Shari Lewis was quoted in the New York Law Journal article, “SCOTUS’s Section 230 Rulings Will Likely Reverberate Beyond BigTech.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two cases that could potentially change Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. This act currently protects social media platforms from being held responsible for content posted by

Shari Lewis was quoted in the New York Law Journal article, “A GOP-Controlled House Could Be Good For Business—Unless You’re Big Tech.”

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider content contributors posts and if the social media platforms can be held labile based on user content and engagement. The two cases at the center

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases – and is considering accepting more – that may expose social media companies to significant financial liabilities and state regulation in the future. All concern the manner in which public discourse occurs online and whether social media companies should have responsibility or control over the

While businesses and consumers await a national privacy law (that may or may not ever be enacted), and while states across the country have passed their own (and at times inconsistent) privacy statutes, one powerful force remains regularly active in this area: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

In July, Kristin Cohen, the acting associate director

More and more officials in states across the country are seeking to assert authority over the ways that social media companies interact with their users, and how they handle posted content. The companies typically have objected to those restraints by asserting, among other things, a First Amendment right to be free of government control. As

Shari Claire Lewis wrote an article for Vitamin Retailer entitled, “Health Food Retailers Should Update Their Website Terms.”

What was once a basic website created to inform prospective customers on products, has now evolved to offer users options such as “curb-side pick up”, or other features which came about as a result of Covid-19. While

The explosive growth of internet advertisements has been accompanied by increased risks to consumers, including from the content of online disclosures regarding their purchases, the products and services that are provided and businesses’ collection and use of their private data.

For example, advertisers now deploy a variety of digital advertising tools that help them identify

More than a decade ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) promulgated a Health Breach Notification Rule (the Rule). The Rule requires certain businesses that access or collect consumers’ identifying health information to notify affected consumers, the FTC and, in some cases, the media, in the event that there is a data security breach leading to

Today, virtually every business is an e-business. Whether a business’ website looks much like it did when it was launched 10 years ago or has recently been updated to an e-platform offering the latest interactive tools, websites are often the first and best method of educating consumers about the business and its products and services.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), as amended by the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005 (JFPA), prohibits the use of “any telephone facsimile machine, computer, or other device to send, to a telephone facsimile machine, an unsolicited advertisement.” 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(C). The TCPA defines “unsolicited advertisement” as “any material advertising the

Credential stuffing has quickly become one of the top attack vectors online, according to the Office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James (OAG). On January 6, 2022, the OAG announced the result of a sweeping investigation that discovered that 1.1 million online accounts had been compromised through credential stuffing accounts at 17 well-known

Federal law generally prohibits internet service providers (ISPs), i.e., “cable operators,” from disclosing personally identifiable information concerning a subscriber without the prior written or electronic consent of the subscriber. Moreover, under the law, ISPs must “take such actions as are necessary” to prevent unauthorized access to a subscriber’s personally identifiable information by a person other

Many New York-based businesses with websites, as well as bloggers, vloggers, and other New Yorkers with an online presence, may justifiably feel a bit more immune to lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) given the recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Winegard v. Newsday

On August 31, 2021, the FBI and CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) issued Alert AA21-243A, warning that there is an increased risk to U.S. entities of an “impactful ransomware attack” over Labor Day Weekend. A summary of the risk and suggested steps to address it can be found at https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/08/31/fbi-cisa-advisory-ransomware-awareness-holidays-and-weekends. The Alert can be

Social media has played an oversized role in lawsuits under state and local biometric privacy laws, including especially the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). See, e.g., Thornley v. Clearview AI, Inc., 984 F.3d 1241 (7th Cir. 2021) (plaintiffs alleged that defendant used a proprietary algorithm to “scrape” pictures from social media sites such as

A wide range of federal and state authorities are involved in the regulation of emerging technologies in one way or another. Numerous agencies as well as the U.S. Department of Justice lead the national effort, while the Department of Financial Services, the attorney general, and local prosecutors are the principal parties in New York State.

For much of the past few years, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) has been in the news. Section 230 generally immunizes providers of interactive computer services (such as internet service providers or ISPs, social media companies, and website hosting entities, among others) from liability in connection with third party

Sometimes a comprehensive overview is needed to recognize that individual anomalous conduct is indicative of a criminal scheme.

Recently, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) looked at an unusual pattern of interaction with multiple insurance websites and concluded that cybercriminals were exploiting data obtained from those website interactions to commit benefit fraud. Website operators of

On February 4, 2021, New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued Insurance Circular Letter No. 2, which builds on the robust cybersecurity regulation provided in its 2017 Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR 500). The Letter discusses the current state of the cyber insurance industry and provides a seven-part Cyber Insurance Risk Framework which may assist

As businesses in New York and elsewhere begin to enter a second year of partially or fully closed offices and of dealing with a workforce operating remotely, an issue that was top-of-mind for much of 2020 – computer security – should remain a key concern in 2021 and should not be overlooked or ignored.

In

At the start of the 2021-2022 legislative session, the New York state legislature proposed a raft of new regulations related to data privacy which may create challenges for entities doing business in the state. We expect that some or all will pass in some form, as many believe that current laws do not adequately protect

As if having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough for law firms and clients, this year has seen a striking number of data breaches, privacy-related lawsuits, and government enforcement proceedings, as well as large settlements of new and older claims. Indeed, on December 8, 2020, in perhaps the ultimate 2020 irony, cybersecurity

A business’ risk of suffering a cyber event is often discussed, but not always easy to quantify. Recently, Allianz Global Corporate & Security analyzed its experience with cyber insurance claims over the past several years as a basis for its report, “Managing The Impact of Increasing Interconnectivity: Trends in Cyber Risk.” Its conclusions may help

As more and more businesses throughout the state resume operations after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, they face a continuing concern about the virus from customers, employees, and vendors who come to their facilities. Many organizations have instituted temperature checks and inquire about symptoms, out-of-state travel, and other issues in an attempt to weed out individuals

For as long as companies have used internet applications, private and publicly owned businesses, law firms and other professional services organizations, and even public entities have faced potentially devastating financial harm and loss of public good will from “business email compromise” (BEC) fraud.

A recent report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the

As New York continues the process of reopening and individuals, families, and businesses, as well as the courts, adjust to the “new normal” of living in a world still fighting the coronavirus, internet- and technology-related privacy and security issues are at the top of many lawyers’ and corporate executives’ minds.

Certainly privacy and security breach

It seems that, even in the worst of times, cyber criminals will find a way to exploit the situation to their advantage.

The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) have jointly issued Alert (AA20-099A) entitled. “COVID-19 Exploited by Bad Actors.” 

The New York Times reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Zoom Video Conferencing, Inc. asking it to address recent challenges to its data privacy and security practices. One security problem that the letter discussed was the infiltration of hackers into the Zoom videoconference platform in a practice referred to

Cyber criminals around the globe have quickly exploited the corona virus pandemic. Over the past several weeks, there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of phishing emails asking for donations for fake charities or for individuals to share personal information for epidemiological studies.

Reliable sources, such as the World Health Organization, the Center

January 28 is National Data Privacy Day, and with it comes a perfect opportunity to evaluate your company’s data privacy practices.

American consumers increasingly want the right to control the collection and use of their personal information. Importantly, they also want a means to exercise that right when personal information is wrongfully disclosed. A flurry

On January 13, 2020, the United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia issued final approval of a settlement of a consumer class action against Equifax for the 2017 data breach that compromised the personal information of 147 million consumers. The settlement includes the establishment of a reimbursement fund of $380.5 million, as well as

In 2019, businesses learned that they could no longer hide from the inherent tension between commercial use of individual data and individual privacy interests. Over the past month or so, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took a number of notable privacy-related actions against a host of companies regarding what it considered to be their problematic

While the U.S. government remains unable to enact comprehensive privacy legislation in response to new technologies and growing privacy concerns, numerous states across the country, including New York, have adopted privacy laws and regulations seeking to address specific issues or that are applicable to specified entities. Some of these new rules affect a broad swath

Organizations big and small are making significant investments in cybersecurity. Yet, unlike other investments, it’s difficult to assess a company’s return on investment for its cybersecurity spending. And while businesses in regulated industries must invest in cybersecurity to remain in compliance with prevailing laws and therefore stay in business, there is no such straight line

Section 230(c)(1) of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) was enacted to facilitate the growth of the internet, by immunizing internet service providers (ISPs) from liability in connection with third party content that appeared on their “interactive computer service.” It states: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as

On July 25, 2019, the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act was signed into law by Governor Cuomo. It will become effective on October 23, 2019. The Act makes important updates to the way that businesses must respond to data breaches and imposes new requirements on businesses to enact data security programs

On July 29, 2019, a judgment was issued by the European Union’s Court of Justice that highlights the need for online businesses to be aware of how user data is shared when third party plug-ins are included on their websites. The Court of Justice’s decision has been highly anticipated as to it reflects the extent

A plethora of federal laws address the proliferation of technology-enabled automated communications in a variety of areas, including finance, commerce, credit, and health. Although the general objective is to address individual privacy and data security concerns, each law contains distinct goals, technical requirements, and remedies if violated. One issue that continues to evolve is whether

Several weeks ago, in Frank v. Gaos, No. 17-961 (U.S. March 20, 2019), the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that upheld a settlement of class action claims against Google for alleged violations of the Stored Communications Act (SCA). The Supreme Court initially had agreed

On February 29, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission announced that the video social networking app Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle a claim that the company illegally collected personal information from children, the largest such civil penalty to date.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites and

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which passed in 2018 and goes into effect January 1, 2020, is intended to provide some of the most rigorous privacy protections to California residents but is not limited in application to California companies.

What entities fall under the CCPA?

The CCPA applies to ”businesses” that are for-profit entities

The image of the Internet as an unregulated Wild West, untouched by government action, is one that some find attractive. But it is not accurate, as illustrated by a number of important actions taken in recent weeks by the New York State Attorney General’s office, including one it took in conjunction with representatives of dozens

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) took effect just about a half-year ago, but many small and mid-sized companies in New York, and elsewhere across the country, still may not understand whether the GDPR applies to them and, therefore, whether they must comply with its requirements. Fortunately, it now may be somewhat

On October 17, 2018, the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issued Formal Opinion No. 483 addressing lawyers’ and law firms’ professional responsibilities during and after a cyber event. A link to the Opinion can be found here. Although advisory in nature and not binding in a court of law, lawyers would do

It has been nearly 20 years since the federal Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (the ACPA) was enacted in 1999 to battle what an alarmed Congress understood to be a rising wave of “cybersquatting.” As the Senate Judiciary Committee explained, the ACPA was designed to “protect consumers and American businesses, to promote the growth of online

On September 28, 2018, Facebook disclosed that it was hacked, exposing the accounts of 50 million users. Despite the staggering amount of information affected by this breach, many individuals have been dismissive of the risk. They wrongly assume that because their use of social media is limited to posts of family events and vacations, cute

On September 21, 2018, the White House issued a new guiding directive on cybersecurity entitled: “National Cyber Strategy of the United States of America.” It is touted as the nation’s “first fully articulated cyber strategy in 15 years.”

True to its title, the National Cyber Strategy substantially addresses the geopolitical status of the United States

New York-based financial services firms are running headlong into a deadline impacting their cybersecurity procedures. Failure to comply with the third phase of New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation by the September 4 deadline means these companies could face stiff penalties or the revocation of their licenses to operate in New York.

New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation, the

It described the paradigm of the Internet business model. In the recent opinion Cooper v. Slice Technologies, No. 17-CV-7102 (JPO) (S.D.N.Y. June 6, 2018), by Judge J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, addressing data mining and Internet privacy, the court recognized “…the Faustian bargain that undergirds

In late May, District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York issued her decision in Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University v. Trump, No. 17 Civ. 5205 (NRB) (S.D.N.Y. May 23, 2018), granting summary judgment to the plaintiffs and holding that President Donald Trump and Daniel Scavino, the White House

Shari Lewis authored an article for the Long Island Press on the trending topic of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a data privacy rule going into effect on May 25, 2018.

In the article Shari explains the regulation, which U.S. businesses might be affected by it and what business owners can do reduce the

Cybersecurity breaches have become commonplace. In 2017, the global economy incurred an estimated loss of over $450 billion for cyber-related crimes and security breaches. It is no longer a question of whether a business will fall victim to a security breach or malware attack, but only a question of when.  A cybersecurity event can have

The exponential growth of social media, and the inevitable conflicts that result, is leading to more and more litigation. In many instances, courts are being asked to apply laws crafted before the Internet era to these modern disputes. For example, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently decided an issue

In a little more than six weeks, the most comprehensive revision of EU privacy rules in the past 20 years goes into effect, and the rules have broad implications for U.S.-based companies.

On May 25, 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR , goes into effect. The following is an explanation of

More and more businesses are being sued by visually impaired individuals who claim that they cannot access or use their websites, in violation of Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act (the ADA), 42 U.S.C. §12181 et seq., which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of “places of public accommodations,”

New York based bank, insurance and financial service businesses face a February 15, 2018 deadline to submit their compliance certification to the State’s Department of Financial Services (DFS).

New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR Part 500) was issued by DFS last March – the first such state regulation in the nation. The Regulation includes various

There is good news for U.S. companies operating online, which nowadays, of course, includes virtually every business. The European Commission has published its first annual report on the agreement reached last year by the Commission and the U.S. government to protect personal data transferred from the European Union (EU) to U.S. companies for commercial purposes,

Shari Claire Lewis and Amanda Gurman authored an article, “Equifax: Why This Data Breach Is Different from All the Others,” which appeared in the November 2017 edition of Westlaw Journal White Collar Crime.

To read the article, click here.

Today, most businesses are e-businesses, and all e-businesses should take note. There has been an explosion in the number of lawsuits filed in the Federal Courts seeking damages and injunctive relief under Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12182(a) (the “ADA”) based on alleged failures to provide accommodations that enable

It’s 10 p.m. Your cellphone knows where you are. It also knows where you are at 10:00 in the morning, at 7:00 in the evening, and at noon and midnight and at every other moment of the day.

We live in a world where cellphones are omnipresent. We have them at home, at work, and

Equifax’s response to its recent data breach is evolving, and so should yours.

Piling on to the initial public fury regarding Equifax’s announcement of its data breach weeks after it occurred is the outrage that many feel about the credit reporting agency’s response.

Cyber pundits and the public at large were particularly peeved by Equifax’s

Yesterday, Equifax, a company whose credit services are central to the financial activities of virtually every American, announced a massive security incident described by its CEO as an event that struck at the heart of what Equifax does. Approximately 143 million U.S. consumers had personal information, such as their names, social security numbers, birth dates

It is a truism that law often lags technology. Near the end of the U.S. Supreme Court’s past term, the court issued a decision in which the majority opinion, by Justice Anthony Kennedy, recognized the importance of social media in most people’s lives. The ramifications of the court’s statements about social media, in Packingham v.

Data often is the lifeblood of a business. When a database is breached in one way or another, the results can be devastating—especially if the data falls into the hands of a competitor.

Many companies suffering this kind of loss turn to litigation. Perhaps in an effort to obtain federal court jurisdiction, they may assert

The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility recently issued a Formal Opinion, providing updated recommendations regarding lawyers’ obligations when using technology resources to communicate with clients and to protect confidential client information.

Since 1999, the Committee has advised that the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct permit an attorney to transmit

In a cautionary tale for all companies, but especially healthcare organizations, on May 12, 2017, multiple news sources reported that a broad cyberattack using ransomware caused substantial interference with critical systems across Europe, Russia and Asia. (See e.g., New York Times, BBC News and Silicon Angle.)

According to the New York Times, the  attacks were

By now, anyone who uses a cell phone or other method to access the Internet—virtually everyone—has heard of “cookies” intended to track their online activities. Many individuals who object to tracking take steps to block cookies through privacy settings on their web browsers and other technologies. However, in a decision with important implications for those

The “Internet of Things”  has pervaded every facet of our society thereby introducing unanticipated cyber risks into everyday life. Often overlooked and particularly disconcerting are the cyber risks inherent in connected medical devices. Nevertheless, caregivers and patients alike should be aware that any medical device that depends on interactive computer technology may be vulnerable to

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other forms of social media are becoming the dominant communication tools in today’s political and social discourse, often entirely supplanting traditional media’s role in public commentary. Social media’s emerging role, combined with the extreme divisions so evident in our country, have caused the courts to consider application of pre-Internet legal standards

Fake news has been in the news a great deal recently, with some wondering how to address it. The recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Federal Trade Commission v. LeadClick Media , 838 F.3d 158 (2d Cir. 2016), may provide a way, at least in some instances. In

Data breaches such as the one Yahoo recently revealed (500 million accounts!) get the big headlines. In response, large companies double down on their efforts to protect the security of their data.

But small to midsize businesses often fail to appreciate the risk of a data breach to their own business. They may believe that

Federal and state regulators are bringing more and more enforcement proceedings to challenge the adequacy of corporate privacy practices. Although the best course for businesses is to be proactive and develop privacy rules that meet all applicable requirements before government steps in, a review of various privacy-related settlements that agencies recently have reached suggests a

Only days after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish privacy guidelines applicable to Internet service providers (ISPs),1 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took two actions on the privacy front that will affect a smaller, but fast growing, industry: developers of mobile health applications. Given the pervasive use of

“Broadband Internet access service” (BIAS) is the essential conduit for the conduct of our daily personal and private lives, without which all Internet activity comes to a stop. Indeed, the Federal Communications Commission recently referred to BIAS as “the most significant communications technology of today.”1 Nevertheless, because BIAS is the road on which Internet traffic

Early in February, the European Commission and the U.S. government agreed on a new framework for transatlantic data flows, which they are referring to as the “EU-U.S. Privacy Shield.” Lawyers advising clients with an online presence (i.e., almost all lawyers and almost all clients) typically have had little reason to be concerned about the agreement,

Many believe that we are on the precipice of a deluge of litigation—both individual and multiparty/class action—concerning how an individual’s data is handled and the remedy, if any, if that data is misused or wrongfully disclosed. A case recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court involves the intersection of the Internet and privacy laws and

An acrimonious marital breakup has been known to bring out the worst in some people. Those battles increasingly are fought on the technology field, thereby leaving courts to determine complex personal rights issues in the context of grown-ups behaving badly.1

In another such case, Crocker C. v. Anne R.,2 the Supreme Court, Kings County, addressed

Computer hacking historically has been seen as the province of lowlife criminals existing in the darkened recesses of some faraway place looking to make a dishonest buck. However, as individuals increase their online presence and, thereby, their digital vulnerability, unauthorized access to a person’s computers and to email and social media accounts is increasingly being

The U.S. Supreme Court has ventured into the world of violent online speech. On June 1, in Elonis v. United States,1 the court overturned a defendant’s criminal conviction for communicating threats on Facebook. The court ruled that a mens rea standard of negligence was insufficient to allow the conviction to stand, but it did not

There are, generally speaking, four different kinds of online contracts that businesses use to obtain consent via the Internet from consumers: browsewrap, clickwrap, scrollwrap, and sign-in wrap agreements. Browsewrap exists where an online host dictates that assent is given merely by using the site. Clickwrap refers to the assent process by which a user must

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 requires two forms of class notice. Rule 23(c)(2) requires notice to a potential class member that a class has been certified and substance of the class claims. Rule 23(e) requires notice that a settlement has been negotiated, which will require court approval, and the steps that each potential class

Long-arm jurisdiction over non-domiciliaries is an issue that continues to  bedevil practitioners and litigants in the Internet age. In New York, CPLR  302(a)(1)1 authorizes jurisdiction over a non-domiciliary that  “transacts any business” within the state. The test, however, can be difficult  to apply when a commercial entity uses technology to project itself into New  York

Nearly 15 years ago, Congress passed the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (“ACPA”).[1] The ACPA amended the federal trademark law known as the Lanham Act by adding two new causes of action aimed at cybersquatting.[2] Under the ACPA, a person may be civilly liable “if … that person has a bad faith intent to profit from

Online technology, as this column frequently has noted, presents numerous challenges to attorneys during litigation,[1] while managing their firms and marketing their services,[2] and in trying to keep up with the newest legal developments and rulings.[3]  A recent decision in a case of first impression by Judge Katherine B. Forrest of the U.S. District Court

On a nearly daily basis, each of us is asked or asks others to agree to be bound by “terms of use” or “terms of service” (TOS) as a condition of using an Internet website or obtaining goods or services offered through a website. Whether or not TOS are enforceable continues to be a question

In an ironic twist, China’s largest search engine, Baidu, has successfully argued that it was entitled to First Amendment protection in regard to its search engine results in the United States, which excluded statements by the plaintiffs, a group of New York residents who “advocated” for “the Democracy movement in China.”   In a question of

All of the elements necessary for defamation claims seem to have coalesced on the Internet. There is the ease of posting content, including videos, on blogs and chat sites; the ubiquity of tweets, email, blogs and text messages; the pervasive abandonment of personal privacy; and the ability for almost anyone to quickly set up a

Work-related email accounts are ubiquitous and often are used by employees for personal reasons. Employees also may use their own personal email accounts on employer provided resources ? with or without the permission of the employer.  Many cases have considered the right of an employer to access an employee’s email accounts from the employee’s work

Much has been written (in this column and elsewhere) regarding lawyers’ adoption of social media and other Internet enabled applications for such diverse purposes as discovery, advertising, client communication,  research and the like.  Indeed, due to the proliferation of portable devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets, whether in their offices or not, lawyers now rely

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.[1]

It is a lesson that lawyers should take to heart when incorporating technology in their every day best practices.  Technology may have changed the speed, immediacy, and even the formality of communication, but the effect of the communication will be determined by its content as interpreted by

It should be no surprise that the continuing growth of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn has led to questions about its use by members of the legal community, including members of the judiciary. In fact, New York’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics[1] has just issued another opinion[2] exploring the ethical constraints

In a case that has far-reaching ramifications because of the exponential expansion of cyberspace in general, and because of the growth of commerce over the Internet in particular, the New York Court of Appeals has rejected challenges by two major online retailers to New York’s “Internet tax,”[1] which requires collection of a sales tax on

Various social media tools, from TwitPic and Instagram to Flickr and Pheed, enable ? indeed, encourage ? users to post their photos online.[1]  Posting a “real time” image from the Mideast, a political event, the Super Bowl, or a snowstorm can be informative and even exhilarating for both the poster and the viewer.  However, there

Under New York law, service of process may be effected by: (1) personal service; (2) delivery to “a person of suitable age and discretion at the actual place of business, dwelling place or usual place of abode of the person to be served” and mail; (3) service on an agent; or (4) so-called “nail and

As with most of the population, the use of social media by lawyers in the conduct and marketing of their legal practices has been “trending” up.[1]  Although well-established ethical rules apply, some social media activity may introduce new twists to the rules’ interpretation or raise issues that a lawyer may not have considered before posting

The headline could read “ABA drags lawyers, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century,” but that would not tell the whole story. In reality, for the past decade or more, lawyers have increasingly relied on technology to practice law, but that reliance has grown so incrementally that its potential impact on ethical responsibilities may not

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The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), which represents music composers, writers, and publishers and which has the non-exclusive right to license the non-dramatic public performances of its members’ music, was formed in 1914.[1] As technologies have evolved over the past century, so has ASCAP’s role.  It is inconceivable that performers at the

Lawyers are not immune from the call of the Internet and the growing marketing opportunities that it represents. Lawyers who provide services to small businesses and individuals are particularly attracted to Internet applications that enable them to target potential clients before the client walks in the firm’s door.  Lawyers that use these Internet applications are

In its ongoing efforts to address the “rapid growth of the Internet, including social media tools and other emerging technologies,” and its use by medical professionals, consumers and drug and medical device manufacturers and distributors, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a draft guidance proposing ways that a drug or device company may

Courts across the country – including a number of federal circuit courts of appeals – continue to struggle with the ability of public school districts to discipline students for offensive online speech made off campus.[1] This past April, in Doninger v. Niehoff, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit weighed in on the

The Internet continues to lead to interesting issues of personal jurisdiction arising in cases in New York courts. For instance, the New York Court of Appeals has granted leave to appeal in a case in which the plaintiff is asserting claims for defamation and argues that the trial court should assert long-arm jurisdiction over the

More than a decade ago, in Lunney v. Prodigy Servs. Co.,[1] the New York Court of Appeals declined, as premature, a request to decide whether to adopt a broad interpretation of immunity for Internet service providers (“ISPs”) under Section 230[2] of the federal Communications Decency Act (“CDA”).[3]

In the intervening years, Internet use has exploded

Parody has long played an important role in intellectual property law, and in intellectual property litigation. It should be no surprise, therefore, that parody issues arise with respect to the Internet, and that over the years courts have issued a number of significant decisions involving claims of parody and the Web.

Earlier this year, The

The decision in Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v. American Buddha[1] is likely to significantly affect the publishing and entertainment industries in New York in their efforts to retain copyright control over online materials, from books to movies, music and other products.

Moreover, the ruling may influence courts across the country dealing with litigation involving claims

Social media allows users to post their photos and videos online and discuss their lives, health, and interests. Indeed, Facebook recognizes that “one of the primary reasons people use Facebook is to share content with others. Examples include when you update your status, upload or take a photo, upload or record a video, share a

Once the bastion of college students and computer geeks, social media[1] are now established means of communication for mainstream society – be it commercial, political or personal speech.

Businesses increasingly rely on social media to create “buzz” around their products and services, effectuate deals and sales and provide key customer-business interfaces, among other things. Obviously,

The midterm elections, now just two days away, have been marked by explosive growth in the use of Web 2.0 tools such as online social networking and blogging in an effort to garner support and electrify voters.

The sophisticated nature of today’s political campaigns makes the results of a recent survey by the Coalition Against

Electronic filing of court documents has become the norm rather than the exception both here, in New York federal and state courts, and around the country. The trend is driven by the pervasive availability of online technology to conveniently enable filing, as well as the generally held presumption in U.S. jurisprudence that court proceedings are

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On May 24, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking[1] to effectuate the establishment of a statutorily mandated, publicly available, searchable online database containing consumer product safety information. The database is required by Section 212 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which created a new Section 6A

As part of its presentation to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about America’s increased dependence on the Internet for health information (and the role that Google can play in that regard), Google estimated that more than 100 million Americans conduct 4.6 billion health-related keyword searches annually.[1] Similarly, a study by the Pew Internet and

Following more than a year of public comments, the Federal Trade Commission in December enacted changes to its formal guidance[1] to advertisers as to the steps necessary to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads from running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission Act[2] and its potential consumer protection liabilities.

Many of the changes were required