Bill Would Let Parents Delete Kids' Info from Facebook

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz said he was open to a proposal to give children a way to delete personal information that they post on Facebook or other online sites. Reps. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, have introduced legislation that would require online firms to give children and their parents a way, when technologically feasible, to erase publicly available information online and would limit companies from collecting personal information about kids 15 and younger.

N.J. Committee OKs Ban on Employers Seeking Passwords

An Assembly committee has approved measures aimed at stopping employers and educational institutions in New Jersey from asking for social media user names and passwords. The bills prohibit employers, colleges and universities from requiring current or prospective employees or students to disclose user names or passwords for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Professor Says Google Searches Protected by First Amendment

In a Google-funded report on the constitutional rights of an Internet search, UCLA law professor -- and blogger -- Eugene Volokh makes a lofty claim about the legal rights of any given Google search: The weight, placement, and even omission of search results deserve the same free speech protection as the articles on the front page of The New York Times.

ICANN Plans to Reopen Domain Application System

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said that it expects to reopen its application system on May 22 after a glitch forced the organization to temporarily stop accepting applications for new Web domain endings. The deadline for submitting applications will be May 30.

comment E-mail Print share ICANN targets May 22 to reopen Web address application system By Brendan Sasso - 05/09/12 02:35 PM ET

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said Wednesday that it expects to reopen its application system on May 22 after a glitch forced the organization to temporarily stop accepting applications for new Web domain endings.

The deadline for submitting applications will be May 30.

ICANN, a California-based nonprofit that manages the Web's address system, began accepting applications earlier this year for new Web domain endings in addition to traditional endings, such as .com or .org. The group says the new domain endings, such as .sport, .bank or .food, will spur online innovation and help consumers.

But advertisers and some government officials have criticized the domain name expansion, warning it could confuse consumers and force companies to spend millions defensively buying up domains related to their brands.

Last month, ICANN had to take its application system offline when it identified a glitch that allowed some groups to look at the confidential applications of their rivals.

ICANN said Wednesday there is no evidence that any applicant tried to use the glitch to gain an unfair edge over competitors.

The group said the "large majority" of users were not affected by the glitch.

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Proview's 'iPad' Suit Against Apple Dismissed in California

A California judge tossed out a lawsuit in which the Chinese firm Proview Electronics Co Ltd accused Apple Inc of tricking them into selling the "iPad" name for less than it might have. Proview, which is also suing Apple in China over alleged illegal use of the iPad name, filed a lawsuit in California superior court in February, saying the U.S. consumer electronics company deceived it by purchasing the rights to the name through a special-purpose vehicle.

Interpol President Says Most Online Crime Linked to Gangs

Speaking to delegates at the opening of the France-based international police agency's European Regional Conference in Tel Aviv, Khoo quoted a study by London's Metropolitan University indicating that "80 percent of crime committed online is now connected to organised gangs operating across borders." "Criminal gangs now find that transnational and cyber crime are far more rewarding and profitable than other, riskier forms of making money," he said.

Twitter Moves to Quash Subpoena for User Info

Caught in the middle of political hot-potato case, “The People of the State of New York against Malcolm Harris,” Twitter has gone to bat for one of its users. In a move applauded by the American Civil Liberties Union, the information network filed to quash a subpoena that ordered it to turn over “any and all user information” for Harris between Sept. 15 and Dec. 31, 2011.

Oracle v. Google Trial Moves to Patent Phase

After previously testifying in the copyrights phase of Oracle v. Google in April, Google engineer Tim Lindholm was recalled to the stand at the U.S. District Court of Northern California as Oracle's first witness in phase two of the trial covering patent infringement. Representing Oracle, Fred Norton of Boies, Schiller & Flexner repeatedly asked Lindholm questions along the lines of whether he was the only person responsible for work on Java virtual machines and related innovations, following up with the implication that Lindholm certainly couldn't have been the only one.

FTC Charges Myspace with Privacy Breach

Continuing its crackdown on privacy violations, the Federal Trade Commission charged Myspace with violating federal law by breaching its promise not to share users’ personal information, including their Web browsing habits, with advertising companies. Without admitting or denying the charge, the social media Internet site agreed to a tentative consent order that requires it to obey its stated privacy policies, to establish comprehensive privacy controls and procedures and to submit to audits of its actions every other year for 20 years.

Senator Wants FCC, DOJ to Probe Comcast on Net Neutrality

Senator Al Franken says Comcast may be violating Net neutrality rules by exempting its own video service from a usage cap on its broadband network. The Minnesota Democrat sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice asking the agencies to take a closer look at a new service Comcast announced in March that will stream Xfinity on-demand content to Microsoft Xbox consoles.

India Opens Antitrust Investigation of Google

India has launched an antitrust probe of Google Inc.'s online advertising business to investigate potential anticompetitive practices, government officials familiar with the matter say, marking the latest setback for the Internet company in an emerging market where it has lofty ambitions. The probe, which could take several months to complete, is initially focused on AdWords, Google's flagship advertising product and main source of revenue.

Jury Issues Mixed Verdict in Google-Oracle Android Case

A jury said Google Inc., the largest Web-search provider, infringed copyrights for Oracle Corp.’s technology in developing Android software running on more than 300 million mobile devices, while jurors couldn’t decide unanimously whether Google made “fair use” of the intellectual property. The decision came in the copyright phase of an eight-week intellectual-property trial that began April 16 and next will shift to Oracle’s claims of patent infringement.

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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.