This document summarizes key issues in internet law in 2013. It discusses the scope of immunity for interactive computer services under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and exceptions carved out by courts. It also covers ongoing debates around net neutrality and efforts by states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes. Emerging issues include new generic top-level domains, regulatory approaches to sharing economy businesses, copyright enforcement by ISPs and networks, and the 10th anniversary of CAN-SPAM legislation.

1. INTERNET LAW 2013
Bennet Kelley

2. CDA IMMUNITY
The Law
 No provider or user of an
interactive computer service
shall be treated as the
publisher or speaker of any
information provided by
another content providers.
 “By its plain language § 230
creates a federal immunity to
any cause of action that would
make service providers liable
for information originating with
a third-party user of the
service.”
Zeran v. American Online, Inc., 129 F.3d
3 2 7 , 3 3 0 ( 4 th C i r . 1 9 9 7 ) , c e r t . d e n i e d , 2 4
U.S. 937 (1998).

3. EXCEPTIONS
 Roommates.com
Site developing questionnaire that
elicited potentially discriminatory
information from users rendered site
an internet content provider.
F a i r H o u s i n g v . R o o m a t e s . c o m , 4 8 9 F . 3 d 9 2 1 ( 9 th
Cir. 2007).
 TheDirty.com
“the manner in which it is managed,
and the personal comments of
defendant . . ., the defendants have
specifically encouraged development
of what is offensive about the
content of the site.”
Jones v. Dirty World Entertainment, 840 F.
Supp.2d 1008 (E.D. Ky. 2012)
47 State Attorneys
General petitioned
Congress to exempt
state criminal laws from
Section 230

4. ABSOLUTE

5. NOT-SO ABSOLUTE

6. FTC UPDATES DOTCOM
DISCLOSURES
Hey @InternetLawCent check out our new
.com Disclosure Guides. Its Free*!

7. THE FOUR P S
P ROMINENCE
I s i t b i g e n o u g h f o r c o n s um ers t o
n o t i ce?
P RESENTATION
I s wo r d i n g a n d f o r m a t e a s y f o r
c o n s um ers t o u n d e rstan d?
P LACEMENT
I s i t wh e r e c o n s u m e r s wi l l l o o k ?
P ROXIMITY
Is it close to the claim it qualifies?

8. MULTI-PLATFORMS
WEB
MOBILE

9. EXPLAIN
HYPERLINKS

10. THE CURSE OF 140 CHARACTERS

11. UOANHO
SYNDROME
“ J u l i e B r o wn –
PS”
Use
Of
Acronym
Nobody’s
Heard
Of

12. THE AMAZON
TAX
GOES TO
WASHINGTON

13. AMAZON TAX
 Quill v North Dakota:
Adopts Bright Line Rule
under Due Process and
Commerce Clause: Need
Physical Presence in State
to Be Required to Collect
Sales Taxes
504 U.S. 298 (1992)
 New York “Amazon Tax”.
Deemed to have in-state
presence if
 Affiliate Marketers who
receive commissions
 generate gross receipts in
excess of $10,000 during
preceding four quarters

14. AMAZON TAX
ALL EYES ON WASHINGTON
 NEW YORK COURT PUNTS
UPHOLDS LAW
 The world has changed dramatically in the last
two decades, and it may be that the physical
presence test is outdated. An entity may now
have a profound impact upon a foreign
jurisdiction solely through its virtual projection
via the Internet. That question, however, would
be for the United States Supreme Court to
consider.
 Amazon has filed petition for cert.
Overstock.com v. New York, 20 NY3d 586 (2013).
 ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
STRIKES DOWN LAW
 Violates Internet Tax Fairness Act (47 USC
Section 151) by imposing discriminatory
obligations.
 Performance Marketing Ass’n v Hamer, 2013 IL
114496 (2013).

15. AMAZON TAX
ALL EYES ON WASHINGTON
 MARKETPLACE FAIRNESS
ACT STALLS IN THE HOUSE
 Allow states to collect online sales
tax if they are part of Streamlined
Sales and Use Tax Agreement
 Small Business Exemption
 Passed Senate 69-27
 Stalled in the House

16. CASES TO WATCH

17. VERIZON & WYNDHAM
NET NEUTRALITY
 Verizon v FCC
 Challenge to 2010 Open
Internet Order
 Argued September 9 th
 Verizon Communications Inc. v. Federal
Communications Commission, D.C. Cir., No.
11-1355
WYNDHAM HOTELS
 Challenge to FTC Consent
Decree over Data Breach
.
 Wyndham Moves to Dismiss:
The FTC has not published any rules
o r r e g u l a t i o n s t h a t m i g h t p r o vi d e t h e
b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y wi t h . . . n o t i c e
o f wh a t d a t a - s e c u r i t y p r o t e c t i o n s a
company must employ to comply
wi t h S e c t i o n 5 . . . .
 Proponents Argue Many of
the Harms Net Neutrality
Sought to Prevent Are
Occurring
 Data Caps, Discriminatory
Treatment

FTC v. W yndham W orldwide (No. Case 2:13 cv-01887-ES-SCM ) (D.N.J.)

18. IN BRIEF
 ICANN gTLDs
 Number of new gTLD applications
received: 1,930
 Active applications: 1,814
 Uber, AirBnB and other emerging
business models v. 20 th Century
Regulatory Regimes
 ISP, Ad Network Copyright
Enforcement
 CAN-SPAM turns 10

19. BENNET KELLEY
B e n n e t K e l l e y i s t h e f o u n d e r o f t h e I n t e r n e t L a w C e n t e r.
H e p r e vi o u s l y h a d wo r k e d i n - h o u s e wi t h i n t e r n e t m a r k e t i n g
a n d e - c o mm e r c e c o m p a n i e s s u c h a s Va l u e Cl i c k .
Internet Law Center
100 Wilshire #940
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.internetlawcenter.net
Twitter: InternetLawCent
WPBlog: ILCCyberReport
H e i s t h e p u b l i s h e r o f t h e a wa r d - wi n n i n g n e ws l e t t e r C y b e r
Report and host of Cyber Law and Business Report on
W e b ma s t e r R a d i o . fm .
I n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g Vi c e - C h a i r o f t h e Te c h n o l o g y, I n t e r n e t
a n d P r i va c y I n t e r e s t G r o u p o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a B a r I P L a w
S e c t i o n , B e n n e t p r e vi o u s l y s e r ve d a s C o - C h a i r o f t h e
B u s i n e s s L a w’s C yb e r s p a c e C o m m i t t e e wh e r e h e l e d t h e
e ff o r t t o c r e a t e a c yb e r s p a c e l a w p r i m e r f o r s t a t e
p o l i c ym a k e r s .
B e n n e t wa s s e l e c te d b y t h e U . S . D e p a r t me n t o f C o m m e r c e
t o p r e s e n t o n e - c o m me r c e i s s u e s a t t h e 1 7 t h U . S . - C h i n a
L e g a l E xc h a n g e i n C h i n a . H e a l s o wa s s e l e c te d b y a
leading NGO to participate in a discussion of internet law
wi t h l e a d i n g C h i n e s e n e t i z e n s .
B e n n e t g r a d u a t e d m a n g a c u m l a u d e f r o m G e o r g e to wn
U n i ve r s i t y L a w C e n t e r a n d i s a d m i t t e d i n C a l i f o r n i a , t h e
D i s t r i c t o f C o l u m b i a a n d M a r yl a n d ( i n a c t i ve ) .