The Trend of Threatening Physicians for Personal Gain
(Podcast) The Briefing – Fake Reviews, Real Consequences: Consumer Review Dos and Don’ts
The Briefing – Fake Reviews, Real Consequences: Consumer Review Dos and Don’ts
The FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Deceptive Reviews and Testimonials
Negative Online Reviews and Reputation Management: Tips for Health Care Practices and Providers
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Advertising & Customer Engagement in the Digital Age - Customer Reviews and Response
How to Find the Identity of an Anonymous Author Online
II-36- Holiday Party Tips, the 2018/2019 Federal Regulatory Agenda, and Noteworthy Cases On Suing and Being Sued
Question: It was recently brought to my attention that a patient posted on the internet false and misleading information regarding treatment I provided to her. The posting also contains false and defamatory descriptions of me...more
The Federal Trade Commission’s new rules banning phony online reviews are now in effect. These rules aim to curb false consumer testimonials, the buying of fake reviews from brokers, review suppression, falsifying social...more
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a new rule aimed at curtailing false, misleading, and otherwise fraudulent reviews on online retail sites. Fake reviews are a significant problem for the big e-commerce platforms,...more
An online reputation crisis can be defined as a situation where an individual or business faces a significant and often damaging shift in how they are perceived online. Whether through negative reviews, malicious rumors, or...more
While filing a lawsuit for internet harassment or defamation may seem straightforward, there are many variables to consider before you can file suit. The biggest of these hurdles may also seem like the most obvious: Who are...more
Yelp is an incredibly important tool for consumers to gather information online about all types of businesses. While the general perception has always been that Yelp is a site to look up restaurants, the platform has expanded...more
Despite Hollywood’s most recent high-profile case with Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, defamation cases are notoriously difficult to win and often susceptible to pretrial dismissal. Yet, a recent Oregon Supreme Court case—Lowell...more
A positive internet reputation is an expected prerequisite for conducting business. Negative internet content, including negative reviews, can destroy an operation....more
Social media is causing defamation claims to become more common. There are several areas for consideration if you feel your business has been defamed. First, what is defamation? Expressing an opinion is not defamation. For...more
We work hard for our businesses, and those of you who started your own enterprise are even more deeply concerned about it than others. Which is why criticism of your business can be so frustrating....more
Every business struggles with negative online reviews. Unless the negative post directly violates hosts’ terms-of-use, it is highly unlikely that the host site (e.g. Yelp, Glassdoor, Instagram, etc.) will remove the post....more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the healthcare industry is understandably fraught with unease and uncertainty. This, coupled with the ubiquity of social media, creates challenges for healthcare providers facing public...more
In today’s world — where social media has become a source of news for many — companies and individuals often find themselves the subject of negative and anonymous online comments. These comments can give rise to legal claims...more
Whether posted by customers, employees, or others, negative online reviews can be damaging to your business. In this episode, Elisa D’Amico and Desiree Moore offer four tips to manage and minimize the repercussions from...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Even if bad Glassdoor reviews have you feeling like you need to fight back, employers should stay out of the ring, and instead implement social media policies that clearly define prohibited behavior and...more
Franchised businesses, particularly restaurants, hotels, automotive servicers and others have been falling victim to the digital age. Many consumers now choose the places they do business based on what they read on Yelp,...more
These days, one of the most effective ways to advertise your business is through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. At virtually no cost, social media allows you to conveniently market your...more
Retailers are familiar with Yelp.com as a ratings website with a star rating system that allows customers to rate products and services they receive, as well as add individual reviews and comments. Positive reviews can...more
A recent California court decision involving Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is creating considerable concern among social media companies and other website operators....more
Whether you represent sports stars and high-profile entertainers, or hometown doctors, architects, and restaurateurs, you have almost certainly gotten calls in the past several years asking for your help in dealing with...more
Five social media law issues to discuss with your clients - The explosive growth of social media has clients facing legal questions that didn’t even exist a few short years ago. Helping your clients navigate this...more
One of today's challenges faced by franchisors and franchise systems is negative remarks posted online by a customer, ex-employee, or even a dissatisfied franchisee. Negative comments appear in sites created specifically to...more
Many business have suffered the misery and frustration of a harshly negative, anonymous online review. That anonymity, critics argue, frees the reviewer from worries about the need for accuracy and, worse yet, encourages the...more
Cruel intentions. Laws seeking to regulate speech on the Internet must be narrowly drafted to avoid running afoul of the First Amendment, and limiting such a law’s applicability to intentional attempts to cause damage usually...more
We recently asked: for customers and businesses alike, what should we know about libel and defamation (and the legal pitfalls of online rants in general) before we post negative comments online? Here’s what we heard back....more