Facebook to Face Jury Trial over “Timeline” Trademark

Timelines, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc.
By Ashish Bakshi – Edited by Dorothy Du

Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”) lost its bid for a quick end to a trademark infringement suit filed by Timelines, Inc. (“Timelines”) over the social networking giant’s use of the term “timeline.” The court held that Facebook failed to show as a matter of law that Timelines’ trademark for “timeline” was generic or merely descriptive or, if the trademark were valid, that  Facebook’s use of the term constituted fair use. A jury trial will commence on April 22.

Sixth Circuit Rules Against School’s Search of Student’s Cell Phone

G.C. v. Owensboro Public Schools
By Michelle Sohn– Edited by Sarah Jeong

In a 2-1 decision, the Sixth Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The lower court had granted summary judgment for Owensboro, holding that the school’s search of a student’s cell phone did not violate the Fourth Amendment.

The Sixth Circuit held that the school’s search of G.C.’s cell phone was an unreasonable search and seizure.

Second Circuit Affirms Streaming Broadcast TV Not Copyright Infringement

WNET, Thirteen v. Aereo, Inc.
By Natalie Kim – Edited by Samantha Rothberg

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the Southern District of New York’s July 2012 denial of a preliminary injunction motion filed against Aereo by several broadcast TV networks.

Flash Digest: News in Brief

By Kathleen McGuinness

Supreme Court of Canada Rules That Text Message Monitoring Requires Warrant

Google Announces Open Patent Non-Assertion Pledge

Legal Challenges to “Stingray” Surveillance Devices Continue to Grow

Ninth Circuit Affirms DMCA Safe Harbors for Streaming Video Providers

UMG v. Veoh
by Pio Szamel ­– Edited by Jacob Rogers

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the Federal District Court for the Central District of California, which had granted summary judgment finding that the streaming-video host Veoh was protected by the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and dismissed additional infringement claims against Veoh’s investors.