Facebook Introduces Graph Search, Privacy Challenges Possible
Facebook recently unveiled “Graph Search,” an innovation designed to help users find and connect their friends by their interests, shared history, and past activity on the social networking platform. The new feature, which will begin beta testing soon, greatly expands the search capabilities of the Facebook platform in a move some commentators speculate may help
What 2013 May Ring In For New Copyright Legislation
2012 was a quiet year for any new copyright legislation that could affect those engaged in the creation, production and distribution of entertainment media. With the elections behind us, this could change in 2013. The Copyright Office has indicated that it is interested in tackling several issues that were identified as office priorities in a
Small Screen, Bigger Picture
On December 27, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction against Aereokiller (formerly known as BarryDriller.com), a service founded by Alki David, someone not unfamiliar with television transmission and the law. Previously, in conjunction with rulings involving a similar technology at issue in WPIX v. ivi in
Kenneth N. Swezey Co-moderates “E-Books: The Sequel – Rights, Wrongs and Realities” at 2012 NYSBA EASL Fall Meeting
Kenneth N. Swezey will co-moderate the panel “E-Books: The Sequel – Rights, Wrongs and Realities” as part of the New York State Bar Association, Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law section’s 2012 Fall Meeting, on Thursday, November 15, 2012 in New York City. The full meeting runs from 3:30pm to 6:45pm, followed by its reception at
Zappos’ Focus on Fashion, and Not on Terms of Use, Leads to Contractual Faux Pas
A recent case brought against the online retailer Zappos demonstrates the importance of thought-out drafting when constructing website policies. While it may be tempting to leave terms of use as an inconspicuous hyperlink rather than put them right up front, the consequences can be that those terms are not enforceable at all.
Copyright Issues for Educational Institutions: Court Issues Long-Awaited Opinion in Georgia State University Copyright Infringement Case
On May 11, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia issued its long-awaited opinion in Cambridge University Press v. Becker, No. 1:08-CV-1425-ODE (N.D. Ga. May 11, 2012) which examined one of the new ways professors and students teach and learn in the digital age. Although the court found the University’s copyright
Google Cleared of Java Copyright Infringement
Google Cleared of Java Copyright Infringement: In First Ruling on Copyrightability of APIs, CA Court Finds That Functional Java API Code Is a “Method of Operation” Not Protected By Copyright Law
Google AdWords: A Tough Sell?
By Daniel J. Klein Google’s AdWords program is no stranger to legal controversy, having been the subject of several trademark infringement lawsuits in the past.
“Reveal Day” Unveils 1,930 New Domain Name Applications
On Wednesday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – which oversees the international internet address system — unveiled 1,930 applications it had received for new top-level domain names (TLDs). Dubbed “Reveal Day,” ICANN made public the applications for new domain extensions such as .google, .book, .app, .beer, .bank, .cloud and .buy. The
Google Books Case Developments: Google Responds to ASMP and Authors Guild
In a new turn in the Google Books case we have been following, Google filed its responses on February 17, 2012 to the American Society of Media Photographers’ (ASMP) and the Authors Guild’s oppositions to Google’s motions to dismiss ASMP and the Authors Guild for lack of standing. Google took issue with the Plaintiffs’ assertions.