Quirky 47 USC 230 Case Still Results in Defense Win–Coppage v. U-Haul
By Eric Goldman Coppage v. U-Haul International, Inc., 2011 WL 519227 (SDNY Feb. 15, 2011) The facts are garbled, but the plaintiff rented a vehicle from U-Haul and apparently suffered an injury he attributes to the vehicle. He also names…
eBay’s Venue Selection Clause Upheld in Missouri–Earll v. eBay
By Eric Goldman Earll v. eBay, 2011 WL 497781 (W.D. Mo. Jan. 4, 2011). The initial complaint. Earll, who is deaf, sued eBay for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the CA state law analogue. Her complaint…
Ripoff Report Gets Another 47 USC 230 Dismissal–Herman v. Xcentric
By Eric Goldman Herman v. Xcentric Ventures, LLC, 1:10-cv-00398-CAP (N.D. Ga. Feb. 14, 2011) This is a run-of-the-mill lawsuit against the Ripoff Report by an unhappy vendor. Herman is a lawyer (once again, the dreaded lawyer-as-plaintiff) unhappy with a posted…
Microsoft Adopts Google-Style Trademark Policy for Keyword Advertising
By Eric Goldman I have gotten several emails relaying this announcement from Microsoft: We are writing to alert you to some pending changes to the trademark policy within the Microsoft Advertising adCenter Intellectual Property Guidelines. Starting March 3, 2011, adCenter…
Defamation, False Information & 47 USC 230 Talk Slides
By Eric Goldman Earlier this week, I spoke at a PLI event, “Social Media 2011: Addressing Corporate Risks,” on the topic of “Defamation, False Information and 47 USC 230” (this link takes you to the talk slides). I tried to…
Comparative Domain Name and Keyword Regulation Talk Slides
By Eric Goldman I have a busy semester of talks, so I will be rolling out some talk slides over the next few days. Today, I’m posting my talk slides from a talk I gave last month at the University…
Second Life Forum Selection Clause Upheld–Evans v. Linden
By Eric Goldman Evans v. Linden Research, Inc. (E.D. Pa. Feb. 3, 2011) This lawsuit is similar to the Bragg lawsuit from a few years ago, which argued that land purchases in Second Life were equivalent to real property purchases…
Regulating Reputational Information Chapter Now Available
By Eric Goldman I have posted my book chapter, The Regulation of Reputational Information, which I published as part of The Next Digital Decade compilation I’ve previously mentioned. I have another version of this chapter coming out later this year…
Grimmelmann on “Search Neutrality”
By Eric Goldman James Grimmelmann, Some Skepticism About Search Neutrality, in THE NEXT DIGITAL DECADE: ESSAYS ON THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET (Berin Szoka & Adam Marcus, eds. 2010). James Grimmelmann wrote a terrific must-read book chapter on search neutrality….
CA Anti-SLAPP Cases Involving Consumer Reviews as Matters of Public Concern
By Eric Goldman (with research assistance from the HTLI Graduate Fellow Michael Scapin) As I’ve indicated previously, I support efforts to enact a federal anti-SLAPP law. While I think it’s a good idea for a number of reasons, I especially…