The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) was passed in 1999 in order to provide protections for companies and individuals who had a third party register their company name as a domain. At that time, people were buying up the domain names of famous individuals, companies of all sizes, trademarked names, and a variety of other things with the intent of simply holding them until another party wanted to buy Read More
Anti-SLAPP
You have a constitutional right to petition the government for a redress of grievances guaranteed under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as well as the free speech and petition clauses of many state constitutions. If someone is trying to intimidate or censor your free speech, you have the right to fight back and in some cases there is already legislation to help. What is a SLAPP? A SLAPP or a Read More
What You Need to Know About Cyberbullying
When most people hear of cyberbullying, they assume that it is an issue only impacting young people who are bullying others online. While that is certainly a major component of this problem, this is just one aspect of a much larger subject. In fact, cyberbullying today impacts adults all the time, and is even a very serious legal subject that can lead to fines and jail time. If you are a victim of cyberbullying, or Read More
The Communications Decency Act of 1996 | The Volatile Law that Built the Internet
The Communications Decency Act was first made law in 1996 and has been one of the most important and volatile sets of rules and regulations ever since. Immediately after its passing, free speech groups filed suits to rule it unconstitutional due to it being vague in a number of areas, which would result in it violating the first amendment. Much of the original law was indeed ruled unconstitutional, but some of it Read More
4 Situations When You Need a Nondisclosure Agreement
If you are running a business, you need to make sure you are able to maintain every possible market advantage possible. For many businesses, the most important thing is to keep your products, technologies, strategies, and other ideas private so competitors can’t use them. One of the most effective ways to do this is to use non-disclosure agreements whenever appropriate. These agreements will allow you to share Read More
Understanding Domain Name Warehousing
One issue that most companies don’t expect to have to face when running their business is called “domain name warehousing.” This is a practice wherein a domain name registrar will gain control of an expired domain name and then not list it for resale right away. This is done with the intent to try to sell the domain back to the original owner or another party at an inflated price. In most cases, a business will Read More
What is Litigation?
Litigation is the legal process through which the plaintiff and defendant (litigants) argue their side in court to achieve a specific outcome (monetary award, injunction to stop use of patented invention, avoidance of paying a settlement, etc.). Both businesses and individuals can file complaints with the court to start the process. In the end, the side that provides the best argument or demonstrates enough proof Read More
Understanding Patent Litigation
If you’ve been accused of 'stealing' a patented invention, you may face a myriad of legal obstacles that could result in the loss of time and money for your business due to fighting the charges brought against you. Patents allow businesses and individuals to legally protect their property from use by another business/individual in its entirety or in conjunction with other products. The use of a patented invention Read More
Mediation and Arbitration: Alternatives to Litigation
Litigation is not the only option when it comes to reaching a settlement with another party. Litigants can agree to other means such as mediation or arbitration to reach an agreement that's fair for both sides. Unfortunately, once a complaint goes to trial, a judge or jury will have the final say in terms of damages paid, injunctions, and other rulings. During a trial, both sides will be able to present evidence, Read More
What Does Cyber Law Mean in Today’s World?
Areas of Cyber Law on The Internet Today In many ways, the World Wide Web is a bit like the Wild Wild West of the 21st Century. There's a huge realm of things people are discovering how to do online, and many of them aren't exactly on the up and up. Cyber Law or Internet Law attempts to bring order to this budding world that has so much promise, and so many dangerous possibilities. Here are some common areas that Read More
