Al Jazeera's Website Hacked by Syrian Loyalists

The website of Qatar-based satellite news network Al Jazeera was apparently hacked by Syrian government loyalists for what they said was the television channel's support for the "armed terrorist groups and spreading lies and fabricated news". A Syrian flag and statement denouncing Al Jazeera's "positions against the Syrian people and government" were posted on the Arabic site of the channel in response to its coverage of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad which began in March last year.

Police in Cambodia Arrest Leader of Pirate Bay

Cambodian police said they arrested one of the masterminds behind notorious file-sharing website The Pirate Bay, months after he was due to begin a one-year prison sentence in his native Sweden. Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, 27 years old, was arrested in Phnom Penh in connection with the alleged illegal use of information technology, said police officials, adding that they were acting in concert with the Swedish government to get him out of Cambodia -- and possibly back to Sweden to serve his term.

Market Grows for Governments Using Surveillance Software

FinSpy, one of the more elusive spyware tools sold in the growing market of off-the-shelf computer surveillance technologies, gives governments a sophisticated plug-in monitoring operation. Research now links it to servers in more than a dozen countries, including Turkmenistan, Brunei and Bahrain, although no government acknowledges using the software for surveillance purposes.

FTC Nears Decision on Antitrust Case Against Google

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is pushing to conclude its antitrust investigation of Google Inc. in the coming weeks, four people familiar with the matter said. The agency’s staff will present its findings to the FTC’s five commissioners by mid-September and probably recommend whether to sue the company for hurting competition through its Internet dominance or suggest a basis for settlement, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the progress of the probe is confidential.

CEOs of Google, Apple Discuss Patent Disputes

Google Inc Chief Executive Larry Page and Apple CEO Tim Cook have been conducting behind-the-scenes talks about a range of intellectual property matters, including the mobile patent disputes between the companies, people familiar with the matter said. The two companies are keeping lines of communication open at a high level against the backdrop of Apple's legal victory in a patent infringement case against Samsung, which uses Google's Android software.

Publishers to Pay $69 Million in E-Book Settlement

Ebook-buying consumers in 49 states (all except Minnesota) and five territories are set to receive $69 million as the result of a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. If the settlement is approved, the three publishers, who are also settling with the Department of Justice in the federal antitrust suit, will pay a total of $69 million to consumers who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012.

Judge Lets Group Oppose FTC-Google Settlement

A public interest group won the right to oppose a $22.5 million consumer lawsuit settlement between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Google Inc. over a privacy breach of Apple Inc.’s Safari browser. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco gave attorneys for Consumer Watchdog until Sept. 21 to file a brief opposing the settlement, which was announced Aug. 9 needs court approval.

Man Arrested in Connection with LulzSec Hackings

A second suspected member of the clandestine hacking group LulzSec was arrested on charges he took part in an extensive computer breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the FBI said. Raynaldo Rivera, 20, of Tempe, Arizona, surrendered to U.S. authorities in Phoenix six days after a federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned an indictment charging him with conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer.

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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.