Iranian-Canadian Blogger Gets 19.5 Years in Jail

An Iranian news Web site reported that Hossein Derakhshan, an influential Iranian-Canadian blogger who was arrested two years ago when he returned from self-imposed exile to live in Iran, was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison by a court in Tehran. As Cyrus Farivar, an Iranian-American journalist, noted on his blog, Iran’s Mashregh News reported that Mr. Derakhshan sentenced to 19.5 years in jail for “conspiring with hostile governments, spreading propaganda against the Islamic system, spreading propaganda in favor of counterrevolutionary groups, blasphemy, and creating and managing obscene Web sites.”

Oracle Sues Micron, Says Sun Overcharged for Chips

Oracle Corp. sued Micron Technology Inc., alleging it overcharged Sun Microsystems Inc., which Oracle acquired, by conspiring to fix prices for computer memory chips. Micron and other makers of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, artificially inflated the price of chips they sold to Sun, Oracle claimed in an antitrust complaint filed Sept. 24 in federal court in San Jose, California.

Internet Eavesdropping in India Called Innovation Threat

Prompted by fears of digital-era plotters, officials in India are demanding that network operators give them the ability to monitor and decrypt digital messages, whenever the Home Ministry deems the eavesdropping to be vital to national security. Critics, though, say India’s campaign to monitor data transmission within its borders will hurt another important national goal: attracting global businesses and becoming a hub for technology innovation.

Judge Denies Disclosures in "Hurt Locker" Case

A federal magistrate judge in South Dakota has denied an attempt by the producers of the Oscar-winning film "The Hurt Locker" to obtain the identities of 143 accused illegal file sharers from their Internet service provider. The judge's decision, however, likely means only a temporary delay for Voltage Pictures, the independent studio which made "The Hurt Locker."

Defendants Must Disclose Identities in Movie Download Case

A federal judge in the District of Columbia has ordered a group of anonymous defendants in a copyright lawsuit over illegally downloaded movies to disclose their identities. Earlier this month, more than 40 of the 4,577 John Doe defendants named in one of at least seven lawsuits filed by District-based US Copyright Group, a litigation outfit formed by attorneys from Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver, asked a judge to toss out a subpoena seeking their identities and dismiss the case.

Law Enforcement Wants Congress to OK Internet Wiretapping

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is "going dark" as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone. Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct "peer to peer" messaging like Skype -- to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order.

Man Gets 10 Years for Hacking Internet Phone Networks

A computer hacker was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in February to hacking into Internet-phone networks and reselling those services for a profit. Edwin Andres Pena, 27 years old, transmitted more than 10 million minutes of unauthorized Web-based telephone calls, which resulted in the loss of more than $1.4 million to telecommunications companies, prosecutors said.

Streaming Video Facing Piracy Threats

Streaming video is the most visible sign of how Internet piracy has evolved since the days of Napster and its imitators. The new digital black market combines "cyberlockers," such as Megaupload and Hotfile, which piracy experts say hold stores of pilfered content, with linking sites such as TVDuck and TVShack.cc, that act like an underground version of TV Guide, helping people locate bootlegged TV shows and movies.

UAE Expects to Resolve BlackBerry Dispute

The United Arab Emirates is "very optimistic" about reaching an agreement in a dispute with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion before an official deadline, a top Abu Dhabi official said. The UAE has threatened to suspend Research In Motion's BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from October 11 until the government could get access to encrypted messages.

EU Drops Antitrust Probe Focusing on iPhone Repairs

EU antitrust regulators will scrap two investigations into Apple's iPhone after the company allowed cross-border repair services and eased restrictions on applications for its popular smartphone. The European Commission, the watchdog across the 27-country European Union, announced its decision on Saturday, saying the changes by Apple would allow consumers to choose between different alternatives.

Tech Companies Settle Charges Over Non-Poaching Practices

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with six major Silicon Valley companies to settle charges they colluded to keep a lid on wages by agreeing not to poach employees from one another. The proposed settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, bars Google Inc., Apple Inc., Intel Corp., Adobe Systems Inc., Intuit Inc. and Walt Disney Co.'s Pixar Animation Studios from pledging not to "cold call" one another's employees as part of partnership agreements.

Iran Trying to Protect Nuclear Facilities from Viruses

The Iranian government agency that runs the country’s nuclear facilities, including those the West suspects are part of a weapons program, has reported that its engineers are trying to protect their facilities from a sophisticated computer worm that has infected industrial plants across Iran. The agency, the Atomic Energy Organization, did not specify whether the worm had already infected any of its nuclear facilities, including Natanz, the underground enrichment site that for several years has been a main target of American and Israeli covert programs.

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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.