: In almost every context, first impressions are key. I would argue that, for lawyers, communicating clear expectations during thatfirst meeting is an essential skill. It is not a skill that comes easily. I have spoken about this topic with many lawyers over the years. There seems to be a clear divide between newly-called lawyers who have a tendency to make grand promises and seasoned lawyers who temper expectations. There is no “right” or “wrong” approach here. Everyone has to figure out their own style. My own style hasbeen to keep expectations low…. very low. I conduct on average . . . [more] The post Managing Client Expectations appeared first on Slaw
: The often-blurred lines, as among legal information publishing, legal information technology, legal research tools and beyond, certainly give the impression that the only serious moving and shaking is that which focuses on artificial intelligence, though perhaps almost exclusively at the top end of the legal practice market . It would be safe to suggest, however, that even if law publishing activity is not as we have known it in the past, reports of its death may havebeen somewhat exaggerated . In recent times, my attention hasbeen grabbed by online soliciting from UK law publishers, among them, for example, . . . [more] The post Meanwhile, Law Publishing Life Goes On appeared first on Slaw
: Every now and again, a mainstream occurrence helps inform the general public about the world of dispute resolution. Often through the world of sports. Mediation has resolved a hockey lockout . Arbitration has resolved salary disputes between player and team. This summer, we encountered another one. A trade that would return Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors hasbeen delayed pending the outcome of an investigation surrounding an alleged salary cap circumvention. Fans frustrated by the delay have wondered why the ongoing investigation cannot be sped up. Some media have speculated that this was possible, though at the time of . . . [more] The post You Can’t Hurry Judge appeared first on Slaw
: How many times have you asked someone , “ how are you?” Similarly, how many times have you been asked the same question? If we think about this, the question becomes very mundane and actually quite meaningless. “How are you?” has become a customary greeting, wherein we don’t expect to receive or give a response that is more than “I am okay. Recently, after being asked by a friend “how are you?” I realized in mid answer, that this person was not even listening to what I was saying. I am certain that many of you have found yourselves in . . . [more] The post The Wellness Lawyer: “How Are You?” appeared first on Slaw
: Police use of force continues to be a significant problem in American law and society. Recent discussions have focused on doctrinal issues such as what type of force is considered “reasonable” under the Fourth Amendment and the propriety of qualified immunity as a defense that can shield law enforcement from civil litigation. However, there hasbeen little commentary on how these and other legal questions might be informed by medicine — specifically, victim diagnoses that might effectively absolve officers from criminal prosecution or civil liability. The post Excited Delirium, Policing, and the Law of Evidence appeared first on Harvard Law Review
: Claim number: M00LU691 In the County Court at Luton Luton Justice Centre 5 June 2026 Before: His Honour Judge Davies Between: Luton community housing limited (“squared”) -v- 1. Christopher Earl 2. David Earl 3. Charlotte Earl 4. Roger Litchfield MR VAUGHAN appeared on behalf of the Claimant THE FOURTH DEFENDANT appeared In Person (part) NO APPEARANCE by or on behalf of all other Defendants Judgement (approved) This Transcript is Crown Copyright. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part, other than in accordance with relevant licence or with the express consent of the Authority. All rights are reserved. WARNING: reporting restrictions may apply to the contents transcribed in this document, particularly if the case concerned a sexual offence or involved a child. Reporting restrictions prohibit the publication of the applicable information to the public or any section of the public, in writing, in a broadcast or by means of the internet, including social media. Anyone who receives a copy of this transcript [...]
: The troika of artificial intelligence, pricing, and talent transience hasbeen with us for some time now. As a result, traditional pyramid-structured law firms grappling with these bet-the-business juggernauts are at an inflection point. I propose a flatter way forward. I havebeen writing and talking about this issue for many years, most recently as part of my ‘The Law Firm’ series: Pyramid Rollover , Private Equity Puzzle , Disappearing Act , Foundational Rebuild , and now this one, Inflection Point. My argument throughout this series is that traditional law firm pyramid structures will not hold against AI, pricing, and . . . [more] The post The Law Firm Inflection Point appeared first on Slaw
: The growth of self-representation in all adjudicative settings may ultimately require a new approach to adjudication that is even more fundamental than a root and branch overhaul of procedure and practice. What legislators and courts may need to consider is the development of forums that are focused on and limited to adjudicating cases involving SRLs. Such courts would channel cases involving SRLs into a specific forum where court participants, including the adjudicator and court staff and any required wrap-around services, would exclusively plan for and engage with litigants who do not have legal representation. One such experiment hasbeen underway . . . [more] The post Imagining a Possible Future: Self-Represented Litigant Courts appeared first on Slaw
: Is the re-examination of past decisions sapping the justice system’s capacity to hear and decide legal disputes at first instance? Our system has numerous ways to reopen past decisions and let a new set of adjudicators and advocates root around for errors: review, reconsideration, and motions to set aside or reopen as well as appeal itself. These re-examinations constitute a necessary organ, which serves essential functions in the justice system: correcting legal errors, delineating and refining legal rules, making new common law, and ensuring that administrative decision-makers do not exceed their jurisdiction. And yet these procedures have arguably been allowed . . . [more] The post Appellate Hypertrophy in the Canadian Justice System appeared first on Slaw
: The Society for Children and Youth of BC (SCYBC) recently published a series of research papers on child capacity in the context of children’s participation rights [Note 1]. The papers examine capacity generally and in four specific contexts: health care, mental health, family law, and child welfare and adoption. Why does this matter? Traditionally, we have tended to assume that a child must first demonstrate sufficient “capacity” before being permitted to meaningfully participate in decisions affecting their life. And capacity has often been assessed primarily through the lens of cognitive ability. The SCYBC reports challenge both assumptions. I found them . . . [more] The post Busting Myths About Children’s Capacity to Meaningfully Participate appeared first on Slaw
: Muriel Cohen’s book contributes to a burgeoning scholarship about Algerians’ place in France in the 20th century. It is part of a historiography that grapples with France’s troubled and troubling history as an imperial nation state. Cohen identifies her goal “to bring out the uniqueness of Algerian family immigration” by considering both their interaction with the state and the “multiple pathways” they took (p. 22). In other words, she reminds us that Algerians’ experiences havebeen more diverse than depictions—in the media and in political circles—have allowed. Cohen’s work traces the medium durée (p. 19) from the end of World War II through the early Mitterrand administration. It builds on previous scholarship. Structurally, the book has three sections which follow chronologically. The first examines the period of the Algerian War for Independence (1954-1962). Her chapters focus on key problems the French administration identified—housing, social services, and education—via a
: Franchise Fundamentals: Taking a deep dive into the Franchise Disclosure Document lfair May 23, 2023 | 6:41PM Franchise Fundamentals: Taking a deep dive into the Franchise Disclosure Document By Lesley Fair Love at first sight may (or may not) be a real thing, but when it comes to investing your money, it’s unwise to fall for a franchise without first subjecting it to tough-minded scrutiny. The third in the FTC’s Franchise Fundamentals blog series walks through an essential part of that evaluation: an in-depth review of the Financial Disclosure Document (FDD) required by the FTC’s Franchise Rule . You must receive the Franchise Disclosure Document at least 14 days before you’re asked to sign any contract or pay any money to the franchisor or one of its affiliates. In fact, you have the right to the FDD once the franchisor has received your application and agrees to consider it. So speak up if you don’t receive it and ask questions – lots of them – as you review the FDD and any attached documents. Image Ind[...]
: Today, 22 states joined the Federal Trade Commission in filing suit against Amazon, alleging that the company engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that secretly inflated prices in its online search advertising auctions. The complaint alleges that, for over seven years, Amazon has covertly and substantially increased the prices that more than one million brands and sellers were required to pay to advertise on its platform. As a result, the complaint alleges that Amazon’s scheme has likely extracted tens of billions of dollars from its unwitting advertising customers. “When one of the world’s largest online retailers engages in unfair and deceptive conduct, the impact can be staggering,” said Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. “Amazon has millions of advertising customers who were misled into paying significantly higher prices. These higher costs were largely passed on to American consumers. The FTC under President Trump won’t allow this deception to continue.” The FTC, along with the attorneys general of Ala[...]
: UEFA European Football Championship and sports betting: the French Gambling Authority (ANJ) gathers operators and announces a dynamic and structuring action plan admin lun 13/09/2021 - 16:45 On 20 July 2021, the French Gambling Authority (ANJ) gathered sports betting’s operators in order to make the overview of the European Football Championship thathasbeen scarred by some abuses. Resulting from a constructive exchange, these operators have agreed on the necessity to proceed at a rebalancing of their practices in order to preserve the recreational model of the French gambling market. As such, the ANJ introduced an action plan that seeks to reinforce operators’ compliance, to adapt and complete existing tools and, where required, to use sanctioning procedures. English Questionable practices highlighted during the European Football Championship UEFA European Football Championship 2021 confirmed the growing place of sports bets in France with EUR 434 million of online stakes. The French team matches have arou[...]
: September 30 hasbeen a significant date in Canada since 2013, when Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation shared her story of attending St. Joseph’s Residential School in Williams Lake, BC, for the first time in 1973. As a youngster , she proudly wore her shiny new orange shirt, only to have it taken from her by the school. Since then, Orange Shirt Day hasbeen a national movement in Canada where people across the country wear orange in honour of Phyllis and other residential school survivors, so that we both recognize and raise awareness of the history and legacies of the Canadian residential school system. This year’s Orange Shirt Day, September 30, 2021, is also the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. As part of its mandate, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization Committee (DIDC) of CALL/ACBD is committed to fostering awareness and acumen in respect of issues of diversity, inclusion, and decolonization within all sectors of law librarianship and related[...]
: Alexandra Farolan, Library Assistant | Courthouse Libraries BC 1. Tell us a little about your educational background and how you entered the legal information industry. I am currently a Library Information and Technology Diploma student at Langara College. Prior to this, I worked on two certificate programs through the British Columbia Institute of Technology (Office Administrator with Technology and Medical Office Assisting). I worked as a registration and health records clerk for a few years in the hospitals. Managing patient records introduced me to the processes of information preservation and confidentiality which in turn piqued my interest in legislation pertaining to freedom of information. I've also had some personal experiences which have lead to my overall interest in examining opportunities in the legal industry. I generally find knowing more about my rights is empowering and being surrounded professionally in an industry that serves those who advocate and rally for rights is something I [...]
: UEFA European Football Championship and sports betting: the French Gambling Authority (ANJ) gathers operators and announces a dynamic and structuring action plan admin lun 13/09/2021 - 16:45 On 20 July 2021, the French Gambling Authority (ANJ) gathered sports betting’s operators in order to make the overview of the European Football Championship thathasbeen scarred by some abuses. Resulting from a constructive exchange, these operators have agreed on the necessity to proceed at a rebalancing of their practices in order to preserve the recreational model of the French gambling market. As such, the ANJ introduced an action plan that seeks to reinforce operators’ compliance, to adapt and complete existing tools and, where required, to use sanctioning procedures. English Questionable practices highlighted during the European Football Championship UEFA European Football Championship 2021 confirmed the growing place of sports bets in France with EUR 434 million of online stakes. The French team matches have arou[...]
: A revised first edition of the Canadian Open Access Legal (COAL) Citation Guide/Guide canadien de la référence juridique en accès libre (RJAL) is now available. The guide’s editors have incorporated reader feedback and corrections into a revised edition. Some of the changes include moving the general rules to their own section and revising rules on citing regularly updated books, regulations, administrative decisions, and generative AI for greater clarity and increased consistency across the guide. Additions to the guide include guidance on creating a bibliography/table of authorities and on citing reports, dissertations, municipal by-laws, court materials, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - Crown Treaties, amongst other sources. A more detailed list is in the guide’s introduction. Since the publication of the guide in June 2024, the editors have led multiple online training sessions and conference workshops. We are now working on training materials that reflect the revised edition. The francophone editors c[...]
: You can read outgoing CALL President George Tsiakos' last From the President's Desk column on our website. In it, George outlines some of the CALL Board's many recent accomplishments: "One of the Board highlights of the past year hasbeen supporting the organization of the first in-person annual conference in four years (...) With so many members expressing their eagerness to come together in person once again, I am thrilled that we are able to provide this opportunity (...)" "Another Board accomplishment I am particularly proud of is the initiation of a strategic planning process. This process aims to develop a new plan that will guide the Executive Board's work over the coming years. By engaging in this activity, we are ensuring that the Association remains responsive to the needs of our community. We are currently in the final drafting stages and will soon unveil a comprehensive plan that outlines our goals and objectives for the future." "With the help of National Office, we have also been working har[...]
: Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced that grocery delivery provider Instacart will pay $60 million in refunds to consumers to settle allegations that the company engaged in numerous unlawful tactics that harmed shoppers and raised the cost of grocery shopping for Americans. Instacart will be required to cease its deceptive practices under a proposed FTC order, and consumers who were charged for Instacart+ without their express informed consent will receive refunds as a result of the settlement. “Instacart misled consumers by advertising free delivery services—and then charging consumers to have groceries delivered—and failing to disclose to consumers that signed up for a free trial that they would be automatically enrolled into its subscription program,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is focused on monitoring online delivery services to ensure that competitors are transparently competing on price and delivery terms.” The FTC has alleged that[...]
: Spilling the beans: The anatomy of a diet craze lfair January 26, 2015 | 1:07PM Spilling the beans: The anatomy of a diet craze By Lesley Fair Some people call it the “Oz Effect” – the bump in consumer demand after a product or ingredient is featured on the The Dr. Oz Show. In a just-announced settlement, the FTC says defendants Lindsey Duncan, Pure Health LLC, and Genesis Today, Inc., took advantage of that phenomenon by deceptively touting the purported weight loss benefits of green coffee bean extract . The complaint recounts how defendant Duncan fueled a diet craze. The story has it all: a national TV appearance, a popular host, claims that people would lose weight without diet or exercise, and a comprehensive marketing campaign designed to take advantage of all of the above. The only thing missing, according to the FTC, was proof the product actually worked. As the complaint recounts, a Dr. Oz producer contacted Texas-based Lindsey Duncan, who had been on the show before, about an appearance to talk abo[...]
: A clothes look at the RN database: Q&A with FTC staff lfair October 5, 2017 | 11:18AM A clothes look at the RN database: Q&A with FTC staff By Lesley Fair It’s not much bigger than a postage stamp, but the label on many textile, wool, and fur products provides important information, including fiber content, country of origin, and a company name or Registered Identification Number (RN). The FTC administers the RN system and industry members will want to check out recent upgrades to the RN website . With RNs and labels on our mind, we asked some common RN-related questions to attorney Josh Millard, whom we’d label as one of the FTC’s go-to people on the subject. First things first. What’s an RN? JOSH: A Registered Identification Number (RN) is a numerical designation – the prefix RN followed by a set of digits – that identifies the company responsible for marketing, distributing or otherwise handling a product covered by the Textile, Wool, and Fur Acts. Because some labels are small and some company names a[...]
: The governance principle is an important aspect of good governance, and its implementation is believed to have a good impact on governance outcomes, such as corruption reduction and performance improvement. The governance principle hasbeen developed for several types of organisations. However, previous studies did not focus on the rural local administration’s governance. This study aims to develop a good governance principle for the rural local administration. There are four objectives of this study: first, to identify governance principles and their indicators in the literature; second, to create a governance principle using exploratory factor analysis; third, to model the governance principle using the structural equation model (SEM); and finally, to analyse any different perceptions about the governance principles for the rural local administration using univariate analysis. The result showed that 33 indicators of governance principles were identified through the literature. Using 238 usable questionnair[...]
: Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements wfg-adm109 June 13, 2012 | 12:25PM Speaking of Spokeo: Part 2 — The company’s allegedly bogus endorsements By Lesley Fair The lawsuit against data broker Spokeo is the FTC’s first Fair Credit Reporting Act case addressing the collection of online info — including data from social networking sites — when used in the context of employment screening. But that’s not the only way the Spokeo settlement touches on social media. The FTC also charged that Spokeo violated Section 5 by having employees post glowing recommendations of the company’s services on news and technology websites without disclosing their true identity. Perhaps just the work of a rogue cubicle occupant? No, said the FTC. According to the complaint , Spokeo directed its employees to write the comments. Spokeo managers then edited what they wrote and had the staffers post the endorsements using account names provided by Spokeo. The purpose, says the FTC, was to give read[...]
: Fighting Coronavirus scams: Taking stock chundycz May 8, 2020 | 9:01AM Fighting Coronavirus scams: Taking stock By Andrew Smith, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the FTC has released dozens of warning letters against people trying to make an illegal buck off the Coronavirus. More than a month in, it seems like a good time to look back at what’s happened. If you follow this blog, you’ll know these havebeen busy weeks – with advice about spotting the many scams we’re all facing, news of the warning letters sent on a wide range of scams, and some enforcement actions filed. You might wonder: Why send letters? Why not just sue the !*$@&#? Fair question. But the letters are working. And, given the scope of the scams out there right now, we want to get the best and fastest results we can with the most efficient tool we have. Right now, for these Coronavirus-related issues, that’s warning letters. In general, here’s how it goes: We spot someone advertising some[...]
: The Federal Trade Commission’s initial findings from its surveillance pricing market study revealed that details like a person’s precise location or browser history can be frequently used to target individual consumers with different prices for the same goods and services. The staff perspective is based on an examination of documents obtained by FTC staff’s 6(b) orders sent to several companies in July aiming to better understand the shadowy market that third-party intermediaries use to set individualized prices for products and services based on consumers’ characteristics and behaviors, like location, demographics, browsing patterns and shopping history. Staff found that consumer behaviors ranging from mouse movements on a webpage to the type of products that consumers leave unpurchased in an online shopping cart can be tracked and used by retailers to tailor consumer pricing. “Initial staff findings show that retailers frequently use people’s personal information to set targeted, tailored prices for goods[...]
: Root, root root for the regions lfair September 24, 2018 | 2:03PM Root, root root for the regions By Andrew Smith, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection T his year eight major league baseball teams are celebrating milestone anniversaries – and so are the FTC’s regional offices. In 1918, the Commission opened the first three of its regional offices. Today, eight regional offices continue to knock it out the park on behalf of America’s consumers. So it’s only fitting that on this momentous day we acknowledge the regional offices’ century of pennant-winning performances. According to the Commission’s 1918 Annual Report, “In order to expedite the greatly increased work of the Commission . . . small branch offices were established in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.” Over time, the FTC has added other locations for a current total of eight offices in seven regions. Regional staff work with the Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Bureau of Competition on investigations and litigation. But they are in [...]
: Hannah Steeves, the Instruction & Reference Librarian at the Sir James Dunn Law Library, Dalhousie University (Halifax), recently wrote an article on "Using Vinyl & Spotify to Understand Legal Information Online" . It originally appeared on Slaw.ca on February 15, 2022 . Most legal research is done online through a combination of open and subscription databases. Legal information is available at our fingertips through Justice Laws, LEGISinfo, CanLII, Westlaw, Lexis, ProView, SOQUIJ, [insert your preferred database here], and the list goes on. The availability of electronic resources has radically changed—and will continue to change—the way legal professionals conduct research. However, despite my enthusiasm for the improved accessibility and retrievability, I think the lack of engagement that new legal researchers have with print resources creates comprehension issues. The disconnect between a source’s print and electronic formats reduces their understanding of the process used to create the document. Unders[...]
: FTC asks “Do consumers notice class action notices?” lfair September 9, 2019 | 11:17AM FTC asks “Do consumers notice class action notices?” By Lesley Fair Do consumers notice consumer class action notices? That’s one of the topics that experts will discuss at an upcoming FTC workshop on issues related to communicating with consumers about class actions . Set for October 29, 2019, in Washington, DC, Consumers and Class Action Notices: An FTC Workshop will feature panelists from a wide range of perspectives exploring what the research suggests about notice methods, claims rates, and redress – and what can be done to improve consumer participation in class action settlements. To enhance our understanding of the issues, FTC staff just released a report summarizing the findings of two studies involving consumer class actions. In the first study, we looked at a sample of more than 140 cases and analyzed how variables like notice methods and compensation amounts affected consumer claims and check-cashing rates. A s[...]
: This article belongs to the debate » Thinking Machines, Thinking Lawyers14 October 2026The (Currently) Uneven Intelligence of AI in Comparative Constitutional Law From Years of Research to a Single Prompt? Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to accelerate and improve the quality of research. This potential has inspired numerous projects exploring how AI could help scholarship on constitutional law. For example, there is research using AI to interpret constitutions,1) apply constitutional principles,2) and predict court rulings.3) Even the question of whether AI could improve the process of constitution-making hasbeen studied.4) AI’s potential is particularly significant for comparative constitutional research. Systematically comparing legal systems requires locating sources from different jurisdictions, which are often difficult to access and only available in local languages. The creation of comparative legal datasets has thus involved considerable personnel, time, and financial resources. AI ca[...]
: The Federal Trade Commission announced today that is considering whether to update its Rule on Impersonation of Government and Businesses or take other action to prevent online platforms from engaging in ad-optimization practices that may be furthering impersonation scams. In an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to be published in the Federal Register , the FTC is seeking comment on the extent to which ad-optimization tools and services offered by social media, search engines and other digital marketplace platforms further efforts by scammers to impersonate legitimate businesses and government agencies using online ads. “Free markets depend on trust, transparency and consumers’ ability to make informed choices. Impersonation scams—especially when amplified by digital platforms that profit from them—do more than rob Americans of their hard-earned money,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “They erode the very foundation that allows competitive markets[...]
: The Federal Trade Commission is taking action against Illusory Systems Inc. for failing to implement adequate data security measures, leading to a major security breach in which hackers stole $186 million from consumers. Under a proposed order settling the FTC’s allegations, Utah-based Illusory, which does business as Nomad, will be required to implement an information security program to address numerous alleged security failures and to return recovered money to affected consumers. “The FTC Act requires companies to take reasonable security measures,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “It’s important that companies live up to their security promises to consumers.” In its complaint , the FTC alleged that Nomad prominently touted its security in its advertising, claiming that it offered “security-first” services. The FTC, however, alleged that the company failed to live up to these promises by failing to: use secure coding practices; implement processes for recei[...]
: Over the last thirty years, the increasing globalisation of economic exchanges has contributed to the emergence of a network of main ports linked together by maritime transport and, in particular, the lines developed by the major shipping lines or the alliances they have formed. In addition to Asian ports, and particularly Chinese ports given the national port strategy, this network of main ports has also been structured by investments made by shipping lines in port terminals intended to become their regional hubs and thus facilitate the massification of flows. From these hubs, feeders serve other ports, giving rise to a form of classification within these main global ports. This organisation has helped to shape the global value chains, or world trade routes, which are both the medium and the result of globalisation. The covid-19 health crisis, the ensuing economic crisis and current geopolitical tensions are all contributing to a possible transformation of these global value chains. The purpose of this pape[...]
: FTC recaps consumer complaint data for 2017: Who’s on the list? lfair March 1, 2018 | 5:17PM FTC recaps consumer complaint data for 2017: Who’s on the list? By Lesley Fair Once bitten, twice shy. That fundamental principle of human behavior is why reputable businesses that work hard to earn consumers’ confidence should support the FTC’s ongoing efforts to fight fraud. According to the FTC’s 2017 Consumer Sentinel Data Book , consumers reported losing a total of $905 million to fraud last year. That’s close to a billion bucks people won’t be able to spend on legitimate products and services from credible companies. That figure is up $63 million from last year, although the total number of reports received from consumers is down from 2.98 million in 2016 to 2.68 million in 2017. Topping the list that no industry wants to be on is debt collection, making up 23% of the total number of complaints. But there are two caveats: 1) that number is down from 2016; and 2) the high number of debt collection reports was du[...]
: KEY TAKEAWAYS The French high schooler-led uprising is not a sign of a generational struggle pitting the young against baby boomers. The uprisings indicate a state of discontentment reflecting three grievances: failings within the education system, eco-anxiety and concerns over employment in the age of AI. Far from demanding a break with the established order, young protesters are simply asking for the right to live a good and fair life... like their predecessors before them. Rarely has Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents seemed so relevant to the times in which we are living. Although the discontents we are currently witnessing do not necessarily affect society as a whole, they are certainly impacting an entire generation born in the 21st century, as well as their parents and their social environment. Admittedly, we know that generations are not homogeneous and that any attempt to generalise is an oversimplification. Nevertheless, the high schoolers that are taking to the streets to protest in this day[...]
: How an “invention promotion” outfit demoted the truth lfair September 13, 2017 | 11:15AM How an “invention promotion” outfit demoted the truth By Lesley Fair It sounds like there was some “inventing” going on at Florida-based invention promotion firm World Patent Marketing, but a Preliminary Injunction in a case brought by the FTC suggests it wasn’t the kind that unsuspecting consumers bargained for when they forked over millions of dollars based on the defendants’ misleading promises about patenting and promoting their products. For FTC watchers, the opinion is a page-turner from start to finish. We’ll focus on just a few of the claims the company “invented.” The defendants’ initial business model involved online ads that induced people to submit their product ideas. Salespeople responded, telling interested consumers that World Patent Marketing’s “review team” was researching the proposal because “the company is so selective with the ideas they choose to work with.” After a bit of a wait, salespeople calle[...]
: Brussels, 18 December - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has adopted an opinion* on the use of personal data for the development and deployment of AI models . This opinion looks at 1) when and how AI models can be considered anonymous, 2) whether and how legitimate interest can be used as a legal basis for developing or using AI models, and 3) what happens if an AI model is developed using personal data that was processed unlawfully. It also considers the use of first and third party data. The opinion was requested by the Irish Data Protection Authority (DPA) with a view to seeking Europe-wide regulatory harmonisation. To gather input for this opinion, which deals with fast-moving technologies thathave an important impact on society, the EDPB organised a stakeholders’ event and had an exchange with the EU AI Office. EDPB Chair Talus said: “AI technologies may bring many opportunities and benefits to different industries and areas of life. We need to ensure these innovations are done ethically, safe[...]
: FTC challenges influencer campaign for Warner Bros.’ Shadow of Mordor game lfair July 11, 2016 | 11:17AM FTC challenges influencer campaign for Warner Bros.’ Shadow of Mordor game By Lesley Fair In the popular video game Shadow of Mordor , players don’t just randomly slash, hack, and pillage. They battle specific opponents through a feature known as the Nemesis System. In the FTC’s lawsuit against Warner Bros. Home Entertainment , truth in advertising had a nemesis: paid pitches for Shadow of Mordor that Warner Bros. deceptively claimed were independent reviews. And read on for a startlingly candid statement by one of those influencers. To help launch Shadow of Mordor , Warner Bros. brought a social media company on board to coordinate a YouTube influencer campaign. One strategy was to hire influential gamers to post videos promoting Shadow of Mordor – videos that ultimately yielded more than 5.5 million YouTube views. In addition to free game access, Warner Bros. paid the influencers cash – ranging from hun[...]
: Amazon will pay $2.25 million in civil penalties to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the online retail giant knowingly violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by refusing to provide transaction records to consumers whose personal information was used by identity thieves to commit fraud. The complaint , filed by the Department of Justice upon notification and referral from the FTC, alleged that in numerous instances, Amazon.com Inc. failed to comply with Section 609(e) of the FCRA, which requires companies to, within 30 days of a consumer’s request, provide victims of identity theft with application and business transaction records about fraudulent transactions made in their names. According to the complaint, Amazon had no written policy to respond to Section 609(e) requests until early 2025, after it learned of the FTC’s investigation, despite prior outreach from FTC staff advising the company to review its compliance with Section 609(e). “Amazon often put identity theft victims through[...]
: Background information Date of final decision: 15 May 2025 National case Controller: SOLOCAL MARKETING SERVICES Legal Reference(s): Article 7 (Conditions for consent), Article 6 (Lawfulness of processing) Decision: administrative fine and an order to cease electronic commercial prospecting in the absence of valid consent, together with a penalty of 10 000 € per day overdue after a period of 9 months Key words: administrative fine, consent, unsolicited communication Summary of the Decision Origin of the case As the French Supervisory Authority (SA) made commercial prospecting a priority topic for investigations in 2022, it focused on the practices of professionals in the sector, particularly those who resell data, including the many intermediaries in this ecosystem known as data brokers. The French SA carried out investigations on SOLOCAL MARKETING SERVICES which got prospect data mainly from data brokers, publishers of game contests and product testing sites (these actors are the first links in the cha[...]
: Background information Date of final decision: 15 May 2025 National case Controller: SOLOCAL MARKETING SERVICES Legal Reference(s): Article 7 (Conditions for consent), Article 6 (Lawfulness of processing) Decision: administrative fine and an order to cease electronic commercial prospecting in the absence of valid consent, together with a penalty of €10 000 per day overdue after a period of 9 months Key words: administrative fine, consent, unsolicited communication Summary of the Decision Origin of the case As the French Supervisory Authority (SA) made commercial prospecting a priority topic for investigations in 2022, it focused on the practices of professionals in the sector, particularly those who resell data, including the many intermediaries in this ecosystem known as data brokers. The French SA carried out investigations on SOLOCAL MARKETING SERVICES which got prospect data mainly from data brokers, publishers of game contests and product testing sites (these actors are the first links in the chai[...]
: The Federal Trade Commission issued a policy statement today announcing that the Commission will not bring an enforcement action under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) against certain website and online service operators that collect, use, and disclose personal information for the sole purpose of determining a user’s age via age verification technologies. The COPPA Rule requires operators of commercial websites or online services directed to children under 13, and operators with actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from a child, to provide notice of their information practices to parents and to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information collected from a child under 13. Age verification technologies play a critical role in helping parents as they monitor their children’s online activities. Since COPPA was enacted in 1998, there’s been an explosion in the use of internet-connected technologies by children. To he[...]
: Brussels, 18 February - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has adopted a report on its Coordinated Enforcement Framework (CEF) action on the right to be forgotten (Art.17 GDPR) . The Board selected this topic as it is one of the most frequently exercised GDPR rights and one about which DPAs frequently receive complaints from individuals. The main objectives of this coordinated action are to ensure that the right to erasure is effectively exercised by individuals in Europe and understand how controllers comply with this right in practice. In addition, the EDPB identified good practices and the most important related challenges, with the aim of providing further guidance on this topic. Throughout 2025, 32 DPAs across Europe took part in this initiative. More specifically, 9 DPAs have initiated new formal investigations or have continued ongoing ones, and 23 DPAs carried out a fact-finding exercise. A total of 764 controllers across Europe responded to the action, ranging from small and medium-sized[...]
: The French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication, Having regard to the French intellectual property code , in particular article L. 331-12 ; Having regard to the French Sports Code , in particular article L.333-10 ; After due deliberation, Adopts the following notice: The year 2025 marked a turning point in the fight against sports broadcasting piracy, with increased involvement of various types of intermediaries, under the impetus of sports rights holders, as part of the dynamic injunctions issued under article L. 333-10 of the French Sports Code . In addition to the legal actions involving Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which havebeen fully integrated into the scheme since 2022, and in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the blocking measures implemented, rights holders have extended their legal actions, from 2023, to search engine operators, who play a key role as central players in the diffusion of information on the internet and in directing users to sports-related con[...]