Socially Aware

April 10, 2014 - FTC, Privacy, Litigation
Jerked Around? Did the FTC’s “Jerk.com” Complaint Just Turn API Terms Into Federal Law?
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) announcement that it had filed a complaint against Jerk, LLC and its websites like “jerk.com” (“Jerk”) looks at first glance like a run-of-the-mill FTC Section 5 enforcement action involving allegedly deceptive practices online. But hidden in the facts of
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April 07, 2014 - Investment Management Law
New Regulatory Guidance on Use of Social Media by Investment Advisers
Acknowledging the growing demand by consumers for information through social media, the Division of Investment Management set some ground rules on how investment advisers can use social media and publish advertisements featuring public commentary about them from social media sites. Under the new rules,
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April 03, 2014 - Internet of Things, FTC, Privacy, Ethics, IP
The Internet of Things Part 2: The Old Problem Squared
By: Alistair Maughan
Cisco estimates that 25 billion devices will be connected in the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2015, and 50 billion by 2020. Analyst firm IDC makes an even bolder prediction: 212 billion connected devices by 2020. This massive increase in connectedness will drive a
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April 02, 2014 - Internet of Things, FTC, Privacy
The Internet of Things Part 1: Brave New World
By: Alistair Maughan
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of everyday physical objects that surround us and are increasingly being embedded with technology to enable those objects to collect and transmit data about their use and surroundings. TVs connected to the Internet and refrigerators connected
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April 01, 2014 - Copyright, IP, Litigation
The Umpire Strikes Back: European Court Rules That ISPs Can Be Forced to Block Pirate Websites
By: Alistair Maughan
On March 27, 2014, the highest court in the European Union—the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU)— decided that copyright owners have the right to seek injunctions against Internet service providers (ISPs) requiring the ISPs to block access to pirate websites illegally
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March 31, 2014 - E-Discovery, Discovery, Litigation
U.S. Courts’ Evolving Approaches to Social Media E-Discovery
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
Courts across the United States have now made clear that discovery of social media is fair game. At the same time, courts have consistently found that litigants will not be permitted to engage in social media fishing expeditions; rather, litigants will be required to
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March 27, 2014 - Copyright, IP
Copyright: Europe Explores its Boundaries: Part 1: Link Hubs
INTRODUCTION This year, as the world celebrates the 25 th anniversary of the World Wide Web, the Web’s founder, Tim Berners-Lee, has called for a fundamental reappraisal of copyright law. By coincidence, this year we also anticipate a rash of UK and European legislative
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March 27, 2014 - Copyright, IP, Litigation
Google Ordered to Remove All Copies of Anti-Islamic Film From YouTube After Actress With Bit Part Threatened by Outraged Muslims; Decision Puzzles Copyright Attorneys
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
An aspiring actress moves to California and finds her life threatened. While standard fare for pulp fiction, the case of Garcia v. Google involves a twist on this well-worn plot line that not even the most imaginative Hollywood scriptwriter could invent. Cindy Lee Garcia
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March 25, 2014 - Privacy, Employment Law
Employer Access to Employee Social Media: Applicant Screening, ‘Friend’ Requests and Workplace Investigations
By: Melissa M. Crespo
A 2013 CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers and human resource professionals reports that more than two in five companies use social networking sites to research job candidates. This interest in social networking does not end when the candidate is hired: to the contrary, companies
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March 04, 2014 - FTC, Privacy, Financial Institutions
A Smart Wallet
Another great post from our sister blog, MoFo Tech : The potential for mobile payments is huge. So are the potential legal and regulatory hurdles. Banks, retailers, and pundits are paying a lot of attention to mobile payments, which typically involve the use of smartphones
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