The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation has been in effect for nearly a year, and California’s expansive Consumer Privacy Act is set to go into effect in 2020. This panel of regulators, in-house and outside counsel will review enforcement trends that have the greatest impact on online platforms, and actions that platforms have taken to comply and to reduce their risk. The panel will also address the new requirements of the California CPA and the potential impact of the law on adv...
Jul 16, 2019
This session will take an in-depth look at legal strategies for protecting anonymous speech online from the perspective of the platforms that provide the channels of communication, as well as from users seeking to maintain their online anonymity. A panel of expert inside and outside counsel will consider: • What are the legal standards for maintaining user anonymity when a platform is served with a subpoena – how do they vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction – and differ depending on the nature...
Jul 16, 2019
Practioners from Europe will bring us the latest developments on global takedown cases working their way through the European courts (e.g., CNIL v. Google ; Glawischnig v. Facebook ); and controversial provisions of the EU Copyright Directive that threaten to impose a so-called “link tax” on platforms that aggregate news content and to require platforms to take affirmative measures to prevent unauthorized posting of copyrighted content. Presenters: Bryony Hurst, Partner, Litigation, Bird & B...
Jul 16, 2019
In its landmark decision in Carpenter v. United States, the Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment requires that law enforcement obtain a warrant before gathering historic cell site location data about a suspect from cellular service providers, calling into question the validity of the “third-party doctrine” in the online context. The decision has opened the door to a new way of thinking about constitutional privacy in the digital age, where third-party platforms store some of our most per...
Jul 16, 2019
Many decisions that affect public discourse on online platforms are made before the first user logs on. Speech on the internet is shaped by platforms’ structural choices including: the length of permitted submissions; whether posts are permanent or disappear over time; how the content that users see is selected; the control granted to users over who sees their own posts; mechanisms for the reporting and removal of content considered offensive; and more. These choices can result in rigidly contro...
Jul 16, 2019
Does one infringe a copyright by in-line linking? If so, how much will our internet be shrinking? Just how pervasive are in-line linking, embedding and framing in today’s digital media? A content development and distribution pro first explains the present state before envisioning a hypothetical internet without these tools. Then counsel who won the two leading cases dive deep into the controversy: does copyright law hold embedding a link to be an infringing “display” whether or not the work is h...
Jul 16, 2019
New machine-learning technology is allowing even amateur video editors to conjure videos that convincingly replace people’s faces with those of others – frequently unwitting celebrities – to both creative and destructive ends. This digital face-swapping tech has been used for satirical internet videos and perhaps most famously to recreate a younger Princess Leia in the Star Wars film, Rogue One. In their most provocative form, these so-called “deepfakes” digital AI tools have been used to create...
Jun 29, 2018
Kara Swisher, influential technology journalist and co-founder of Recode, speaks with fellow journalist, Sarah Jeong, on the state of the tech world in a climate where Silicon Valley is facing growing scrutiny from public officials and the public at-large. http://www.medialaw.org/images/events/2018podcast/Kara_Swisher.mp3
Jun 29, 2018
The Computer Fraud & Abuse Act was enacted by Congress in 1986, primarily as a tool to criminally prosecute hackers, in an era before the web and online publishing, when the internet was mostly used by a small universe of academics, government and military staff. Although the CFAA has been updated by Congress several times, its meaning in the modern age of universal internet access and porous digital borders has eluded courts as to what it means to access a computer without authorization. Th...
Jun 29, 2018
It has been approximately a year since the Uber scandal uncovered a culture of sexual harassment and gender bias in the tech community. Silicon Valley still faces a dearth of female founders and women are still underrepresented at executive levels in tech companies and law firms. But is the outlook showing signs of improvement? What steps are tech companies taking to reduce gender bias and discrimination? How can the legal community contribute to increased diversity? This session will examine th...
Jun 29, 2018
This session will begin with a tutorial on how algorithms and machine learning work in order to provide lawyers with a better understanding of how these technologies apply to solving real world problems. For example: how does machine learning help a review site spot fake reviews, a social media platform identify misinformation campaigns, or sites identify a banned user trying to rejoin the site under a new identity? Our tutorial will explore the limits of what algorithms and machine learning can...
Jun 29, 2018
Whether by foreign governments like Russia, or by fraudsters and other individuals wishing to influence opinion and actions on the internet for their own ends, disinformation campaigns have become an acute problem that social media sites are facing calls to address. Beginning with a tech tutorial on how fake news and other misinformation is created and distributed in an artificially viral way and how bots and fake users are employed to manipulate people, this session will cover the roles of plat...
Jun 29, 2018
Increasingly, platforms have been under pressure on a number of fronts to take down, moderate and/or stop hosting objectionable groups and content, such as content originating from white supremacists, alleged sex traffickers, terrorist groups and the like. The pressure is coming from political forces seeking legal reforms, such as the recently passed Section 230 exception for sex trafficking (FOSTA) and EU regulations demanding accelerated removals; as well social and public-relations pressures,...
Jun 29, 2018
Copyrights are granted globally and digital content on platforms is distributed globally. Therefore, publishers and digital platforms must consider a global approach to content management and copyright. In the U.S., the notice and takedown provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act give platforms breathing room to avoid liability for the distribution of user generated content – though an array of new case law adds complexity to DMCA safe harbor compliance. See, e.g., BMG v. Cox, Mavrix P...
Jun 19, 2017
Europe’s War on U.S. Platforms Many government entities in the EU appear to be gunning for U.S.-based digital companies. This is reflected in the new copyright law discussed in the earlier panel, but is also seen in a variety of data protection & privacy regulations: GDPR, Privacy Shield, right to be forgotten (including possibility of requiring global search removals under Google Spain, and expansion of RTBF beyond search engines), and increasing discomfort among U.S. platforms that the EU ...
Jun 19, 2017
The new FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, has announced his intention to repeal the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order that had brought the internet under Title II common carrier regulation and to reclassify ISPs as Title I information services. There is sure to be a contentious battle over these new rules and a fierce debate about the prospects for net neutrality if broadband is reclassified. Our discussion will try to rise above the rhetoric and provide tech lawyers with practical information on how publish...
Jun 19, 2017
During the past year or so, a number of court decisions have chipped away at the protection of Section 230. Recently, courts have appeared receptive to claims that fall outside the usual ambit of publishing torts, where, e.g., a duty to warn was alleged (Doe v. Internet Brands), or where an online marketplace site takes a share of an unlawful transaction (Airbnb v. San Francisco). California’s Supreme Court will soon consider whether platforms can be forced to remove content based on a third-par...
Jun 19, 2017
This session will bring together government agents and in-house counsel, who often must call upon one another to investigate and stop cyber threats from hackers, terrorist organizations and violent extremist groups. What issues arise when digital companies seek the aid of government in response to hacking and other online threats, including those from state actors like Russia and North Korea? How should platforms respond to government requests for cooperation in stopping terrorists from recruiti...
Jun 19, 2017
This panel will explore increasingly common (and sometimes controversial) situations where digital companies must balance free speech, liberty, security and other interests of their users (along with the platform’s own right to speak and create an atmosphere that is representative of its corporate values) where the law doesn’t demand a particular action. This session will consider: • How do we address the issue of filter bubbles and fake news? • What policies might be adopted by platforms to ass...
Jun 19, 2017
Remarkable advances in technology now allow every person with a smartphone, tablet or GoPro the ability to produce and distribute their own video content, immediately and globally. The recording of events from all angles presents challenges to content developers, who struggle to balance perspectives both literally and figuratively. What opportunities does this create for new types of content and distribution? What are the privacy, copyright and other content liability issues surrounding cheap ea...
Jun 10, 2016
Our lightning round panel will discuss the key takeaways from new developments in topics critical to clients publishing, monetizing, and utilizing digital content, including: (1) the Lanham Act (including commercialization of online content), (2) the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (including delegation and authorization to access on behalf others), (3) copyrightability (including APIs, and also Batmobiles), and (4) intermediary liability (including Section 230 and related protections). Panelists: ...
Jun 10, 2016
By role-playing a series of take-down and user data request scenarios involving the EU, South America and elsewhere–even the US–a panel of experienced digital media counsel/insiders will provide both legal and practical guidance on facing the crazy quilt of challenges posed by national and cross-national demands and conceptions of privacy, security and free speech. The panel will also consider the pros and cons of a proposed global strategy for improvement. Panelists: Jeff Rabkin, Partner, Jones...
Jun 10, 2016
While the legal battle between Apple and the FBI created a firestorm of controversy, this session will aim to take our audience beyond the sensational headlines and political rhetoric, and delve into the technology, legal issues and public policy concerns at stake. The discussion among these distinguished panelists will be geared to educate conference attendees, and the public, on the tension between privacy and law enforcement that has resulted from the advancement of encryption and security te...
Jun 10, 2016
Copyright law is increasingly being used – contrary to its intended purpose of incentivizing works of creation by authors and artists — by aggrieved persons wishing to remove negative or embarrassing content about them from the internet. While Section 230 and strong First Amendment protections obviate many avenues available to plaintiffs, copyright law – be it threatened or actual litigation, and/or DMCA takedown notices — is often the strongest weapon in the toolbox for those seeking to block o...
Jun 10, 2016
With Ad Blocker software reaching critical mass, both on desktop and on mobile platforms, what will be the impact on a digital media that is so largely driven by advertising revenue? This session will cover the differences between the different ad-blocking apps, the reasons for their emergence, and how platforms, publishers, advertisers, and consumers are responding to the new environment. Included will be a discussion of Ad Block Plus’s controversial “Acceptable Ads Program” in which major plat...
Jun 10, 2016
http://www.medialaw.org/images/events/PreparingForTheNext_May2015_ki.mp3
Jun 23, 2015
This session will begin with a technical tutorial on the architecture of the Internet to provide a solid basis for a discussion about net neutrality — how edge providers send traffic to ISPs, how “peering,” “throttling,” and “fast lanes” work in the real world, and how the Internet can support services such as high-definition video streaming at scale. Our panel will then discuss the FCC’s controversial decision applying common-carrier regulation to the Internet, discuss how digital stakeholders ...
Jun 18, 2015
Counsel will discuss their experiences coping with the demands of a cross-border legal environment as a practical matter: evaluating international needs, finding and working with counsel, dealing with foreign governments and crisis management. When do you worry that your company’s activities will trigger international scrutiny or liability? Do you have counsel on call in every country where there might be jurisdiction, or just in some? Which substantive legal issues should concern you the most o...
Jun 18, 2015
Content bundles are fraying as one content producer after another announces that it is going “over the top” – streaming content that is accessible online without the need for a traditional cable television subscription. Format distinctions driven by traditional commercial models are breaking down as network shows rub shoulders with feature films, original programming from the likes of Netflix and Amazon, and YouTube videos. Smart TVs offer menus of on-demand services reminiscent of channel listi...
Jun 18, 2015
Some companies are hoping the CDA will protect them even as they engage in activities in the physical world, while at the same time, courts are pushing back in certain areas, even where the claim involves publisher activities. Our expert panel will discuss: • The real-world impact of Roomates.com ‘s “material contribution” standard for participating in the development of the actionable content. • What makes Doe v. Internet Brands different from prior cases against MySpace and Match.com? • Can le...
Jun 18, 2015
