Litigation is Fragmenting the Internet
Never become the “main character” on the internet for the day.
Our latest podcast guest got a taste of that firsthand recently, when he took aim at MrBeast, whose recent giveaway appears to have come close to violating Instagram terms of service, and potentially even state laws.
This week on the podcast we sat down with consumer brand and creator attorney, Robert Freund, who has been using his Twitter account to highlight areas of risk for online brands.
It’s harder and harder to keep up with laws and rules, especially those set by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This is especially true as these rules are changing quickly, leaving many businesses confused. Freund highlights the seriousness of these challenges, explaining the possible legal issues that could happen in this growing online market.
For seven years, class action lawsuits have provided precedent for attorneys to seek out non-compliant brands. ADA compliance is but one of the types of areas of compliance that Freund covers on his popular Twitter account, but there are others, too.
Lotteries, giveaways, sweepstakes, price fixing, discounting, creator UGC; these are all areas of risk for brands that don’t understand state laws and FTC guidelines. As if it wasn’t enough, you’re going to need to abide by social media and eCommerce platform terms of service, too.
Emerging legislation may even be fragmenting the internet. Pornhub ceased operations in Utah due to a new age restriction law. Prop 65 and CCPA made it difficult for many businesses to operate online in California. And now the new Illinois biometric data laws may cause some to shutter their online operations in that state.
It’s never been easier to start selling online.
But it’s also never been more perilous to operate an online business.
— Phillip
P.S. Watch to our interview with Robert Freund on Youtube, or listen wherever podcasts are found. Or on Apple or Spotify.
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