The protection of copyright from infringements taking place via the Internet has been in Greece until today extremely inefficient and time-consuming. Legal experts and copyright holders hope that this situation will alter soon. On July 2017, a new Copyright Law 4481/2017 was adopted amending the existing Copyright Law 2121/1993. The new Law provides dispositions aiming … Continue Reading
Instagram recently unveiled a new “branded content tool” that will allow influencers who are paid to endorse consumer products to tag partnering brands with an automated “paid partnership” disclosure. This new feature is intended to create more transparency in the Instagram community and to provide sponsors and influencers the ability to track the performance of … Continue Reading
BOTTOM LINE It remains to be seen what will happen after the GDPR becomes effective on May 25, 2018. The GDPR compliance roadmap can be helpful for any organization that collects or processes personal data, whether or not an organization in or outside of the EU believes it is subject to the GDPR. With just … Continue Reading
The GS Media case: “He’s making it up as he goes along!”[1] This is not a Brexit whinge, but when I reread the ECJ’s decision in the GS Media case[2], I do understand where 52% of my countrymen were coming from. Generally, the EU has (IMHO) been a force for good in IP law, by … Continue Reading
The plaintiff in a copyright infringement action has the option to choose to receive statutory damages rather than to establish its actual quantum of damages it has suffered. Statutory damages range from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $20,000 for the infringements related to a given work. A plaintiff might choose statutory damages … Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent more than 90 letters to celebrities, athletes and other influencers – as well as to marketers – highlighting the need for influencers to “clearly and conspicuously” disclose their relationships to brands when they promote or endorse them on social media. The FTC letters mark the first time that the … Continue Reading
In Denmark, certain rules must be observed, if a company wants to turn to customers by electronic means to promote or to sell products and services. Basically, the company must have the customers consent before the company can send out marketing. If there is no consent marketing through electronic means as text messages or e-mail … Continue Reading
In a long-standing case brought against the video platform Vimeo by several music publishers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently set the bar high for copyright owners to succeed in their infringement claims against service providers based on allegations of “red flag knowledge.” The Second Circuit, shedding some light on what is … Continue Reading
With the ever-expanding role of social media and the Internet, negative reviews can spread virtually unchecked. Although some negative reviews are limited to statements of opinion that, generally, are legally protected, companies and individuals increasingly are subject to attacks that include false statements constituting online defamation. The legal avenues for addressing defamatory comments and obtaining … Continue Reading
Lately social media has drawn a lot of attention in relation to unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices. Most recently, the Danish consumer ombudsman has reported the media bureau MemeCph and the toothpaste producer Unilever for being responsible for hidden advertisement through a Danish pop singer on her Instagram-profile. Furthermore, the consumer ombudsman in 2015 published a guideline … Continue Reading
Canada’s anti-spam law (“CASL”) outlines violations, enforcement mechanisms, and penalties aimed at protecting online consumers against spam, electronic threats, and misuse of digital technology. CASL’s anti-spam rules came into effect on July 1, 2014. CASL’s software update and installation rules came into effect on January 15, 2015. The latter rules are often referred to as … Continue Reading
The internet’s sheer breadth often gives the impression that it transcends local legal jurisdictions. As commerce and trade become increasingly electronic ventures, courts now grapple with how to enforce orders against parties not operating within traditional physical jurisdictions. In June, the British Columbia Court of Appeal (the “Court”) in Equustek Solutions Inc. v. Google Inc., … Continue Reading