Rants and Raves: Craigslist's Attempt to Stop Innovating Third-Party Web Developers with Copyright Law

Journal of Intellectual Property Law Volume 20 | Issue 2 Article 5 April 2013 Rants and Raves: Craigslist's Attempt to Stop Innovating Third-Party Web Developers with Copyright Law Stephanie Marie Davies Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/jipl Part of the Computer Law Commons, and the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Stephanie M. Davies, Rants and Raves: Craigslist's Attempt to Stop Innovating Third-Party Web Developers with Copyright Law, 20 J. Intell. Prop. L. 379 (2013). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/jipl/vol20/iss2/5 This Notes is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Georgia Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Intellectual Property Law by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Georgia Law. Please share how you have benefited from this access For more information, please contact . Davies: Rants and Raves: Craigslist's Attempt to Stop Innovating Third-Pa RANTS AND RAVES: CRAIGSLIST'S ATTEMPT TO STOP INNOVATING THIRD-PARTY WEB DEVELOPERS WITH COPYRIGHT LAW Stephanie Marie Davies* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. BACKGROUND 383 A. 383 ...............................................................381 .................................................. CO PYRIGH T LAW .................................................................................. 1. Orngin and Goals of CopyrightLaw................ .................... 383 2. Copynghtable Subject Matter............................................................ 384 a. F ixation................................. ........... .................................... 384 b. Orginali................................... 386 3. Idea-ExpressionDistinction.............................................................. 389 4. CopyrightOwners and Authors........................................................ 390 5. Copyright of Class/iedAds.............................................................. 390 6. F air Use............................... .............................. 391 a. Purpose of Use........................................................................... 392 b. Nature of Copyrighted Work..................................................... 393 c. Amount of Copyrighted Work Used....... ............. 394 d. Effect on Market and Value..................................................... 394 7. L icenses............................................................................................ 395 B. C. PARTIES TO THE PERTINENT LAWSUIT............................................ 395 1. Craigslist,Inc................................................................................... 2. 3taps, Inc. ...................................... 3. PadMapper...................................................................................... 395 397 397 THE SUIT: CRAIGSLIST'S CLAIMS AGAINST 3TAPS, INC. AND PADMAPPER................................................398 1. Craigslist'sClaims............................................................................ 2. 3taps'Answer .......................... .......... 398 399 * J.D. Candidate 2014, University of Georgia School of Law. The author would like to thank her parents, Stephen and Julia Davies, for their unconditional love and support, and Hannah Meiron, for listening to her talk about craigslist and copyright for nine months without complaining. 379 Published by Digital Commons @ Georgia Law, 2013 1 Journal of Intellectual Property Law, Vol. 20, Iss. 2 [2013], Art. 5 J. INTELL PROP.L 380 III. IV. [Vol. 20:379 ................................................ ANALYSIS A. ARE CRAIGSLIST ADS COPYRIGHTABLE?.......................................... B. WH O CAN SUE? ..................................................................................... C. FAIR USE DEFEN SE .............................................................................. D . WH AT N O W ?.......................................................................................... 400 ................ ................... 410 CONCLUSION https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/jipl/vol20/iss2/5 400 404 406 409 2 Davies: Rants and Raves: Craigslist's Attempt to Stop Innovating Third-Pa 2013] RANTS AND RA TES 381 I. INTRODUCTION The age-old war between progress and stasis has wiggled its way into the world of online classified ads with a battle between craigslist, the Internet's classifieds giant, and 3taps, Inc., a data exchange website looking to establish an open exchange for public information. Craigslist filed a lawsuit against 3taps to enjoin the site from using any of craigslist's user-generated content, crushing its dream of facilitating the free exchange of information.' 3taps responded with claims that its appropriation of the classified ads had not created any kind of liability in its pursuit for equal, open access to information for all. 2 Craigslist, which publishes online classified ads, is the third most visited American internet company,3 with over fifty billion page views per month. 4 It also ranks in the top ten most visited internationally.5 Despite its popularity, this well-known website has not made any significant changes to its user interface 6 since the turn of the century.7 Even in the face of criticism and vibrant discourse on the subject from online commentators regarding its resistance to innovation,8 craigslist trudges along with its same tried-and-true methods (though there is some suggestion that it may finally give in to pressure).9 Over the past ten years craigslist has repeatedly stifled other web developers' efforts to build on top of its data. 10 In 2005, craigslist blocked I Complaint at 16, craigslist, Inc. v. 3taps, Inc., No. 3:12-cv-03816-lb (filed July 20, 2012) (LEXIS Courtlink). 2 Defendant 3taps, Inc.'s Answer to Complaint and Counterclaim at 4, craigslist, Inc. v. 3taps, Inc., No. 3:12-cv-03816-lb (filed Sept. 24, 2012), availabk at http://3taps.com/papers/3tapsanswer-counterclaim.pdf [hereinafter 3taps Answer]. 3 Complaint, supra note 1, at 3. 4 CRAIGSLIST FACTSHEET, http://www.craigslist.org/about/factsheet (last visited Mar. 7, 2013). s Complaint, supra note 1, at 3. 6 See What is a user interface?, IBM, https://www-01.ibm.com/software/ucd/designconcepts/ whatisUI.html ("User interface refers to the parts of a computer [or website] and its software that you (the computer user) see, hear, touch, or talk to ... if you are reading this on a computer screen, then you're looking at part of a user interface right now."). 7 Jared Newman, CraigslistMay Finally Update Its Crusly Website, TIME (Apr. 23, 2012), http:// techland.time.com/2012/04/23/craigslist-may-finally-update-its-crusty-website/. * Craigsist: Why Hasn't Another Product Disrupted and Displaced Craigslist?,QUORA, http://www. quora.com/Craigslist/Why-hasnt-another-product-disrupted-and-replaced-Craigslist (last visited Mar. 7, 2013). 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