Dozier Internet Law, by John W. Dozier

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Google-Bombs.com Launches, by John W. Dozier

August 18, 2009

Once you buy Google Bomb you'll want to keep up with the latest developments as reported by John W Dozier Jr, an expert Internet lawyer and founder and President of Dozier Internet Law. The site is located at Google Bombs and gives you the ability to interact with other community members on the issues of the day. And best of all, Internet lawyer John W Dozier Jr. sets the posts up by chapter category so as you read the book you can immediately go and see the latest on each subject.

The Internet moves quickly, and it is essential that you stay abreast of the most recent developments in order to protect yourself, your family, and your livelihood. Google bomb is timely. Just not timeless. But the open arms forum and community is timeless.

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Google Bombs Away, by John W. Dozier

August 21, 2009

My Google Bomb book on online defamation has taken off on Amazon and moved into the top 400 of all books sold, number one in three Internet categories (privacy, culture, security). Google Bomb Blog and Forum has been launched by Dozier Internet Law Internet lawyers. And on the legal front, it has been an interesting week. Four major events have added some spice in the middle of our slow season as litigation lawyers:

1) Facebook is sued for alleged data privacy violations by a big time, big dollar Texas plaintiff trial lawyer.

2) Jon Praed, a friend of mine and fellow Internet lawyer, sues banks to get information to better combat spammers. He's been the spam attorney for AOL for years.

3) Google loses in New York City and has to identify an anonymous blogger. Expect an appeal.

4) Oprah files suit in federal court in New York against a laundry list of defendants allegedly using her name and/or likeness to sell products online.

[admin]

Rosemary Port v. Google, by John W. Dozier

August 23, 2009

Here is my post on the Google Bomb community site about the legal claim being asserted by Rosemary Port against Google for unmasking her identity in the Liskula Cohen case. As a defamation lawyer I addressed the very issue of anonymity and the movement of the free speech expansionists in my new book hitting the bookstores September 1. In the meantime, if you want an up close and personal view of the complicated issues involved, and a broader view from an Internet defamation lawyer of where this volley fits in with the war for control of the web, Google Bomb is available on Amazon: Google Bomb Book.

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Lori Drew MySpace Suicide Conviction Thrown Out, by John W. Dozier

August 30, 2009

On August 28, Judge George Wu of the United States District Court for the Central District of California overturned the conviction of Lori Drew and dismissed the case against Lori Drew relating to the suicide of Megan Meier. The Judge found that for purposes of this criminal prosecution the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the federal law upon which the Jury returned a guilty verdict, was unconstitutionally void for vagueness. You’d have to be a master marksman to draft a User Agreement that would meet constitutional muster in the face of criminal indictment.

The Judge found that Congress had not established adequately and clearly the minimal guidelines to govern law enforcement, but the decision did not affect civil causes of action and the ability of websites to protect their properties using this law.

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Harvard Attacks Reputation Management Industry, by John W. Dozier

September 04, 2009

Dozier Internet Law today broke the news and now provides the most detailed analysis of the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender attack on the reputation management industry. Internet lawyer John W Dozier Jr blogged on the Google Bomb community site on the issue. Google Bomb, the book, details how you can protect yourself, your loved ones, your small business and your livelihood. Many of the suggested tactics and the overall strategy itself is labelled "fraud" by the very same Harvard that harbors and supports and encourages many of the free speech expansionist radical groups fighting to protect the scofflaws and miscreants of the web.

The entire reputation management industry is taken on in this article by law professor Ann Bartow. As an Internet lawyer, I have to wonder what experience this law professor has with SEO and Rep. Mgt. I'd welcome a debate if she feels like her piece can withstand more public scrutiny.

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Dozier Interview on DC TV, by John W. Dozier

September 20, 2009

It seems timely to point to the John W Dozier Jr (Founder of Dozier Internet Law) TV interview last week in Washington DC about the changes we need to make to protect ourselves from the online scofflaws of the web. Dozier Internet Law and John W Dozier Jr are calling for changes now to promote self policing so the web can become a safe neighborhood.

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Harvard Prof. Backs Section 230 Changes, by John W. Dozier

October 08, 2009

Google Bomb calls for specific changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The book is available on Amazon and receiving great reviews.

It looks like someone at Harvard may have been reading John W Dozier Jr.'s "E-Bill of Rights" in the book. The recommendations relating to how to amend Section 230 to deal with the overly broad immunity for websites was adopted by a Harvard law professor in Congressional testimony last week. More details to come on the Google Bomb community blog later this evening.

This is the first time the issue of Section 230 amendments have been raised by the legal community in any meaningful way. And in a Congressional hearing, no less.

[admin]

Dec. 1 Effective Date of New FTC Regulations on Online Advertising, by John W. Dozier

October 14, 2009

At Traverse Internet Law, we have seen a gradual, and now more pronounced, shift towards creating liability on the advertiser when an affiliate acts up and breaks the law. There has always been liability if the affiliate marketer is acting as an agent. But that is hard to prove. In the CANSPAM act an affiliate's misconduct can be imputed through to the business for whom he is marketing if the business "consciously avoided" acquiring knowledge of the spammer's misconduct. Now with the new FTC Guidelines coming into effect December 1 the Federal Trade Commission expects businesses (advertisers) using third parties (affiliates or publishers) to "monitor" blogger compliance with new advertising disclosure laws...or else.

We have been recommending for years a three pronged approach to managing the risk that arises with third party marketer misconduct:

1) Conduct Due Diligence on the affiliate in advance of acceptance.

2) Establish clear guidelines and performance standards in your affiliate contract.

3) Implement a compliance/audit program to assure compliance.

That's really what the FTC is talking about when it uses the term "monitor".

Be careful out there.

[admin]

Webhost Hit With $32.4M Judgment For Hosting Site, by John W. Dozier

October 15, 2009

At Traverse Internet Law, we counsel web hosts on how to handle trademark and copyright claims. That's become an even hotter topic in recent weeks as a jury in California returned a $32.4 Million Judgment on behalf of Louis Vuitton against a web hosting company for hosting a website that was allegedly selling knock-offs. The judgment is not surprising and the principles of law nothing new. But you would have thought the sky was falling.

The consumer rights groups and their fanatical followers are all over the web expressing outrage. It's as if they do not understand the laws of copyright and trademark infringement. So I will reiterate what I have been telling clients for many years: if you receive notice of a trademark infringement you had better act decisively and make a decision about whether you want to defend yourself in court or drop the customer.

It really is that simple. Now, if you want to make it complicated and confusing, start reading the free speech and anti-intellectual property lawyers online. They'll encourage you to do otherwise. But I guarantee you if they were representing you they would mirror my advice. If these public interest lawyers and professional professors had to stand behind the absurd "advice" they spew in their blogs and answer to their malpractice insurance carrier their advice would change overnight.

And that wrong-headed advice...that's truly the big fraud that victimizes the typical netizen and can trigger cataclysmic events. And I can think of 32 Million of them right now.

[admin]

Google Embraces Reputation Management Techniques, by John W. Dozier

October 20, 2009

John W Dozier Jr, author of Google Bomb with Sue Scheff, highlighted extensive reputation management tactics to counteract Google's biased search results. Now, for the first time, Google has officially approved and is now encouraging the use of reputation management as a defense to false and defamatory search results. The Dozier Internet Law advice in Google Bomb goes much further than the Google guidance and advice and there are some problems with their suggestions since merely asking a webhost or website owner to pull down content, as Google suggests, can itself create more problems in search results. Rather naive advice. But Google does, for the first time, expressly encourage reputation management by the publication of complimentary information to offset the defamatory information. That's a big step. Now if the powers to be at Google can fix the logic they use in generating search results we'll really be making some headway.