Etsy, eBay and Yelp have joined a growing list of companies and organizations urging the Supreme Court to strike down laws in Florida and Texas that prevent tech platforms from moderating content. “It ought to be fundamental to the First Amendment that a marketplace for handmade T-shirts and coffee mugs should not be forced by a state’s ‘free speech’ regulations to carry ‘I ♥ Hitler’ paraphernalia out of ‘fairness’ to all viewpoints,” Etsy, eBay and others say in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday. “This case should be that simple as a First Amendment matter.”
A coalition of trade organizations filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Maryland state government over passage of a bill that imposes a tax on digital ad revenue. The Computer & Communications Industry Association, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Internet Association, sued Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot (D). CCIA’s members include Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google and Uber.
In the lawsuit, eBay said Amazon representatives signed up for eBay accounts and messaged sellers to get them to sell their goods on Amazon.com, which eBay said violated its user agreement. According to the complaint, Amazon representatives spelled out their email addresses and asked eBay sellers to talk on the phone in order to evade detection.
The shopping giant eBay has just updated its iPad app with a new feature called “Watch along with eBay.” The company’s first foray into the second-screen universe, the app displays items for sale that relate to the TV show you’re watching. Well, roughly relate.
