In March 2015 I blogged about a Yelp lawsuit against alleged astroturfers, and in March 2016 the parties settled the case, but since the defendants continue to operate Revleap it would seem that Yelp lost its case. My blog “Do You Still Rely on Yelp Reviews After Hearing that Yelp Sues Astroturfers?” provides the details about the suit:
Yelp’s lawsuit alleges a breach of the ToS (Terms of Service) by the defendants who “try to game the system and undermine that trust, by building businesses based on fraudulent reviews…” in addition to the more obvious trademark violations.
Since the lawsuit settled at a November 2015 we don’t know the settlement terms which are confidential. And the parties filed their Stipluation on March 22, 2016 there merely says:
The Parties to the above-captioned action HEREBY STIPULATE, by and through their counsel of record, that the action shall be, and is hereby, dismissed pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 41(a)(1), consistent with the Parties’ Settlement Agreement.
All in all not much changed since the lawsuit was filed as Yelp’s Terms of Service are still from November 27, 2012 (- which is about 623 Internet years) and the defendants continue their Internet operations!