CLIP-ings: October 2, 2015

Internet Governance

Home-Screen Advantage: The FTC is investigating whether Google unfairly gives its own products prominent placement over those of vendors on its Android smartphones.

Privacy

The Files Are In The Computer: A federal appeals court is set to determine how long the government may retain an individual’s computer files obtained pursuant to a probable-cause warrant but which were not used as evidence, and whether it may later use such evidence against the individual for a different crime.

Information Security And Cyberthreats

The (Not So) Simple Life: Hackers allegedly installed malware that swiped guest credit card information from point-of-sale systems in Hilton hotel restaurants and gift shops.

Cyber Détente: President Obama and China’s President Xi agreed last week that both countries will stop conducting and supporting “cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property.”

Intellectual Property

Copyrighted Crusader: The Ninth Circuit held that a California mechanic’s replicas of the Batmobile infringed DC Comics’ copyright on the car, reasoning that the replicas contain “sufficiently distinctive” elements of the original “automotive character.”

Free Expression And Censorship

The Price Of Unfriendship: Australia’s Fair Work Commission found that a supervisor’s unfriending of an employee on Facebook was evidence of “unreasonable behavior” resulting in the issuance of a stop bullying order.”

Practice Note

SEC Fishing Expedition: A federal court ruled that defendants, who invoked their Fifth Amendment right in refusing to turn over their phones’ passcodes to authorities, cannot be forced to without proof that evidence actually exists on the devices.

On The Lighter Side

Broken News? Watch HLN mistakenly interview comedian Jon Hendren (@fart) instead of Al Jazeera journalist John Hendren (@johnhendren) about Edward Snowden Scissorhands’ new Twitter account.


Joel R. Reidenberg
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and Professor of Law and Founding Academic Director, CLIP

N. Cameron Russell
Executive Director, Fordham CLIP

Thomas B. Norton
Privacy Fellow, Fordham CLIP

Noelle Park & Inés Spinnato
Editorial Fellows, Fordham CLIP

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