Online Retailer Isn’t Liable for User Comments–Cornelius v. DeLuca
By Eric Goldman Cornelius v. DeLuca, 2009 WL 2568044 (E.D. Mo. Aug. 18, 2009) DeLuca runs bodybuilding.com, a fitness website and online retailer. The plaintiffs sell dietary supplements (“syntrax,” whatever that is). The plaintiffs allege that their competitors posted shill…
Private High School Not Liable for Cyberbullying–DC v. Harvard-Westlake
By Eric Goldman D.C. v. Harvard-Westlake School, 2009 WL 2500343 (Cal. App. Ct. Aug. 14, 2009) Harvard-Westlake is a highly-regarded private school in the Los Angeles basin with an impressive alumni roster and a lot of very affluent parents. I’ve…
Flowbee Latest Trademark Owner to Sue Google–Flowbee v. Google
By Eric Goldman Flowbee International, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 2:09-cv-00199 (S.D Tex. complaint filed Aug. 13, 2009) [NB: the complaint is split into 2 PDFs totaling 8+ MB] After the Jurin and Ascentive lawsuits against Google dissolved, the Google lawsuit…
2009 Cyberspace Law Syllabus and Some Comments
By Eric Goldman I have posted my syllabus for this semester’s Cyberspace Law course. This blog post describes the changes from my 2008 course reader. For more on my pedagogical approaches to the course, see my Teaching Cyberlaw article. Trademark…
Google Goes on Offensive in AdWords Trademark Lawsuit–Google v. John Beck Amazing Profits
By Eric Goldman Google, Inc v. John Beck Amazing Profits, LLC, C09 03459 (N.D. Cal. complaint filed July 27, 2009). [Warning: 1.4MB file] The Justia page. A couple of interesting developments in John Beck Amazing Profits v. Google, the putative…
Google Not Liable for False Ads–Goddard v. Google
By Eric Goldman Goddard v. Google, Inc., 5:08-cv-02738-JF (N.D. Cal. July 30, 2009) I previously blogged on this case in December 2008. The case involves AdWords advertisements for allegedly fraudulent mobile subscription services. In an underappreciated opinion, Judge Fogel wrote…
Google Down to 7 AdWords Lawsuits–Ascentive v. Google Voluntarily Dismissed
By Eric Goldman Ascentive v. Google, Inc., 2:09-cv-02871 (E.D. Pa. voluntary dismissal July 30, 2009) The litigation count on Google’s keyword ad lawsuits has started trending downward. For the second time in a week, a plaintiff has voluntarily dismissed its…
Google Down to 8 AdWords Lawsuits–Jurin v. Google Voluntarily Dismissed
By Eric Goldman Jurin v. Google, Inc., 2:09-cv-03934-GHK-E (C.D. Cal. voluntarily dismissed July 23, 2009) Google’s AdWords litigation docket has reversed direction, at least temporarily, as Jurin has voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against Google. This dismissal came shortly after Jurin…
Ripoff Report Hires New General Counsel
By Eric Goldman I don’t normally blog on personnel matters, but news about the Ripoff Report is a perennial favorite of blog readers. So I’m sharing the news that David S. Gingras has taken the mantle as the General Counsel…
47 USC 230(c)(2) Talk Slides Draft–COMMENTS REQUESTED
By Eric Goldman Later this week I’m giving a brand new talk on 47 USC 230(c)(2), the overlooked sibling of 47 USC 230(c)(1). With the help of a research assistant, we tried to identify and review every case referencing 47…