A bit over a year ago, I discussed on this blog a petition that we filed in the Virginia Supreme Court seeking to set aside a preliminary injunction issued by a state trial judge in a defamation suit filed by a Maryland contractor, Christopher Dietz, against a Virginia woman, Jane Perez, who had posted reviews […]
Author Archives: Paul Levy
by Paul Alan Levy In a decision issued yesterday morning, the Virginia Court of Appeals parted company with appellate decisions in eleven other states and held that the First Amendment allows a court to compel the identification of a company’s anonymous online critics even though the company has done no more than claim that it […]
by Paul Alan Levy A decision yesterday by a panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals shows that First Amendment protections, and particularly protection for online anonymity, is alive and well in Michigan. Ruling in Ghanam v. Doe, the Court held that when discovery is sought to identify anonymous defendants so that they can be […]
by Paul Alan Levy In the wake of recent coverage of an attempt by the online trinket company Kleargear.com to ruin the credit of a customer whose wife complained about Kleargear’s failure to send an order of Christmas gifts, in violation of a non-disparagement clause inserted into later versions of the online sales contract, […]
by Paul Alan Levy Whatever happens as a result of Judge Leon's decision this week and whatever comes of today's recommendations from the intelligence review panel, we cannot forget who it was who helped our country get to the stage of having this debate, not to speak of the personal price he has had to […]
The blogosphere has been humming with concern about a subpoena from the Attorney General of New York seeking to identify AirBnB users who are likely renting out their apartments in violation of local law. It appears, however, that the AG isn't the only one concerned — note this letter from a co-op board warning its […]
by Paul Alan Levy Scott Cleland’s weekly anti-Google rant raises the question whether Google’s recording of conversations through Google Glass, and Google’s use of those recordings as a source of data for its commercial operations, might run afoul of federal wire-tapping laws that require consent for the interception of communications, but it seems to me […]
by Paul Alan Levy KB Home has built new homes in several major markets throughout the United States, but its construction projects have left a trail of unhappy homeowners complaining about shoddy construction in several of those locations, such as here, here, here, and here. The problem is broadly portrayed by a number of links […]
by Paul Alan Levy In response to aggressive reporting on the blog Digital Music News about the contract terms that Apple has imposed on independent labels that lack the economic clout to negotiate their own specific deals regarding iTunes Radio, Apple sent a DMCA takedown notice to Scribd, where the blog had posted the contract […]
by Paul Alan Levy One of the sweetest things that Public Citizen does each year is recognize a long-time public interest staffer whose work is vital to that staffer's organization, but whose work is sufficiently behind-the-scenes that he or she receives no public recognition. The award is named for Phyllis McCarthy, who started working for […]