Yelp Settles Children's Privacy Charges with FTC

Yelp Inc., the online customer-review service, said it paid $450,000 to settle a U.S. regulator’s lawsuit accusing it of collecting names and e-mail addresses from children as young as 9 without the consent of their parents. The Federal Trade Commission alleged in its complaint that from 2009 to 2013, San Francisco-based Yelp violated privacy laws by gathering the information from children who signed up for an account and that the company failed to test the age-registration feature on its applications.

EU Regulators Work on Guidelines for Deleting Data

European regulators are working on guidelines for appeals from people whose requests to remove information from search results under their name have been turned down by search engines such as Google. The working group aims to bring some clarity to implementing a landmark court decision in May that gave Europeans the right for the first time to ask search engines to erase information about them from the web.

FCC Chair Pushes Mobile Industry Into Broadband Debate

U.S. Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler urged consumer advocates and wireless industry representatives to address how wireless carriers might be allowed to "reasonably manage" their Internet networks. The issue is at the heart of a debate over whether the FCC should undo exemptions applied to mobile carriers as it rewrites Internet traffic regulations, after an appeals court rejected its 2010 rules in January.

Apple Wins Appeal in $368M FaceTime Patent Case

A federal appeals court threw out a jury order requiring Apple to pay VirnetX Holding Corp $368.2 million in damages for infringing four patents concerning technology for providing security over the Internet. Apple had appealed a November 2012 jury finding that it infringed VirnetX’s patents for virtual private network, or VPN, technology through the FaceTime feature on its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad products, as well as on its Mac computers.

Connecticut Attorney General Eyes Privacy in Apple Watch

Apple Inc. faces questions by Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen over privacy protections for users of the company’s watch, which includes features such as health tracking, unveiled as part of its lineup of new products. Jepsen said he asked Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook for a meeting with representatives of the Cupertino, California-based company.

Jury Orders CBS to Pay $1.3 Million Over Podcasting Patent

CBS suffered a defeat in a Marshall, Texas courtroom when a jury came back from deliberations and awarded $1.3 million to Personal Audio LLC over the TV network's violation of the plaintiff's patent on podcasting. The result happened after 18 months of litigation for the patent-holding company, which has endured bad press for conducting a wide legal campaign against those in the media and tech industry who digitally syndicate audio shows.

Second Actor Sues Google Over 'Muslims' Movie

A second actor has sued Google Inc. over a movie trailer called "Innocence of Muslims" that mocked the Prophet Mohammad and led to riots in 2012, six months after a U.S. appeals court ruled for another actor and ordered the film taken off YouTube. Gaylord Flynn said he has received death threats and fears for his life while Google continues to provide its users with access to the film through pirated content websites known as torrent sites, according to his lawsuit, filed in a California federal court.

Google Reports Increase in Number of Government Requests

Google Inc. said it was facing increasing pressure from governments around the world to reveal user information in criminal investigations amid ongoing revelations about national surveillance programs. The number of requests increased 15 percent sequentially in the first half of this year and 150 percent in the last five years, the company said in its semi-annual transparency report.

Lower Courts Invalidating Most Software Patents

A series of decisions from lower courts following the Supreme Court's June ruling on the patentability of software is starting to bring the ruling's practical consequences into focus. And the results have been ugly for fans of software patents. There have been 11 court rulings on the patentability of software since the Supreme Court's decision —  and every single one of them has led to the patent being invalidated.

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Hackers Accessed Dozens of JPMorgan Servers

The headache caused by the attack on JPMorgan Chase’s computer network this summer may not go away anytime soon. Over two months, hackers gained entry to dozens of the bank’s servers, said three people with knowledge of the bank’s investigation into the episode who spoke on the condition of anonymity. This, they said, potentially gave the hackers a window into how the bank’s individual computers work.

Dropbox Reveals 268 Law Enforcement Data Requests

Dropbox announced its first six-month transparency report, revealing 268 law enforcement requests “for user information” and between 0 and 249 national security requests from January to June 2014. Prior to this update, Dropbox only released transparency reports annually. According to Dropbox’s corporate blog, the change was made “so people have up-to-date information and can watch more closely for trends.”

Most Apps Lack Privacy Protections, Report Says

A new report from a prominent intergovernmental group found that mobile apps are failing to provide users with basic privacy protections. The report, based on a review of 1,211 different apps over the course of a week in May, was conducted by the Global Privacy Enforcement Network, a coalition of privacy officials from 19 countries, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

U.S. Threatened $250,000 Daily Fines for Yahoo Data

The U.S. government in 2008 threatened to fine Yahoo Inc $250,000 a day if it failed to turn over customer data to intelligence agencies, according to newly unsealed documents. The documents shed new light on how the government dealt with U.S. Internet companies that were reluctant to comply with orders from the secretive U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which rules on government requests to conduct surveillance for national security issues.

Bitcoin Increases Fraud Risk, Bank of England Says

Bitcoin and similar digital currencies may be at increasing risk of fraud and could damage Britain's economy if they find widespread use, the Bank of England said. The BoE said the finite supply of Bitcoins -- which are traded between users outside the banking system, and used to buy goods ranging from pizzas to PCs -- meant that an economy where they formed the main currency would be at risk of deflation.

Calif. Law Bans Fines for Posting Negative Reviews

In response to online retailers threatening their customers with hefty fines for posting negative reviews, California has passed legislation that bans businesses from trying to contractually prohibit customers from publicly expressing their opinion about the business. Signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, AB 2365 outlaws so-called "non-disparagement clauses" from contracts that require customers waive their right to express a negative opinion the service they received.

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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.