Advertising Law

Google Admits Its Street View Cars Collected Personal Wi-Fi Data

For years, Google assured the world that its Street View cars weren’t violating anyone’s privacy as they took photos used for Internet maps that allow users to focus in on homes, vehicles and even individuals on the street. But now the search engine goliath is, in effect, admitting that it…

May 14, 2010 10:18 PM CDT

Goodbye Rosebud: Job of Manatt Phelps Counsel Is Product Placement

Lawyer Jordan Yospe lives by the motto “the early bird gets the worm”—only in his business, the worm may well be associated with a certain brand of Tequila or maybe a company that makes fishing lures. Yospe is “a brand integration” expert and counsel at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, according…

Apr 7, 2010 2:49 PM CDT

Yelp Makes Some Changes After Class Actions Allege Advertising Extortion

Yelp will allow users to see which reviews are removed from its consumer-rating website after three class action lawsuits claimed businesses were extorted into buying advertising. The suits, all filed in California, had claimed businesses were promised that positive reviews would be highlighted and negative ones removed if they advertised,…

Apr 7, 2010 12:49 PM CDT

Partner Proclaims Victory Despite Dismissal of Law Firm’s Google Adwords Suit

A Connecticut judge has dismissed an advertising complaint brought against Google by a New Haven personal injury firm, agreeing with the Internet search engine giant that the lawsuit should have been pursued in federal court rather than state court. But partner Michael Stratton of Stratton Faxon is proclaiming victory even…

Mar 17, 2010 8:31 PM CDT

Plaintiff Law Firm Bought Competitor Keywords, Too, Argues Defense in Web Ad Suit

In an unusual lawsuit filed in November, a Wisconsin law firm claimed that a competitor had violated state privacy law by purchasing its name from several search engines for use as advertising keywords. By doing so, Cannon & Dunphy improperly arranged to put its own law firm profile atop the…

Mar 15, 2010 5:10 PM CDT

Lindsay Lohan Files $100M Suit Over E-Trade’s ‘Milkaholic’ Baby

Updated: Lindsay Lohan claims in a $100 million lawsuit that the boyfriend-stealing, milkaholic baby featured in an E-Trade ad is modeled after her. The ad debuted during the Super Bowl, the New York Post reports. It portrays a baby boy apologizing to his girlfriend via an online video chat for…

Mar 9, 2010 2:32 PM CST

Wielding Sealed TRO, Microsoft Shuts Down 270+ Web Addresses in Ex Parte Botnet Battle

In a litigation tactic that reportedly has never been tried before to combat a global malicious software attack, Microsoft Corp. won a sealed temporary restraining order in an ex parte “John Doe” federal court action in Virginia this week. It allowed the company to shut down, without prior notice to…

Feb 25, 2010 9:47 PM CST

Suit Says Yelp Runs ‘Extortion Scheme,’ Asks for Ad Money to Modify Bad Reviews

The operators of a popular Internet customer review site for restaurants and small businesses have been sued by two law firms alleging unfair business practices and an “extortion scheme.” Yelp, the suit alleges, has its employees “call businesses demanding monthly payments, in the guise of ‘advertising contracts,’ in exchange for…

Feb 24, 2010 11:19 PM CST

Infomercial Pitchman Gets 30 Days for Crashing Federal Judge’s Computer

Updated: During a criminal contempt hearing in Chicago last week, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said he was inclined to sentence infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau to a jail term for unleashing a flood of fan e-mail that crashed the jurist’s computer. And today, calling the deluge of some 300 e-mails…

Feb 17, 2010 9:34 PM CST

Radio Host in Contempt Case Urges Fans to E-Mail Court; Federal Judge Is Not Pleased

Updated: Facing a new ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, after a federal appeals court instructed him to reconsider an earlier $37.6 million contempt sanction, infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau apparently thought the judge might take note of praise from his fans for his books. And Gettleman clearly did. Finding…

Feb 12, 2010 1:15 AM CST

Woman Charged with Felony, Used Fake Craigslist Job Ad to Harass Ex-Boss, Cops Say

Seeking to harass a former boss, a 33-year-old Houston woman allegedly posted a fake job ad on Craigslist, sending a flood of calls to his office from would-be applicants. But Amanda Anderson created an even bigger problem for herself, according to Friendswood police. She has now been charged with a…

Feb 9, 2010 6:43 PM CST

Panel OKs Total Attorneys Web Ads With ‘Very Little Margin for Error’

Updated: An Internet advertising scheme in which lawyers pay $65 per referral for names of potential clients passes ethical muster with “very little margin for error,” an attorney discipline panel says in an opinion today. Explaining its ruling (PDF) last month that the Total Attorneys Inc. advertising does not violate…

Feb 8, 2010 8:45 PM CST

Toyota Lawsuit Tally Tops 30, But One Multidistrict Case May Be the Result

In the wake of Toyota Motor Corp.’s well-publicized recalls of millions of cars over acceleration issues—and customer concerns that other models also have issues or have been adversely affected by the battering of the brand—at least 30 lawsuits have now been filed in the United States and Canada. Many plaintiffs…

Feb 5, 2010 8:40 PM CST

Grade Anxiety

Firms fret about clients rating their work

Feb 1, 2010 10:29 AM CST

That’s Not His Name in Our Name, Law Firm Says of Ex-Partner’s Suit

In an attempt to force a Detroit law firm to change its name, a former shareholder filed suit against Charfoos & Christensen last week. Now that he has moved to Charfoos Giovan & Birach, potential clients could be confused by the name duplication, he contends. But the suit by Lawrence…

Jan 26, 2010 6:18 PM CST