Legal considerations when consumer opinion web sites parody companies or brands.

As the Internet has become a "modern sign of the classical market of ideas," (1) consumer opinion sites that parody companies or brands have become popular in the cyberspace. This article examines various legal issues and cases that might be applicable to parody sites in the light of copyright laws, trademark laws, libel laws, and service provider liability. Looking at a possibility that parody sites can lie in the tension between unrestrained speech rights, intellectual property interests, and libel issues, this article discusses in what way parody sites can enjoy First Amendment freedoms through avoiding legal pitfalls.

"The explosion of the Internet