Internet and the Government
Category RSS FeedAre The Legal Rules For User Generated Content Becoming More Nuanced?
The general legal advice to website operators who allowed User Generated Content (UGC) in the form of comments, videos or pictures used to be relatively easy. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act protected you from copyright and Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act protected you from defamation and other liability. Recent developments are bringing a … Continue Reading
GUEST POST: Internet Sales Tax is Coming
Looper Reed has a number of good blogs. My colleagues Jamie Ribman and Cleve Clinton write Tilting the Scales which takes a light-hearted look at some of the more general legal issues of the day. For my lawyer readers, their hypotheticals will remind you of law school finals. They recently tackled the Internet Sales Tax … Continue Reading
Social Media for the CEO: Lessons Learned from the Netflix/SEC Tussle and Reg FD
[Updated on 4/11/13 at the bottom]
Yes, you can use social media to make material public disclosures. The SEC did not punish Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. The reality is, however, the SEC gave a warning to executives: we are not going to do anything this time because our rules weren’t clear, but now you are on notice.
The Netflix CEO … Continue Reading
Texas Leg Watch 2013: Bill proposes to allow service via social media
Texas State Representative Jeff Leach R-Plano (full disclosure – he is a lawyer in our Dallas office) proposed a bill (HB 1989) that would allow service via social media if the more traditional methods did not work first.
Normally, to serve someone with a lawsuit you have to have the petition and citation delivered to them … Continue Reading
What the Cybersecurity Executive Order Means for the Rest of Us
If you are the CEO of Google, Facebook, Verizon, Comcast, Exxon or Boeing, don’t read this. You have a team of lawyers working for you who have already spent hours analyzing President Obama’s Cybersecurity executive order and the numerous articles about it. If you own a one-location cupcake shop, auto repair facility or truly a “mom and pop” … Continue Reading
Texas Leg Watch 2013: Will Texas Prohibit Employers From Asking for Social Media Passwords?
Democratic Texas State Representative Helen Giddings filed a bill prohibiting employers in Texas from asking for social media passwords from applicants and current employees. Texas joins a long list of states that have either passed or proposed similar legislation.
On December 21, 2012, HB 318 was pre-filed. Democratic State Senator Chuy Hinojosa filed the exact bill with the Senate as SB 118. … Continue Reading
Legal Guidelines for CEOs on Social Media – Avoid the Netflix Issue
In July, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted on Facebook that viewing on his company’s site “exceeded 1 billion hours” of videos in June. The stock rose 6.2% on the day of the post. Last week, the SEC sent Netflix notice it may investigate. You can read the Washington Post story here.
Reg FD, or Fair Disclosure, is … Continue Reading
Does the Communications Decency Act Protect Human Trafficking?
The State of Texas may find out and it may be more applicable to your site than you think. In early filing for the 2013 legislative session, Democratic state Senator Leticia Van de Putte proposed a bill aimed at stopping at stopping human trafficking. The entire text is here.
It allows for human trafficking victims to bring … Continue Reading
What the Obama Reelection Means for Internet Law
It means I woke up to this actual post from a Facebook “friend” of mine:
Christian or not, Praise God we still have some freedom of speech and can voice our opinion. That being said here are words for thought…Do you know what America has in common with those countries in poverty and constant devastation??? God is … Continue Reading
Texas Sues Google for Documents in Anti-Trust Probe
The Texas Attorney General has been investigating whether Google places its own products over competitors in violation of anti-trust rules. The Texas AG had not filed suit yet and technically still has not filed an anti-trust suit. Instead, we learned this week that the Texas Attorney General sued to force Google to turn over documents … Continue Reading
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