Supreme Court Hears Internet Tax Case

Supreme Court justices heard arguments on Colorado’s novel attempt to collect sales taxes on out-of-state purchases in response to the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. That decision said states may not collect taxes from companies without some local physical presence. In 2010, Colorado tried a different approach, enacting a law that required out-of-state merchants to report transactions to their customers and to state tax authorities.

'Momo' Wedding Service Sues 'Momo' Dating App

As China’s popular dating app Momo prepares for an initial public offering in the U.S., a  second Chinese relationship service – also called Momo – is saying it was Momo first. Hangzhou Momo Wedding Service in November sued the better-known Beijing Momo Technology — the one set for a Thursday U.S. IPO — for  11 million yuan ($1.79 million), alleging they have exclusive use of the brand for what in China is called the friend-making businesses.

Academics Ask FTC to Stop Net Neutrality Rules

Dozens of academics are asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to raise its voice in the fight over new net neutrality rules. A letter signed by 32 scholars was sent to the FTC urging the regulator to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from writing utility-style rules for Internet service providers, which they say could end up hurting consumers.

Civil Rights Groups Differ on Net Neutrality

When it comes to the details of Internet regulation, groups that otherwise have much common ground simply don’t see eye to eye. ColorofChange.org, a black political coalition, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition, for example, support treating Internet access as an essential service like electricity or water — as Mr. Obama proposed — while the League of United Latin American Citizens opposes it.

Cisco Files Networking Patent Suit Against Arista

Cisco Systems Inc. sued Arista Networks Inc., accusing the fast-growing competitor of infringing on an array of Cisco patents and copyrights associated with its networking equipment. The accusations are contained in separate complaints against Arista, a company led by former Cisco executives that went public six months ago and sports a market valuation of nearly $5 billion.

Federal Circuit Rules on Patent Licensing Fees

The top U.S. patent court, for the first time, is stepping into a debate that has splintered the technology community over how to value patents that cover essential technologies like Wi-Fi. Ruling on Ericsson AB’s contribution to the industry standard for Wi-Fi, which incorporates more than a thousand patented inventions, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington said patent licensing fees should be based on the incremental value of each invention, and not the value of the standard as a whole.

North Korea Hints Supporters Linked to Sony Hacking

The Pyongyang government's state-run media said the cyber attack on Sony's Hollywood studio may have been the work of pro-North Korean supporters in a report that dismissed charges that the country itself was to blame as "wild rumor." "The hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal," the article by the KCNA news agency said, using the official DPRK acronym for North Korea.

North Korean Diplomat Denies Sony Attack

North Korea is a principal suspect in the cyber attack on Sony Pictures, a U.S. national security source told Reuters, while a North Korean diplomat denied that Pyongyang was behind the crippling hack. The U.S. government's investigation into the Nov. 24 attack is being led by the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office and the Hollywood studio is cooperating, a law enforcement source said.

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Banks' Suit Against Target

A federal judge handed an early victory to banks in their effort to recoup losses from a major breach last year at Target. More than 40 million credit cards were compromised in the incident. A United States District Judge in Minnesota, Paul A. Magnuson, rejected Target’s bid to dismiss lawsuits by financial institutions that claim Target had played a “key role” in allowing its computer systems to be compromised.

Apple Challenges Plaintiffs in iPod Class-Action Suit

Apple attorneys have raised an eleventh-hour challenge that could derail a long-running, class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit is over Apple's use of restrictive software that kept iPods from playing digital music sold by competitors to its iTunes store. The case went to trial this week, but Apple said new evidence shows the two women named as plaintiffs may not have purchased iPod models covered by the lawsuit.

Samsung Wants Court to Reverse $930M Apple Patent Verdict

Samsung Electronics Co. urged a U.S. appeals court to toss a $930 million verdict won by Apple Inc., saying the South Korean company didn’t copy the iPhone’s design and unique look and arguing that the damage award was too high. “They awarded Samsung’s total profit for all of these phones -- this is absurd,” Kathleen Sullivan, representing Samsung, told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

Iranian Hackers Hit 16 Countries, Report Says

Iranian hackers were identified in a report as the source of coordinated attacks against more than 50 targets in 16 countries, many of them corporate and government entities that manage critical energy, transportation and medical services. Over the course of two years, according to Cylance, a security firm based in Irvine, Calif., Iranian hackers managed to steal confidential data from a long list of targets and, in some cases, infiltrated victims’ computer networks to such an extent that they could take over, manipulate or easily destroy data on those machines.

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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.