Social media sites are transforming not only the daily lives of consumers, but also how companies interact with consumers. Here at Morrison Foerster, across all of our practice groups, we are seeing complex, cutting-edge legal issues arising out of social media. As with the Internet boom during the mid-to-late 1990s, social media is generating new legal questions at a far faster pace than the law’s ability to provide answers to such questions. In an effort to stay on top of these emerging issues, and to keep our clients and friends informed of new developments, Morrison Foerster publishes this blog devoted to the law and business of social media.<h2>ABOUT MORRISON FOERSTER</h2>Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm’s commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyer’s A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia‑Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment.

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Aaron is the chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group and co-chair of the Interactive + Digital Media Group. He advises clients on a wide range of complex transactions involving intellectual property and technology, including structuring and negotiating strategic licensing, development, collaboration, procurement, and distribution deals.Aaron’s practice focuses on advising both established and emerging companies in a variety of data- and technology-intensive sectors, including software, SaaS, cloud-based technology, digital media (social media, AR/VR, gaming, streaming media, AdTech), AI, healthcare, consumer electronics, e-commerce, other online business models, and mobile applications. He also maintains an active practice counseling companies on branding and marketing, trademark licensing, and content-related transactions, as well as the intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions, asset spin-offs, and private equity investments.He has represented clients such as Autodesk, Meta, OpenAI, Splunk, Konami, Kaiser Permanente, SoftBank, Visa, and Yahoo, among others.Aaron has been recognized by numerous publications for his work on market-defining technology transactions. He is currently ranked by Chambers USA for “Technology Transactions.”Aaron also serves as co-editor of Socially Aware, the firm’s award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media, and regularly publishes on various IP and technology-related topics. Aaron is also a sought-after speaker on new and emerging areas of law, and is a frequent presenter and panelist at conferences and legal services programs. In addition to his active practice, Aaron regularly provides pro bono assistance to various nonprofit and charitable organizations such as Common Sense Media and the Starlight Children’s Foundation. He is a member of the board of directors of California Lawyers for the Arts.While in law school at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Aaron served as executive editor of the California Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following law school, Aaron served as law clerk to the Honorable William H. Orrick and the Honorable Martin J. Jenkins, both United States District Judges for the Northern District of California.

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Partner

Aaron is the chair of our Technology Transactions Group. He advises clients on a wide range of complex transactions involving intellectual property and technology, including structuring and negotiating strategic licensing, development, collaboration, procurement, and distribution deals. Aaron’s practice focuses on advising both established and emerging companies in a variety of data– and technology–intensive sectors, including software, SaaS, cloud computing, AR/VR, AI, gaming, healthcare, consumer electronics, social media, e–commerce, other online business models, and mobile applications. He also maintains an active practice counseling companies on the intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions, asset spin–offs, and private equity investments.

Aaron P. Rubin

Lawrence Gallick is of counsel in the firm’s Austin office and a member of the Technology Transactions Group.Lawrence focuses his practice on technology transactions and licensing matters. His diverse experience includes advising on SaaS agreements, cross-licensing agreements, research and collaboration agreements, development agreements, and distribution agreements. He counsels a broad range of companies across the software, hardware, life sciences, biotech and FinTech spaces, as well as other entities including universities.He advises clients in connection with general corporate matters including contract negotiations, and leasing and technology placement agreements.Lawrence also serves as co-editor of <a href="https://www.sociallyawareblog.com/" target="_blank">Socially Aware</a>, the firm’s award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media, and regularly publishes on various IP and technology-related topics.Prior to joining the firm, Lawrence was counsel at another major law firm. Before earning his law degree, Lawrence was a web consultant, project manager, and web developer in Portland, Oregon, where he managed and consulted on projects using industry methodologies and performed custom development and integration of content management systems.Lawrence was named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in 2015 and 2018–2022, and is licensed in both California and New York. Lawrence earned his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where he was the electronic systems editor for the Buffalo Law Review and awarded the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law.

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Of Counsel

Lawrence Gallick

Anthony Ramirez is a partner in the Technology Transactions Group in the New York office of Morrison Foerster.Anthony advises clients on general commercial and transactional matters. He regularly advises companies on the IP aspects of their M&A transactions. His clients include technology, digital media and content for television and music, financial services, and communications companies with diverse intellectual property assets and issues.His practice focuses on the legal aspects of developing, licensing, and commercializing technology and intellectual property, as well as negotiating general commercial contracts, including outsourcing transactions, as well as content and data licenses. He regularly assists clients with legal issues relating to licensing and commercialization of digital media and content, digital content that is distributed over the Internet or streamed, mobile applications and social media, as well as the licensing of recorded music for distribution via digital platforms. Anthony is also experienced with issues relating to open-source software, software development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud-based technology, and protection of proprietary information.Anthony has extensive experience working on matters involving disruptive technologies, such as blockchain. He has helped fintech clients with general intellectual property issues in connection with terms of service for online financial products and services.Anthony is an integral part of the outside pro bono legal team for nonprofit organizations based in New York, including advising clients on legal issues regarding entertainment, social media, privacy rights, and the negotiation of outsourcing and service agreements. Anthony received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2009. He received his B.S. from Cornell University in 2004.

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Anthony Ramirez is a partner in the Technology Transactions Group in the New York office of Morrison Foerster. He advises clients on general commercial and transactional matters. His clients include technology, media, and communications companies with considerable intellectual property assets. His practice focuses on the legal aspects of licensing and commercializing technology and intellectual property, as well as negotiating general commercial contracts. He also regularly assists clients with legal issues relating to mobile applications and social media.

Anthony M. Ramirez

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Socially Aware is devoted to the law and business of social media, proactively addressing emerging issues and keeping our clients informed of new developments. We cover fields such as artificial intelligence, privacy and data security, Section 230, intellectual property, and much more.

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Lawrence W. Gallick

Social Links: If the Suit Fits

Social Links: Age Verification, X Appeal, and the Great White North

Social Links: Fake Reviews, Real Rulings, and an Epic Fail

Lawrence W. Gallick on Toth v. Everly Well, Inc.

Social Links: Going Back to Cali

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In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice—Europe’s highest court—dealt Google a clear win by placing a territorial limit on the “right to be forgotten” in the EU. The court’s holding in <a href="http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=218105&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1623465" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google v. Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL)</a> clarifies that a search engine operator that is obligated to honor an individual’s request for erasure by “de-referencing” links to his or her personal data (i.e., removing links to web pages containing that personal data from search results) is only required, under the GDPR, to de-reference results on its EU domains (e.g., google.fr in France and google.it in Italy), and not on all of its domains globally.However, in the same ruling, the Court also stated that the GDPR applies to Google’s data processing on all of its domains globally (by virtue of such processing comprising “a single act of processing”). Therefore, an EU Member State’s supervisory authority and courts are free to treat the ECJ’s EU-wide de-referencing requirement as a “floor” and go one step further, requiring search engines to implement the right to be forgotten on all of its domains worldwide, including those outside the EU.Background – The Right to Be ForgottenThe right to be forgotten—codified at <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/art-17-gdpr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 17 of the GDPR</a>—grants individuals the right to obtain erasure of their personal data without undue delay, where, for example, the data are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they were collected or processed. However, the right is not unlimited; exceptions apply if the processing is deemed necessary for the exercise of freedom of expression, compliance with a legal obligation, public interests such as public health, scientific or historic research, or the establishment or defense of legal claims.<a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:31995L0046&from=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 12(b) of the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC</a> (“the Directive”) conferred a similar (though slightly narrower) right. The Directive required Member States to guarantee individuals the right to obtain rectification, erasure, or blocking of personal data when the processing of that data does not comply with the Directive’s provisions. Although the GDPR replaced the Directive, the court examined the questions posed under both the Directive and the GDPR because the case originated when the Directive was still operative.The CaseIn 2014, the ECJ ruled in <a href="http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document_print.jsf?doclang=EN&text=&pageIndex=0&part=1&mode=req&docid=152065&occ=first&dir=&cid=257118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Spain SL, Google Inc. v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos</a> that individuals have the right to request that Google delete links to webpages containing their personal data from Google search results even if the publication of such information on those webpages is lawful. This was <a href="https://www.sociallyawareblog.com/2014/05/15/european-court-of-justice-strengthens-right-to-be-forgotten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a significant expansion of rights as it granted the right even where the information was rightfully made public</a>. The ECJ held that because search engines make it easier to find information, the search engine operators are responsible (i.e., are data controllers) with respect to search engine results. Search engine operators are therefore fully responsible for the content they display, and individuals have a right to request that links to third-party websites containing their personal data be deleted from search results when the personal data are inadequate, irrelevant, or excessive in relation to the purposes of the processing.Google responded to the ruling by using geolocation data to route users to the appropriate national version of its search engine and by de-referencing the relevant search results on its EU domains only. The CNIL, France’s data protection authority, subsequently levied a €100,000 fine on Google, asserting that Google should de-reference the search results all of its domains globally. Google appealed the fine to the ECJ.The Court’s ReasoningSiding with Google, the court reasoned that while both the Directive and the GDPR aim to guarantee a high level of protection of personal data throughout the EU, and “de-referencing carried out on all the versions of a search engine would meet that objective in full,” there is currently no obligation to do so under EU law. Instead, the court held that search engine operators need only carry out de-referencing on all of their EU Member State domains, regardless of the Member State from which the erasure request originates.In its decision, the court emphasized that it is not apparent from the text of either the Directive or the GDPR that the EU legislature intended for the right to be forgotten to have an extraterritorial reach.  An individual’s data protection rights are not absolute and must be balanced against other fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and information.  The court indicated that the EU legislature performed this balancing test for the EU only, and the outcome “is likely to vary significantly around the world.” Accordingly, the right to be forgotten is not necessarily recognized outside of the EU and there is currently no obligation under EU law for a search engine to de-reference its search results around the world.However, the court noted that while EU law does not require global de-referencing, it likewise does not prohibit it. As it has been left up to Member States to balance individual rights and the freedom of expression and information (based on <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/art-85-gdpr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GDPR Article 85</a>), a Member State’s supervisory authority or courts may reach a different conclusion on global de-referencing.The GDPR’s Extra-Territorial ApplicabilityWhile it may appear to be limited to search engines and the right to be forgotten, the court’s ruling is in fact much broader. The court already decided, in the 2014 Google Spain case, that Google Search in the United States is subject to the GDPR because its activities are inextricably linked with the activities of Google’s EU sales office. In that case, the court reasoned that the EU establishment was “intended to promote and sell in that Member State advertising space offered by the search engine which serves to make the service offered by the search engine profitable.” Selling advertising space renders the search engine economically profitable, while the search engine provides the platform on which the advertising activities are performed. As a result, the court held that Google’s activities in the U.S. and the EU are “inextricably linked” and the GDPR therefore applies directly to Google in the U.S. The subsequent question of whether the GDPR applies to personal data processed in the context of the EU domains only, or to all of Google’s processing activities in the U.S. (including those on non-EU domains), was left unresolved.The ECJ appears to answer that question in <a href="http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=218105&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=912312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this latest decision</a>. The ECJ ruled that although Google operates different national versions of its search engine, the “entire search engine must still be regarded as carrying out a single act of personal data processing” due to the existence of gateways between the various national versions.  In other words, because national versions of the Google search engine are considered part of a single act of processing, GDPR applies to data processing in the context of the entire search engine, not just the EU versions. This clarifies the court’s holding that national EU regulators and courts may conduct their own balancing test and potentially require de-referencing outside of the EU if they find that the processing is inextricably linked.The decision may also apply outside of the search engine context. Any company that operates a single service (such that it constitutes a single act of processing of personal data) and has establishments in the EU runs the risk that the GDPR will “taint” all of its global data processing operations. However, it remains to be seen whether regulators will focus enforcement on global processing of personal data. As the European Data Protection Board acknowledged in its (draft) <a href="https://edpb.europa.eu/sites/edpb/files/files/file1/edpb_guidelines_3_2018_territorial_scope_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guidance</a>, the GDPR’s territoriality principle (under <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/art-3-gdpr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article 3(1)</a>) should not be applied overly broadly, such that even a remote link to data processing in the EU would be sufficient to bring that processing within the GDPR’s scope. At a minimum, it seems highly unlikely that regulators will make such extraterritorial enforcement of GDPR a priority.

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Managing Partner, Brussels

Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Brussels office, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management. 

With more than a decade of experience, Mr. van der Wolk helps clients develop privacy strategies for digital transformations, industrial IoT, telematics, Big Data, commercial and marketing programs, a

Alex van der Wolk

Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Brussels office, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management.

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Forget Me…or Not: Europe’s High Court Limits Territorial Reach of Right to Be Forgotten, But Not of GDPR

Forget Me…or Not: Europe’s High Court Limits Territorial Reach of Right to Be Forgotten, But Not of GDPR

In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice—Europe’s highest court—dealt Google a clear win by placing a territorial limit on the “right to be forgotten

The government in Indonesia has warned the world’s biggest social media providers that they risk being banned in that country if they don’t block pornography and other content deemed obscene.A member of the House of Lords has proposed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/18/lords-push-for-children-to-be-protected-against-tech-giants-by-law" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an amendment to the U.K.’s data protection bill</a> that would subject technology companies to “minimum standards of age-appropriate design” such as not revealing the GPS locations of users younger than 16.A <a href="https://www.wpr.org/bill-would-make-online-catfishing-illegal-wisconsin">bill in Wisconsin</a> would make impersonating someone on social media a misdemeanor.Google’s general counsel wrote a blog post arguing that two new cases over <a href="https://www.sociallyawareblog.com/2015/05/28/status-updates-errand-apps-for-everyone-a-right-to-be-forgotten-update-your-entire-google-search-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">right-to-be-forgotten</a> requests and pending before the European Union’s top court put the search-engine company at risk of “restricting access to lawful and valuable information.”Trucking is a $700 billion industry that stands to save billions from automation, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/business/self-driving-trucks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> and will likely get self-driving vehicles on the road</a> sooner than most people expected.Social media platforms are often used to prey on potential sex trafficking victims, according to one FBI special agent.A recent study shows that searching for information from unofficial sources on social media during a crisis is likely to result in the spread of misinformation and anxiety. Researchers recommend that, to quash rumors, emergency management officials should stay in regular contact with people even if they don’t have any new information.This piece in Slate invites readers to <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/11/the_law_that_let_silicon_valley_stay_clueless_made_the_internet_we_have.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">imagine what the Internet would look like today if not for the passage of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act</a>, a statute that “says that in general, websites are not responsible for the things their users do or post.”An op-ed in USA Today compares to swift spread of infectious diseases that resulted from the concentration of populations in urban areas to the swift spread of ideas that accompanied the invention of the Internet, and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/11/20/social-media-threat-people-survived-disease-we-can-handle-twitter-glenn-reynolds-column/879185001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concludes that traditional training in critical thinking is as necessary to survive the latter as nutrition was to survive the former</a>.By allowing companies to provide consumers with verifiable information about things like their diversity-driven hiring practices and their products’ supply chains, <a href="https://www.ama.org/publications/marketingnews/pages/what-marketers-need-know-about-blockchain.aspx?utm_content=buffer6765f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&sthash.K1Ob0wns.mjjo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blockchain is going to change the marketing industry significantly</a>, the American Marketing Association reports.A high school senior who was bullied in middle school <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-and-the-pursuit-leadership/201711/meet-the-teen-who-discovered-the-secret-social" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">created Sit With Us</a>, the phone-based anti-bullying app that helps kids find a welcoming place to eat in their school cafeteria.

Aaron is the chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group and co-chair of the Interactive + Digital Media Group. He advises clients on a wide range of complex transactions involving intellectual property and technology, including structuring and negotiating strategic licensing, development, collaboration, procurement, and distribution deals.

Aaron Rubin

Social Links: Proposed legislation to outlaw “catfishing” & protect young Web users; blockchain technology’s impact on marketing

The government in Indonesia has warned the world’s biggest social media providers that they risk being banned in that country if they don’t block pornography an

Social Links: Proposed legislation to outlaw “catfishing” & protect young Web users; blockchain technology’s impact on marketing

Google unveiled <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2017/02/23/fighting-words-not-ideas-googles-new-ai-powered-toxic-speech-filter-is-the-right-approach/#3bca1d893462" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a new tool designed to combat toxic speech online</a> by assessing the language commenters use, as opposed to the ideas they express.Is <a href="https://qz.com/922193/should-sex-offenders-be-barred-from-facebook-fb-the-us-supreme-court-will-decide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a state law banning sex offenders from social media</a> unconstitutional? Based on their comments during oral arguments in <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2016/15-1194_0861.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Packingham v. North Carolina</a>, some <a href="https://qz.com/922444/a-us-supreme-court-discussion-of-free-speech-and-social-media-got-comically-postmodern/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Supreme Court justices may think so</a>.Facebook is implementing a feature that uses artificial intelligence to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/facebook-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-prevent-suicide?utm_term=.uf5Kd6M8dq#.fdAPdWjld3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identify posts reflecting suicidal inclinations</a>.<a href="http://venturebeat.com/2017/02/21/facebook-analytics-passes-1-million-apps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook Analytics for Apps</a> reached a significant milestone: It now supports more than 1 million apps.<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/youtube-tops-1-billion-hours-of-video-a-day-on-pace-to-eclipse-tv-1488220851" target="_blank" rel="noopener">So did YouTube</a>, which recently surpassed 1 billion hours of video per day.As many as <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/296359/ordinary-social-media-users-are-buying-likes-too.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15% of regular social media users</a>—that is, people, not businesses—are buying “likes” on social media?!The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct’s warning to judges about their use of social media was prompted by <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/272747/commission-on-judicial-conduct-warns-judges-of-social-media-perils/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this case</a> in which a St. Lawrence County town judge used Facebook to criticize the prosecution of a town council candidate.More than 40% of Americans incessantly <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/social-media-is-driving-americans-insane" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check their gadgets for new messages and social media status updates</a>, and it might be making them a little crazy.University of Manchester researchers have developed <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-03-scientists-reveal-super-fast.html?utm_content=bufferfb36e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a computer that is faster than any other</a> because its processors are made of DNA, which allows the computer to replicate itself.Mobile marketers can significantly increase the open rates of their <a href="https://www.urbanairship.com/push-notifications-explained" target="_blank" rel="noopener">push notifications</a> by doing <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2017/02/27/emojis-boost-boost-push-notification-open-rates-85-study-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one simple thing</a>: including emojis.A woman whose “starter marriage” was covered by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/weddings/165-years-of-wedding-announcements/removing-wedding-announcements" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times wedding announcements</a> section in 1989 might have been spared some angst if the United States had a <a href="http://www.sociallyawareblog.com/2015/05/28/status-updates-errand-apps-for-everyone-a-right-to-be-forgotten-update-your-entire-google-search-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Right to Be Forgotten</a>, as Europe does.

Social Links: YouTube reaches major milestone; Google tries to ferret out hate speech; justices consider constitutionality of barring social media access

Google unveiled a new tool designed to combat toxic speech online by assessing the language commenters use, as opposed to the ideas they express. Is a state law

Social Links: YouTube reaches major milestone; Google tries to ferret out hate speech; justices consider constitutionality of barring social media access

Over 30 workers at a Japanese insurance company are losing their jobs following the company’s adoption of IBM’s Watson Explorer, an artificial intelligence system that will perform an important back office function at the company.Medium laid off a big chunk of its team despite reporting impressive growth last year.Snapchat is being sued by one of its former employees for allegedly terminating his employment and ruining his reputation in retaliation for whistleblowing.In France, a new law requires companies to limit the time their employees are expected to respond to work-related email.A college student in New York, one of the few states that hasn’t adopted an anti-revenge-porn law, is seeking an injunction that would require Yahoo, Google and Bing to remove her full name from their search engines, which generate more than four pages of X-rated references when a user enters her name into them.Some children’s rights advocates think a Texas bill intended to help stop cyberbullying goes too far.Lots of consumers are discovering products on social media, but most of them aren’t purchasing products directly off of those platforms—yet.Trolls can undermine brands’ social media marketing efforts—unless their social media managers are as savvy as the person in charge of Wendy’s Twitter account.Speaking of brands on social media, Cinnabon’s Carrie Fisher tweet stirred up some controversy.Facebook temporarily banned Santa Claus’s account over the holidays.

Social Links: AI displaces insurance company employees; revenge-porn victim seeks injunction against search engines; Wendy’s wins Twitter war against a troll

Over 30 workers at a Japanese insurance company are losing their jobs following the company’s adoption of IBM’s Watson Explorer, an artificial intelligence syst

Social Links: AI displaces insurance company employees; revenge-porn victim seeks injunction against search engines; Wendy’s wins Twitter war against a troll

The latest issue of our Socially Aware newsletter is now available <a href="https://media2.mofo.com/v3/assets/blt5775cc69c999c255/blt60f442090c53a750/62730e355f7b601eaaebcd36/160823-socially-aware.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.In this issue of Socially Aware, our <a href="https://www.burtonawards.com/winners/law360-distinguished-legal-writing-award-winners-law-firms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Burton Award</a> winning guide to the law and business of social media, we discuss the impact online trolls are having on social media marketing; we revisit whether hashtags should be afforded trademark protection; we explain how an unusual New Jersey law is disrupting the ecommerce industry and creating traps for the unwary; we explore legal and business implications of the Pokémon Go craze; we examine a recent federal court decision likely to affect application of the Video Privacy Protection Act to mobile apps; we discuss a class action suit against an app developer that highlights the legal risks of transitioning app customers from one business model to another; and we describe how Europe’s Right to Be Forgotten has spread to Asia.All this—plus infographics illustrating the enormous popularity of Pokémon Go and the unfortunate prevalence of online trolling.

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Now Available: The August Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter

Now Available: The August Issue of Our Socially Aware Newsletter

The latest issue of our Socially Aware newsletter is now available here. In this issue of Socially Aware, our Burton Award winning guide to the law and business