Telling Facebook Friends Means Telling the World
This post explains something that we all should know intuitively. If you disclose information to your Facebook friends, you potentially have disclosed it to the entire world.
Matthew Richard Palmieri was a contractor for the United States. He lost his industrial security clearance after the government investigated certain of his activities.
Palmieri brought suit (without a lawyer) against various government agencies and officials in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The suit identified 30 ways in which the defendants allegedly violated his rights. (more…)
Facebook Ads can be Electronic Mail for CAN-SPAM Purposes
When I wrote about the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and the effort to limit unsolicited commercial e-mail (Commercial E-mail and CAN-SPAM: What You Need to Know), I noted that “One of the greatest challenges in complying with CAN-SPAM is figuring out exactly which communications are covered.” Much to my surprise, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California recently held that that certain Facebook ads were electronic mail for the purposes of CAN-SPAM!
Lamebook v. Facebook: Trademark Infringement or Protected Parody?
Lamebook is a site that features particularly lame or funny (and sometimes vulgar) Facebook posts. That company has brought suit against Facebook, seeking a declaratory judgment that Lamebook is not infringing Facebook’s trademark.
Several months ago, Facebook asked Lamebook to change the name of its service, alleging that the company’s name both infringes and dilutes Facebook’s famous mark. A letter from Facebook’s counsel lays out the elements of these allegations. (more…)
Does your Employee Handbook address social media?
Prudent employers have known, for many years, the importance of Employee Handbooks in setting forth a company’s policies and operational procedures. However, the recent increase in the popularity of social media – Facebook, Twitter, blogs and the like – has taken many employers, and their Handbooks, by surprise.
Policies governing mobile phones, computers, Internet access and e-mail no longer suffice. With social media, every employee – for better or for worse, intentionally or unintentionally – can become a spokesperson for the company.
Facebook URLs: The Race is On
Facebook recently began allowing users to name the URLs for their pages. For example, my Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/danashultz. The option to choose a URL appears as soon as the user logs in.
(Not surprisingly, Facebook’s servers appear to be overworked at this time. The first two times I tried to reserve my URL, I was hung up on a “Loading….” message. The third time worked.)
It is easy to anticipate, however, that trademark infringement and cybersquatting will run rampant. If you believe that another Facebook user has chosen a URL that infringes upon your trademark, you can report an infringement of your rights.
Check out all posts about cybersquatting.
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510-547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
