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…
Lifestyle Lift Settles NYAG Claim Over Fake Consumer Reviews
By Eric Goldman Lifestyle Lift has settled a claim from the New York Attorney General’s office over its employees posting fake consumer reviews to the web. According to the NYAG press release, Lifestyle Lift will stop posting anonymous positive product…
Facebook Sued for Click Fraud–RootZoo v. Facebook
By Eric Goldman RootZoo, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc., 5:09-cv-03043-HRL (N.D Cal. complaint filed July 7, 2009) Facebook appears to have run into some trouble with click fraud recently. Last month, TechCrunch had a series of articles about Facebook click fraud….
June 2009 Quick Links, Part 2
By Eric Goldman State Regulation of the Internet * iAWFUL, the Internet Advocates Watchlist for Ugly Laws * Texas HB 2003. Part of the anti-cyber-harassment mania. Very broad statute with lots of room for prosecutorial mischief. * BNA (BNA subscription…
ABA Antitrust Section Consumer Protection Conference Recap
By Eric Goldman Last month I attended the ABA Antitrust Section’s Consumer Protection Conference. This post recaps some highlights from the event. A few overarching themes: * in light of the country’s economic malaise, the FTC is focusing its enforcement…
June 2009 Quick Links, Part 1
By Eric Goldman Just a reminder that I post some items to Twitter that don’t make it into these monthly recaps. If you want even more, you can track a superset of my online activities at Friendfeed. Search Engines *…
Seventh Lawsuit Over Google AdWords–Jurin v. Google
By Eric Goldman Jurin v. Google, Inc., CV 09-03934 (C.D. Cal. complaint filed June 2, 2009) Frankly, I don’t know exactly how many lawsuits are pending against Google over its AdWords service. I know of seven, including this one, but…
Ninth Circuit Revives TCPA Claim–Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster
By Eric Goldman Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, Inc., No. 07-16356 (9th Circuit June 19, 2009) Satterfield sued Simon & Schuster (and its mobile ad agency) for sending text messages to her cellphone without the requisite permission. The district court…
Securities Fraud Case Premised on Click Fraud Allegations Dismissed–Brodsky v. Yahoo
By Eric Goldman Brodsky v. Yahoo, Inc., 2009 WL 1766002 (N.D. Cal. June 18, 2009). The legal battles over click fraud are pretty much played out, but some legacy cases are still working through the system. This lawsuit was a…
47 USC 230 and Consumer Protection Talk Notes
By Eric Goldman Last week I made a very short presentation on 47 USC 230 and consumer protection at the ABA Antitrust Section’s Consumer Protection Conference. (I was scheduled for 6 minutes, but I think I took about 8). My…