Most people would not bring along a group of uninvited strangers to a dinner party or, even worse, a wedding. Society has certain expectations around attendance, guest lists, RSVPs, and the like. And yet, in the digital realm, these social norms may not have the same effect. What can be done about digital party crashers? In particular, how can the owner of a social network ward off competitors who seek access to network content by riding users’ coattails?
Germany orders Facebook to stop collecting WhatsApp user data
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Hamburg DPA) recently issued an administrative order prohibiting Facebook from collecting and storing user data of German WhatsApp users.
The Hamburg DPA also ordered Facebook to also delete all data that has already been forwarded to Facebook by WhatsApp.
Will reverse class actions facilitate online IP enforcement in Canada?
While the internet has created ample opportunities for IP rights holders to exploit their intellectual property rights online, it also poses significant challenges relating to the protection of those same IP rights from would-be infringers. The internet’s global reach combined with the sophistication and anonymity of most online users has created an environment where it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold individual infringers accountable.