Erin Mulvaney

A New Mexico jury found that Meta Platforms, which runs Facebook and Instagram, was liable for failing to protect young people from online dangers, including sexually explicit content, solicitation, and human trafficking. The jury found Meta liable for misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms and endangering children, under the state’s consumer protection laws. The jury ordered a maximum penalty for each violation, totaling $375 million in civil penalties. Meta made 160 times that amount of revenue in its most recent quarter.

Amazon has reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, just days into a civil trial examining whether the company duped customers into signing up for its signature Prime service and created a confusing process to cancel.

A federal appeals court tossed a $1 billion verdict won by music publishers against Cox Communications, ordering a new trial on how much the internet provider should owe in damages for illegal downloads by its customers. The case stems from a 2018 copyright-infringement lawsuit filed by leading record companies and music publishers, including Sony, Universal Music and Warner Music.

On March 20, US District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan will weigh pleas by four major book publishers to stop an online lending library from freely offering digital copies of books, in a case that raises novel questions about digital-library rights and the reach of copyright law that protects the work of writers and publishers. Nonprofit organization Internet Archive created the digital books, building its collection by scanning physical book copies in its possession.