France on Track to Legalize Peer-to-Peer Downloading
January 03, 2006
France's lower house of parliament recently has voted to legalize peer-to-peer file-sharing of films and music on the Internet, unleashing a wave of protest from the country's film, audiovisual and music industry organizations.
Employee Blogging: What Employers Don't Know Could Hurt Them
January 03, 2006
According to an American Management Association 2005 survey of 536 employers, 84% of companies have established policies relating to personal e-mail use, and 81% have established policies relating to personal Internet use, but only 23% have policies on personal postings on corporate blogs. <br>This article discusses blogging and the potential for employer liability that employee blogging presents. It recommends that employers establish blogging policies so that such liability hopefully may be avoided.
Net News
January 03, 2006
Recent news of interest to the Internet law community.
Applying Anti-Scalping Laws To Internet Ticket Providers
January 03, 2006
E-businesses, by forming networks of season ticket holders and contracting with entertainment venues, provide Internet customers with entry passes for concerts, sports and other spectator events. Generally, Internet ticket providers are in the business of buying and selling tickets to such events above face value. Some parties have equated such Internet ticket providers with ticket scalpers and claim they are acting unlawfully. In particular, some state anti-scalping laws have been applied to Internet ticketing transactions, resulting in both criminal and civil sanctions. However, the application of proper Internet notices and appropriate Web site access limitations may render such state anti-scalping laws moot.
Bit Parts
January 03, 2006
Internet/Unauthorized Movie DistributionThe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied summary judgment to both Paramount Pictures…
Digital Issues For Distributors And Indie Labels
January 03, 2006
The advent of digital-music delivery has brought about significant changes in both the format and distribution channels by which consumers receive music. Nonetheless, the fundamental role of distribution remains the same: to put product into the hands ' and today the computers and portable media devices ' of consumers. <br>Now, traditional offline distributors and a number of independent record labels have decided that digital distribution is an important component of their respective business models. <br>This article examines some of the interplay between the provisions of digital-distribution contracts and provisions contained in pre-existing contracts between offline distributors and independent record labels, and between independent record labels and artists.
Let Clients' Fingers Do The ... Clicking
January 03, 2006
Now, in the Age of e-Commerce, the fastest way to find a lawyer is to Google one, or to use online lawyer-finder tools such as those that companies like ALM, the owner of e-Commerce Law & Strategy, offer. With that change has come a new challenge for enterprising attorneys: How to get their names to the top of the 5.76 million spewed back when a user queries for, say, "New Jersey divorce lawyers." <br>The answer is sponsored links: paying Google or Yahoo!, or other Web search engines, for prominent placement when a user types in a specific term. It's an auction-like system in which the most aggressive advertisers can claw their way to the top, and reap the benefits of being there.
Protect Your Network From The Enemy Within
January 03, 2006
They're out there and they're armed. They're armed with knowledge of the vulnerabilities of your law firm's IT systems that could bring operations to a grinding halt or expose the firm to liability. They know where confidential information is kept, which data is essential and they already have access to the network. Who are they? They're not hackers bent on destruction who launch anonymous attacks on e-commerce operations and your own firm from afar. They're your colleagues.
