Amazon Creating New Program to Fight Counterfeit Items

Amazon.com is expanding a program to remove counterfeit goods from its website this spring as part of a broader push to assure brand owners that the online retailer is an ally rather than a threat. As early as next month, any brand can register its logo and intellectual property with Amazon so the e-commerce company can take down listings and potentially seller accounts when counterfeits are flagged, Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace, said in an interview.

Ga. Supreme Court Rules for iHeart Radio in Streaming Case

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that music streaming service iHeart Radio is exempt from a Georgia statute that makes it illegal to transfer pre-1972 sound recordings without the owner’s consent. The high court responded to a question posed by the U.S. District Court of Middle Georgia, saying the Georgia justices “find that the type of internet radio services being offered by iHeartMedia Inc. in this case do fall under the exemption” to state law.

Electronic Devices Limited on Flights from Middle East to U.S.

Airlines that fly from certain countries in the Middle East and Africa to the U.S. must soon require passengers to check in almost all electronic devices rather than carry them into the cabin, a U.S. official said. An aviation official told CNN that there is a security concern regarding passengers boarding nonstop flights to the U.S. from specific countries.

Google Apologizes to Advertisers for 'Controversial Content'

Google apologized for allowing ads to appear alongside offensive videos on YouTube as more high-profile firms such as Marks & Spencer and HSBC pulled advertising for British markets from Google sites. The British government has suspended its advertising on YouTube after some public sector ads appeared next to videos carrying homophobic and anti-semitic messages, prompting a flood of major companies to follow suit.

Chinese Central Bank Moves to Regulate Bitcoin Trading

China’s central bank is moving to regulate its domestic bitcoin industry, circulating new guidelines that, if enacted, would require exchanges to verify the identity of clients and adhere to banking regulations. The move to regulate bitcoin exchanges brings assurance that Chinese authorities will tolerate some level of trading, after months of uncertainty.

Merkel Wants Standard Rules in Europe for Using Data

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for Europe to set about standardizing rules on using data in Europe, ahead of a visit to the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover where digitalization is expected to be in focus. "We want to create a digital single European market. That means we need to have legal situations that are as similar as possible in all European countries," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast.

Google Changes Policies After Offensive Advertisements

Google, the primary revenue driver for Alphabet Inc., announced changes to its advertising policies after major brands pulled ads from the platform because they appeared alongside offensive content, such as videos promoting terrorism or anti-Semitism. The U.S. company said in a blog post it would give clients more control over where their ads appear on both YouTube, the video-sharing service it owns, and the Google Display Network, which posts advertising to third-party websites.

European Consumer Officials Want Social Media Changes

European consumer protection authorities will ask social media companies Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc. and Twitter Inc. to amend their terms of service within one month or possibly face fines, a source familiar with the matter said. The companies proposed some ways to resolve the issues and discussed them with the authorities, the person said, adding that the meeting was constructive.

Google Bolsters Search Efforts for Upsetting, Offensive Content

With growing criticism over misinformation in search results, Google is taking a harder look at potentially "upsetting" or "offensive" content, tapping humans to aid its computer algorithms to deliver more factually accurate and less inflammatory results. Google's quality raters have been handed a new search: to hunt for "Upsetting-Offensive" content such as hate or violence against a group of people, racial slurs or offensive terminology, graphic violence including animal cruelty or child abuse or explicit information about harmful activities such as human trafficking, according to guidelines posted by Google.

Judge Rejects Class-Action Settlement Over Gmail Scanning

A federal judge rejected Google's proposed class-action settlement with non-Gmail users who said it illegally scanned their emails to Gmail users to create targeted advertising. In a decision, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, said it was unclear that the accord, which provided no money for plaintiffs but up to $2.2 million in fees and expenses for their lawyers, would ensure Google's compliance with federal and state privacy laws.

North Korean Hackers Blamed for Attacks in 31 Countries

A North Korean hacking group known as Lazarus was likely behind a recent cyber campaign targeting organizations in 31 countries, following high-profile attacks on Bangladesh Bank, Sony and South Korea, cyber security firm Symantec Corp. said. Symantec said in a blog that researchers have uncovered four pieces of digital evidence suggesting the Lazarus group was behind the campaign that sought to infect victims with "loader" software used to stage attacks by installing other malicious programs.

Tech Companies File Brief Opposing Trump's New Travel Ban

Nearly 60 tech companies have submitted an amicus curiae brief to a Hawaii district court, denouncing the Trump administration's revised travel ban. As with the the previous travel ban, these companies are seeking an immediate injunction arguing that the executive order "would inflict significant and irreparable harm on U.S. businesses and their employees."

Twitter Accounts Hijacked with Anti-Nazi messages in Turkish

A diplomatic spat between Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany spread online when a large number of Twitter accounts were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish. The attacks, using the hashtags #Nazialmanya (NaziGermany) or #Nazihollanda (NaziHolland), took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some ordinary Twitter users.

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.