Judge Fines Woman $163M in Malicious Software Scam

A U.S. judge has imposed a judgment of $163.2 million against a defendant accused by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission of being part of an operation that sold software to people it tricked into thinking their computers were infected with malicious software. Judge Richard Bennett of U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ordered defendant Kristy Ross, vice president of Business Development for Ukraine-based Innovative Marketing, in a ruling.

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Sophisticated Hackers Likely Behind Bank Attacks

The hackers behind the cyber attacks on major U.S. banks have repeatedly disrupted online banking by using sophisticated and diverse tools that point to a carefully coordinated campaign, according to security researchers. The hackers, believed to be activists in the Middle East, were highly knowledgeable about the defensive equipment used by the banks and likely spent months on reconnaissance, said several researchers interviewed by Reuters, who viewed the assaults as among the strongest and most complex the world has seen to date.

Samsung Gets Ban Lifted on Tablet, Adds Claims Against iPhone 5

Samsung Electronics Co. said Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5 infringes its patents, escalating a global fight over mobile devices after winning a court order lifting a ban on U.S. sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer. The world's largest mobile-phone seller, based in Suwon, South Korea, added claims about the iPhone 5, which was released last month, to an existing patent-infringement lawsuit between the two companies in federal court in San Jose, California.

Facebook Wants Child Privacy Exclusion for 'Likes'

The social networking giant Facebook has told the Obama administration that child privacy laws should not apply to a Web site’s ability to incorporate a “like” button, because that would inhibit free expression. The company sent a 20-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission in which it objected to certain proposed revisions of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.

Canada Probes Cyber-Attack on Energy Industry

The Canadian government said it is looking into a cyber-attack on the Canadian arm of a company that designs software for the energy industry and helps other firms protect themselves against cyber-attack. A spokesman for the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre said they are aware that Telvent, which is owned by French firm Schneider Electric SA, had been hacked into.

FTC Considering Changes to Children's Privacy Law

Federal regulators are about to take the biggest steps in more than a decade to protect children online. The moves come at a time when major corporations, app developers and data miners appear to be collecting information about the online activities of millions of young Internet users without their parents’ awareness, children’s advocates say.

U.S. Court Won't Enforce German Order Against Microsoft

A U.S. appeals court ruled that Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit cannot enforce a patent injunction that it obtained against Microsoft Corp in Germany, diminishing Google's leverage in the ongoing smartphone patent wars. The injunction would have barred Microsoft from "offering, marketing, using or importing or possessing" in Germany some products including the Xbox 360 and certain Windows software.

Appeals Court Wants Review of Ban on Galaxy Tab

A U.S. appeals court ruled that a lower court should reconsider a sales ban against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 won by Apple in a patent dispute with the South Korean electronics maker. The injunction was put in place ahead of a month-long trial that pitted iPhone maker Apple Inc against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in a closely watched legal battle that ended with a resounding victory for Apple last month on many of its patent violation claims.

Privacy Groups Want FTC to Probe Facebook Deal

Two privacy groups are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether a deal Facebook has entered into with a data-mining firm violates the privacy settlement the social networking site reached last year with the agency. In a letter to the FTC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy urged the commission to examine whether the deal Facebook reached with Datalogix to measure the effectiveness of Facebook ads runs counter to the privacy promises Facebook agreed to as part of the consent decree reached last year.

Google Removes Political YouTube Video in Brazil

The Brazilian unit of Google, the world's No. 1 Internet search engine, said on it had obeyed a court order to remove a video attacking a candidate in Brazilian municipal elections from its YouTube service after legal appeals were exhausted. "We are profoundly disappointed to not have the opportunity of openly debating our arguments in the electoral justice system that the videos were legitimate manifestations of the freedom of expression and should continue (to be) available in Brazil," said Fabio Coelho, director-general of Google in Brazil in an e-mailed statement.

More U.S. Officials Discuss Cyberattack Capabilities

For years, even as the United States carried out sophisticated cyberattacks on Iran’s nuclear program and the Pentagon created a Cyber Command, officials have been hesitant to discuss American offensive cyberwarfare programs openly. But the chorus of official voices speaking publicly about American cyberattack strategy and capabilities is steadily growing, and some experts say greater openness will allow the United States to stake out legal and ethical rules in the uncharted territory of computer combat.

Computer Rental Companies Settle Secret Webcam Charges

Seven computer rental companies agreed to a settlement with the federal government after it was discovered that they were unlawfully capturing photos of customers by using illicit software that controlled a computer’s webcam. The Federal Trade Commission said the seven companies involved had worked with DesignerWare, a Pennsylvania-based software maker, to create a program that secretly captured “webcam pictures of children, partially undressed individuals, and intimate activities at home.”

EU to Charge Microsoft for Breaching Antitrust Order

Microsoft Corp will be charged for failing to comply with a 2009 ruling ordering it to offer a choice of web browsers, the European Union's antitrust chief said, which could mean a hefty fine for the company. U.S.-based Microsoft's more than decade-long battle with the European Commission has already landed it with fines totaling more than a billion euros ($1.28 billion).

Domain Applicant Criticized for Abuse-Related Connections

The single most aggressive bidder for lucrative new Web domains is a little-known investment group with an intriguing name: Donuts Inc. Its $57 million play for 307 new domains — more than Google, Amazon and Allstate combined — has prompted alarm among industry groups and Internet watchdogs. They warn that Donuts has close ties to a company with a well-documented history of providing services to spammers and other perpetrators of Internet abuses.

Major Banks Hit by Cyberattacks; Accounts Unaffected

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp and PNC have been hit by a wave of cyberattacks that have caused Internet blackouts and delays on online banking sites. Such attacks, while a nuisance, are not technically sophisticated and typically do not affect a company’s computer network — or, in this case, funds or customers’ bank accounts.

Amazon Wants Court to Dismiss "App Store" Claim

Amazon.com Inc has asked a federal judge to throw out Apple Inc's false advertising claim in a lawsuit challenging the online retailer's use of the "app store" name. The claim is part of a March 2011 trademark lawsuit in which Apple, which this year became the world's largest company ever by market value, accused Amazon of misusing its "App Store" name to solicit developers for a mobile software download service.

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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.