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Virginia Internet Law Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Internet Law and Libel & Slander for Virginia on
Q: Can I be sued for online review of a veterinarian if I called them heartless and colorfully described the visit?

I did not lie or curse in the online review. I described the way he handled my pet like he was a ‘dead slab of meat’

James L. Arrasmith
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answered on Aug 6, 2024

Yes, you can be sued for an online review if the veterinarian believes your comments are defamatory. Defamation involves making false statements that harm someone's reputation. Even if you did not lie, calling the vet "heartless" and describing the visit in a harsh manner could be... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Entertainment / Sports, Gaming and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Is it legal to manage small bets between individuals online using a website in VA? Would this be consider gambling?

Bets would be just between the individuals, like "I bet you $20 if you beat me in this game" And I would be the "middle man" holding the $20

and giving it to the winner later.

T. Augustus Claus
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answered on Jan 10, 2024

In Virginia, as in many jurisdictions, the legality of managing small bets between individuals online depends on the specific circumstances and the nature of the bets. Generally, if the bets are private and do not involve a broader public or commercial gambling operation, they may fall under social... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Contracts, Criminal Law, Internet Law and Juvenile Law for Virginia on
Q: Can they take my daughter or me to jail for fraud

My daughter had an Instagram (made her delete it) she’s 16 and wants to become a model. Someone approached her saying they were a company, everything was pretty suspicious from what i saw. She said she was interested and filled out a form asking about measurements, phone number, address, model... View More

Steven Krieger
Steven Krieger
answered on Jun 1, 2021

A contract with a minor is usually unenforceable and it doesn't seem like a criminal violation if they gave her the money (as opposed to her stealing the money). If she's contacted by law enforcement, reach out to a lawyer ASAP. I'm sure anyone who responds would be happy to help. Good luck.

1 Answer | Asked in Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Is is illegal to start a website that is created to allow users to publicly shame people based on certain situations?

This is strictly a conceptual idea and I have no intention of moving forward with this idea unless I understand the legalities.

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Sep 21, 2020

A Virginia attorney could advise best, but your post remains open for two weeks. Until you are able to consult with a Virginia attorney, something more likely than any penal code violation would probably be civil liability for defamation. If the users post content that is harmful to someone's... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Copyright and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: There is a website using my pictures without permission. What are my options?

I was asked by the founder of a dog rescue to maintain her website. In two years of maintaining that website, I had also taken pictures of the dogs and volunteers at the rescue. Since I was maintaining the website I posted those pictures on the website. The founder all of a sudden, with no... View More

Marcos Garciaacosta
Marcos Garciaacosta
answered on Oct 8, 2019

You can try asking her formally to remove the pictures as they are your property.

Your legal option is possible to sue. Expensive though.

You can recover damages caused by him using the pictures without your approval, but you have to prove that.

You can copyright the photos...
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1 Answer | Asked in Criminal Law, Internet Law and Sexual Harassment for Virginia on
Q: My ex husband stole my iPhone and hacked my worked social media accounts (I am an entertainer at a Gentleman’s club)

My ex husband stole my iPhone (I let my 7 year old son borrow it for the day and it can only be used on WiFi) my ex husband and or his girlfriend hacked my work social media accounts. I changed my Instagram picture to a NUDE photo of me and put his phone number on my Instagram to try to get the... View More

Bryan J. Jones
Bryan J. Jones
answered on Sep 18, 2019

You could file a civil lawsuit against him. If you'd like to do that, you should go to your local General District Court and tell them the situation and they will give you the paperwork to file the suit.

If he's stolen your phone, he could be charged with larceny. If he's...
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1 Answer | Asked in Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Do people have a legal right to have yearbook pictures removed from an online database?

An ancestry site recently announced a searchable yearbook database. No permissions were given and they are somewhat profiting from hosting peoples faces who were minors at the time of the photos.

William Jaksa
William Jaksa
answered on Sep 3, 2019

Great question, there are so many issues to examine to determine the answer to this. Who owns the content? Is there an agreement in place? Or are the images in the public domain and thus free game? Start by asking the ancestry site to remove your image and information; there are state and federal... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Criminal Law and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Can I file charges against someone for impersonating me on social media and causing me to get arrested behind it?

Someone has been sending threatening messages to a young lady on social media pretending to be from me. I had been arrested three times because of this and I'm now facing 3 misdemeanor and one felony charge

Daniel P Leavitt
Daniel P Leavitt pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Jan 12, 2019

You need to clear up this issue. The police should be investigating someone who is doing this.

1 Answer | Asked in Arbitration / Mediation Law, Business Law and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: A website policy is dated 2011 yet the most current policy is dated 2017. Which policy takes legal precedence?

Concerning an auto auction arbitration policy: "NAAA Arbitration Policy" is dated 2017 and covers arbitration rules. The company website lists "Marketplace Policies" that also address arbitration but is dated 2011. The two policies conflict in some areas. Which policy takes precedence?

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Nov 24, 2018

It could be difficult for an attorney to answer without reading both policies. You could present both policies to an attorney in your state.

Tim Akpinar

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Domestic Violence and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: If I am victim in extortion case, do I need a lawyer?
Susan Fremit
Susan Fremit
answered on Feb 26, 2018

The prosecutor essentially becomes your lawyer. If you want an independent legal opinion, you might want to hire a lawyer for that purpose.

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Products Liability and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: I lost my bitcoins on apple cloud storage mobileme platform when they transition to icloud - 19 million loss

apple only sent 1 notication to my e-mail about this and i was paying extra for the free cloud services - 99$ per year

I purchased my bitcoins in 2010 - I spent 100$ for 1488 bitcoins at 0.07 cents , now the coins are worth 13,000$ each

Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
answered on Dec 9, 2017

With that amount of money you want to contact a member of the Va. Trial Lawyers Assn or other who handles class actions. I suggest you try Diane Nast in Philadelphia. Tell her I suggested you call.

In the meantime go through your files, make copies of email confirmations, other documents....
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1 Answer | Asked in Business Formation, Business Law and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Internet Only business - Does it need to file as a foreign business entity in Virginia?

I live in Virginia, and am interesting in starting a few internet-only and/or mostly internet-only companies. I will be the only owner.

I've read Virginia doesn't offer protections to single member LLCs which is make me look to other states like Delaware, Wyoming, Nevada.... View More

Glenn B. Manishin
Glenn B. Manishin
answered on Aug 4, 2017

To the best of my knowledge, Virgina does allow single-member LLCs. (Single member partnerships are not permitted.)

Your business is conducted online but as the owner you have a physical presence in Virgina, even if just your home. You are therefore required to register as a...
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1 Answer | Asked in Intellectual Property and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: If I start up a website, can I quote all other websites?......

.....as long as I put the information in quotes, give the name of the site, give the name of the author if possible, and give a link to the page the quote came from?

Glenn B. Manishin
Glenn B. Manishin
answered on Apr 23, 2017

The legal concept you are invoking is called "fair use" ad is an exception to copyright. You cannot duplicate a website or its pages but under some circumstances -- which vary depending on the amount, nature and context of use -- use a portion of their content. Attribution or linking is... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Small Claims and Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: My daughter ex boyfriend posted two explicit pictures of her on social media without her permission. Legal action?
Gary D. Godman
Gary D. Godman
answered on Apr 6, 2017

Contact the police. There is likely some criminal activity involved here, especially if your daughter is a minor.

1 Answer | Asked in Internet Law for Virginia on
Q: Can I sue for a domain name if it matches the name of my company, and the company that owns it is not using it?
Timothy James Walton
Timothy James Walton
answered on Jan 7, 2011

Not usually.

If the domain name is merely parked, and not being used for commercial purposes or offered for sale, then you would have to come up with a really clever legal theory to seize it.

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