My Talk to High Schoolers About Accountability for Online Content
By Eric Goldman Earlier this month, I spoke at Los Altos High School as part of their “History Week” (check out that speaker roster!). The topic title is “Internet and Social Media Usage Rights,” which I turned into a talk…
47 USC 230 Protects Online White Pages for Publishing Incorrect Phone Number–Nasser v. WhitePages
By Eric Goldman Nasser v. WhitePages, Inc., 2012 WL 6858438 (W.D. Va. magistrate report and recommendations December 20, 2012). The judge approved the magistrate report on January 14, 2013. [Note: Venkat represented WhitePages, but he had no role in preparing…
Some Concerns About Facebook’s “Graph Search”
Facebook’s Graph Search announcement has produced reactions ranging from rapturous enthusiasm to apathy. In this post, I’ll explore a few reasons why I’m concerned about Graph Search. It’s Not Search. The name “Graph Search” is horrendous. Most people have never…
“Social Media and Trademarks” Presentation at AALS
By Eric Goldman Earlier this month, I spoke at the AALS IP Section meeting in New Orleans on the topic of “trademarks and social media.” My slides. Though I’ve written in this area (see, e.g., my Online Word of Mouth…
Top Ten Internet Law Developments of 2012 (Forbes Cross-Post)
By Eric Goldman I’m pleased to share my list of top 10 developments of 2012: #10: The Push Towards Anti-Class Action Arbitration Clauses. In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion that businesses may be able to adopt mandatory…
Q4 2012 Quick Links, Part 3 (47 USC 230 and more)
By Eric Goldman 47 USC 230/Review Websites * Sulla v. Horowitz, 2012 WL 4758163 (D. Hawai’i Oct. 4, 2012): “§ 230 does not provide this court with exclusive jurisdiction over defamation claims arising from statements made via the internet….While a…
Q4 2012 Quick Links, Part 2 (Privacy, Advertising, Content)
By Eric Goldman Privacy/Security * Knowing how the FTC is cracking down on privacy violations and deceptive persuasion techniques, it’s a little jarring to see how aggressive Obama’s campaign was on both fronts. NY Times (1, 2), WSJ and Time….
Q4 2012 Quick Links, Part 1 (IP Edition)
By Eric Goldman Copyright * Author’s Guild v. HathiTrust, 1:11-cv-06351-HB (SDNY Oct. 10, 2012). James Grimmelmann’s take. * Hillicon Valley: ‘Shell-shocked’ lawmakers shy away from online piracy in new Congress * Ars Technica: Voters boot three SOPA-sponsoring Hollywood allies from…
Let’s Stop Using the Term “Soft IP”
By Eric Goldman You may have heard–or even used–the phrase “soft IP.” I’m not a fan of it, and I think we should retire the term. The term “soft IP” is inherently ambiguous. Sometimes, people use “soft IP” to refer…
The FTC Smartly Ends Its Imprudent Google Search Antitrust Investigation (Forbes Cross-Post)
By Eric Goldman The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ended its nearly two-year-old antitrust investigation of Google’s ($GOOG) search engine practices with minimal consequences to Google. You can see the details from the FTC’s announcement. With any company as…