Internet Law

Lawyer Testifies Against Ex-Client in Obstruction Trial

A defense lawyer testified against her former client in an Alexandria, Va., courtroom yesterday, saying she didn’t believe his phony e-mail was an honest mistake. The ex-client, former dot-com billionaire Charles Johnson Jr., is being retried on charges of fraud and conspiracy in connection with advertising deals his company made…

Oct 17, 2007 5:52 PM CDT

Ban on Hannah Montana Virtual Line-Cutters

Commercial resellers can’t use computer software to cut in line ahead of ordinary fans competing for tickets to Hannah Montana concerts, a federal judge has ruled. An upcoming tour by the star who plays Montana in the Disney Channel television show has ignited a frenzy of fan interest unprecedented since…

Oct 16, 2007 3:32 PM CDT

Damages ‘Offensive’ in Music Piracy Case, Motion Says

The lawyer for a woman assessed $222,000 in damages for illegally sharing downloaded music contends in a motion for a new trial that the amount is constitutionally excessive. The judgment against Jammie Thomas for illegally sharing two dozen songs amounts to $9,250 for each recording. Her lawyer, Brian Toder of…

Oct 16, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Court Rejects Appeal in Internet-Marketing RICO Case

Consumers will get a chance to prove their claims that Microsoft and Best Buy violated racketeering laws by fraudulently signing them up for Microsoft’s MSN Internet services. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant cert in the company’s appeal today, the Associated Press reports. The suit claims Best Buy employees…

Oct 15, 2007 4:11 PM CDT

Internet Contracts Restrict Speech

After several recent attempts by major companies to restrict speech they don’t like, some folks are reading the fine print on their consumer contracts. And a number do contain clauses that say companies can do so, reports the Los Angeles Times. Although apparently legal, since they don’t involve government restriction…

Oct 10, 2007 5:03 PM CDT

Blogger Back Online, Trumping Lawyers

Seemingly on the ropes after a Uzbekistan billionaire’s lawyers pressured his former Web host into taking down his site, an Internet critic is back online today in an ongoing Internet slugfest that has drawn worldwide attention to the way libel issues are handled in the blog world. Craig Murray, a…

Oct 8, 2007 3:13 PM CDT

Record Labels Win Anti-Piracy Verdict

In a huge win for the recording industry, a federal jury in Minnesota decided that a woman who illegally downloaded music owes a whopping $222,000 for copyright infringement. The Los Angeles Times reports that Thursday’s victory could embolden the industry to target consumers in its four-year battle against rampant Internet…

Oct 5, 2007 9:52 AM CDT

Verizon Does About Face on Abortion-Rights Campaign

Updated: Last week Verizon Wireless turned down a request by an abortion-rights group for a text message program, igniting debate over whether mobile companies should be able to censor messages. Today the company reversed itself, the New York Times reports. The original decision was a “mistake,” according to Verizon spokesman…

Sep 27, 2007 3:00 PM CDT

Money-Making Game: ‘Second Life’ First?

A Canadian law firm claims to be the first to establish an office on Second Life, a 3D virtual community that has attracted millions of participants from all over the world. Davis LLP is staffing its Second Life office with lawyers from the firm’s Video Game law & Interactive Entertainment…

Sep 25, 2007 10:10 PM CDT

Lawmaker: Feds Didn’t Spot Cyber-Attack

Saying that the Department of Homeland Security didn’t notice for months that its computer system had been attacked by hackers, a Congressman who works closely with the department is now seeking a new government investigation—and blaming the contractor in charge of the system for lax oversight. Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly…

Sep 24, 2007 7:12 PM CDT

Client’s YouTube Lawyer Video Banned

A disgruntled client can’t post video clips on YouTube complaining about his lawyer’s allegedly bad work and big bills, a Canadian judge has ruled. Superior Court Justice William Jenkins also said that client Stan Hall can’t post any further videos about lawyer Paul Ledroit without court permission, reports the London…

Sep 10, 2007 9:45 PM CDT

Nursing Homes Sue Over PI Firm’s Ad

A personal injury law firm has been sued by the owners of a nursing home chain prominently mentioned in the law firm’s Web site advertising. Genesis Healthcare Corp. contends McHugh Fuller Law Group misappropriated its trademark and logo by including these brands on a Web page seeking plaintiffs interested in…

Sep 7, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

New Practice Area: Data Security

An epidemic of computer laptop thefts has helped launch a new area of legal practice: data security. Between 600,000 and 1.5 million laptops are stolen annually, and an increasing number of lawsuits are being filed over the loss of large amounts of sensitive data that often results. Meanwhile, as new…

Sep 7, 2007 3:50 PM CDT

First ID Theft Case Over PC File-Sharing?

In what may be the first prosecution of its kind, a Seattle man has been arrested for allegedly using a file-sharing program to steal tax returns, financial aid applications and other sensitive information from individual computer hard drives. Gregory Kopiloff allegedly used Limewire to get personal information, stealing his victims’…

Sep 6, 2007 9:27 PM CDT

Police Target Craigslist Prostitution Ads

Vice squads are targeting prostitutes and johns trying to hook up through Craigslist.org, the Web site that allows users to post ads. Police say prostitutes running online ads favor Craigslist, which on just one day had some 9,000 new listings for erotic services in the New York area, the New…

Sep 5, 2007 5:14 PM CDT