Google's Attempted Airfare Deal Drawing Scrutiny

Google's attempt to buy the company that made it easy for travelers to compare airfares, ITA Software, has prompted a coalition that includes Microsoft, Expedia and Kayak to push regulators to thwart the deal.  After examining the transaction, Senator Herb Kohl, the Wisconsin Democrat who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, wrote a letter this month to Christine A. Varney, the assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division of the Justice Department, urging a careful review and certain stipulations.

Oracle Ordered to Pay $16.5 Million in Interest to SAP

Oracle Corp. must be paid interest on the $1.3 billion copyright-infringement jury verdict it won against SAP AG, a federal judge said. SAP, based in Walldorf, Germany, said the interest amounts to about $16.5 million based on the calculation method ordered yesterday by U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton in Oakland, California, who presided over the trial of the 2007 lawsuit.

Suit Claims Apple Gave iPhone Users' Data to Advertisers

Apple Inc., making of the iPhone and iPad, was accused in a lawsuit of allowing applications for those devices to transmit users’ personal information to advertising networks without customers’ consent. The suit claims Cupertino, California-based Apple’s iPhones and iPads are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track what applications users download, how frequently they’re used and for how long.

ISP Refuses to Disclose Customers in Larry Flynt Lawsuit

Time Warner Cable, one of the nation's largest Internet service providers, has refused to turn over customers accused in a lawsuit by Larry Flynt Publishing of pirating one of the company's porn films, according to Flynt's attorney. In October, Dallas-based attorney Evan Stone filed three separate lawsuits against more than 4,000 "John Does," alleging the defendants illegally shared the movie "This Ain't Avatar XXX."

Man Charged with Felony for Accessing Wife's E-mail

Prosecutors in Michigan, relying on a state statute typically used to prosecute crimes such as identity theft or stealing trade secrets, have charged Leon Walker, 33, with a felony after he logged onto a laptop in the home he shared with his wife, Clara Walker. Using her password, he accessed her Gmail account and learned she was having an affair.

New Net-Connected Devices Create New Security Risks

As Internet TVs, smartphones and other popular Web-ready gadgets become more popular, experts say, consumers can expect to run into familiar scams like credit card number thefts as well as new ones that play off features in the products. And because the devices are relatively new, they do not yet have as much protection as more traditional products, like desktop computers, do.

Rule Change Allows Lawmakers to Use Gadgets on Floor

A new rule appears to mean that BlackBerrys, iPhones, iPads and the whole burgeoning universe of applications that run on them and are now available to members of Congress even as they are working hard (or not so hard) on the House floor. The rule, if it is adopted without change at the start of the 112th Congress, would still require members to silence their devices.

Allen Refiles Patent Suit Against Tech Companies

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has refiled a lawsuit against several major technology companies over claims of patent infringement. In his revised complaint, Allen alleges that 11 tech companies and retailers -- Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, YouTube, eBay, Netflix, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and Staples -- are violating patents granted to him when he headed Interval Research, a small R&D firm that he started in 1992 and ran until it went out of business in 2000.

Cyprus Delays Ban on Internet Gambling

Cyprus has put off legislation to ban online gambling because of a three-month delay in feedback on its plans from its European Union partners, the finance ministry said. The east Mediterranean island's Communist-led government wants to ban online poker, slot machines and other casino games, which legislators say have an estimated turnover of 2.5 billion euros a year. It does not intend to ban online sports betting.

Group Plans Privacy Guidelines for Smartphones

Facing growing public concern about privacy breaches, a lobby representing mobile-phone advertisers and publishers called for guidelines to better protect smartphone users from intrusive tracking technologies. The Mobile Marketing Association said it would begin work on a "comprehensive set of mobile privacy guidelines" to help marketers and phone users navigate the rapidly changing landscape.

Craigslist Closes Adult Services Sections Worldwide

Craigslist has closed the door on all its adult services sections, in every country in which it operates. For the 50 million Craigslist users in the U.S., that door has been shut since September, when the online classified service yielded to pressure from a group of attorney generals from 17 states, who complained the site was passively facilitating prostitution and child trafficking.

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