Japanese Antitrust Regulators Raid Amazon's Office

Japanese antitrust regulators raided the offices of Amazon.com Inc.’s local arm, the latest probe targeting the U.S. e-commerce giant in a reflection of intensifying competition. A spokesman for Japan’s Fair Trade Commission confirmed a report that said Amazon Japan had allegedly forced retailers to set their prices lower on Amazon to give the site an advantage over rival e-commerce sites.

Illegal Drug Sales Online Growing, Study Says

Online trade in illicit drugs via the hidden marketplaces known as cryptomarkets is growing, with revenue having doubled and transactions having tripled since 2013, according to a study carried out by RAND Europe, a policy research institute, and commissioned by the Dutch government. Monthly revenue of these marketplaces is estimated at between $12 million and $21.1 million, based on the listed prices on eight of the largest ones.

Apple to Begin Paying 'Security Bounty' to Hackers

Apple Inc. will start paying hackers who report vulnerabilities in its products, the company said. With its new “security bounty,” the company joins a growing list of technology companies that pay cash for valuable security information. Microsoft Corp., Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc. have paid out millions of dollars in bug bounties over the past few years.

White House to Elevate Stature of Pentagon's Cyber Command

The Obama administration is preparing to elevate the stature of the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, signaling more emphasis on developing cyber weapons to deter attacks, punish intruders into U.S. networks and tackle adversaries such as Islamic State, current and former officials told Reuters. Under the plan being considered at the White House, the officials said, U.S. Cyber Command would become what the military calls a "unified command" equal to combat branches of the military such as the Central and Pacific Commands.

Philippine President Commits to Returning $81M from Cyber Heist

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has given a commitment that $81 million stolen by cyber criminals from the account of Bangladesh Bank in New York and funneled through bank accounts in Manila would be returned, the Bangladesh ambassador to the Philippines said. A Bangladesh central bank team visiting Manila to recover the money said earlier that it was close to getting back $15 million of the loot frozen by the Philippines.

FTC to Require Advertisers Ensure Disclosure on Celebrities' Posts

An uptick in celebrities peddling brand messages on their personal social media accounts, light on explicit disclosure about whether they’ve been paid, has not gone unnoticed by the U.S. government. The Federal Trade Commission is planning to get tougher: Users need to be clear when they're getting paid to promote something, and the agency will be putting the onus on the advertisers to make sure they comply, according to Michael Ostheimer, a deputy in the FTC’s Ad Practices Division.

Design Industry Professionals Support Apple in Samsung Case

Apple Inc. deserved the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. paid for infringing patented designs of the iPhone, because the product's distinctive look drives people to purchase it, a group of design industry professionals told the U.S. Supreme Court. Setting up a clash with a number of Silicon Valley companies that have come out on the side of Samsung, more than 100 designers and educators signed on to a new court brief supporting Apple.

Attack Allegedly Compromises Encrypted Sites Via JavaScript

Security researchers at KU Leuven have discovered an attack technique, HEIST (HTTP Encrypted Information can be Stolen Through TCP-Windows), that helps compromise an encrypted website using only a JavaScript file hidden in a maliciously-crafted ad or page. Unlike many similar attacks, you don't need a man-in-the-middle spot to make this work -- it can gauge the size of an encrypted response (and thus enable an attack) all on its own.

Comcast Discusses Privacy-Pricing Plans with FCC

Did you know that in some parts of the country, Internet providers such as AT&T offer a special deal on broadband prices? The plans lower your monthly payments, but there's a catch: To qualify for them, you have to agree to let the carrier track your Web history, search activity and other valuable behavioral data that can be used for advertising purposes. Now, Comcast is telling regulators it wants the flexibility to offer these types of plans, too. In a meeting with the Federal Communications Commission, officials from the cable company argued that it and other Internet providers shouldn't be prohibited from trading discounts for data.

N.J. Man Files Class-Action Over 'Pokemon Go' Trespassing

A New Jersey man has a message for the millions of players obsessed with the mobile game Pokemon Go: "Get off my lawn!" Jeffrey Marder of West Orange has filed a federal class action against the companies behind the game, Nintendo Co Ltd, Niantic Inc and Pokemon Company International, claiming it has brought unwanted trespassers to his house and countless other private properties.

Kudelski, Apple Settle Patent Suit Over Video Streaming

Swiss digital TV security company Kudelski reached a settlement with Apple Inc., ending a patent dispute in the United States and Europe and removing a threat to Apple's video streaming features in devices sold in Germany. Kudelski said in a statement that the deal includes a "comprehensive patent license agreement" with Apple and that all pending patent litigation between the two companies would be dropped.

Iranian Hackers Attack 'Telegram' Instant Messaging Accounts

Iranian hackers have compromised more than a dozen accounts on the Telegram instant messaging service and identified the phone numbers of 15 million Iranian users, the largest known breach of the encrypted communications system, cyber researchers told Reuters. The attacks, which took place this year and have not been previously reported, jeopardized the communications of activists, journalists and other people in sensitive positions in Iran, where Telegram is used by some 20 million people, said independent cyber researcher Collin Anderson and Amnesty International technologist Claudio Guarnieri, who have been studying Iranian hacking groups for three years.

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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.