Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) defamation complaint against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is simply a reflection of the desperate state of her presidential campaign and of the need to strengthen anti-SLAPP laws to prevent dubious lawsuits such as this. A Troubled Campaign Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)’s presidential campaign has been plagued by allegations that…
1. Who is Devin Nunes? Devin Nunes (R) has represented the Fresno area in Congress since 2003. Nunes was Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and gained notoriety for his highly partisan handling of the Committee’s investigation to allegations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Nunes narrowly escaped defeat in 2018 in a Republican…
In 2016, a California appeals court upheld a default judgment order in favor of Dawn Hassell and the Hassell Law Group (“Hassell”) holding defendant Ava Bird liable for defamation and requiring her to remove defamatory reviews she posted about Hassell on Yelp. Yelp appealed the order, but the Court of Appeal held that Yelp could be required to remove…
Four very closely watched cases in separate areas of the law will be argued within a 50-day period that ends April 17th. Each case could yield a very significant ruling impacting internet law. February 27: United States v. Microsoft The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard argument in a dispute over a federal criminal subpoena for…
Shiva Ayyadurai, a self-described “world-renowned scientist, inventor, lecturer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur,” claims that he invented email in 1978 when he was 14 years-old. As explained by Ars Technica: Ayyadurai did write a program called “EMAIL” for use by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now a part of Rutgers). He copyrighted the code in…
“Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press” Director Brian Knappenberger In March 2016, a Florida jury returned a $140 million verdict in favor of Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan against Gawker Media for publishing a tape of him having sex with the wife of his best friend (shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge). As the verdict…
The California Bar IP Section is hosting a webinar today at noon Pacific Time on the case of Hassell v Bird which is currently pending before the California Supreme Court. We have posted the briefing on the case here. I will be moderating today’s webinar at Noon Pacific Time featuring my colleagues Karl Kronenberger of…
Texas Court Orders Glassdoor to Reveal Employee Poster Employer review site Glassdoor has become a frontline in the battle over anonymous speech and employers seeking recovery for defamatory statements online. Glassdoor has demonstrated this is something it will fight for. Andra Group LP In March, a Texas appellate court allowed a subpoena seeking to unmask…
As stated by Ars Technica, Techdirt’s founder, Mike Masnick, is famous for taking ” no prisoners when it comes to his writings about intellectual property, net neutrality, the law, and everything in between.” Masnick was especially dismissive of Shiva Ayyadurai’s claim to have invented email as a fourteen-year old in 1978. Dr. Ayyadurai, hired Charles Harder of…
On Monday, First Lady Melania Trump filed a defamation action against London’s Daily Mail over a story that alleged that she once worked as an “elite escort” in the “sex business”. The story was later retracted and was little noticed until Charles Harder (of Hulk Hogan v Gawker fame) files this complaint less than a month after…
Reputation Management: Cal Bar and Aabaco Quote I presented on reputation management with a colleague at the California Bar Solo and Small Firm Summit in Newport Beach. The presentation is below. In addition, I am quoted in a recent article by Dan Tynan in Aabaco on “How to Protect Your Business’. Defame and fortune The first…
Yelp Loses Challenge to Removal Order In a major victory for defamation plaintiffs, a Calfornia Court of Appeal has upheld an order requiring Yelp to remove defamatory reviews. Dawn Hassell and the Hassell Law Group (“Hassell”) obtained a judgment holding defendant Ava Bird liable for defamation and requiring her to remove defamatory reviews she posted about Hassell on Yelp.…
Australian State Supreme Court Grants Individuals the Power to Censor the Internet Australian Dr. Janice Duffy, was unhappy with the services of psychics offered by the website Kasamba and expressed her dissatisfaction through posts under various alias on RipOffReport.com (“ROR”). The psychics responded in kind, with ROR posts accusing Duffy of stalking and harassing psychics. Duffy…
April 20, 2015 A Dozen Things in Tech You Need to Know Happy Patriot’s Day! Patriot’s Day commemorates that Battle of Lexington and Concord and the “shot heard ’round the world” that began the American Revolution. It is a holiday in Maine and Massachachusetts and celebrated by, among other things, the running of the Boston…
RipOffReport Files Civil Rights Action Against Sac County Prosecutor Desperate Move to Prevent Indictment of Founder Ed Magedson RipOffReport.com, the infamous smear site that has been called “mechanized defamation” and compared to “social waterboarding,” has filed a civil rights action against an Iowa county prosecutor in what appears to be a desperate attempt to prevent the indictment…
Cyber Report 