Jury Orders Samsung to Pay $445.5 Million for Infringing Communication Patents

A federal jury in Marshall, Texas found that Samsung Electronics owes patent owner Collision Communications nearly $445.5 million in damages for infringing on patents related to 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi communications standards. The jury said that Samsung's laptops, Galaxy smartphones and other wireless-enabled devices infringe four Collision patents.

Russian-Speaking Hackers Claim Credit for Attack on Japanese Brewer

A cohort of Russian-speaking hackers known as Qilin has claimed responsibility for a ransomware attack that hobbled Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.’s operations for more than a week. The group stole roughly 27 gigabytes of data from Japan’s biggest beer brewer including financial documents, contracts, development forecasts and employees’ personal information, Qilin said on its website.

Lawmakers Want to Expand Bans on Selling Chips to China

U.S. lawmakers are calling for broader bans on chipmaking equipment to China after a bipartisan investigation found that Chinese chipmakers had purchased $38 billion of sophisticated gear last year. Inconsistencies in rules issued by the United States, Japan and the Netherlands have led to non-U.S. chip equipment manufacturers selling to some Chinese firms that U.S. companies could not, according to a report, published by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China.

Report Says Chinese, Russian Hackers Using ChatGPT, DeepSeek

Malicious actors from U.S. foreign adversaries used ChatGPT jointly with other AI models to conduct various cyber operations, according to a new OpenAI report. Users linked to China and Russia relied on OpenAI’s technology in conjunction with other models, such as China’s DeepSeek, to conduct phishing campaigns and covert influence operations, the report found.

Supreme Court Refuses to Block Order Against Google's App Store

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt key parts of a judge's order requiring Alphabet's Google to make major changes to its app store Play, as the company prepares to appeal a decision in a lawsuit brought by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games. The justices turned down Google's request to temporarily freeze parts of the injunction won by Epic in its lawsuit accusing the tech giant of monopolizing how consumers access apps on Android devices and pay for transactions within apps.

Discord Says 'Unauthorized Party' Accessed Customer Service Data

One of Discord’s third-party customer service providers was compromised by an “unauthorized party,” the company says. The unauthorized party gained access to “information from a limited number of users who had contacted Discord through our Customer Support and/or Trust & Safety teams” and aimed to “extort a financial ransom from Discord.”

Apple Removes App That Allowed Anonymous Reports of ICE Sightings

Apple said that it was removing ICEBlock and other apps from its App Store that can be used to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The move came after pressure on Apple from Attorney General Pam Bondi, and amid controversy over the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement of immigration law with ICE agents and other authorities.

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Apple Asks Judge to Dismiss xAI's Suit, Says OpenAI Deal Not Exclusive

Apple's deal with ChatGPT owner OpenAI is not "exclusive" and does not harm competition, Apple's lawyers said as they asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a case filed by billionaire Elon Musk's OpenAI rival xAI. Musk's xAI is seeking billions of dollars in damages, saying Apple would have no reason to more prominently feature the X app and the Grok app in its App Store because of the "exclusive" deal with OpenAI.

OpenAI's New Video Generator Would Require Copyright Owners to Opt Out

OpenAI is planning to release a new version of its Sora video generator that creates videos featuring copyright material unless copyright holders opt out of having their work appear, according to people familiar with the matter. OpenAI began alerting talent agencies and studios about the forthcoming product and its opt-out process over the past week and plans to release the new version in the coming days, the people said.

Disney Demands Character.AI Stop Using Copyrighted Characters

The Walt Disney Company sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI demanding the personalized AI chatbot developer immediately stop using its copyrighted characters without authorization, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios. In the letter, Disney emphasizes its main concern isn't just financial, but that Character.AI's platform weaponizes Disney characters in a way that could damage its brand long term.

Foreign Ministers' Email Servers Attacked by Chinese Hackers

Suspected Chinese hackers have breached email servers of foreign ministers as part of a years-long effort targeting the communications of diplomats around the world, according to researchers at the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks Inc. Attackers accessed Microsoft Exchange email servers, gaining the ability to search for information at some foreign ministries, said the team at Unit 42, the threat intelligence division of Palo Alto Networks, which has been tracking the group for nearly three years.

California Law Requires AI Companies to Disclose Safety Protocols

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law that will force major AI companies to reveal their safety protocols — marking the end of a lobbying battle with big tech companies like ChatGPT maker OpenAI and Meta and setting the groundwork for a potential national standard. The proposal was the second attempt by the author, ambitious San Francisco Democrat and state Sen. Scott Wiener, to pass such legislation after Newsom vetoed a broader measure last year that set off an international debate.

YouTube Agrees to $24.5 Million Settlement for Suspending Trump's Account

YouTube agreed to pay a $24.5 million settlement to President Trump and others who were banned by the video streaming platform in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a legal document. The vast majority of YouTube’s settlement payment — $22 million — will go to Mr. Trump, according to the filing in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He has directed that the money be contributed to the Trust for the National Mall and to the construction of a ballroom at the White House.

Chinese Hackers Linked to Campaigns Against U.S. Tech Companies, Law Firms

Suspected Chinese hackers are behind an ongoing cyberespionage campaign against U.S. technology companies and legal firms, stealing national security secrets often while remaining undetected, according to Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The hacking group, which Google tracks under the code name UNC5221, are “the most prevalent adversary in the US over the past several years” in terms of frequency, severity and complexity of incidents, said Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Google Cloud’s Mandiant consulting arm.

YouTube to Allow Reinstatement for Accounts Banned for Misinformation

YouTube will create a process to reinstate the accounts of content creators whose profiles were banned in recent years because they violated rules that limited misinformation about Covid-19 and the 2020 election. The change comes as YouTube has started relaxing its content moderation rules, increasing the threshold for offending content and modifying rules on Covid misinformation.

Indian Court Dismisses X's Challenges to Content Takedown Orders

An Indian court has dismissed an attempt by Elon Musk’s X to challenge the Indian government’s content takedown orders, ruling that the social media platform, as a foreign company, does not have a constitutional right to free speech under Indian law. The Karnataka High Court ruled in favor of the Indian government’s use of a centralized online portal to issue content takedown orders, determining that foreign platforms cannot invoke free speech protections under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

Senators Seek Information from Match About 'Romance Scams'

Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) pressed Match Group, the parent company of the popular dating app Tinder, on dating scams. “Given Match Group’s stated commitment to improving upon its historical practices relating to user safety, we write today to request documents and information about the company’s policies, procedures, and practices related to fraudulent activity on its platforms,” the senators wrote in their letter to Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff.

Judge Considers Remedies in Advertising Antitrust Case Against Google

Google entered the final stretch of an antitrust case targeting its digital advertising monopoly, weeks after emerging largely unscathed from a similar challenge to its online search stronghold. The Justice Department and Google began a second phase of trial, arguing over what remedies U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema should order to stimulate more competition in the market for web advertising, a market that supports publishers such as news companies and allows brands to reach hundreds of millions of potential consumers.

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The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.