Heartache and Sour Grapes on the Internet: A Lesson in Case Management
12 June 2013
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it on social media or you might find yourself liable for defamation based on your Facebook post.
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Advertising Standards Board determinations – the last 12 months in review
30 May 2013
The past 12 months has certainly been a dynamic time for the Advertising Standards Board – 2012/13 saw the Board having to make determinations in the relatively unchartered waters of social media, ‘sexting’, Gen Y acronyms and iPhone Apps! Leading up to this period, the ASB commissioned a report by Colmar Brunton which found that as compared to 2007 the community had become more conservative in relation to strong language, sex, sexuality and nudity – especially in relation to images/language available to children. Conversely, the report found that the community had become less conservative in relation to issues relating to health and safety and violence/discrimination, particularly in cases of humorous racial or religious references. This alert will take you through the key themes of 2012/2013.
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Facebook status update (Part 3): I can use any logo I want to refer to Facebook… right?
21 May 2013
On or around 30 April 2013, Facebook totally reworked its Facebook Brand resources, creating a new site devoted to this at the domain name facebookbrand.com. The site sets out the ways in which Facebook’s logos, buttons, plugins, screenshots and textual references to Facebook can and cannot be used.
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Facebook status update (Part 2): Does that domain name say ffacebook.com?
21 May 2013
We previously posted about another legal issue that was keeping Facebook busy, namely, a dispute over its use of the term “timeline” which it settled out of Court. Meanwhile (and more than 2000 miles away), on 30 April 2013 the United States District Court of the Northern District of California handed down a report and recommendation awarding Facebook more than US$2.8 million against 11 defendant ‘typosquatters’. We think US$2.8 million might help soften the blow to the legal budget for using the term “timeline”.
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Facebook status update (Part 1): The legal battle behind Facebook Timeline
21 May 2013
We think the folks at Facebook been busy. From “Timeline” to “Typosquatters” to “Tight New Restrictions” on use of brand assets, there’s plenty for users to absorb. According to Facebook’s Form 10-Q (filed with the United States’ Securities and Exchange Commission on 1 May), it has settled with Timelines Inc, which runs the chronology website timelines.com.
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