New Ebook On Zeran v AOL, The Most Important Section 230 Case
from the read-it,-understand-it dept
Section 230 has become a mainstream discussion topic, but unfortunately many discussants don’t actually understand it well (or at all). To address this knowledge gap, co-editors Profs. Eric Goldman (Santa Clara Law) and Jeff Kosseff (U.S. Naval Academy) have released an ebook, called “Zeran v. America Online,” addressing many aspects of Section 230. You can download the ebook for free at:
Zeran v. AOL is the most important Section 230 case of all time. The Zeran case was the first federal appellate decision interpreting Section 230, and its breathtakingly broad sweep turbocharged the rise of Web 2.0–with all of its strengths and weaknesses.
In recognition of Zeran’s importance, in 2017, Profs. Goldman and Kosseff helped assemble an essay package to honor the case’s 20th anniversary. They gathered two dozen essays from some of the most knowledgeable Section 230 experts. The essays address the case’s history and policy implications. Initially, Law.com published the essay package but then unexpectedly paywalled the essays after 6 months.
The new Zeran v. America Online ebook restores the 2017 essay package into a new and easy-to-read format. Together, they are a great entry point into the debates about Section 230, including how we got here and what’s at stake.
To supplement the essay package, the ebook compiles an archive of the key documents in the Zeran v. AOL litigation (with bonus coverage of Zeran’s case against radio station KRXO). Many of these materials have not previously been publicly available in electronic format. The case archives should be of interest both to historians and students of precedent-setting litigation tactics.
Section 230 will likely remain hotly debated, but the debates won’t be productive until we develop a shared understanding of what the law says and why. Ideally, this ebook will advance those goals.
About the Book
Advertisements Posted to AOL’s Michigan Military Movement Forum
The Essays
Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Internet Law’s Most Important Judicial Decision
Eric Goldman and Jeff Kosseff‘Zeran v. AOL’ and Its Inconsistent Legacy
Ian C. BallonSection 230 Keeps Platforms for Defamation and Threats Highly Profitable
Ann BartowPolicy Architecture and Internet Freedom
Jerry BermanSex, Scandal and Intermediary Liability: Imagining Life Without ‘Zeran v. AOL’
Hillary BrillHow the Scam Artists at Stratton Oakmont Made ‘Zeran’ Possible and Unwittingly Saved the Internet
Robert J. ButlerSerendipity and Internet Law: How the ‘Zeran v. AOL’ Landmark Almost Wasn’t
Patrick J. Carome and Cary A. Glynn20 Years of Protecting Intermediaries: Legacy of ‘Zeran’ Remains a Critical Protection for Freedom of Expression Online
Cindy Cohn and Jamie WilliamsHow the Supreme Court Ignored the Lesson of ‘Zeran’ and Screwed Up Copyright Law on the Internet
Roger Allan FordMoral Hazard on Stilts: ‘Zeran’s’ Legacy
Mary Anne FranksThe Possible Redundancy of §230
Brian L. FryeThe First Hard Case: ‘Zeran v. AOL’ and What It Can Teach Us About Today’s Hard Cases
Cathy GellisWho Cyber-Attacked Ken Zeran, and Why?
Eric GoldmanNo ESC
James GrimmelmannThe Satellite Has No Conscience: §230 in a World of ‘Alternative Facts’
Laura A. HeymannThe Non-Inevitable Breadth of the ‘Zeran’ Decision
Samir C. JainThe Judge Who Shaped the Internet
Jeff KosseffZeran’s Failed Lawsuit Against an Oklahoma Radio Station
Robert D. NelonThe Chilling Effect Claims in ‘Zeran v. AOL’
Jonathon W. Penney‘Zeran v. America Online’ and the Development of Trolling Culture
Aaron Schwabach‘Zeran v. AOL’: The Anti-Circumvention Tool
Maria Crimi SpethThe UK’s Broad Rejection of the §230 Model
Gavin Sutter‘AOL v. Zeran’: The Cyberlibertarian Hack of §230 Has Run Its Course
Olivier SylvainCDA 230 Then and Now: Does Intermediary Immunity Keep the Rest of Us Healthy?
Jonathan Zittrain
The Case Materials
Zeran v. AOL (W.D. Ok)
ComplaintZeran v. AOL (W.D. Ok)
Order on Motion to TransferZeran v. AOL (E.D. Va)
Memorandum in Support of Defendant’s Motion For Judgment on the PleadingsZeran v. AOL (E.D. Va)
Brief in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion For Judgment on the PleadingsZeran v. AOL (E.D. Va)
Reply Memorandum in Further Support of Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the PleadingsZeran v. AOL (E.D. Va)
Court Hearing TranscriptOpinion in Zeran v. AOL (E.D. Va)
Zeran v. AOL (4th Cir.)
Brief of the AppellantZeran v. AOL (4th Cir.)
Brief of the AppelleeZeran v. AOL (4th Cir.)
OpinionZeran’s Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
Opposition of America Online, Inc. to Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
Zeran’s Reply to Opposition to Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
Zeran v. Diamond Broadcasting, Inc. (W.D. Ok)
OpinionZeran v. Diamond Broadcasting, Inc. (10th Cir.)
Opinion
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Filed Under: ebook, intermediary liability, ken zeran, section 230, zeran
Companies: aol
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It looks quite interesting
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This is a fantastic open release, thank you for publishing.
Also this from Robert Hamilton, for people who need to understand things:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200805/07260045045/revisiting-common-law-liability-onlin e-intermediaries-before-section-230.shtml
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