There was no shortage of excellent posts from the LexBlog community this week. Before we head off on a three-day weekend, enjoy our favorite posts including insights on advertisements that compare competing products, HR law and rejecting cookies.
Alec’s Picks
NAD Addresses Apples, Oranges, and Dogs
I’ve always wondered about the legal implications of ads that disparage their competitors through side by side comparisons. This blog post by Gonzalo Mon looks at a recent legal dispute over such an ad and does so in a lighthearted and engaging manner. Not only can you read this post, you can also listen to it. Many of the posts on Ad Law Access blog are also turned into podcast episodes, thus giving people an option in how they want to consume it. Rendering blog content into the podcast medium is quite the innovative approach. Offering audio versions of written stories is a trend we’ve started to see among large publishers in recent years, but Kelley Drye & Warren are well ahead of the curve in this regard. Oh, and bonus points for the cute dogs.
Rejecting cookies should be as easy as accepting cookies: new sanctions by the French authority (CNIL)
Lately, if I go to a website and it asks me to accept cookies and there is no easy option to reject them, I simply close out that tab. Many consumers, like myself, are fed up with tracking cookies and some governments have begun to take action. France’s CNIL, it’s data protection authority, for example has imposed high sanctions against the tech giants Google and Facebook according to this post from Barbara Ghebali. I found her comprehensive look at the CNIL’s recent actions fascinating. Along with her stellar coverage in the body of the post, Ghebali includes a table to close out her piece which succinctly summarizes some of the most important information from the post. Available at Norton Rose Fulbright’s Data Protection Report.
A fly on the wall insight into office sharing
This was my first time reading Kim Rust’s blog, The Corporate Commute, but I really must commend her for both this post and her blog as a whole. Rust uses her blog to share her own personal experiences in the legal industry and this post is no exception. Here she focuses on the lessons learned from sharing an office with various colleagues. Rust clearly had a lot of fun writing this and upon reading each profile you feel as if you’ve actually met the people she has described. Additionally, you get a real sense for Rust herself as she very effectively inserts her own personality into her writing. This post and Rust’s blog as a whole is an incredibly valuable read for anyone entering or considering entering the legal industry.
Michelle’s Picks
A Timely Federal Reminder that Love Stinks – Romance Scams with a Crypto Twist
This post was right on time for Valentine’s Day and Netflix’s trending The Tinder Swindler. It can be easier to fall prey to scams when they’re coming from someone you’re supposed to trust, and that’s why it’s all the more important to be aware of these romance scams and what they can look like today online. Daniel Kaufman references the FTC’s report and some of the more interesting trends to come out of it. All very timely, helpful information. Available at BakerHostetler’s AD-ttorneys Law Blog.
Intellectual property rights in the Metaverse
Ah the metaverse…If you’re still lost and a little confused on what exactly it is—like me—this post is helpful in explaining some of the basics. “The backbone of the metaverse is virtual reality, augmented reality, and block-chain technology,” writes Daniel Daniele and Bryant Oakes. With these things in mind, metaverse and digital item ownership can get kind of complex. You’ve got to take into account smart contracts, NFTs and block-chain technology. The duo do a great job making this as understandable as possible for the average person and explain how businesses would go about protecting their brand and trademarks in the metaverse as well. Available at Norton Rose Fulbright’s Social Media Law Bulletin.
2021: The Employment Year in Review – Part One
This is a really thorough post from Rudner Law’s Geoffrey Lowe. He takes a look at the important human resources law related developments in the law from 2021 and how these might impact the Canadian employment law landscape. There’s obviously a lot to cover, and Lowe does a nice job making the piece scannable and easy on the eyes by including lots of images and section headers. He divides the piece up into three sections—the pandemic and the law, employment-related legislation and developments in the courtroom. This is just part one, so check back for part two on changes to employment legislation and to employment law in the courtroom. Available at Rudner Law Blog.