Amazon Removes Products After Complaint from Council on American-Islamic Relations

Amazon has pulled more than a dozen products off its website after receiving complaints that the items are offensive to Muslims. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, asked the online retailer to remove the products, which included doormats, bath mats and other items imprinted with Islamic calligraphy, references to the Prophet Muhammad and scripture.

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Blocking Politician's Critic on Facebook Violates First Amendment, Court Says

A federal appeals court said a Virginia politician violated the Constitution by temporarily blocking a critic from her Facebook page, a decision that could affect President Donald Trump’s appeal from a similar ruling in New York. In a 3-0 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Phyllis Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, violated the First Amendment free speech rights of Brian Davison by banning him for 12 hours from her “Chair Phyllis J. Randall” page.

Senate Confirms White House Head of Science and Technology Policy

Senate lawmakers confirmed Kelvin Droegemeier, an extreme-weather expert, as the White House’s top science and tech adviser, filling a critical administration role that had been vacant for nearly two years under President Trump. Droegemeier, who had served as a top meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma, is set to become leader of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, an arm of the White House that helps guide federal research spending and informs the government’s policies in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate change, precision medicine and online privacy.

Huawei Files Patent Licensing Lawsuit Against InterDigital in China

InterDigital Inc. said Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. filed a lawsuit against it in China, alleging the U.S. technology firm had not licensed its intellectual property on fair terms. The lawsuit, filed on Jan 2. in the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, alleged InterDigital violated an obligation to license patents that are essential to 3G, 4G and 5G wireless telecommunication standards on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, InterDigital said in a regulatory filing.

U.S. Launches Campaign for Companies to Protect Against Foreign Hackers

The Trump administration launched a drive to push U.S. firms to better protect their trade secrets from foreign hackers, following a slew of cases accusing individuals and companies of economic espionage for China. The National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center, which coordinates counter-intelligence efforts within the U.S. government, launched the outreach campaign to address persistent concerns that many companies are not doing enough to guard against cyber theft.

Germany Seeks Help from U.S. NSA After Hackers Release Data on Politicians

German authorities sought help from the U.S. National Security Agency after discovering that hackers had released private data linked to Chancellor Angela Merkel and hundreds of other German politicians, Bild newspaper reported. Responding to the biggest data dump of its kind in the country, German investigators wanted the U.S. intelligence agency to lean on Twitter Inc. to shut down profiles with links to the data, Bild said, citing unidentified security officials.

FTC's Antitrust Trial Against Qualcomm Could Impact Patent Licensing

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case accusing Qualcomm Inc. of abusing a monopoly on mobile chip technology kicked off in a California courtroom in a trial whose outcome could have a major impact on the smartphone industry. If the government prevails in the 10-day, non-jury trial before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, in San Jose, California, Qualcomm could be forced to change its practices for licensing a trove of patents to manufacturers like iPhone maker Apple Inc.

Senate Bill Would Fight State-Sponsored Technology Theft

Two U.S. lawmakers who have been active in congressional efforts to address technology threats from China introduced a bill to create a White House office to fight state-sponsored technology theft and defend critical supply chains. Senators Mark Warner, a Democrat and a vice chairman on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Marco Rubio, a Republican on the panel, introduced the legislation.

Marriott Confirms Passport Information Compromised in Data Breach

Marriott International Inc. said fewer customers were affected in a massive data breach than initially feared but confirmed that hackers had compromised the passport numbers of millions of people in what security analysts have described as a potential foreign-intelligence gold mine. Marriott, the world’s largest hotel company, disclosed in November that a hack in the reservation database for its Starwood properties may have exposed the personal information of up to 500 million guests.

Los Angeles Lawsuit Accuses Weather Channel App of Sharing User Info

The Weather Channel app deceptively collected, shared and profited from the location information of millions of American consumers, the city attorney of Los Angeles said in a lawsuit. One of the most popular online weather services in the United States, the Weather Channel app has been downloaded more than 100 million times and has 45 million active users monthly.

Iranian Authorities Preparing to Add Instagram to List of Banned Services

Authorities in Iran are preparing to block access to Instagram, extending their crackdown on social media to the only major platform still freely available. The National Cyberspace Council approved steps toward blocking the service, Javad Javidnia, deputy for cyberspace affairs at the public prosecutor’s office, was cited as saying by the semi-official Donya-e Eqtesad newspaper.

Cyber Security Researcher Cancels Briefing on Cracking Apple's 'Face ID'

A cyber security researcher canceled a hacking conference briefing on how he said he could crack biometric facial recognition on Apple Inc. iPhones, at the request of his employer, which called the work “misleading.” The prospect that Face ID could be defeated is troubling because it is used to lock down functions on tens of millions of iPhones from banking and healthcare apps to emails, text messages and photos.

Apple Set to Remove Some iPhone Models in Germany After Patent Ruling

Apple Inc. is likely to pull some iPhone models from its German stores after Qualcomm Inc. said it had posted security bonds to enforce a court order banning the sale of those iPhone models in the country. The chipmaker posted the bonds of 1.34 billion euros ($1.52 billion) as part of a legal requirement by a German court, which found on Dec. 20 that Apple had infringed Qualcomm patents on power-saving technology used in smartphones.

Judge Blocks N.Y. Law Requiring Online Home Rentals to Disclose Customers

A federal judge is blocking a rule in New York City that would have gone into effect next month requiring Airbnb and HomeAway hosts to disclose their identities and the addresses of their listings to the city’s Office of Special Enforcement every month, or pay a fine. The judge is preventing the rule from taking effect until resolution of ongoing litigation regarding the ordinance, which Airbnb and HomeAway claim violates the First and Fourth Amendments.

Judge Dismisses Suits Against Google, Twitter, Facebook for Mass Shooting

A federal judge in California dismissed two lawsuits that sought to hold Google and social media giants Twitter and Facebook liable for the December 2015 mass shooting that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others in San Bernadino, California. The companies were accused of aiding and abetting international terrorism and providing material support to international terrorists by allowing supported terrorist groups to use their platforms.

Government Shutdown to Force FCC to Cease Most of Its Operations

The Federal Communications Commission will wind down most of its operations if the partial federal government shutdown isn’t resolved. Should its lapsed funding not be restored, the commission says “all FCC activities will cease” as of mid-day January 3, 2019, “other than those immediately necessary for the protection of life or property, performing other excepted activities, or those funded through a source other than lapsed appropriations.”

Questions Linger As Newspaper Operations Resume Following Cyberattack

News operations are returning to normal for the Los Angeles Times and outlets owned by Tribune Publishing, but significant questions remain about a cyberattack that disrupted computer systems for a host of publications around the country and hampered newspaper deliveries over the weekend. Tribune did not say whether the suspected hackers may have ties to a foreign government, how they infiltrated the company’s network or what their motives may be.

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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.