Category: Internet Law

Contests, sweepstakes, and lotteries have historically been subject to many federal and state laws. As social media and the internet use is at an all-time high, online promotions and giveaways allow businesses the opportunity to reach a much broader group of consumers and potential participants.  This article examines how traditional contest laws apply to online […]

Amazon is witnessing a change in the legal landscape. The platform today is largely unrecognizable from the one that launched in 1995. Much of its growth is attributed to Amazon’s third-party sellers, who are independent retailers who use Amazon’s platform to sell goods directly to consumers. The platform has witnessed an unprecedented rise in third-party […]

These days, it’s not enough to just have a website. With concerns about cybersecurity growing, a successful and effective website should include a Terms of Use agreement setting forth rules and rights to the user. In addition to boilerplate language standard of any Terms of Use agreement, certain provisions should be included to address concerns […]

In the age of the internet, the exponential growth of social media has opened up new channels for advertising beyond anything that had previously existed. In this expansion, the age of the influencer has descended upon internet culture, and brands have wasted no time in finding a foothold in this new manner of approaching their […]

Despite more than two decades of efforts, computer and data storage breaches continue unabated. Washington State, for example, released annual statistics showing 280 data breaches in 2020 (including one breach that impacted more than a million customers) in Washington State alone. The report also detailed a large uptick in cyberattacks, and ransomware incidents. As a […]

Domain names with the .sucks extension became available in 2014 when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) approved the generic top-level domain extension. See here and see Forbes media report here. For obvious reasons, businesses are unhappy when their trademark is registered and used with the .sucks extension. Here are a few […]

In basic terms, to obtain a patent in the United States, two conditions of patentability must be met: the invention must be “novel,” which basically means “not previously disclosed,” and must be nonobvious (from earlier patents or published materials). These requirements are set forth in the US Patent Act, 35 USC 102(a) which states in […]

For those operating online sales businesses, there are few things more devastating than trying to access your account in the morning and discovering that your seller account has been suspended. There are immediate emotional impacts — like panic — and, as time passes, potentially, there will be devastating financial impacts. This is true for those […]

If you are a successful Amazon seller, it is essential to retain committed internet lawyers with deep experience helping businesses operating Amazon seller accounts. Having a relationship with a trusted team of lawyers is important before “something bad happens” because when it does, corrective action can begin immediately. There is no “lost time” devoted to […]

Lawsuits in general are difficult and can be emotionally draining. Defamation lawsuits are even more so because lies and falsehoods are at issue and personal/business reputations are under attack. It can be enraging really, with the thought being that “… it is unfair, unjust and just plain mean for people to lie and cause me […]