4. Some Rules of Thumb
• When it comes to the law, “it depends”
– Gray areas are common
– Different facts change how the law is applied
• Common questions
– What is reasonable?
– What is foreseeable?
– What are my/my audiences expectations?
5. Just because you can,
should you?
• Legal vs. Ethical issues
– Gut check
– What are your values?
– Do you have a decision-making process?
• Would you/could you share your process?
6. The new legal issues?
• Posting offensive/inappropriate content
– Badmouthing others
• Copying what people find on websites
• Privacy expectations
– Social media files, emails, etc.
7. What every site should have
• Terms of Use
– Set boundaries for your users
• Privacy Policy
– Let your users know what information you
collect and how you use it
– Potential opt out options
8. What every web users should
know
• Duty to read
– Terms of Service/
Privacy policies
– User agreements
9. Danger Areas
• Defamation
– Key Point: Falsity of Fact
• Copyright
– Key Point: Market Value
• Privacy
– Key Point: Consent
11. What is Defamation?
• Injury to reputation caused by publishing
a false statement of fact AND
– A publisher was careless, reckless or had
knowledge of falsity
– The defamed person can be identified
• Public vs. Private person
– Injures a person or business/exposes
someone to hatred, ridicule or contempt
12. What is NOT Defamation?
• Who
– Libelproof Defendants
• Someone with an already tarnished reputation
– Deceased
– *More difficult* Public Figures
• Must prove actual malice
19. Content: Fact vs. Opinion
• Is it true?
• Can you determine if it is true or false?
• Context
20. What is not defamation?
• Content
– Opinions
• The “true or false” test
– Hyperbole
– Parody
21. Is it Defamatory?
• My neighbor John Smith is a stinking lush.
• In my opinion the mayor is an alcoholic.
• My attorney Dan Jackson is a crook.
• All Florida attorneys are crooks.
• Calling a TV show participant a “local
loser,” “chicken butt” and “big skank”
• Calling someone a pimp
22. Defamation Tips
• Create standards and follow them
– Accuracy (Check, double check and triple
check)
– Thoroughness (The more perspectives and
sources, the better)
– If you’re making a bold claim, make sure all
sides are represented (gives you more
credibility)
– Support opinions with on-the-record quotes
23. Defamation Tips
• We all make mistakes
– Promptly correcting or retracting inaccuracies
can boost your credibility with your audience
– Carefully investigate claims that you are
incorrect
24. Online Commenters
• Determine how you will moderate
comments
– Before or after publication
– Will you strike or edit comments?
• Thoughtfully craft your terms of service
• Authors: make your presence known
• Enable user comments only for stories
that will benefit from it/if you can handle it.
26. What Copyright Isn’t
• Not subject to copyright:
– Idea
– Concept
– Discovery
– Laws
– “Fair Use”
– “70 years rule”
27. Copyright Era vs.
Open-source World
• Copyright-era language
– Scoop, byline, beat, etc.
• Open-source language
– Collaboration, retweeting, embeddable
content, etc.
28. Copyright Issues in Linking
• Deep Linking: Putting a link on your site
that opens a specific page on another
site.
• Inline Linking: Embedding HTML code on
your site so it displays content directly
from another site.
29. Copyright Issues in Social Media
• Typically the original author owns the
copyright (should clarify this with
contract).
• Some posts do not meet minimal creative
threshold and may not have copyright
protection.
• Aggregation can bring up copyright issues
.
30. Fair Use Factors
• Subjective balancing test
• Four areas
– Purpose and character
– Nature of work
– Amount of work used
– Market value effect
31. Fair Use
• Purpose & character (in the public interest)
– News reporting
– Non-profit
– Adds a new meaning to the original work
32. Fair Use
• Nature of the work
– Creative work is more protected than fact-
based work
33. Fair Use
• Amount of work used (relative)
– Not necessarily based on proportion
– Look at the “heart” of the work
– Too little for fair use: “de minimis”
36. Online Commenters
• “Notice and takedown”
– DCMA protects publishers
• You will generally not be liable if you promptly
take down a comment after being notified by a
copyright owner
37. Copyright Tips
• Create your own work
• If you do use others’ work …
– Ask for permission
– Give credit
– Ensure that it is fair use
38. What is Privacy?
• Publishing personal information without
permission
• Intrusion into personal space
• False light (in some states)
• Right of publicity (commercial
misappropriation)
39. What is Privacy?
• Personally Identifiable
Information
• Personally
Embarrassing
Information
41. When is Privacy Violated?
• When an aggrieved person has a
– Reasonable expectation of privacy (no
established method to determine this)
42. Are Posts Private?
• Public postings on public sites (i.e.
Twitter) are not private.
• Secured Communication Act may protect
posts on:
– Password-protected sites
– If poster has deliberately prevented outside
users from viewing site
43.
44. Elements of Intrusion
• Intentional invasion of someone’s private
affairs
• Reasonably offensive
• Private matter
• Mental Anguish
45. Privacy Tips
• Gather content from public places and
public sources
• Be cautious when technology lets you
intrude (lenses, microphones, etc)
• Get consent, when possible.
• Rely on public information
46. Is it Private?
• Who owns the tool or account being used?
• Where are the messages stored?
• What network is the information traveling
through?
• Are the messages being sent on employer
time?
• Does the employee affiliate with employer in
message?
47. What Can I Do?
• Have a process/ policy
– Coach people on how to use the tools and
the importance of good judgment
• If you’re posting content from others from
social media to your site, consider the
benefits of a moderator
50. Resources
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
– http://www.eff.org/
• Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the
Press
– http://www.rcfp.org/
• Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and
Other Publishers
– http://www.newsu.org
• Citizen Media Law Project
– http://www.citmedialaw.org/
51. For More Information
• Section 512 of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act
• CDA 230 (Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act)
Notas del editor
"[Name of website] will not collect any personal information about you except when you specifically and knowingly provide such information Privacy: When a user visits a website, he or she provides personal information to the website operator simply by virtue of browsing, reading, and downloading material. This information includes IP address, user configuration settings, and what website referred the user to the site, among other things. It is better to tell users that this type of information is being collected automatically on standard web server access logs. .
Private Figures: the amount of research undertaken prior to publication; the trustworthiness of sources; attempts to verify questionable statements or solicit opposing views; and whether the defendant followed other good journalistic practices.
Public Figure District 2 St. Pete Councilperson Calvin Harris
High School wresting coach The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 7-2 in favor of Milkovich in a landmark 1980 decision that he is not a public figure and therefore not subject to a published opinion. One reason is in his 27 years of coaching (1950-77), he had a dual meet record of 265-25-2. From 1963-72, his teams won 102 consecutive matches, which is still a state record. He also guided the Mustangs to 10 state team titles and nine state runners-up, and had 37 individual champions - the last being his nephew Jamie, who is the team's current coach. The other reason is for a landmark Supreme Court ruling. On Feb. 9, 1974, a brawl erupted among wrestlers at a match between Maple Heights High School and Mentor High School covered by J. Theodore Diadiun, who at the time was sports editor for the Willoughby News-Herald. Diadiun is now The Plain Dealer's reader representative. Milkovich filed a libel action against Diadiun and the News-Herald for what Diadiun wrote in a column following a Ohio High School Athletic Association hearing about the fracas.
Cliff Lee’s wife Time, Inc. v. Firestone 1976 (Florida Supreme Court) (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across
Limited: (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across
Limited: (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across
No such thing as a false idea.
When false, these are defamatory (if they are true, then not defamatory) (in most state) No, yes, Yes, yes, no, maybe but probably no. 3: They concluded the term has "no generally recognized meaning." 2: “Our dad’s a pimp. . . . We’re interested in the underclass.” “dad dabbled in pimportial arts” –had to be false because he HAD been a pimp in the past, and that was good enough could not be used to support the truth of the statement. Vanity Fair mag, Allen Hughes and Albert Hughs Jr. Evil kenieval picture with his wife and another woman( No – not reasonbaly defamied)
if you wish to criticize a novelist, you should have the freedom to quote a portion of the novelist's work without asking permission. Absent this freedom, copyright owners could stifle any negative comments about their work. if you wish to criticize a novelist, you should have the freedom to quote a portion of the novelist's work without asking permission. Absent this freedom, copyright owners could stifle any negative comments about their work.
Benefit to the public- unpublished work gets more protection because author gets the first shot at publishing
Does not typically apply to Parody WEIRD AL De minimis: Movie Seven: appear fleetingly and are obscured, severely out of focus, and virtually unidentifiable."
Gather not necessarily publish
Not for Facebook… but this is more for privates websites
Phyiscial invasion, or electronic/optical invasion “ use of ultra-powerful or highly sensitive equipment was the only way you were able to obtain your information or recording. "
Consent is implied if you tell them you are in the media All parties need to be aware a conversation is being recorded