Surfing the Web as an Internet lawyer sometimes leads to stories about silly lawsuits. Here’s one…
Although reading the Huffington Post could be used for torturing enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo Bay, those who write for the site think what they’ve contributed is worth some bucks.
In fact, now that AOL has gobbled up HuffPo, volunteer writers are filing a class action lawsuit seeking compensation for their posts. See AOL, Arianna Huffington Hit with Class Action Suit.
If there is money to be made in lawsuits like this one, will your guest bloggers sue you too?
You may want to reduce your risk of a shakedown lawsuit by getting an agreement signed by each guest blogger that (1) clearly states the work is donated, (2) there’s no compensation for it, and (3) identifying the intellectual property rights you’re getting to the blog posts. Your Internet lawyer can draft the legalese for you.
To your online success!
-Mike the Internet Lawyer
