Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, a statute passed when the Internet was in its relative infancy, gives broad immunity to online platforms, generally protecting them from lawsuits stemming from third-party postings—but with a notable exception. Section 230 does not shield a defendant from liability for violating intellectual property rights. In Ratermann v. Pierre Fabre USA, Inc., the SDNY held, as a matter of first impression, that the intellectual property exception does not extend to actions under Section 50 of the New York Civil Rights Law, which prohibits, among other things, using a person’s likeness for advertising purposes without their written consent.