Craigslist Denied Section 230 Immunity for Classified Ads from 2008–ML v. Craigslist
FOSTA always targeted Backpage; but with Backpage gone before FOSTA became law, it seemed inevitable that plaintiffs would eventually figure out how to deploy FOSTA against other targets. Yet, if you’d asked me to name a top 100 list of…
Section 230 Doesn’t Protect Advertising “Background Reports” on People–Lukis v. Whitepages
Whitepages compiles and generates “background reports” on people, remixing content from a database of public and private records that allegedly incorporates 2B+ records/month. In response to searches on people’s names, Whitepages provides free previews, such as this one included in…
2H 2019 and Q1 2020 Quick Links, Part 2 (Trademarks/Keywords)
* Workshopx Inc v. Build A Sign LLC , 2019 WL 5258056 (W.D. Texas June 26, 2019): “BAS contends that WorkshopX cannot state a claim for trademark infringement or unfair competition because using a competitor’s trademark as a Google AdWords…
2H 2019 and Q1 2020 Quick Links, Part 1 (Copyright, E-Commerce, Advertising)
Copyright * In re DMCA Subpoena to Reddit, Inc., 2020 WL 999788 (N.D. Cal. March 2, 2020). Court quashes 512(h) subpoena because the underlying publications were protected by fair use. This is your reminder that 512(h) subpoenas routinely unmask individuals…
Section 230 Protects Classifying Non-Competitive Software as a Threat–Asurvio v. Malwarebytes
Section 230(c)(2)(B) says that filtering software makers aren’t liable for their classification decisions. This proposition provides the legal foundation for the anti-threat software industry. However, those expectations were disrupted by the Ninth Circuit’s 2019 in Enigma v. Malwarebytes, which held…
First Voters Reject Tulsi Gabbard, Then a Judge Does–Gabbard v. Google
Super Tuesday wasn’t so super for Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard. First, she polled less than 1%–territory usually occupied by withdrawn or fringe candidates. Though, remarkably, she did earn two delegates. Mind blown. Second, the same day, a court completely…
YouTube Isn’t a State Actor (DUH)–PragerU v. Google
We live in an upside-down world where “conservatives” are actively seeking to impose must-carry obligations on Internet services by characterizing them as state actors. These arguments are ill-considered as “conservative” doctrine because they would massively expand the scope of government…
Yelp Finally Defeats a False Advertising Lawsuit Over Its Review Functionality–Demetriades v. Yelp
This is a long-running case against Yelp initiated by a restaurant in Mammoth Lakes. I first blogged the case in 2013 when the lower court granted Yelp’s anti-SLAPP motion; I also blogged it in 2014 when the appellate court reversed…
New Paper Explains How FOSTA Devastated Male Sex Workers
I call your attention to a new article: David Eichert (a JD/PhD student), “‘It Ruined My Life’: FOSTA, Male Escorts, and the Construction of Sexual Victimhood in American Politics,” 26 Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law 201 (Winter…
FOSTA Constitutional Challenge Revived–Woodhull Freedom Foundation v. US
The DC Circuit revived the EFF-led constitutional challenge to FOSTA, holding that at least two of the plaintiffs have standing. This raises the specter that key parts of FOSTA might still be struck down as unconstitutional. Among other things, FOSTA…