A federal appeals court in New York ruled that a Yahoo Internet radio service is not required to pay fees to copyright holders of songs it plays, a defeat for Sony's BMG Music. In a case closely watched by the recording industry, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2007 jury verdict that Launchcast, a webcasting service run by Yahoo's Launch Media Inc unit, did not give listeners enough control to be an "interactive service" that would require the fees.
Flickr Deletes Student's Image of Obama as the Joker
After a Chicago student gained national fame for editing a picture of President Obama in the image of the Joker villain from "The Dark Knight" and posting it to Flickr, some of the focus, especially among the tech community, quickly shifted to Flickr for removing the image. On a site forum, Flickr, a Yahoo property, says it isn't banning accounts for posting the altered version of a Time magazine cover.
Apple, Palm Discussed Not Poaching Employees
Former Palm Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ed Colligan rejected a proposal from Apple Inc.'s Steve Jobs to refrain from hiring each other's employees two years ago, calling it wrong and "likely illegal," according to their communications. Colligan, who stepped down as CEO in June, discussed the matter with Jobs in August 2007, as the mobile-phone war heated up, according to the communications.
Lawsuit Seeks Information from Banks on Hackers
A lawsuit filed against some of the most shadowy Internet criminals -- gangs based in Eastern Europe that electronically break into business computers, steal banking passwords and transfer themselves money -- is being used to pry information from a group that is nearly as reclusive as the hackers: banks whose computers have been compromised.
Broadband Stimulus Deadline Renews Net Neutrality Talk
The debate over Net neutrality has reignited as broadband service providers hit the first deadline for applying for funds as part of President Obama's economic stimulus plan.
Hacker May Sue AT&T After Account Breached
After having his AT&T wireless account breached and his personal information posted on the Web, famed hacker Kevin Mitnick thought the least the cellular service provider could do was compensate him for his troubles. Instead, the company informed Mitnick it plans to cancel his contract and not pay damages for the breach, he said, so now he may sue.
Trademark Office Rejects Application for "Tweet"
"Tweet" might be a word that has been popularized by Twitter, but that doesn't mean that the social network will be able trademark it. According to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents, Twitter's application for a trademark on "tweet" has been preliminarily denied.
Europe Investigating Reports of Exploding iPod
The European Commission said that it was examining the safety of Apple iPhones and iPods, after news reports said that several of the devices had exploded. Helen Kearns, a spokeswoman for Meglena Kuneva, the consumer protection commissioner, said Apple was cooperating with the commission in examining reports of problems with two iPhones in France and an iPod in Britain.
New Alliance Focuses on Internet Security Issues
A new alliance has been created to formalize information sharing on security protection and develop industry standards. The Industry Connections Security Group (ICSG) is parked under the IEEE Standards Association and includes mostly security heavyweights and antivirus players.
Season Premiere of "Mad Men" Release Early on iTunes
Having waited nearly a year for the new season of "Mad Men" to have its premiere, some fans of that AMC drama discovered that they were briefly able to download the third episode of the new season from the Apple iTunes store, nearly two weeks before the episode is scheduled to be broadcast on television.
European Record Label Seeks Hackers Behind Song Release
Record label SyCo and music trade body IFPI have called in the police to help them hunt down computer hackers who leaked a track by Leona Lewis and Justin Timberlake on the Internet. The song, "Don't Let Me Down," is being considered as the first single release from the X Factor winner's next album, according to the Sun newspaper.
Woman Charged with Cyberbullying Teen Girl
A Missouri woman is accused of cyberbullying for allegedly posting photos and personal information of a teenage girl on the "Casual Encounters" section of Craigslist after an Internet argument. Prosecutors said 40-year-old Elizabeth A. Thrasher posted the 17-year-old's picture, e-mail address and cell phone number on the Web site in a posting that suggested the girl was seeking a sexual encounter.
New Privacy Tools Help Chinese Activists Online
Human rights activists are looking to a new generation of Internet privacy tools to keep companies from gathering such data, hoping that it will protect dissidents such as Chinese human rights activists. One, called Tor, scrambles information, then sends it over the Web.
Microsoft's Bing Renews Attention on Illegal Pharmacies
With Bing, Microsoft is trying to reinvigorate its role in the search business. It has also inadvertently brought renewed attention to the problem of illicit pharmacies operating on the Internet.
More Authors, Others Object to Google Books Settlement
A growing chorus of authors, academics and other book industry figures is objecting to the settlement of a class-action suit that would allow Google to profit from digital versions of millions of books it has scanned from libraries. Those questioning the agreement, which is subject to a court review, have raised concerns about whether it is fair to authors, whether it protects the privacy of people whose reading habits might be tracked and whether Google is being improperly given what amounts to exclusive rights to commercialize millions of out-of-print books.
Facebook Accused of Privacy Violations in Lawsuit
Five people have filed a suit against Facebook, charging the social-networking company with violating California privacy laws and false advertising. Facebook users assume that personal information and photos that they post on the site are shared only with authorized friends, the suit, filed in the Superior Court for California in Orange County, says.
Microsoft Seeks Injunction Against Ban on Word
Microsoft asked an appeals court to halt an injunction that would force the company to stop selling Microsoft Word in its current form. A judge had issued an injunction that would force Microsoft to stop selling versions of Word with a custom XML function that a jury found infringes on a patent held by Canadian software maker I4i.
Smartphone Users Not Concerned About Security
Smartphone users say security isn't a critical concern, with a recent survey finding that the majority of smartphone users are more concerned about losing their phone or personal data. That's in spite of acknowledging the wealth of threats -- ranging from phishing scams to viruses -- that could impact them.
Man Fined $210,000 for Illegal Software Auctions
A U.S. man has been fined $210,000 for selling illegal copies of software through Internet auction sites. Matthew Miller of Newark, Delaware, was hit with $195,000 in damages and $15,000 in legal fees by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in the case brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
White House Changes Site After E-mail Complaints
The White House implemented several new changes to its Web site, apparently aimed at reducing the number of people who receive unsolicited e-mails from the administration and at battling charges that it's collecting personal information on critics. After the White House took heat for asking people to report "fishy" information about health care reform, the e-mail address set up for that purpose became inactive.
