Socially Aware

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 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 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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February 05, 2014 - Online Promotions, Privacy, Event, Employment Law, IP
Social Media 2014: Addressing Corporate Risks
Please join Socially Aware editor John Delaney as he chairs Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) “Social Media 2014: Addressing Corporate Risks.” Issues to be addressed at the conference include: Social media: how it works, and why it is transforming the business world Drafting and updating
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July 29, 2013 - Trademark, IP, Litigation
Whose @SunValley Is It?
Readers of our blog may remember Leonard Barshack as the co-founder of Bigfoot , a popular Internet mail forwarding service that launched in 1995. Barshack, a resident of Sun Valley, Idaho, recently became well-known once again for his role as plaintiff in Barshack v.
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February 14, 2013 - DMCA, Terms of Use, Copyright, IP, Litigation
Thinking About Using Pictures Pulled From Twitter? Think Again, New York Court Warns
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
If you want to use those pictures you found on Twitter, beware. A federal judge in New York recently held that taking photos from Twitter to use for a commercial purpose infringes the photographer’s copyrights. On January 14, 2013, Judge Alison Nathan ruled that
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January 23, 2013 - Trademark, Privacy, Copyright, IP, Litigation
Be Wary of Sharing: Anonymous P2P User’s Motion to Quash Subpoena Denied
By: J. Alexander Lawrence
BitTorrent, the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing system that enables the quick downloading of large files, has sparked another novel controversy stemming from copyright-infringement claims brought against its users. Users take advantage of the BitTorrent sharing system to anonymously access popular media such as books and
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December 16, 2012 - Trademark, Section 230 Safe Harbor, IP, Litigation
Google AdWords Decision Highlights Contours of the CDA Section 230 Safe Harbor
In a string of cases against Google, approximately 20 separate plaintiffs have claimed that, through advertisements on its AdWords service, Google engaged in trademark infringement. These claims have been based on Google allowing its advertisers to use their competitors’ trademarks in Google-generated online advertisements.
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October 26, 2012 - Trademark, DMCA, Copyright, IP, Litigation
Born to Mock: Trademark Holder’s Fight to Remove Mark on Kitsch Merchandise May Have Broad Legal Implications
By: Jessica Kaufman
Popular online marketplace CafePress.com suffered a legal setback recently when a U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York denied CafePress’s motion for summary judgment against claims of trademark infringement. CafePress operates an online “print on demand” service that allows users to
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