Tag archives: Blogs

FTC, Instagram Posts, and Endorsement Guides

Photo of Susan Ross (US)By Susan Ross (US) on Posted in General
On May 4, 2017, the public received access to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) advisory letters to approximately 45 companies and 45 celebrities/bloggers relating to potential “endorsements” on Instagram.  As a result, we now have some additional guidance on the FTC’s expectations with respect to its Endorsement Guides.… Continue reading

A recipe for confusion: TTAB denies registration of “JAWS” for online cooking show

Photo of Andrea Shannon (US)By Andrea Shannon (US) on Posted in Trademark
Diving head first into the deep end, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”), recently decided whether a chef’s application to register “JAWS” for an online cooking channel should sink or swim. In re Mr. Recipe, LLC. The precedential decision is useful for anyone wishing to learn more about the role that a famous trademark, … Continue reading

Social Media Stars and Defamation

Photo of James LeitoBy James Leito on Posted in Defamation
This blog recently discussed regular people who have become internet sensations through the use of social media. Chiara Ferragni, for example, started a fashion blog in 2009. She is now a multimillionaire with approximately 5,000,000 Instagram followers.  Tay Zonday posted his song “Chocolate Rain” on YouTube in 2007, which led to numerous appearances on daytime … Continue reading

Crowdfunding: Advertising an offering’s terms on social media

Photo of Caleb Segrest (US)By Caleb Segrest (US) on Posted in General
Background The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the final rules of Regulation Crowdfunding (the “Regulation”) on October 30, 2015. While the final rules have been adopted, they do not become effective until May 16, 2016. The Regulation is meant to expound upon Sections 4(a)(6) and 4A of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Act”), … Continue reading

Blog posts, commercial speech and false advertising

Photo of Heather SherrodBy Heather Sherrod on Posted in Defamation, Social media policies
In Goodman v. Does, plaintiff Todd Goodman alleged various defamation and federal unfair competition (Lanham Act) claims stemming from postings on the website localdirtags.com, a blog, which was run by the defendant Linda Lagoy. Goodman v. Does 1–10, No. 4:13–CV–139, 2014 WL 1310310 (E.D.N.C. Mar. 28, 2014). The court noted that Goodman, who was a licensed … Continue reading

Ninth Circuit extends freedom of the press protection to blogger

Photo of Seth Jaffe (US)By Seth Jaffe (US) on Posted in Defamation
The Ninth Circuit has extended an additional level of protection for company publications that take the form of blogs. In reference to the level of fault required to prove liability for an allegedly defamatory posting, the court explained that it is irrelevant whether a blogger is a member of an institutional press corps or a … Continue reading

SPEECH Act – US and Canadian defamation standards

Photo of James LeitoBy James Leito on Posted in Defamation
In a case of first impression, the Fifth Circuit recently applied the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act (“SPEECH Act”) to protect a blogger from a defamation-based default judgment obtained in Canada.  28 U.S.C. § 4201; Trout Point Lodge, Ltd. v. Handshoe, No. 13-60002 (5th Cir. Sept. 5, 2013). The plaintiffs had … Continue reading
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