Cars contain millions of lines of software code, which makes them tempting targets for hackers. Further, with the increased automation of cars, we face growing risks that malicious hackers will remotely take control of cars and cause significant personal or…
A Yahoo user alleged that he purchased a phone that came with a preassigned telephone number. The previous subscriber of this number apparently set his account so emails sent to his Yahoo account triggered a text message to this phone…
Are there fake user reviews on Yelp? Sure–Yelp freely admits it. Nevertheless, plaintiffs have attempted a variety of legal theories to hold Yelp legally responsible for those fake reviews. Recently, a federal court shut down one of those lawsuits, holding…
Plaintiff sued on behalf of a putative class, alleging that he received marketing messages from Five Stars Loyalty that violated his rights under the TCPA. Plaintiff had lunch at a Flame Broiler restaurant and asked the cashier about the Five…
I’ve previously described the Defend Trade Secrets Act as “the most important intellectual property development you aren’t paying attention to.” The bill would create a new federal trade secret law that would dramatically change trade secret practice throughout the country….
For many users, Facebook feels like a utility. Facebook users use Facebook to create new things and expect it to work reliably; users don’t expect Facebook will terminate them capriciously. Thus, when Facebook blocks users’ content, it can be shocking…
The Consumer Review Freedom Act (S. 2044) would prevent businesses from contractually restricting their customers from writing online reviews (I call those “anti-review clauses,” but they are also called “gag clauses” and “non-disparagement clauses”). It seems ridiculous that we need…
Another court has ruled that linking to defamatory content isn’t a defamatory republication of the content. I just blogged on a similar result in Life Designs Ranch, Inc. v. Sommer. The only twist here is that the person posted the…
I have frequently called the Defend Trade Secrets Act, a bill to create a new federal civil trade secret cause of action, the most important IP development that you’re not paying attention to. I hope that will change. Today, 41…
Last week, I spoke at the 40th Annual IP Institute organized by the California State Bar’s IP Section. I presented an Internet Law year-in-review, but that topic basically means I talk about whatever I feel like talking about. Unfortunately, the…