Internet Law

FBI Probes Exposure of Power Users’ iPad ID Info

A federal investigation is under way concerning an Internet security breach that reportedly exposed the e-mail addresses of some 114,000 Apple iPad users. They apparently included a number of very high-profile individuals such as the White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel; the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg; and…

Jun 10, 2010 9:50 PM CDT

Judge Questions Mass Joinder of Alleged Illegal ‘John Doe’ Downloaders

An enterprising law firm’s mass pursuit of illegal downloaders may be hitting a roadblock in the form of a Washington, D.C., federal judge. In two different lawsuits, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer has issued an order to show cause why the plaintiffs should be allowed to group together thousands of…

Jun 10, 2010 3:32 PM CDT

Hewlett-Packard GC Says Tech Industry Faces ‘Erosion of Trust’ Over Cybersecurity

Hewlett-Packard general counsel Michael Holston says the technology industry needs to work with other industries and the U.S. government to address cybersecurity concerns. Speaking Tuesday at a forum on innovation at the Brookings Institution, Holston said the technology industry is facing an “erosion of trust” over privacy and security issues,…

Jun 10, 2010 1:16 PM CDT

Blago Can’t Tweet About Trial, But Defense Lawyer Tells Jury He’ll Testify

As opening statements were about to begin today in the much-publicized public corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich, a federal judge arguably saved the impeached former Illinois governor from himself, reports the Blagojevich on Trial blog of the Chicago Tribune. Although Blagojevich can continue to comment publicly on the case, if…

Jun 8, 2010 10:03 PM CDT

Ballard Spahr Bill Near $750K in Ongoing School Laptop Webcam Case

Legal fees charged by Ballard Spahr and a computer forensic expert the law firm retained are nearing $750,000 in a four-month-old matter concerning a school district’s controversial remote activation of webcams on the laptop computers it issued to students. A lawyer for the plaintiffs in a federal class action seeking…

Jun 8, 2010 2:44 PM CDT

Mom Resolves Cold Parental Kidnap Case by Surfing Facebook

A California mom successfully used Facebook to search for the two children she hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years, after their father allegedly took them and told her she would never see them again. After finding her now-17-year-old daughter’s profile on the social networking website, Prince Segala made contact but…

Jun 7, 2010 11:30 PM CDT

Lawyer Can Sue Critic Over Craigslist War of Words, Says Appeal Court

Reversing a lower court ruling that a screenwriter’s critical comments on Craigslist about a California lawyer were protected by the First Amendment, a state appeals court last week reinstated attorney Richard Gibson’s suit. The comments allegedly posted by screenwriter Justin Swingle in conjunction with advertisements for Gibson’s law practice on…

Jun 7, 2010 11:09 PM CDT

E-Mails to AT&T’s CEO May Be Met with Legal Action

When Giorgio Galante e-mailed Steve Jobs and his pal Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s CEO, last year, Jobs responded. However, after two more recent e-mails to Stephenson, it was AT&T’s executive response team that replied to Galante—with legal threats. Galante e-mailed the CEO twice in two weeks: first to request a bump…

Jun 4, 2010 11:51 AM CDT

‘Open Season’ on Parents: Mom Put on Probation for Posting on Son’s Facebook Account

An Arkansas mother who posted messages on her 17-year-old son’s Facebook account, making it look as though social networking messages she wrote came from him, has been convicted of harassment and sentenced to a year of probation. Denise New faces 30 days in jail if she violates the probation, which…

Jun 1, 2010 6:06 PM CDT

FTC Postpones Red Flags Rule After Lawmakers Seek Delay

At the request of several members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission has agreed to postpone until the end of the year enforcement of the controversial new Red Flags Rule that had been scheduled to take effect today. The rule implements a new federal law that the FTC had interpreted…

Jun 1, 2010 10:00 AM CDT

The Record Business Blues

Note: This month’s CLE, “Seeking Harmony in Music Distribution,” is Wednesday, June 16.

Jun 1, 2010 9:20 AM CDT

A Scam by Any Name

While in Florida on a family trip to the New York Mets’ spring training facility in March, Todd Higgins suddenly found himself con-sumed by a series of e-mails on his BlackBerry.

Jun 1, 2010 8:10 AM CDT

Lawyer Known for Priest Lawsuits Takes Aim at Child Porn

A Minnesota lawyer known for filing sexual abuse lawsuits against Catholic priests is now targeting child pornography. St. Paul lawyer Jeffrey Anderson has filed an unusual lawsuit that seeks the identity of 100 unnamed defendants who downloaded pornographic images of his young client, according to stories in the Associated Press…

May 27, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

After Firestorm of Criticism, New Facebook Privacy Policy Is Unveiled

After a firestorm of criticism by individuals and regulators, the CEO of Facebook today announced new privacy settings that will make it easier for users of the social networking website to restrict access to personal information, if they wish, to those they know well. In a Facebook blog post, Mark…

May 26, 2010 8:39 PM CDT

Blogging Assistant PD Gets 60-Day Suspension for Posts on Little-Disguised Clients

A former Illinois assistant public defender will be suspended for 60 days for disclosing too much information on her blog. Kristine Ann Peshek revealed client protected information on the blog and made false statements to a tribunal about a client’s drug usage, according to a summary posted at Illinois Lawyer…

May 26, 2010 1:57 PM CDT