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.

July 10, 2012 - Securities Law, Investment Management Law, Financial Institutions
The Social Media Experiment: Challenges for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers
The announcement by a Wall Street firm that it plans to give its financial advisers limited access to social media websites has been viewed by many as inevitable. Morgan Stanley’s foray into the fast-changing world of social media highlights the difficulties faced by broker-dealers
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June 24, 2012 - Litigation
“You Have One New Lawsuit”: Can You Serve Legal Notice Through Social Media?
By: Daniel P. Levison
As reported by Law36 0 and several other sources, on June 7, 2012, in Fortunato v. Chase Bank, a federal district court ruled that defendant Chase Bank could not use Facebook to serve a third-party defendant with the complaint that Chase had filed against
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June 18, 2012 - Copyright, Discovery, Litigation
What, What (In the Court): South Park Studios Shielded by Fair Use for Viral Video Parody
The Seventh Circuit held recently in Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners that, under certain circumstances, a trial court may dismiss a copyright infringement case based on a fair use defense prior to discovery. Over the years, the satiric Comedy Central cartoon program South
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June 13, 2012 - E-Personation, Litigation
Tracking the Trolls: A “Twitter Jitters” Update
By: Alistair Maughan
We reported this past May in our Socially Aware blog about efforts of law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom to adapt existing laws to police potential offenses committed via social media. The UK government has just announced proposals that will make it easier to
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June 08, 2012 - Terms of Use, Litigation
Computer Crime Prosecutions Face New Difficulties
In two recent decisions issued within a day of each other, two influential federal courts limited the scope of three important federal laws used to prosecute criminal conduct involving computers. On April 10, 2012, the Ninth Circuit limited the scope of criminal liability for
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June 04, 2012 - Privacy, Employment Law, Litigation
Interview with Debbie Rosenbaum regarding Bland v. Roberts
As a result of her recent Socially Aware blog post What’s Not to Like , our contributor Debbie Rosenbaum has been interviewed by LXBN TV regarding Bland v. Roberts , the recent (and controversial) federal court decision holding that “liking” a Facebook page does
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May 30, 2012 - Ethics, Litigation
Should We All Be Getting the Twitter “Jitters”? Be Careful What You Say Online (Particularly in the United Kingdom)
By: Alistair Maughan
History is littered with examples of the law being slow to catch up with the use of technology. Social media is no exception. As our Socially Aware blog attests, countries around the world are having to think fast to apply legal norms to rapidly
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May 29, 2012 - Privacy, Employment Law
Maryland Enacts First Law Prohibiting Employers From Requesting Passwords to Employees’ Online Personal Accounts
In our recent Socially Aware blog post , we noted that a number of pending state bills are seeking to ban employers from requesting confidential login information, including social media login information, as a condition of employment. In fact, on April 9, 2012, Maryland
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May 21, 2012 - Privacy, Employment Law, Litigation
What’s Not to Like?
A recent district court decision highlights the growing prevalence of issues relating to new media technologies arising in the courtroom. In Bland v. Roberts , the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia held that merely “liking” a Facebook page is insufficient
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May 20, 2012 - Event, Copyright
Pinterest: Key Legal Considerations in Using the Internet’s Hottest Social Media Platform
Pinterest is 2012’s “most talked-about” social media platform and one of the fastest-growing standalone websites in history. By tapping into the enthusiasm for gathering and presenting images that have been pulled from across the web, Pinterest has created a powerful content sharing platform – and
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Welcome to Socially Aware

The Social Media Experiment: Challenges for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers

“You Have One New Lawsuit”: Can You Serve Legal Notice Through Social Media?

By: Daniel P. Levison

What, What (In the Court): South Park Studios Shielded by Fair Use for Viral Video Parody

Tracking the Trolls: A “Twitter Jitters” Update

By: Alistair Maughan

Computer Crime Prosecutions Face New Difficulties

Interview with Debbie Rosenbaum regarding Bland v. Roberts

Should We All Be Getting the Twitter “Jitters”? Be Careful What You Say Online (Particularly in the United Kingdom)

By: Alistair Maughan

Maryland Enacts First Law Prohibiting Employers From Requesting Passwords to Employees’ Online Personal Accounts

What’s Not to Like?

Pinterest: Key Legal Considerations in Using the Internet’s Hottest Social Media Platform