E-Commerce Law: E-Commerce Law Briefs: Week of September 25, 2006

E-Commerce Law Briefs: Week of September 25, 2006

A survey published on Monday showed that phishing attempts nearly doubled in the first six months of 2006. According to an article on CNET News:

"More than 157,000 unique phishing messages were sent out around the world in the first half of 2006, an increase of 81 percent compared with the six-month period to end-December 2005. Each message can go to thousands or hundreds of thousands of consumers, according to the bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report from security software vendor Symantec. . . . Phishers send around e-mails, pretending to be a financial institution or other legitimate organization, and ask to verify personal information such as account numbers and passwords. They target their victims much more closely than before, by tracking down full names and personal interests."

(Link: Online criminals step up phishing scams on CNET News)

On Wednesday, a U.S. District Judge granted summary judgment against StreamCast Networks Inc., the distributor of the Morpheus online file-sharing software. According to washingtonpost.com, the court concluded that "there was more than enough evidence of ‘massive infringement’ on StreamCast’s network, despite the company’s arguments that it did not encourage users to violate copyright laws." Last year, "the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that file-sharing companies could be held liable for deliberately encouraging or inducing customers to commit online piracy."

(Link: Judge Says StreamCast Liable in Lawsuit on washingtonpost.com)

Under an agreement with 28 state attorneys general announced Thusday, online payment service PayPal "will simplify its user agreement and better inform users about fraud protection." PayPal is owned by eBay, Inc.

(Link: PayPal clarifies fraud protection terms in agreement with 28 state attorneys general on SilliconValley.com)

E-Commerce Law Briefs is a weekly feature appearing each Friday afternoon on E-Commerce Law. Each week, E-Commerce Law Briefs will provide a brief summary and commentary on recent legal news affecting e-commerce businesses.