FCC Considers Alternative Plans for Net Traffic Rules

Federal Communications Commission officials have begun discussing alternative plans for regulating Internet-traffic management if a federal appeals court rules this spring that the agency doesn't have authority to control the way phone and cable companies handle traffic on their broadband networks. The discussions began less than a week after a U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel sharply questioned the FCC's jurisdiction in reprimanding Comcast Corp. two years ago when the cable company deliberately slowed some subscribers' web traffic.

India Suspects Chinese Hackers of Government Attack

India suspects that Chinese hackers attempted to gain access to Indian government information at the same time as they have been accused of targeting U.S. companies including Google Inc., according to a report. The Times of London quoted India's national security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, as saying of the attempted cyber attacks on his and other government offices: "People seem to be fairly sure it was the Chinese."

Human Rights Group Says Turkey Blocking Websites

Europe's main security and human rights watchdog said that Turkey was blocking some 3,700 Internet sites for "arbitrary and political reasons" and urged reforms to show its commitment to freedom of expression. Milos Haraszti, media freedom monitor for the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said Turkey's Internet law was failing to preserve free expression in the country and should be changed or abolished.

Telecom Providers Struggle to Operate in Haiti

Telecommunications providers in Haiti will continue through to try to accommodate the enormous demand for phone and broadband services as they struggle to overcome massive damage to the island's infrastructure from the 7.0 earthquake. "The logistics and the security situation are really bad," says Paul Margie, U.S. representative for international relief organization Télécoms Sans Frontières (Telecommunications Without Borders).

Teen Could Face Child Porn Charges for "Sexting"

A teenage girl who appeared topless in a "sexting" cell phone picture that was distributed among her middle-school classmates should face child-pornography charges, a Pennsylvania prosecutor argued before a U.S. appellate court. In the first U.S. case to test the constitutional status of "sexting," the American Civil Liberties Union countered that the incident does not come close to meeting the definition of child pornography which typically depicts graphic sexual acts with minors and is done for commercial gain.

EU Antitrust Chief Uncertain as Digital Leader

The nomination of Neelie Kroes, who was hard-nosed as Europe's antitrust chief, to a new post as commissioner for the digital agenda was in doubt after she was accused of being evasive during a testy appearance before a committee of the European Parliament. Members of the two biggest blocs in Parliament, the conservatives and the Socialists, expressed concerns about the failure by Ms. Kroes to endorse clearly what they considered pro-consumer lines on price caps for mobile phone roaming, redeployment of broadcast frequencies for wireless broadband and revisions to digital copyright law.

Chinese Find Ways to Avoid Internet Censorship

Just as Mongol invaders could not be stopped by the Great Wall, Chinese citizens have found ways to circumvent the sophisticated Internet censorship systems designed to restrict them. They are using a variety of tools to evade government filters and to reach the wide-open Web that the Chinese government deems dangerous -- sites like YouTube, Facebook and, if Google makes good on its threat to withdraw from China, Google.cn.

RIAA Asks FCC to Allow "Flexible" ISP Rules

The Recording Industry Association of America asked the Federal Communications Commission to "adopt flexible rules" that free Internet service providers to fight copyright theft. According to a copy of comments submitted by the RIAA to the FCC, others, including two U.S. congressmen have already argued that the "Open Internet" principles should not protect unlawful content such as pirated songs.

  • Read the article: CNET News

    • Schools to Stop Promoting Kindle in Settlement

    Three U.S. universities will stop promoting the use of Amazon.com's Kindle DX e-book reader in classrooms after complaints that the device doesn't give blind students equal access to information. Settlements with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Oregon, were announced by the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Read the article: PC World

    • Court Reinstates Antitrust Downloading Suit

    A federal appeals court reinstated an antitrust lawsuit accusing major record labels of conspiring to fix prices for potentially millions of people who download their music over the Internet. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said a federal district judge erred in dismissing the case in October 2008 against defendants that include Bertelsmann AG, EMI Group, Sony Corp, Vivendi SA and Warner Music Group Corp or various affiliates.

  • Read the article: Reuters

    • Alleged NASA Hacker's Extradition to U.S. Delayed

    A Briton who hacked into NASA and Pentagon computers has won the right to challenge the government's decision to refuse to block his extradition to the United States, his lawyers said. Gary McKinnon was arrested in 2002 after U.S. prosecutors charged him with illegally accessing computers, including at the U.S. Defense Department and NASA, and causing $700,000 worth of damage.

  • Read the article: Reuters

    • Subscribe

    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.