White House Calls for 'Big Data' Protections

The Obama administration called for new protections against the use of "big data" technologies in ways that could impinge on civil liberties or lead to discrimination. Among other things, a report authored by senior White House counselor John Podesta called for broader legal protection for email and other digital content, a consumer-privacy "bill of rights," and additional scrutiny by federal agencies of data tools that could be used to hurt minorities and women.

Suit Accuses Google of Android-Related Monopoly

Google Inc. was accused in a lawsuit of abusing its market power by forcing makers of handheld devices that use its Android operating system to provide an array of the search engine company’s applications. Google’s requirements that manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics Co. adopt less popular applications in order to use consumer favorites such as YouTube are “designed to maintain and extend its monopolies in general search and handheld general search,” according to a complaint filed on behalf of consumers in federal court in San Jose, California.

EBay Settles Employment Suit with Justice Dep't

EBay Inc. agreed to settle a Justice Department civil lawsuit alleging the company violated U.S. antitrust law by agreeing with Intuit Inc. to refrain from recruiting each other's employees. The agreement, filed in a San Jose, Calif., federal court, bars the Internet retailer from maintaining or entering into new agreements with other companies to restrict the recruitment and hiring of employees.

India Plans Intellectual Property Talks with U.S.

India said it would hold trade talks on intellectual property rights with the United States after its general election, buying time to address friction over drug patents until a new government is formed. Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher praised a decision by the U.S. Trade Representative not to label India with its worst offender tag in an annual scorecard on protecting U.S. patents, copyrights and other intellectual property.

Supreme Court Hears Akamai Patent Case

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared unsure how to proceed in a dispute over whether Limelight Networks Inc infringed upon patented technology for managing Web images and video held by Akamai Technologies Inc. The nine justices are weighing whether a company can be held liable for inducing patent infringement when the final step that leads to infringement is carried out by a third party.

Supreme Court Patent Ruling Could Help Tech Firms

Companies that successfully fight off “unreasonable” patent lawsuits can get their legal fees paid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that may benefit Google Inc.,  Apple Inc. and other technology businesses. The high court gave trial judges more power to impose fees if they determine the case “stands out from others” in the conduct of the losing party.

EU Antitrust Official Seeks End to Smartphone Patent Suits

The European Union's antitrust enforcer has told two top smartphone makers to stop filing aggressive patent lawsuits against rivals such as Apple, aiming to end a patent war and open the market to freer competition. The European Commission reprimanded Motorola Mobility for taking such action against Apple, hoping the ruling will halt a rising tide of legal disputes among rivals vying for profit in the global smartphone market.

White House Offers Insight on Use of Cyber Weapons

In a rare insight into the government’s thinking on the use of cyberweapons, the White House published a series of questions it asks in deciding when to make public the discovery of major flaws in computer security or whether to keep them secret so that American intelligence agencies can use them to enable surveillance or an attack. The item was posted by Michael Daniel, the White House cybersecurity coordinator, and appeared to be distilled from a far more detailed classified document giving guidance to the National Security Agency, the FBI and others who often exploit flaws in Internet security.

Most Users Don't Understand Terms of Service, Study Says

The terms of service on many sites are so wordy and so legalistic that users may not understand -- or even be aware of -- the intellectual property rights that they cede when they check the “agree” box to set up an account, according to a new study from researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Georgia Tech study reviewed 30 popular social networking and creative community sites that encourage people to share material, examining the rights to use work that were claimed in the sites’ terms of service agreements.

China Orders 4 U.S. TV Shows Removed from Video Sites

Four U.S. television shows, including “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Good Wife,” are no longer available on China’s largest video websites after the government escalated a crackdown on content deemed offensive. Sohu.com Inc. was ordered by regulators to remove “The Big Bang Theory,” Chief Executive Officer Charles Zhang told reporters on a conference call.

EU Agency Plans Largest Cyber-Attack Response Test

In a sign of just how seriously Europe is taking the cyber threat, more than 400 cyber security professionals from 29 countries and 200 organisations are today beginning a biannual cyber exercise coordinated by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA). It is not the first time ENISA has produced this event, but this year’s will be the largest such “stress test” of the continent’s ability to withstand massive cyber-attack.

Don't Use Internet Explorer, Homeland Security Warns

The U.S. Department of Homeland security is advising Americans not to use the Internet Explorer web browser until a fix is found for a serious security flaw that came to light over the weekend. "We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem," the Department of Homeland Security's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in a post Monday morning.

AOL Urges E-mail Password Change After Attack

AOL Inc. urged its tens of millions of email account holders to change their passwords and security questions after a cyber attack compromised about 2 percent of its accounts. The company said it was working with federal authorities to investigate the attack, in which hackers obtained email addresses, postal addresses, encrypted passwords and answers to security questions used to reset passwords.

Court May Delay Apple Trial on E-Book Damages

U.S. appeals court will consider Apple Inc's request to put off a July trial to determine how much the iPad maker must pay in damages to customers in more than two dozen states over e-book price fixing. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said in a brief order that a three-judge panel will hear Apple's argument on why the trial should be put on hold while it appeals a judge's ruling that it conspired with five publishers to raise e-book prices.

Judge Rules Against Microsoft in E-mail Search Dispute

U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis in New York ruled that Internet service providers must turn over customer emails and other digital content sought by government search warrants even when the information is stored outside the country. The ruling came in a case involving a search warrant served on Microsoft for one of its customers whose emails are stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland.

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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.