U.S. Copyright Office Seeks Public Comments on Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. Copyright Office is opening a public comment period around AI and copyright issues beginning August 30th as the agency figures out how to approach the subject. As announced in the Federal Register, the agency wants to answer three main questions: how AI models should use copyrighted data in training; whether AI-generated material can be copyrighted even without a human involved; and how copyright liability would work with AI.

UK Lawmakers Want Government to Enforce Clearer, Tougher Rules for AI

A group of UK lawmakers are calling on the government to enforce clearer and tougher rules on artificial intelligence systems that are trained off the work of artists, writers and other content creators. In its haste to lure AI companies and development into the UK, the government proposed a new exemption to copyright laws that, if enacted, would reduce arts and cultural content to mere “inputs” for generative AI systems, the UK Culture, Media and Sports Committee — a panel of Parliament members charged with scrutinizing policies for the industry — said in a report.

Commerce Secretary Not Planning to Discuss TikTok During Visit to China

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to China is putting a spotlight on the future of TikTok in the United States, where criticism of the app and its ties to Beijing reached a fever pitch this year. Despite the intense pressure on the popular short-form video app, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, efforts to ban or regulate it in Washington have not yet borne fruit.

Schumer Plans September Forum with Tech Leaders to Discuss AI Issues

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer in September will convene top tech executives including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for a forum on AI policy as Congress races to create guardrails for the swiftly evolving technology. Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier this summer teased plans for “AI Insight Forums,” which he says will serve as the bedrock for his efforts to craft bipartisan legislation to address the risks of artificial intelligence.

Meta Rejects Recommendation to Suspend Ex-Cambodian Prime Minister

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, rejected a recommendation from its Oversight Board to suspend the account of former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to a decision announced. Meta said it would not be suspending Hun Sen’s Facebook or Instagram page after determining that doing so would “not be consistent with our policies, including our protocol on restricting accounts of public figures during civil unrest.”

Chinese Influence Campaign Prompts Meta's 'Biggest Single Takedown'

A total of 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Facebook pages, 15 Facebook groups and 15 Instagram accounts tied to a Chinese influence campaign were removed by Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Hundreds of other accounts on TikTok, X, LiveJournal and Blogspot also participated in the campaign, which researchers named Spamouflage, for the frequent posting of spamlike messages, according to Meta’s report.

Ransomware Gang Said It Stole Social Security Numbers, Copies of Passports

The Rhysida ransomware gang claimed responsibility for a recent cyberattack on Prospect Medical Holdings, according to a dark web listing reviewed by Axios. The new ransomware gang alleges it stole more than 500,000 Social Security numbers and photocopies of employees' driver's licenses and passports, along with other legal and financial documents.

Canadian Regulator Moves Forward with Plan for Implementing Online News Act

The Canadian regulator responsible for implementing the country's online news law said it will start setting up a framework for negotiations between news organizations and Internet giants this autumn, with the aim of initiating mandatory bargaining by early 2025. Canada's Online News Act, part of a global trend to make tech firms like Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook pay for news, became law in June but has not yet come into effect.

Judge Dismisses Republican National Committee's Spam Suit Against Google

A federal judge on dismissed a Republican National Committee lawsuit alleging that Google’s email spam filters illegally suppressed their missives, dealing the campaign group a crushing blow in a lengthy battle that has riled conservative lawmakers in Washington. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Calabretta wrote that while it was a “close case,” the RNC had not “sufficiently pled that Google acted in bad faith” by filtering their messages into spam filters in its popular Gmail service.

Data Breach Affecting 75,000 Tesla Employees Blamed on 'Insider Wrongdoing'

A Tesla data breach earlier this year affecting more than 75,000 people was caused by "insider wrongdoing," according to a notification on Maine's Attorney General website. The 75,735 people impacted were likely current or former Tesla employees. "While we have not identified evidence of misuse of the data in a manner that may cause harm to you, we are nonetheless providing you with this notice to ensure that you are aware of what happened and the measures we have taken," the company wrote in a letter to employees.

Somalia Suspends TikTok, Telegram, Betting Company for Promoting Immorality

The Somali government has suspended TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBET, a betting company, arguing that they are used by terrorists and groups that promote immorality in the East African country. The Ministry of Communications and Technology ordered Internet providers to block the applications. The decision comes as the fight against jihadist group al Shabaab is flaring up in the country’s central region.

Thailand to Ask Court to Shut Down Facebook Over Scams on 'Fake Pages'

Thailand's digital minister plans to ask a court to shut down Meta Platforms' Facebook in Southeast Asia's second largest economy unless it takes action over scams that have affected more than 200,000 people, he said. “We are asking the court to close Facebook, not allowing it to provide services in Thailand if they let these fake pages scam people," Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn told Reuters.

Russian Court Fines Google for 'False Information' in Video About Ukraine War

A Russian magistrate court fined Google 3 million rubles, or about $32,000, after it allegedly failed to delete a video that contained what Russia claimed to be false information related to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that in addition to “false information,” Google was also found guilty of publishing prohibited information that detailed ways of gaining entry into protected facilities that are not open to minors.

Judge Upholds Ruling Against Copyright Protection for AI-Created Artwork

A federal judge upheld a finding from the U.S. Copyright Office that a piece of art created by artificial intelligence (AI) is not open to protection. The ruling was delivered in an order turning down Stephen Thaler’s bid challenging the government’s position refusing to register works made by AI. Copyright law has “never stretched so far” to “protect works generated by new forms of technology operating absent any guiding human hand,” U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found.

Apple Briefly Removes Glenn Beck's Podcast Episodes in Trademark Dispute

Episodes of Glenn Beck’s show were restored on Apple Podcasts more than five hours after his radio show, “The Glenn Beck Program,” was removed from the platform. Reached for comment, an Apple spokesman told Variety that “The Glenn Beck Program” was removed from Apple Podcasts because of a trademark dispute involving Beck’s podcast and that the issue has since been resolved.

New York Times Considers Suing OpenAI for Using Articles to Train ChatGPT

Lawyers for The New York Times are exploring whether to sue OpenAI to protect the intellectual property rights associated with its reporting, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions. For weeks, The Times and the maker of ChatGPT have been locked in tense negotiations over reaching a licensing deal in which OpenAI would pay The Times for incorporating its stories in the tech company's AI tools, but the discussions have become so contentious that the paper is now considering legal action.

  • Read the article: NPR

Jury Orders Ex-Boyfriend to Pay $1.2 Billion in Damages in Revenge Porn Case

A Texas woman was awarded $1.2 billion in damages after she sued her former boyfriend and accused him of sending intimate images of her to her family, friends and co-workers from fake online accounts. The woman, who is identified only by the initials D.L. in court documents, sued her former boyfriend, Marques Jamal Jackson, claiming he had psychologically and sexually abused her by distributing so-called revenge porn, a term for sexually explicit photos or videos of someone that are shared without consent.

Nebraska Congressman Says FBI Reports His Email Hacked by Chinese Spies

The suspected Chinese hackers who forged Microsoft customer identities to read the emails of State Department employees also obtained the personal and political emails of Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican from Nebraska on the House Armed Services Committee. Bacon tweeted that he had been notified by the FBI that his emails were hacked by Chinese spies who took advantage of a Microsoft mistake for a month between mid-May and mid-June, which lines up with when investigators said the other breaches occurred.

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.