Supreme Court Blocks Injunction Against App Store in Epic Games Case

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a setback to Epic Games, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite," in its legal battle against Apple, declining to let a federal judge's injunction take effect that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its lucrative App Store. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, acting for the Supreme Court, denied Epic's request to lift a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that effectively delayed implementing an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers barring certain App Store rules, while Apple pursues a Supreme Court appeal.

Two Tech Groups Support TikTok's Lawsuit Over Ban in Montana

Two tech groups backed TikTok in its lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of a Montana state ban on use of the short video sharing app before it takes effect on Jan. 1. NetChoice, a national trade association that includes major tech platforms, and Chamber of Progress, a tech-industry coalition, said in a joint court filing that "Montana's effort to cut Montanans off from the global network of TikTok users ignores and undermines the structure, design, and purpose of the internet."

North Korean Hackers Breached Russian Missile Developer, Researchers Say

An elite group of North Korean hackers secretly breached computer networks at a major Russian missile developer for at least five months last year, according to technical evidence reviewed by Reuters and analysis by security researchers. Reuters found cyber-espionage teams linked to the North Korean government, which security researchers call ScarCruft and Lazarus, secretly installed stealthy digital backdoors into systems at NPO Mashinostroyeniya, a rocket design bureau based in Reutov, a small town on the outskirts of Moscow.

Cyberattack Leads to Shutdown at California-Based Health-Care System

A California-based health-care system faced a cyberattack, shutting down some services at affiliated locations and forcing some to rely on paper records. Prospect Medical Holdings owns more than a dozen hospitals in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and it also operates a network of more than 160 outpatient centers and clinics, its website says.

Russian Hacking Group Targeted Login Credentials for Microsoft Teams

A Russian government-linked hacking group took aim at dozens of global organizations with a campaign to steal login credentials by engaging users in Microsoft Teams chats pretending to be from technical support, Microsoft researchers said. These "highly targeted" social engineering attacks have affected "fewer than 40 unique global organizations" since late May, Microsoft researchers said in a blog, adding that the company was investigating.

Judge Narrows Claims from DOJ, States in Antitrust Suit Against Google

A federal judge said that the Justice Department and a group of states could not move forward with some claims in antitrust complaints against Google, narrowing the scope of what is set to be the most significant federal monopoly trial against a tech giant in decades. In the decision, which was unsealed on Friday, Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed four claims in the lawsuits and allowed government lawyers to move forward with three.

Agence France-Presse Sues X for Violating 'Neighboring Rights' Rule

Agence France-Presse (AFP) said it filed a lawsuit in Paris against Elon Musk's X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, accusing it of failing to discuss potential payment for the distribution of the news agency's content. France in 2019 enacted a copyright rule dubbed "neighboring rights" that compels large online platforms to open talks with publishers seeking remuneration for news.

New Outlets Says Meta's Decision Will Create Misinformation, Hurt Local News

Over the next few weeks, Meta will begin to block people in Canada from viewing or posting news links and audiovisual news content on Instagram and Facebook. People can still access and share news outside Instagram and Facebook, but Meta’s decision is causing concern among experts and news organizations who say removing reliable news sources will subject users to misinformation and hurt local news outlets that rely on the two platforms for visibility.

X Files Suit Against Research Group for 'Improperly' Accessing Twitter Data

X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is suing a research group that investigated hate speech on the social media platform, alleging that researchers violated its terms of service in a “scare campaign to drive away advertisers.” In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, X alleged that the American and British operations of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) “engaged in a series of unlawful acts designed to improperly gain access to protected X Corp. data.”

Judge Dismisses Suit Challenging Utah Law Requiring Adult Sites to Verify Ages

A Utah law requiring adult websites to verify the age of their users will remain in effect after a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from an industry group challenging its constitutionality. The dismissal poses a setback for digital privacy advocates and the Free Speech Coalition, which sued on behalf of adult entertainers, erotica authors, sex educators and casual porn viewers over the Utah law — and another in Louisiana — designed to limit access to materials considered vulgar or explicit.

Biden Administration Looks for Malware from China Targeting Power Grids

The Biden administration is hunting for malicious computer code it believes China has hidden deep inside the networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases in the United States and around the world, according to American military, intelligence and national security officials. The discovery of the malware has raised fears that Chinese hackers, probably working for the People’s Liberation Army, have inserted code designed to disrupt U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict, including if Beijing moves against Taiwan in coming years.

X Threatens to Sue Organization That Criticized Its Inaction on Hate

X Corp., the parent company of the social media company previously known as Twitter, sent a letter on July 20 to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that conducts research on social media, accusing the organization of making “a series of troubling and baseless claims that appear calculated to harm Twitter generally, and its digital advertising business specifically,” and threatening to sue. The letter cited research published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate in June examining hate speech on Twitter, which Mr. Musk has renamed X.com.

California's Privacy Regulator to Review Data Collection on Smart Autos

California’s new privacy regulator said it is embarking on its first-ever enforcement action: a review of the privacy practices of connected automobiles. The California Privacy Protection Agency — created under a ballot initiative in 2020 and the only regulator in the nation solely dedicated to privacy issues — will examine the growing amalgamation of data collected by smart vehicles and whether the business practices of the companies collecting that data comply with state law.

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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.