Hurt Consumers (Forbes Cross-Post)
California enacted a new law (AB 370) requiring many websites to disclose more information about how they track users. Websites that collect personal information about their users must disclose (1) how they respond to a web browser’s “do not track”…