Lawsuit Focuses on 'Horrible Things' Happening on Yik Yak

Despite pressure to reform what has been variously described as its misogynist, racist and bullying nature — Yik Yak, the anonymous, localized free messaging app, remains the rage on college campuses across the country. But one lawyer, Debra S. Katz, and others who abhor what Yik Yak permits are hopeful that Ms. Katz’s formal complaint last May to the Department of Education against the University of Mary Washington over a Yik Yak-related episode — and a pending investigation by the department’s Office of Civil Rights — might signal the beginning of the end for the social media upstart that has outraged feminists, racial justice advocates and others in its relatively brief existence.

Microsoft Faces New Antitrust Probe in China

A Chinese regulator said that it would open a new antitrust investigation of Microsoft, related to electronic data that the government collected in an earlier inquiry. Despite Microsoft’s recent steps to improve relations with the Chinese government, the announcement is a reminder of the regulatory challenges that multinational companies face in the country, one of the world’s largest technology and consumer markets.

Judge Allows Class-Action Against Yahoo Over Text Messages

Yahoo Inc. was ordered by a Chicago federal judge to face a class action lawsuit accusing the Internet company of sending unsolicited text messages to Sprint Corp cellphone users in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. U.S. District Judge Manish Shah said the users could sue as a group over messages sent in March 2013 because their claims had enough in common.

Authors Guild Asks Supreme Court to Hear Google Case

The Authors Guild has officially asked the Supreme Court to hear its case against Google — a long-running dispute over whether copyright law allows for Google to scan and post excerpts from books for its Google Books service. Google's free service allows users to search for particular lines or quotes in books through the company's main search engine, and also displays parts of scanned pages of books.

Five Years Later, U.S. Returns Music Site After Shut Down

The blog OnSmash was among music sites shut down in 2010, accused of copyright infringement and selling counterfeit goods. But a few weeks ago, after lobbying the government for its return and paying a $7 fee, Kevin Hofman — a rank-and-file record label employee who ran OnSmash, first as a hobby and later as a full-time job — finally got it back, with little explanation and without ever being formally charged with any wrongdoing.

Ukraine Probing Cyber Attack on Power Grid

Ukraine will investigate a suspected cyber attack on its power grid, the energy ministry said, an incident the country's secret service has blamed on Russia. A power company in western Ukraine, Prykarpattyaoblenergo, said on Dec. 23 that a swath of the area it serves had been left without energy, including the regional capital Ivano-Frankivsk, due to "interference" in the work of the system.

Microsoft to Notify Users of Government Outlook Hackings

Microsoft Corp. said it will begin warning users of its Outlook.com email service when the company suspects that a government has been trying to hack into their accounts. Microsoft told Reuters about the plan in a statement. It comes nine days after Reuters asked the company why it had decided not tell victims of a hacking campaign, discovered in 2011, that had targeted international leaders of China's Tibetan and Uighur minorities in particular.

FBI Pushing Tech Companies to Allow Decryption

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is issuing a more direct challenge to technology companies in the wake of terror attacks in Paris and California, urging them in blunter terms to allow investigators to decrypt private communications during terror probes. Hoping to escape a continuing debate over the technical feasibility of decryption, which they fear plays into Silicon Valley’s hands, FBI Director James Comey and others are pushing executives to move away from a policy they say values customers’ privacy over public safety.

Vietnam Warns Against Reading Anti-Communist Content Online

Vietnam sought to discourage its Internet-savvy public from reading Web postings that disparaged its Communist Party, warning of an increase in "toxic" activity just weeks away from its scheduled leadership shakeup. Using its new Facebook page, the government vowed to tackle social media criticism of the party without interrupting the Internet ahead its five-yearly congress in January, and said most attacks originated from outside of the country.

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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.