Registrar to Screen for Illegal Drug Sites

In a victory for the fight against criminal networks distributing counterfeit and adulterated drugs over the Internet, the world's second-biggest seller of website addresses is to begin screening customers for unapproved drug sales. Under pressure from security professionals, the internet governance group ICANN and the White House, the domain-name seller eNom quietly retained LegitScript, a company that vets Internet pharmaceutical concerns to make sure they are licensed to do business in the U.S.

EU Privacy Laws Limit Cloud Computing

Cloud-based breakthroughs face a formidable obstacle in Europe because strict privacy laws place rigid limits on the movement of information beyond the borders of the 27-country European Union. European governments fear that personal information could fall prey to aggressive marketers and cybercriminals once it leaves the jurisdictions of individual members, a concern that may protect consumers but one that hinders the free flow of data essential to cloud computing.

House Committee Nears Bill on Net Neutrality

The House Commerce committee is getting close to crafting net neutrality legislation that would give the Federal Communications Commission authority for two years to enforce existing guidelines but leave out some key provisions pushed by public interest groups and some Internet companies. Democratic and Republican staff members have been in talks for weeks on a bill that outlines how Internet service providers can treat Web content and applications.

House Panel Visits Antitrust Law's Impact on E-Commerce

A House Judiciary panel grappled with how antitrust law should be applied to new and evolving digital industries in a way that promotes competition without stifling innovation.  Most lawmakers on the Courts and Competition Policy Subcommittee argued that antitrust officials have a place in ensuring competition among technology companies but questioned witnesses about how to find the right balance.

EU Probes Chinese Subsidies of Mobile Wireless Modems

The European Commission has launched an inquiry into the legality of Chinese state subsidies for mobile wireless modems, it said, raising the pressure on Chinese exporters targeting the EU's market in high-tech goods. The investigation follows a complaint by the European Union's sole producer of wireless modems, Option, the EU's executive said in its official journal.

Anti-Piracy Encryption Key Leaked Online

Hollywood studios and the maker and licensing authority of the High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection standard were scrambling to determine whether a so-called “master key” to the anti-piracy encryption technology has leaked onto the Internet. HDCP is a copy-protection technology that encrypts high-definition video traveling between set-top boxes and televisions.

  • Read the article: Wired

Google Sued Over Location Services for Cellphones

Skyhook Wireless Inc. sued Google Inc., alleging the search giant muscled it out of business deals and infringed on its technology for determining the location of cellphones. In a complaint filed in Massachusetts Superior Court, Boston-based Skyhook alleges Google cost it tens of million of dollars by interfering with a contract, announced in April, to put its location technology on Motorola Inc. phones.

Craigslist Says Adult Services Listings Won't Return

Craigslist said that it had permanently closed the section of its sites in the United States that carried sex-related advertising, but it defended its right to carry such advertisements as well as its efforts to fight sex trafficking. "Craigslist discontinued its adult services section on Sept. 3, 2010, and there are no plans to reinstate the category," said William Clinton Powell, director of customer and law enforcement relations at Craigslist.

Google Fires Engineer for Accessing Users' Accounts

Google confirmed that it fired an employee earlier this year for violating its policies on accessing the accounts of its users. Earlier, Gawker reported that David Barksdale, an engineer in Google's Seattle offices, used his position as a key engineer evaluating the health of Google's services to break into the Gmail and Google Voice accounts of several children.

CCNY Informs Students About Stolen Laptop

More than 7,000 students attending City College of New York are beginning to receive notices from school officials that their names, social security numbers and other personal information were exposed after a school laptop was stolen last month. It was password-protected, but not encrypted and, thus far, CCNY officials have found no evidence suggesting that student data has been used for identity theft or other illegal endeavors.

Judge Dismisses Tiffany's Last Claim Against eBay

EBay won dismissal of a Tiffany lawsuit accusing the auctioneer of deceiving customers by allowing the sale of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry on its website. U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan rejected Tiffany's allegation that eBay engaged in false advertising, the last remaining claim after a federal appeals court on April 1 dismissed the rest of Tiffany's trademark infringement case.

Microsoft Changes Piracy Policy in Russia

Microsoft announced sweeping changes on to its software policy in Russia, responding to criticism that it has been supporting a crackdown on dissent. The company essentially prohibited its Russian division from taking part in piracy cases against government opponents and declared that it would thwart any attempt by the authorities, in this country and elsewhere, to use such inquiries to exert political pressure.

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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.