On November 27, 2023, a federal trial court in California ruled on a motion to dismiss a complaint involving a website that included videos and social media features. The court found for the defendant and dismissed the class action complaint,
Social Media Law Bulletin
Understanding the legal challenges and implications surrounding social media
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Legal pitfalls of short-form videos
A recent social media trend that has exploded in the past couple years is the use of “short-form videos.” Short-form videos are short in length—typically ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes—and feature a wide variety of topics,…
Social media ad leads to punitive damages
On September 28, 2023, a federal trial court in Texas ruled that an advertisement on a restaurant’s social media accounts helped support an award of punitive damages against the restaurant. G&G Closed Circuit Events, LLC v. No Te Levantes Honey,…
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission updates Canada’s broadcasting framework
In a previous blog post, we covered the impact of Bill C-11 and how the proposed legislation would regulate social media and streaming companies in Canada. In spring 2023, Bill C-11 received Royal Assent, becoming the Online Streaming Act,…
Social media, copyright, and fair use
On August 16, 2023, a federal trial court in Texas ruled on a copyright matter involving a factual video that went viral on social media. At the motion to dismiss stage, the issue the court faced was whether the affirmative…
A step closer to “meaningful consent” under PIPEDA
Privacy concerns continue to cast a shadow over social media companies where third party applications utilize and integrate their applications on their platforms. In the decision of Canada (Privacy Commissioner) v. Facebook, Inc., 2023 FC 533, the Federal Court dismissed…
Electric cooperative, internet service, and social media
On July 14, 2023, a federal trial court in Oklahoma ruled on an electric cooperative’s motions to dismiss various breach of contract, trade secret, deceptive trade practices, and tortious interference claims brought by its former business collaborator, an internet service…
Update on Bill C-18: Digital media platforms respond to legislation receiving royal assent
In a previous blog post, we covered Bill C-18 (Online News Act) and how this proposed legislation would require digital media platforms to compensate news outlets when reproducing or otherwise facilitating access to their content. At the time of the…
Models’ photos on social media – Second Circuit rules for defendants
On May 19, 2023, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of defendants in a trademark matter involving unauthorized use of models’ photographs. Souza v Exotic Island Enterprises, Inc., Dkt. No. 21-2149-cv (2d Cir. May 19,…
Pitfalls of crowdsourced legal services from social media platforms
Common diatribes levied against the market for legal services typically take aim at the hourly fees, the complexity of the justice system, and the exclusivity of bona fide legal advice as a covetous but inaccessible resource. Access to legal services…