Monthly Archive: June 2010

Jun 28

FTC Settles Charges Against Twitter

Tweet If you promise customers that their personal information is secure, you had better deliver on that promise. That is the message of last week’s settlement between the FTC and Twitter — the FTC’s first case against a social networking service. It’s a message the FTC has sent to industry before. The matter arose when hackers twice secured administrative control of …

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Jun 25

Viacom v. YouTube and Google

Tweet We reviewed Judge Stanton’s comprehensive decision in this closely watched case. If upheld on appeal, it’s a victory not only for YouTube and Google, but for all Internet service providers (ISPs). If you haven’t followed the case, Viacom had sued Google and YouTube for intentional and contributory copyright infringement, alleging “tens of thousands of videos on …

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Jun 23

Court Dismisses Viacom Copyright Suit Against Google/YouTube

Tweet There’s big news in the CyberLaw world today. The Associated Press is reporting that a federal court in New York has dismissed Viacom’s $1 billion copyright suit against Google and YouTube. It appears the defendants’ Digital Millennium Copyright Act sec. 512 safe-harbor defense carried the day. We are reading the 30 page decision by Southern District Judge …

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Jun 23

FTC Posts Endorsement Guide FAQs

Tweet Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission released answers to frequently asked questions about its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. These FAQs provide helpful additional guidance regarding the FTC’s revisions to the Guides.  Key issues addressed by the FAQs include:

Jun 18

More Electronic Messages Appear in Court

Tweet Social media and other electronic messages continue to find their way into court. Three recent cases — from Minnesota, Indiana, and California — illustrate the trend.  LinkedIn Posts Lead to Lawsuit. In a case making news in the employment law world, a recruiting firm has sued a former recruiter for sending LinkedIn messages to its …

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Jun 16

OK for Employer to Use Keystroke Tracking Software to Monitor Employee’s Computer

Tweet A New York court has dismissed a criminal complaint brought against an employer who secretly accessed an employee’s personal email account. In People v. Klapper, an employee reported that his employer, a doctor, surreptitiously installed keystroke tracking software on his computer; obtained the password for the employee’s personal email account; and then accessed and printed out documents from that account. The prosecutor’s office charged the …

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