Daily Archives: October 14, 2011

Copyright Slappdown: Could Businesses Use IP Law to Nuke Bad Online Reviews?

In the social media fueled economy, forward-thinking businesses are obligated to be concerned about their reputation on the web – drawing negative heat on a popular site can impact the bottom line.Until recently, a defamation suit against the user was the primary legal prophylactic for bad online buzz.But that was an unappetizing fix, not only because the Communications Decency Act (CDA) places the deep third-party pockets out of reach, but also because such suits carry the risk of running afoul of state anti-Slapp statutes.Now, businesses may have a new tactic – contractually acquiring prospective intellectual property rights in their customers’ online commentary.

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