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Wayback Archives as a Law Tool

Posted by Zonk on from the time-travel-is-fun dept.

Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes "The Wayback Machine's internet archive and Google's cached pages are becoming indispensable tools for some lawyers, especially specialists in intellectual-property law. Dell has used copies of expired websites to get the domain name DellComputersSuck.com transferred to it, the Wall Street Journal reports. EchoStar used Wayback in a case against a Polish TV company. Playboy checks Wayback to look for infringers of its trademark bunny or other images. And Wayback was even used to discredit a witness and reach a mistrial in a Canada murder case."

5 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. And this is a big deal why? by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Peaple go to the library and dig through hundreds of old newspapers and records, whats the big deal with using wayback for websites?

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    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  2. Not everything is archived .... by awacs · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... WBM respects the site's decision to not allow archiving. Unfortunately, those sites who might be the most interesting know that, and know that they can block archiving.

  3. Employers are using Google too by October_30th · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe this is a bit off-topic, but employers are also known to use Google and web archives to check up on the past of a potential employee. So be careful what kind of statements you make on the net using your real name.

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    The owls are not what they seem
  4. Re:I wonder... by Peyna · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Just because you stopped doing something, doesn't mean it wasn't illegal while you were doing it.

    See, if I am beating the crap out of you, but stop before the police get there and witness it, that doesn't mean I wasn't beating the crap out of you and therefore guilty of battery.

    It's a weird example, but it works.

    If you've ever read some of the RIAA threat letters you'll notice they specifically state that just because you listen and pull down the offending material doesn't mean they're giving up their right to sue you for posting it in the first place.

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    What?
  5. But see, they signed a peice of paper by Mr+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the article, it mentions one of the archive's technicians signing an affidavit saying they think it's a true archive. No one would ever lie about that for a big corporate payout.

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    Never confuse volume with power.