The Justice Department confirmed that it was conducting an antitrust investigation into the settlement of a lawsuit that groups representing authors and publishers filed against Google. In a letter to the federal judge charged with reviewing the settlement, the Justice Department said it was reviewing concerns that the agreement could violate the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Court Says MySpace Not Liable for Sexual Assault
Internet servers like MySpace cannot be held liable when minors are sexually assaulted by people they first meet on a website, a California appeals court ruled in an opinion. The ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles is consistent with federal appeals court rulings.
Ascentive Sues Google for Allowing Keyword Purchases
Google has been sued again by a company mad over the use of its trademarks as keywords, but this one comes with a twist. Ascentive, the company behind those incessant "Finally Fast!" PC support ads, became the latest Google advertiser to sue the company for allowing advertisers to purchase ads using trademarks they do not own as search keywords.
Nude iPhone App Raises Questions About Approvals
A photo ostensibly showing a 15-year-old nude girl has turned up in an iPhone app, highlighting Apple’s inability to safeguard its application store from prohibited content. The image appears in the free app BeautyMeter, which enables people to upload photos that are then rated by others, who assign a star-rating to members’ body parts and clothing.
Judge Kozinski Cleared of Wrongdoing in Website Sex Case
Ninth Circuit chief judge Alex Kozinski has been cleared of wrongdoing by a panel of judges from the Third Circuit. The panel investigated allegations that Kozinski had a Web site that contained obscene images; allegations which were made by a disgruntled litigant.
Facebook Seeks to Revamp Privacy Policy Notices
Revamped privacy settings are coming soon to Facebook. The social network's privacy controls had gotten so sprawling that they were distributed across six separate pages and 40 different settings, according to a conference call.
Overstock Drops Affiliates in Four States in Tax Fight
Overstock.com Inc. informed its marketing affiliates in four states -- California, Hawaii, North Carolina and Rhode Island -- that it is ending its business with them to avoid collecting sales tax. Lawmakers in the states have passed or are preparing to pass legislation that would require companies to collect sales tax if they have marketing affiliates in the state.
Twitter "Uncomfortable" with Developer's Use of "Tweet"
A developer building an application using Twitter's API was told via e-mail that Twitter took issue with the user interface of his application, allegedly very similar to Twitter's own, as well as his use of the word "tweet" in the application's name. The developer forwarded the e-mail to TechCrunch: "Twitter, Inc., is uncomfortable with the use of the word Tweet (our trademark) and the similarity in your UI and our own."
White House Sets Rules for Broadband Stimulus Funds
The Obama administration published the criteria it will use to hand out billions of dollars in stimulus funds aimed at developing the infrastructure to deliver broadband Internet access to areas that are underserved or without access. The Commerce and Agriculture departments will consider projects that provide wired or wireless access starting at low-end DSL speeds, but will give priority to ones promising higher speeds. An area will be considered "underserved" by broadband, and thus eligible for grants, if half or fewer of the households can get wired broadband today, among other criteria.
Chinese Web Users Celebrate Halt to Filtering Software
Chinese Web users flooded to a trendy art zone cafe to celebrate a last-minute halt to a rollout of government-sponsored filtering software, and make a stand for freedom of expression in the Communist-run state. Dressed in t-shirts mocking the Green Dam program, about 200 Beijing residents had arrived by mid-morning to eat a traditional Chinese breakfast, denounce censorship and prepare for a day-long party.
Internet Scams Linked to Michael Jackson Proliferate
Online scams related to the death of Michael Jackson started cropping up almost instantaneously as the singer's death was still hitting the news. As days have gone by, they've gotten more sophisticated -- and dangerous.
Secret Service, Europe Joint to Fight Computer Crimes
The U.S. Secret Service planned to unveil plans for a pan-European task force charged with preventing identity theft, computer hacking and other computer-based crime. The unit will be based in Rome, teaming up with an Italian anti-cyber-crime police unit and the Italian post office Poste Italiane SpA, which has developed software that can track electronic payments as it moves beyond traditional mail delivery.
China Delays Enforcement of Internet Filtering Rule
Facing strong resistance at home and abroad, China on delayed enforcement of a new rule requiring manufacturers to install Internet filtering software on all new computers. The delay by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was announced through Xinhua, the official news agency, one day before the July 1 deadline for the software to be installed on all computers sold in China.
RIAA Prevails in Copyright Suit Against Usenet
The Recording Industry Association of America has prevailed in its copyright fight against Usenet.com, according to court documents. In a brief note posted to RIAA.com, the trade group for the music industry said: "We're pleased that the court recognized not just that Usenet.com directly infringed the record companies' copyrights but also took action against the defendants for their egregious litigation misconduct."
Swedish Software Company Buys Pirate Bay
A little-known Swedish software firm has snapped up file-sharing website The Pirate Bay with the hope of turning the source of legal controversy into a money-spinner that appeals to both users and content providers. Global Gaming Factory X AB, which operates Internet cafes and provides software, said that it had agreed to buy Pirate Bay for 60 million Swedish crowns ($7.7 million).
Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Fraud Over iTunes Gift Cards
Illinois residents Daniel and Barbara Owens are suing Apple, accusing the company of fraud related to its iTunes gift cards. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in southern Illinois, shows that the couple is seeking monetary damages for Apple's "wrongful, illegal, improper and fraudulent acts."
Amazon's Tax Struggle Hits Affiliates in Hawaii
Amazon.com Inc. has informed its marketing affiliates in Hawaii that it is ending its business with them to avoid collecting sales tax in the state. Lawmakers in Hawaii, following in the footsteps of North Carolina and Rhode Island, have passed legislation that would require companies to collect sales tax if they have marketing affiliates in the state.
Online Sellers to Pay $765,000 in Bait-and-Switch Case
Seven online merchants operating more than 40 Web sites have agreed to pay a $765,000 settlement following an investigation by the New York State Attorney General's office, the AG's office said. "These companies engaged in the worst kinds of consumer fraud, from classic bait-and-switch schemes to blatant lies and bullying sales tactics," New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.
Amazon Stops Affiliate Program in Two States in Tax Spat
Amazon has shuttered its Associates affiliate programs in North Carolina and Rhode Island, a move enabling it to avoid having to collect state sales taxes through new laws likely to go into effect within days. However, the decision also means that the states' Amazon affiliates -- Web site operators who place links to Amazon merchandise on their pages in return for a percentage of sales -- will be left out in the cold.
Child Porn Hidden in Swiss Hip-Hop Music Site
Child pornography was downloaded from a Swiss hip-hop music website to around 2,300 computers in 78 countries, Swiss police said. Jean-Christophe Sauterel, a police spokesman in the Vaud canton of Switzerland, said videos of minors engaged in sexual acts were hidden in a Swiss site where the principal content was "perfectly legal."
