Online Law

Crime on The Most Popular Mobile Site in the US: Craigslist

December 1st 2008

Loved by browsers – despised by newspapers What’s the top destination for mobile browsing in the US? Craigslist. US mobile users averaged a whopping one hour and 39 minutes per month on Craigslist alone. Though Craigslist doesn’t have much of a business model (no ads, mostly free posting, few staff) it has absolutely transformed print […]

Lori Drew Guilty: Overly Broad User Agreements May Land Users in Jail

November 27th 2008

This morning, LinkedIn began promoting its new User Agreement. #3 in its list of Don’ts is: (Don’t) include information in your profile or in Status Updates which reveals your identity such as an email address, phone number or address or is confidential in nature; Of course, simply by linking to the User Agreement, I may […]

Expert Panel Voices Concern that ICANN’s Top Level Domains Policy is a Pending “Trainwreck”

November 25th 2008

I simply didn’t expect this. INTA, The World Intellectual Property Review, and TelNic hosted a webinar to discuss the “revolutionary” landscape ICANN has proposed by opening up top-level domain ownership. There was real dissension against ICANN’s vision, and at best, muted support. You may view the recorded program for free. <Use IE, there seems to be […]

Don’t Miss Tuesday’s Free Online Seminar: What gTLDs Mean for Brand Owners

November 24th 2008

There has been plenty of discussion on Useful Arts about what ICANN describes as the “revolutionary” landscape it is set to unleash. Some examples include: Life on Earth to Continue Despite ICANN, and Why Does Telnic Think Anyone Wants a Domain Named After The Phone? Tuesday morning at 9AM you can hear an impressive group […]

Python Strikes Back with Generosity!

November 24th 2008

Among the most downloaded of all YouTube videos are anything to do with Monty Python. Thank God. You can see clips from their TV show and movies, all for free. Free, you free-loading cheap bastards. Short on shekels, are we? Too skint to cough up the occasional fiver for quality senseless comedy? You make me sick, […]

Don’t Even Look at a Toyota — They Might Sue You!

November 20th 2008

Toyota wants fan-submitted desktop wallpapers that show Toyota, Scion, or Lexus cars removed from DesktopNexus.com, a popular wallpaper sharing website. In an article on TorrentFreak: The site’s owner, Harry Maugans, contacted Toyota to clarify. He was told that all images featuring Toyota vehicles should be removed, even images with copyright belonging to others. Maugans said: […]

California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Employee Mobility

November 18th 2008

According to a  groundbreaking California State Supreme Court ruling in Edwards vs. Arthur Andersen, people employed in California have the right to start their own businesses or move to another company free from any legal interference by their previous employer. In essence, the court officially struck down the validity of the non-compete clause as it […]

Linking is Not Defamation in Canada

November 7th 2008

Last week, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kelleher delivered a landmark decision affirming the use of links in online speech in Canada. It was distinguished in its absolute sensibility. Vancouver businessmen Wayne Crookes, once an important federal Green Party of Canada official, sued Jon Newton, the operator of p2p.net, for linking to four articles […]

Online Brand Protection Gone Wrong: ILoveJackDaniels.com

November 5th 2008

Dave Child is a web developer from Brighton, UK. He ran sites for Juno Records in London, and does online marketing. Along the way, he picked up the nickname Jack Daniels for the bottle he kept on his desk. So when he wanted to start a site to provide tech resources to other programmers, he registered […]

Presidential Campaigns Turn to Email SPAM: “Yes, They Can”.

November 3rd 2008

In the last days of the longest and most expensive presidential campaign ever, both sides are using email aggressively.  And why not? Email is cheap, campaigns are desperate, and they are exempt from CAN-SPAM regulations. That’s right. Political and religious speech are explicitly made exempt within CAN-SPAM’s regulations.  When this law was framed, the exemption […]