Communications Law

This is FindLaw’s collection of Communications Law articles, part of the Corporate Counsel Center Law Library. Communications law is concerned with the regulation of radio and TV broadcasting to ensure satisfactory service and to prevent chaos. The law covers a variety of issues – media law, First Amendment, cable and broadcasting law, computer and internet law, and telecommunications. The federal government has largely governed broadcasting because by its nature broadcasting transcends state boundaries. Law articles in this archive are predominantly written by lawyers for a professional audience seeking business solutions to legal issues. Start your free research with FindLaw.

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Communications Law Articles

As Of July 1, 2004, Websites Require Privacy Policy Changes Under New California Law

If you take steps now to review your privacy policy and make any necessary changes, you can reduce your potential exposure to liability under a new and ground-breaking privacy law that just went into effect. The State of California passed a law late ...
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Attacking Ad Censorship

The Globe's decision to carry a Scientology ad supplement is good news for all advertisersThe Globe and Mail recently ran an advertising supplement by the Church of Scientology that caused a great stir amongst many of the newspaper's readers. They ...
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Aviation Law Alert: Court Holds Identification and Search Requirements at Airports Are Constitutional

April 2004 Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, regulations and statutes have been implemented to ensure the safety of the public, both in the air and on the ground. Many of these newly enacted laws are facing challenges in the court ...
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Be Careful What You Say In California: United States Supreme Court Refuses to Cut Back the Scope of California’s Unfair Competition Law

On June 26, 2003, the United States Supreme Court issued an order in the case of Nike, Inc. v. Kasky, which dismissed a previously granted writ of certiorari, and thus leaves in place a decision of the California Supreme Court in the case. The ...
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Beyond Brochures: Marketing Through Print Advertising

The ad for a Philadelphia law firm shows a father and mother with two children superimposed on a blurred background of flames and smoke. "Our prowess in fire and insurance litigation has been equaled by our skill in estate planning and family law ...
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Broadcast Ownership Rules

On March 12, 1998 the Commission began a formal inquiry to review all of its broadcast ownership rules as required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Section 202(h) of the 1996 Telecom Act requires the FCC to review the broadcast ownership ...
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Cable Content Regulation

Cable television system operators generally make their own selection of channels and programs to be distributed to subscribers in response to consumer demands. The Commission does, however, have rules in some areas that are applicable to ...
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California Enacts Country’s Toughest SPAM Legislation

On September 23, 2003, the governor of California signed California Bill ALS 487, enacting what is now the toughest anti-spam legislation in the United States. The new law, to be codified as Section 17529 of the Business and Professions Code ...
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California Is First State In Nation To Adopt Electronic Contracting Law: Thelen Reid Report No. 26

The explosion of Internet commerce is staggering. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that Internet retailing exceeded $7 billion in 1998 and online sales will range between $40 billion and $80 billion by 2002. Many forecasters now estimate ...
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California’s “Creeping Commercial Speech”: Kasky Decision Attacks Business Participation in Public Debates

In a far-reaching decision that could force corporations to stay out of public-policy debates related to their own products or services, the California Supreme Court held in Kasky v. Nike, Inc.1 that a business could be liable to consumers for ...
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