Internet Law

Craigslist Rant Prompts Criminal Libel Charges

A Colorado man who reportedly bashed his ex-girlfriend and her lawyer on Craigslist now has the unusual distinction of being charged with criminal libel. The rarely used charges stem from posts that J.P. Weichel is alleged to have authored on the popular site’s “rants and raves” section last December, ABC…

Dec 2, 2008 9:05 PM CST

Do You Know What You’re Agreeing to Online?

With the landmark trial of Lori Drew complete—she was acquitted of the more serious felonies but convicted of misdemeanor violations—terms of use issues still have legal experts all abuzz. It’s not that there’s anything all that new about terms of use, except that they are everywhere that Internet users want…

Dec 1, 2008 11:31 PM CST

Jurors Clear Lori Drew of Felonies in Landmark Cyberbullying Trial

Jurors cleared Lori Drew of the most serious charges against her in the first federal cyberbullying case to go to trial. The six-man, six-woman jury acquitted Drew, 49, of three felony charges of violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Wired magazine reports. The high-profile case drew international attention…

Nov 26, 2008 8:38 PM CST

4-Year Saga Ends With Fine, Dropped Charges After Techies Rise to Teacher’s Aid

A Connecticut substitute teacher’s years-long saga, in which she faced 40 years of prison time for a felony pornography conviction that was overturned, ended rather quietly last week. Prosecutors in Norwich dropped the felony counts against teacher Julie Amero in exchange for her guilty plea to a single charge of…

Nov 26, 2008 12:01 AM CST

Woman Who Created Fictional MySpace Boy Testifies on Motive

The prosecution’s star witness in the cyber-bullying trial of a St. Louis suburban woman told how she created a fictional teenage boy on MySpace who sent insulting messages to a 13-year-old girl who ultimately committed suicide. The witness, 20-year-old Ashley Grills, worked for the coupon business of Lori Drew, the…

Nov 21, 2008 12:40 PM CST

Ga. Supremes, Law School Sponsor Pro-Marriage, Anti-Violence Summits

Upcoming summits to fight violence and promote marriage are being sponsored, respectively, by a New York-based law school and a commission of the Georgia Supreme Court. A story on the pro-marriage summit in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Political Insider blog is headlined, “The Georgia Supreme Court goes Oprah on us—and wants…

Nov 18, 2008 4:17 PM CST

Tax Prof Says Blog, ‘Saucy’ E-mails Would Nix Chances of White House Job

University of Cincinnati law professor Paul Caron says the disclosure requirements for Obama administration hopefuls are so onerous that bloggers and “saucy” e-mailers like himself would find it difficult to comply. Item 10 of the 63-item questionnaire requires Cabinet wannabes to provide a copy of all of their writings, including…

Nov 14, 2008 3:46 PM CST

Probation in Plea Deal for Blogger Who Leaked Guns N’ Roses Songs

The blogger who was originally charged with a felony for posting nine unreleased Guns N’ Roses songs on his website probably won’t go to prison. Blogger Kevin Cogill of Culver City, Calif., was charged under a 2005 federal anti-piracy law. He has reached a plea agreement that calls for probation…

Nov 14, 2008 2:57 PM CST

Cisco Turns Up Heat in ‘Patent Troll’ Case

The case involving the once-anonymous Patent Troll Tracker is in the news again now that Cisco Systems is reportedly turning up the heat on a Texas lawyer who sued the company. The Pattent Troll Tracker, who unmasked himself after a lawyer offered a $15,000 reward for anyone who would reveal…

Nov 4, 2008 12:10 AM CST

Bankruptcy and Divorce Websites See Big Uptick in Visits

A company that operates bankruptcy and divorce law websites is apparently profiting from the economic downturn. Infra-Strategy reports an uptick in visits to two of its websites that link clients to divorce and bankruptcy lawyers, the Wall Street Journal’s Business Technology blog reports. Infra-Strategy’s CEO Edmund Scanlan said October visits…

Oct 31, 2008 3:56 PM CDT

Ala. Lawyers’ Private Data Exposed in Court Documents, Researcher Says

Lawyers submitting briefs to federal courts in Alabama routinely sign the documents with their Social Security numbers, one of several ways that private data is exposed in court documents, according to a researcher whose organization analyzed publicly available documents in 32 districts. The researcher, Carl Malamud, has recounted his concerns…

Oct 29, 2008 6:47 PM CDT

Buyer’s Negative Feedback on eBay Sparks Threat of Seller Libel Lawsuit

A buyer’s complaint that a cell phone he purchased on eBay was damaged and not the advertised model has sparked a threatened libel lawsuit by the seller. Although Joel Jones gave Chris Read a refund, he says the negative feedback that Read publicly posted on the auction website has damaged…

Oct 27, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

Bloggers Get Libel Protection; Sonnenschein Staffs Hotline

Libel suits against individual bloggers are on the rise, prompting one group to offer up insurance for those who post inflammatory remarks and Monday-morning-quarterback opinions. The not-for-profit Media Bloggers Association is offering an insurance policy meant to protect bloggers who are threatened with litigation, copyright claims and invasion of privacy…

Oct 20, 2008 8:31 PM CDT

Judge Orders Shutdown of Huge Spam Ring Accused of Selling Viagra

A federal judge in Chicago has issued a temporary injunction barring operations of a huge spam network that is accused of selling the active ingredient in Viagra in a pill touted for male enhancement. The operation may have been responsible for sending billions of illegal spam messages, the Federal Trade…

Oct 15, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

Law Profs Question Felony Charge Against Accused Palin E-Mail Hacker

Two law professors are wondering why the University of Tennessee student charged with hacking into Sarah Palin’s e-mail account was charged with a felony. Law professors Orin Kerr of George Washington University and Paul Ohm of the University of Colorado questioned the felony charge against David Kernell, the son of…

Oct 14, 2008 12:50 PM CDT