Socially Aware

September 24, 2024 - Artificial Intelligence, European Union, First Amendment, Fraud, Social Media Policy, Trademark
Social Links: TikTok Trademarks, Social Signposts, and Robot Rock
By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin
Sick of the “ very demure, very mindful ” social media trend yet? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office probably is too. Our national nightmare began on August 5 when TikToker Jools LeBron uploaded a video of herself pontificating about the way she dresses
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August 16, 2024 - Advertising, Artificial Intelligence, Copyright, Fair Use, First Amendment, Fraud, SEC, Section 230 Safe Harbor
Social Links: August 2024
By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin
Social media giant TikTok has been sued by the United States for allegedly collecting data on children under thirteen illegally. The suit claims the app, which is owned by China-based parent company ByteDance, allowed millions of children to create accounts without parental knowledge or
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August 05, 2024 - Artificial Intelligence, Copyright, First Amendment, Fraud, FTC, IP, Privacy, Section 230 Safe Harbor, Social Media Policy
Social Links: July 2024
By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin
In a rare example of bipartisan agreement, the dramatically named DEFIANCE (Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits) Act unanimously passed the Senate. The bill allows victims of AI-generated deepfake pornography to sue anyone who knowingly creates, receives, or distributes such images. It only
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March 20, 2024 - Social Media Policy, First Amendment
Supreme Court Clarifies the Boundaries of Public Official Liability on Social Media
By: J. Alexander Lawrence and Justin Kareem Rezkalla
In its recent opinion in Lindke v. Freed , the U.S. Supreme Court addressed when public officials may be held liable for violating the First Amendment for silencing critics on social media. The Court held that a public official violates the First Amendment for
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October 07, 2019 - First Amendment, Artificial Intelligence, FTC, Influencer Marketing, Fraud, Free Speech
A dating platform’s alleged fraud; a decline in the popularity of popularity metrics; TikTok’s unique AI
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Singapore has enacted a law granting government ministers the power to require social media platforms to completely remove or place warnings alongside posts the authorities designate as false. Unlike the compensation earned by child stars who perform on television, in films, or on other
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June 11, 2019 - Advertising, First Amendment, European Union, Copyright, Free Speech, IP, Litigation
Social Links: Suit over “embedded tweet” with Tom Brady’s photo settles; brand agency manipulates Wikipedia; evidence from Instagram wins French rock star’s kids a share of his estate
By: Julie O'Neill
In March, Socially Aware reported on a lawsuit involving several prominent news outlets’ publication of a photo of NFL quarterback Tom Brady on Twitter. The case had the potential to upend a copyright and Internet-law rule that, in the words of a Forbes columnist
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April 16, 2019 - Advertising, First Amendment, European Union, Influencer Marketing, Copyright, Free Speech, Compliance, Litigation
Social Links: An EU law to protect copyright owners online; collecting biometric data without running afoul of the law; influencers’ attempts to appear more authentic
By: Anthony M. Ramirez
A new law in Australia makes a social media company’s failure to remove “abhorrent violent material” from its platform punishable by significant fines. The law also states that the executives at social media companies who fail to remove the content could be sentenced to
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June 01, 2018 - Advertising, Blockchain, First Amendment, Artificial Intelligence, European Union, GDPR
Social Links: Laws affecting politicians using Twitter & tourists taking photos; the GDPR takes effect; lost Bitcoins
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Finding that President Trump’s Twitter feed constitutes a public forum, a federal judge in New York City held that it’s a First Amendment violation when the President or one of his assistants blocks a Twitter user from viewing or responding to one of the
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April 16, 2018 - First Amendment, Marketing, Copyright, Defamation, Free Speech, Litigation
Social Links: Revenge porn victim awarded $6.4M; the discoverability of photos posted to Facebook; can users be blocked from government officials’ social media accounts?
By: Aaron P. Rubin
Based on copyright infringement, emotional distress and other claims, a federal district court in California awarded $6.4 million to a victim of revenge porn, the posting of explicit material without the subject’s consent. The judgment is believed to be one of the largest awards
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March 12, 2018 - First Amendment, Protected Speech, Privacy, Online Contracts, Copyright, Defamation, Compliance, IP, Litigation
Social Links: Inline link to tweet with photo could constitute copyright infringement; proposed California legislation could restrict website operators’ efforts to have minors consent to terms of use
By: Aaron P. Rubin
In a decision that has generated considerable controversy, a federal court in New York has held that the popular practice of embedding tweets into websites and blogs can result in copyright infringement. Plaintiff Justin Goldman had taken a photo of NFL quarterback Tom Brady,
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Topic Archives: First Amendment

Social Links: TikTok Trademarks, Social Signposts, and Robot Rock

By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin

Social Links: August 2024

By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin

Social Links: July 2024

By: Lawrence W. Gallick, Anthony M. Ramirez and Aaron P. Rubin

Supreme Court Clarifies the Boundaries of Public Official Liability on Social Media

By: J. Alexander Lawrence and Justin Kareem Rezkalla

A dating platform’s alleged fraud; a decline in the popularity of popularity metrics; TikTok’s unique AI

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Social Links: Suit over “embedded tweet” with Tom Brady’s photo settles; brand agency manipulates Wikipedia; evidence from Instagram wins French rock star’s kids a share of his estate

By: Julie O'Neill

Social Links: An EU law to protect copyright owners online; collecting biometric data without running afoul of the law; influencers’ attempts to appear more authentic

By: Anthony M. Ramirez

Social Links: Laws affecting politicians using Twitter & tourists taking photos; the GDPR takes effect; lost Bitcoins

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Social Links: Revenge porn victim awarded $6.4M; the discoverability of photos posted to Facebook; can users be blocked from government officials’ social media accounts?

By: Aaron P. Rubin

Social Links: Inline link to tweet with photo could constitute copyright infringement; proposed California legislation could restrict website operators’ efforts to have minors consent to terms of use

By: Aaron P. Rubin