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Electric cooperative, internet service, and social media

Photo of Susan Ross (US)By Susan Ross (US) on Posted in General
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 provider.  The court allowed most of the challenged claims to proceed after reviewing the alleged … Continue reading

Update on Bill C-18: Digital media platforms respond to legislation receiving royal assent

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
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 post, Bill C-18 had recently been tabled by Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez. Although it … Continue reading

Misappropriation of confidential information

Photo of Susan Ross (US)By Susan Ross (US) on Posted in General
On February 8, 2023, a federal trial court in New Jersey ruled that login credentials were a trade secret and also addressed the concept of “misappropriation of confidential information,” in a case where one party was accused of locking the other party out of its own social media pages.  CLI Interactive, LLC v. Diamond Phil’s, … Continue reading

Who owns the content created by ChatGPT?

Photo of Nerushka BowanBy Nerushka Bowan on Posted in General
Suppose you decided to use ChatGPT to create your next social media post.  Who owns the content?  You do! (Or your employer in certain situations) According to the OpenAI terms of use, OpenAI assigns to you all right, title and interest to the output generated and returned by its services. These services include ChatGPT (a … Continue reading

Marketing in the Metaverse facing regulatory limbo

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
The metaverse is an elusive concept, but can be broadly described as a rapidly growing extension of the tendrils of the internet, redefining what constitutes social media. As an ever-growing and immersive network of technologies, the metaverse attempts to close the gap between society and the media that serves as its vehicle. As it exists … Continue reading

Bears and bulls and social media

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
The pandemic brought about a shift in how investments are discussed online and has increased the influence social media has on the market. Social media is playing a larger role in the way ordinary retail investors understand and interact with today’s markets. Whether with investments in cryptocurrencies, NFT projects, or traditional security exchanges, social media’s … Continue reading

Florida’s proposed social media platform law: Is your company a social media platform?

Photo of Meg Tierney (US)Photo of Timothy Chung (US)By Meg Tierney (US) and Timothy Chung (US) on Posted in General
On May 23, 2022, the Eleventh Circuit upheld an injunction on parts of Florida’s controversial social media “censorship” law, S.B. 7072, in NetChoice, LLC v. Att’y Gen., Fla.  In a 67-page opinion, the three-judge panel held that large swaths of the law’s provisions were unconstitutional, finding that social media companies are private actors and government … Continue reading

Bill C-18: Proposed legislation requiring digital media platforms to compensate Canadian media outlets for news content

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
On April 5, 2022, the Canadian Heritage Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, tabled Bill C-18 (Online News Act): An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada.  Bill C-18 requires digital media platforms (e.g., social media services, search engines) to compensate media outlets for news content made available on their platforms.  … Continue reading

Bill C-11: Proposed legislation to regulate social media and streaming companies is back in Canada

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
In June of 2021, Canada’s Parliament passed Bill C-10: An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts (Bill C-10). Bill C-10 was drafted in response to recommendations made by the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel suggesting reforms of Canada’s broadcasting system to account for digital … Continue reading

Justice Thomas suggests social media regulation may be close

Photo of Lindsay Weinstein (US)By Lindsay Weinstein (US) on Posted in General
In December 2021, our post Increased Likelihood of US Social Media Regulation discussed the rising momentum to reform Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which is often used to protect social media giants from liability for content posted on their platforms by third parties. Recently, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed displeasure … Continue reading

Australia takes the international lead in social media regulation

Photo of Cassandra Gizzo (US)Photo of Lindsay Weinstein (US)By Cassandra Gizzo (US), Lindsay Weinstein (US), Kirk Boladeras (AU) and Siobhan Rooney (AU) on Posted in General
In December 2021, our post “Increased likelihood of US social media regulation” discussed Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and her call to hold social media platforms accountable for the potentially dangerous content that appears on their sites. In February 2022, Haugen once again flagged Facebook’s algorithms as potentially harmful, but this time Haugen was speaking outside … Continue reading

Nikola Corporation agrees to pay $125 million to settle SEC investor fraud case

Photo of Susan Ross (US)By Susan Ross (US) on Posted in General
In December 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that Nikola Corporation (“Nikola”) agreed to pay $125 million to settle charges that the company allegedly defrauded investors and misled them about its products, technical advancements, and commercial prospects. Nikola did not admit or deny the SEC’s findings.   Earlier that same year, the SEC filed … Continue reading

Federal Reserve and social media

Photo of Susan Ross (US)Photo of Paul Guirguis (US)By Susan Ross (US) and Paul Guirguis (US) on Posted in General
In November of 2021, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) issued its Federal Reserve Financial Stability Report, a biannual report focused on potential risks to the financial system.  In this issue, the Fed highlighted the role of social media and retail investors in equity market volatility.… Continue reading

Twitter tests new Safety Mode

By NRF Digital Team on Posted in General
Twitter is testing a new safety feature aimed at reducing unwanted interactions. As explained in a Twitter Safety blog on 1 September 2021, Safety Mode temporarily blocks accounts (Author Accounts) found by Twitter’s artificial intelligence (AI) to be sending harmful or uninvited Tweets to a user (User). Author Accounts may be automatically blocked from interacting with a … Continue reading

Promotional contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways: like, share, and follow the rule

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
Social media contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways have grown increasingly popular in the past few years and have become a common marketing strategy for businesses. From “like and share this post” to “tag five friends for extra entries,” contests allow businesses to promote their brand, generate leads, and engage with current and new customers. While it … Continue reading

Telemedicine ads limited by Facebook

Photo of Kate Nelson (US)By Kate Nelson (US) on Posted in General, Social media policies
As the telemedicine industry continues to grow, especially in light of COVID-19, businesses should reconsider their policies and procedures in connection with telehealth services and user safety. Notably, Facebook recently responded to the growing use of telemedicine by amending its policies with respect to advertisements by telemedicine companies for prescription drugs. The new policy, which … Continue reading

Proposed Canadian law to regulate social media companies and streaming giants

Photo of Daniel Daniele (CA)By Daniel Daniele (CA) on Posted in General
In late June of 2021, Members of Canada’s Parliament passed Bill C-10: An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts. The Bill proposes to subject social media platforms and streaming services, collectively described in the Bill as ‘online undertakings’, to requirements similar to those imposed on … Continue reading
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