Social Links: SCOTUS strikes down law banning sex offenders from social media, denies cert in “dancing baby” case; Germany may require ID of status updates posted by “bots”
- The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that a North Carolina law that the state has used to prosecute more than 1,000 sex offenders for posting on social media is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in what... ›
Social Links: Instagram’s new tool to denote paid posts; the world’s 1st autonomous-vehicle public transportation system for the masses; the “COVFEFE Act” would seek to ensure Trump’s tweets are preserved
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Instagram is now allowing a limited number of users to identify branded content with a “paid partnership” subhead instead of using hashtags like #ad and #sponsored to identify sponsored posts. The platform says it plans to police paid sponsors’ disclosure obligations eventually, but—for now—educating... ›E-tailers Rejoice as Decisions Limit Suits in Federal Court for Alleged Violations of N.J.’s Controversial Consumer Protection Law
Last year, this blog raised concerns regarding the TCCWNA, its growing popularity with plaintiffs’ lawyers and the implications for online retailers. At a high level, the TCCWNA is a New Jersey consumer protection law that focuses on contractual terms (including online terms of service)... ›Social Links: Court disallows firing over Facebook page rant; Ether threatens Bitcoin’s reign as top digital currency; NBA slam dunks social media marketing
By: Aaron P. Rubin
One year since agreeing with the European Commission to remove hate speech within 24 hours of receiving a complaint about it, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube are removing flagged content an average of 59% of the time , the EC reports. The U.S. Court... ›Social Links: Twitter modifies Privacy Policy; YouTube ad-policy changes lower some video creators’ payouts; teen beats Ellen DeGeneres’s re-tweet record
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Twitter updated its online Privacy Policy to disclose that Twitter will be personalizing content and facilitating interest-based advertising by sharing information about its users’ online activity both on and off the microblogging site. Since YouTube resolved to give brands greater control over the kind... ›IoT Deals Continue to Bolster Tech M&A Market
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Dealmakers who responded to a recent Morrison & Foerster survey predicted that the market for M&A transactions in the technology sector will be even more robust in 2017 than it was in 2015 and 2016—years in which acquirers announced deals collectively valued at more than... ›New York’s Highest Court Rebuffs Facebook’s Efforts to Protect the Rights of Its Users in Search Warrant Fight
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
Facebook’s four-year battle on behalf of its users, seeking to quash 381 warrants obtained by the New York County District Attorney’s Office, has come to a close. The decision of the New York Court of Appeals—which is New York’s highest court—leaves Facebook users exposed... ›8 Steps to Avoid Being the Victim of the Next Ransomware Attack
By: Nathan D. Taylor
The global WannaCry ransomware attack should be a wake up call for all companies about the threat ransomware poses. While WannaCry was one of the first highly publicized attacks in which ransomware was weaponized and used against numerous companies at once, there will undoubtedly... ›- - Advertising, Artificial Intelligence, Live streaming, Marketing, Copyright, Litigation, Wearable Computers
Social Links: Rules for researching jurors via social media; law enforcement and new technologies; Facebook tool allows copyright owners to claim ad earnings from unauthorized video uploads
By: Aaron P. Rubin
A nice overview of the rules on researching jurors’ social media accounts in various jurisdictions from Law.com. The importance of appearing at the top of Google search results, especially on mobile devices, is driving retailers to spend more and more on the search engine’s... › 5th Circuit: ISP Not Liable for Infringement Due to Lack of Volitional Conduct, Despite Ineligibility for DMCA Safe Harbor
By: Aaron P. Rubin
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently considered in BWP Media USA, Inc. v. T&S Software Associates, Inc. whether volitional conduct is required to establish a claim for direct copyright infringement against an Internet service provider (“ISP”). The defendant ISP, T&S Software Associates (“T&S”),... ›