LinkedIn’s “Reference Search” Service Doesn’t Violate Fair Credit Reporting Act–Sweet v. LinkedIn
Plaintiffs alleged that potential employers found references about them through LinkedIn’s Reference Searches functions, they were denied employment as a result, and thus LinkedIn violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act. LinkedIn users, including prospective employers, generally can search LinkedIn user…
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…
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…
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…
Court Might Enforce A Contract Ban On Consumer Reviews (Forbes Cross-Post)
Claude and Violaine Galland own an apartment in Paris, France. They offer it for rental through VRBO, an online service for vacation rentals. The Gallands’ rental agreement include the following language: “The tenants agree not to use blogs or websites…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 3 (Facebook)
* AP: Facebook Tells DEA To Stop Operating Fake Profile Pages. Really, that even needs to be said??? Facebook’s letter. WSJ Law Blog: U.S. to Pay Woman $134,000 for Impersonating Her on Facebook * What do people mean when they “like”…
Q4 2014 & Q1 2015 Quick Links Part 2 (Dating, Sex, Pornography)
Dating and Sex * The Atlantic: The Adultery Arms Race * NY Times: Extramarital Dating Site Unsettles the Land of Discreet Affairs * San Francisco Magazine: The cold mathematics of sugar daddy dating. * FTC: Online Dating Service Agrees to…