Appeals Court Asks Top Wis. Court to Decide If Rival Law Firm Can Use Keyword-Driven Web Ads

Habush Habush & Rottier is one of Wisconsin’s top personal injury law firms. So partners weren’t pleased to find out that a small firm was free-riding on its reputation and advertising budget by purchasing keyword advertising on the Internet that put the Cannon & Dunphy law firm at the top…

Jun 28, 2012 10:27 PM CDT

Law Firm Sues Over Doppelganger Domain Name, Says Infringing Website Is Intercepting Attorney Email

A New York intellectual property boutique has filed suit against a self-proclaimed cybersecurity developer who allegedly has gained access to some law firm email through a “typosquatter” website with an almost identical name. Defendant Arthur Wesley Kenzie not only registered a doppelganger domain name intended to be mistaken for the…

Jun 25, 2012 9:42 PM CDT

Top Texas Court Vacates Libel Appeal and Appellate Opinion Due to $8K Bribe Paid to Trial Judge

The Texas Supreme Court has vacated a lower appellate court’s opinion concerning an interlocutory appeal and voided the appeal itself, explaining that there is no jurisdiction to hear the matter because the trial judge accepted an $8,000 bribe to rule against a summary judgment motion. Hence, in a Friday opinion…

Jun 22, 2012 7:52 PM CDT

Facebook OKs $10M Settlement in Class Action re User ‘Likes’ in Site’s ‘Sponsored Stories’

Facebook has agreed to pay $10 million to charity to settle a class action suit over the social media site’s inclusion of a user’s “likes” of certain advertisers on “Sponsored Stories” that appeared on other members’ Facebook pages. The plaintiffs contended that Facebook’s use of their names and profile pages…

Jun 18, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

Fed’l Appeals Court Says Sign Law Applies to Dog Kennel’s Mural, Calls Claimed Artwork Advertising

Is a mural featuring dogs on the exterior of a commercial building a sign subject to standard business zoning requirements or a work of art? It depends on the subject matter, according to a federal appeals court opinion last week. But because the mural at issue featured cartoon canines from…

May 29, 2012 7:37 PM CDT

New Pom Wonderful Ads Use Selective Quotes from Judge’s Adverse Ruling

Beleaguered juice maker Pom Wonderful has responded to an adverse ruling by an administrative law judge by plucking positive quotes from his opinion and putting them in new ads. On Monday, Judge D. Michael Chappell issued a cease-and-desist order barring the company from claiming that its juice reduces the risks…

May 29, 2012 11:30 AM CDT

Law Prof Volokh Argues Google Has a Free Speech Right to Determine Search Results

Search engines have the same First Amendment rights to determine their results as newspapers do to choose news stories, according to a white paper co-authored by UCLA law professor and First Amendment expert Eugene Volokh. The paper (PDF), commissioned by Google, is likely aimed at preventing the government from regulating…

May 14, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Appeals Court Overturns $10K Small Claims Verdict Against Honda for Hybrid Mileage Claims

A judge has overturned a nearly $10,000 small-claims award to a lawyer dissatisfied with the mileage on her 2006 Honda Civic hybrid. Heather Peters, who decided to go to small claims court rather than join a class action settlement, made news when she was awarded $9,867 earlier this year. But…

May 10, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

Copycat Distillers Spur Tequila Trademark Pushback

May 1, 2012 9:10 AM CDT

Coupon, You’re On: 3 Opinions Say Lawyers May Participate in Daily-Deal Websites

May 1, 2012 7:39 AM CDT

Wash. Governor Signs Bill Seeking to Stop Underage Escort Ads; Backpage.com Cites Federal Protection

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has signed a first-of-its-kind law that tackles child sex trafficking through regulation of advertising. The law requires websites and print publications that advertise escort services to get documentation that the escorts are at least 18, according to the Seattle Times and the New York Times. The…

Apr 2, 2012 12:09 PM CDT

A Smokin’ Body: Cancer Images Are Lighting up a First Amendment Blaze

Apr 1, 2012 8:50 AM CDT

Car Dealerships Agree to Settle FTC Complaints over Ads Promising Trade-In Payoffs

Five car dealerships in four states have agreed to pull trade-in ads to settle administrative complaints by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC had claimed the ads deceived consumers into believing they would no longer have to pay the loan balance on their trade-ins, according to a press release. In…

Mar 16, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

2nd Circuit Nixes Confusing Disclaimer Required of NY Attorneys Advertising Specialist Certification

A New York personal injury lawyer appearing pro se has notched a victory in a battle against the state attorney grievance committee, persuading a federal appeals court that an advertising ethics rule upheld by lower court rulings is vague and unduly restrictive. J. Michael Hayes of Buffalo had repeatedly been…

Mar 5, 2012 10:26 PM CST

After F Grade, Firm Sues Better Business Bureau in Federal Court Over Rating System

A law firm given a F grade last year by the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida for a claimed pattern of unresolved client complaints is firing back. The KEL law firm has filed a federal lawsuit in Orlando against the local BBB and related defendants, contending that its business…

Feb 21, 2012 11:08 PM CST