DHS Cybersecurity Director Seeks Accountability

A top Department of Homeland Security official said that contractors that fail to live up to security requirements in federal technology contracts should be held accountable, even if the vulnerabilities originated in products or capabilities provided by suppliers, Nextgov.com reported. In most business situations, "if we have a contractual arrangement and you fail [to meet the requirements], I have legal recourse," said Richard Marshall, director of global cybersecurity management at DHS.

Domain Dispute Filings On Course for Record Year

The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, one of four Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy providers, has experienced a record number of filings in the first four months of this year. In 2008 the Center recorded its highest number of filings in a single year, but the figures for filings in the first four months of this year outstrip by 40 the number of filings in the same period during 2008.

ISP Ordered to Pay Defendant in Spam Case

An internet service provider that has brought more than 20 lawsuits alleging spam abuses has been ordered to pay one of the defendants almost $807,000 for filing "groundless claims" that mired the company in years of costly litigation. The $806,978.84 judgment was filed against Asis Internet Services, the same tiny ISP that earlier this month won an award of nearly $2.6m in a separate spam lawsuit.

Google Promised Viacom $600 Million, Documents Show

Not long after Google acquired YouTube, the search engine offered nearly $600 million in guaranteed revenue if Viacom -- the parent company of MTV Networks, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures -- licensed its TV shows and films to YouTube, records show. News of Google's offer was revealed in documents released by a Manhattan federal court and reviewed by CNET.

Penn. Attorney General Drops Twitter Subpoena

Pennsylvania’s attorney general gave up an attempt to subpoena two Twitter users who commented on a political conspiracy case after the defendant in the case was sentenced. The attorney general’s office had subpoenaed Twitter to ascertain the identities of two users who had posted writings sympathetic to the defendants, but prosecutors said after the hearing that the information had not been produced and they considered it a moot point.

FTC Says It Won't Block Google's AdMob Deal

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission won't block Google's $750 million acquisition of mobile advertising vendor AdMob because the deal isn't likely to harm competition in the emerging mobile advertising market, the agency said. Google's acquisition of AdMob, announced in late 2009, combines the two leading mobile advertising networks in the U.S., raising "serious antitrust concerns," the FTC said in a statement.

China Calls U.S. Copyright Claims "Groundless"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has dismissed as "groundless" U.S. accusations that China is failing to crack down on copyright piracy, ahead of talks with top U.S. officials next week, Xinhua News Agency reported. It quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu as saying China had implemented policies to combat piracy in copyrighted films, music, videogames and other entertainment products.

Facebook, MySpace Sent User Data to Advertising Firms

Facebook, MySpace and several other social-networking sites have been sending data to advertising companies that could be used to find consumers' names and other personal details, despite promises they don't share such information without consent. The practice, which most of the companies defended, sent user names or ID numbers tied to personal profiles being viewed when users clicked on ads.

Producer of "Hurt Locker" Defends Plan to Sue Over Downloads

Nicolas Chartier, who produced the Academy Award-winning film "The Hurt Locker," doesn't appear to be backing down from criticism he has received for his plan to sue those who illegally downloaded his movie. In response to an e-mail he received from someone complaining about his litigation plans, Chartier called the person a "moron" and "stupid," and said "I hope your family and your kids end up in jail one day for stealing, so maybe they can be taught the difference," according to a story in the blog Boing Boing.

Pakistan Blocks YouTube for Blasphemous Content

Pakistan, home to the world's second- largest Muslim population, blocked Google Inc.'s YouTube service and more than 450 Web links as the government widened a crackdown on Internet material it deems blasphemous. The sites and links were blocked because of the increasing level of sacrilegious and derogatory material, the Islamabad- based Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said in a statement.

Lawsuit Accuses Google Street View of Violating Privacy

Less than a week after admitting it had inadvertently spied on some Wi-Fi users, Google is the target in several investigations in Europe and at least one lawsuit in the U.S. Pacific Northwest residents Vicki Van Valin and Neil Mertz filed a class action lawsuit against Google alleging their privacy was violated when Google's Street View vehicles drove by their homes, detecting and storing data from their open Wi-Fi Internet connections used in their homes.

Chinese Rules to Limit Map Publishing Online

Xinhua, the Chinese news outlet, is reporting that the Chinese government will be implementing new standards that are aimed at preventing "state secrets being disclosed and uncertified maps published online." The rules are an update to standards adopted one year ago, and, according to the Xinhua article, require "all Internet map servers to keep servers storing map data inside the country and provide public Internet protocol addresses."

EU Fines Computer Chip Makers for Price-Fixing

The European Union fined a group of computer chip makers €331.3 million for price-fixing, the first use of a new procedure that allows settlement of a cartel case in Europe. The European competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, said Wednesday that, because of the new procedure, he expected to handle some cases in less than six months from the time that a cartel is discovered or reported.

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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.