Welcome to Socially Aware

Socially Aware is devoted to the law and business of social media, proactively addressing emerging issues and keeping our clients informed of new developments. We cover fields such as artificial intelligence, privacy and data security, Section 230, intellectual property, and much more.

December 18, 2015 - Endorsement Guides, Online Reviews, Litigation
Frying Small Potatoes: Will Amazon’s Pursuit of Individual Fake-Review Writers Pay Off?
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Amazon’s customer reviews have long been a go-to resource for consumers researching prospective purchases. Unfortunately, fake customer reviews—product critiques commissioned by merchants and manufacturers in an effort to bolster their own products’ reputations or undermine their competitors’—have been around for almost as long. Now,
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December 07, 2015 - Copyright
Creative Commons Works: Free to License, But Not Necessarily Free to Use
Companies love to use third-party content for free. In this era of belt-tightening and slashed marketing budgets, why pay to create photos and videos for advertising and other commercial uses when compelling photos and videos are readily available online for licensing for commercial use
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December 02, 2015 - News and Announcements
Wow! Socially Aware Made the Blawg100!
By: Aaron P. Rubin
We are delighted to announce that Socially Aware has been included in the 9th Annual Blawg 100 , a list of “100 excellent legal blogs” selected by the staff and readers of the ABA Journal , the American Bar Association’s flagship magazine, which is
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December 01, 2015 - FTC, Marketing, Privacy, Compliance
Cross-Device Tracking Attracts Interest From Regulators, Prompts Guidance From Industry Group
By: Julie O'Neill
Cross-device tracking is a hot new issue for regulators. Companies engaged in the practice should take note of two recent developments. On November 16, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a workshop on the issue and, perhaps not coincidentally, on the same day
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November 30, 2015 - Marketing, Infographic
Infographic: Social Media Marketing
We’re happy to publish our latest infographic, which highlights key social media marketing trends for both B2B and B2C companies. Among other things, the infographic points out that, although companies continue to increase their social media marketing spend, they don’t do a particularly good job
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November 25, 2015 - Marketing
Cyber Monday, Social Commerce and the End of an Era
Online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend—Cyber Monday—have continued to increase year over year since the day was first christened “Cyber Monday” in 2004. As social media enthusiasts, we were surprised to learn that social networks drove only 1.5% of the avalanche of
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November 23, 2015 - Protected Speech, Employment Law
The Second Circuit Tackles Employee Rights, Obscenities & Social Media Use
By: Mary Race
Employers took note last year when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that “liking” a Facebook post can qualify as protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRB held that the owner of a sports bar violated Section 7 of
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November 23, 2015 - Marketing
Black Friday: It’s Not Just About Brick & Mortar Stores Anymore
Here at Socially Aware , we’re focused on Thanksgiving dinner, but we’re well aware that the day after Thanksgiving—Black Friday—is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and a critical sales day for brick-and-mortar retailers. So we were intrigued to stumble upon
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November 17, 2015 - Copyright
Google Books and Fair Use: From Implausible to Inevitable?
[ Editor’s Note: At Socially Aware, we occasionally invite guest columnists to contribute pieces on cutting-edge Internet-related legal issues; today we have the pleasure of publishing a piece by noted copyright scholar Jane Ginsburg , Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property
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November 12, 2015 - Crowdsourcing
Following the Wisdom of the Crowd? A Look at the SEC’s Final Crowdfunding Rules
This article provides a detailed overview of the final rules, Regulation Crowdfunding, which will be applicable to crowdfunding offerings conducted in reliance on Section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended (the “Securities Act”), which was added by Title III of the Jumpstart
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