Appeals Court Orders New Look at Samsung Injunction

A U.S. appeals court breathed new life into Apple's long-running attempt to secure an injunction banning the sale of some devices made by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, ordering a California judge to reconsider imposing a permanent sales ban on some Samsung products. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said that the lower court abused its discretion in denying Apple's request for an injunction of Samsung devices with respect to utility patents and asked it to reconsider.

Five Arrested for Role in $45M ATM Cybecrime

Five people were arrested and charged for participating in a worldwide ATM heist that stole $45 million from two Middle East banks. The four men and one woman, all in their 20s and residents of the New York City suburb of Yonkers, were accused of being members of a global cybercrime organization that stole Mastercard Inc debit-card information, according to an announcement from Loretta Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Google Reaches $17M Settlement Over Cookies

Google reached a $17 million settlement with 36 states and the District of Columbia over a privacy case involving the use of third party "cookies" in Apple's Safari Web browsers. Cookies are the small files used by advertisers to collect certain data about Web surfers. Attorney generals from the states involved in the case alleged that between June 1, 2011 and Feb. 15, 2012, Google circumvented default privacy settings in Safari that violated state consumer protection laws and related computer privacy laws, thus giving Web surfers the false impression that their default privacy settings would block the cookies.

Google Agrees to Block Child Porn Sites

Google has agreed to introduce changes which will prevent depraved images and videos from appearing for more than 100,000 different searches. The company's chairman Eric Schmidt, writing in the Daily Mail ahead of a Downing Street summit on internet pornography, says: "We've fine-tuned Google Search to prevent links to child sexual abuse material from appearing in our results."

DOJ, SEC Call Bitcoins Legitimate Financial Instruments

The Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are telling a U.S. Senate committee that Bitcoins are legitimate financial instruments, boosting prospects for wider acceptance of the virtual currency. Representatives from the agencies told the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ahead of a hearing that the digital money offers benefits and carries risks, like any other online-payment system, according to letters they released before the meeting.

FBI Says Hackers Accessed Gov't Computers

Activist hackers linked to the collective known as Anonymous have secretly accessed U.S. government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI warned. The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems Inc.'s software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left "back doors" to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a memo seen by Reuters.

'Anonymous' Hacker Gets 10 Years in Jail

Jeremy Hammond, the Anonymous hacktivist who released millions of emails relating to the private intelligence firm Stratfor, has denounced his prosecution and lengthy prison sentence as a “vengeful, spiteful act” designed to put a chill on politically-motivated hacking. Hammond was sentenced at federal court in Manhattan to the maximum 10 years in jail, plus three years supervised release.

Court Says U.S. Must Disclose 'Internet Kill Switch' Details

Homeland Security's ability to shut down cellular and wireless networks in times of crisis, such as the potential of a remote detonation bomb threat isn't new. Exactly how and when it can be used, however, must be disclosed, thanks to a new ruling by a Washington D.C.-based court. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected Homeland Security's argument that its reasoning and protocols for the dubbed "Internet kill switch" were exempt from public disclosure.

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Microsoft Expands Its Digital Crimes Unit

The maker of the most popular computer operating system in the world is launching a new strategy against criminal hackers by bringing together security engineers, digital forensics experts and lawyers trained in fighting software pirates under one roof at its new Cybercrime Center. Microsoft Corp's expanded Digital Crimes Unit inside the 16,800-square foot, high-security facility combines a wide array of tactics that have worked the best: massive data gathering and analysis, gumshoe detective work, high-level diplomacy and creative lawyering.

Judge Dismisses Book-Scanning Suit Against Google

Google Inc. won dismissal of a lawsuit by authors who accused the Web search and media group of digitally copying millions of books for an online library without permission. U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan accepted Google's argument that its scanning of more than 20 million books, and making "snippets" of text available for online searches, constituted "fair use" under U.S. copyright law.

Financial Lobbyists Push for Cybersecurity Legislation

Top financial-industry lobbyists pressed senators to move forward with cybersecurity legislation, part of an effort to re-energize a campaign that has lost steam amid revelations about the National Security Agency’s extensive domestic surveillance. In a letter to senior members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, three financial-industry trade groups said their ability to prevent cyberattacks will be hindered unless Congress acts.

U.S. Spying Undermines Freedom, Google Exec Says

Search giant Google Inc. pushed the U.S. government to be more open about its online spying in the first such testimony before Congress by a major technology company since a series of news leaks began in June. In written testimony submitted to a U.S. Senate judiciary subcommittee, a Google executive said that the official secrecy was contrary to American values and hurting U.S. economic interests.

Chinese Media Companies Sue Baidu for Piracy

A group of Chinese media companies accused Baidu Inc. of piracy, filing litigation that signals the maturation of an online-video industry where illegal copying once was rampant. A spokeswoman for online-video company Youku Tudou Inc. said the plaintiffs filed suit in Chinese courts against the country's dominant Internet-search company and a smaller site, seeking a total of 300 million yuan, or around $50 million, in damages.

Bill to Help Online Services Compete Against Cable

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller said he’ll introduce a bill to help online video services and Aereo Inc.’s antenna-based system challenge cable providers such as Comcast Corp. and broadcasters including CBS Corp. Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the Commerce Committee, said he wants consumers to benefit from lower costs and increased choice.

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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.