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Strategy Against Scrapers

By J.T. Westermeier
December 31, 2013

Today's leading case relating to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. '1030 (CFAA) is United States v. Nosal, 676 F.3d 854 (9th Cir. 2012). In the Nosal case, the Ninth Circuit, in an en banc decision, expressed great concern over imposing criminal liability under the CFAA for violations of private computer use policies like website terms of use. The Ninth Circuit notes that if use restrictions are subject to criminal liability under the CFAA violations of those user policies could be transformed into criminal crimes simply because a computer is involved. As such, the Ninth Circuit believes the CFAA should be narrowly interpreted. Using this narrow interpretation regarding access restrictions, a district court in California found a CFAA violation in the Craigslist Inc. v. 3Taps Inc., 2013 WL 4447520 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 16, 2013); and Craigslist Inc. v. 3Taps Inc., 2013 WL 1819999 (N.D. Cal. April 30, 2013), cases.

Craigslist Ruling

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