Nintendo Sues Video Game Emulator Yuzu for Illegal Circumvention

The video game emulator Yuzu circumvents encryption on Nintendo Switch games, making them available on other platforms like personal computers and mobile phones in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, according to a lawsuit from Nintendo of America Inc. Nintendo alleges that Yuzu, made by Tropic Haze LLC, “provides any Internet user in the world with the means to unlawfuly decrypt and play virtually any Nintendo Switch game — including Nintendo’s current generation and most popular games — without ever paying a dime for a Nintendo console or for that game.”

Apple Meets with Justice Department as Antitrust Lawsuit Looms

Apple Inc. representatives met with the Justice Department in a final bid to persuade the agency not to file an antitrust suit against the company, according to people familiar with the matter. The company and its lawyers met with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who will make the final call on whether to file a suit, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the confidential meeting.

TikTok Removes Songs from Universal Music Group in Licensing Dispute

The bruising battle over royalties between Universal Music Group and TikTok entered a new and more severe stage as songs published by UMG began to be removed from the platform. The standoff, which began earlier this month, initially saw recordings owned or distributed by UMG removed from the platform, but now is extending to a much larger number of songs by including those published by the company.

Supreme Court Justices Appear Skeptical of State Laws on Social Media

A majority of the Supreme Court seemed broadly skeptical that state governments have the power to set rules for how social media platforms curate content, with both liberal and conservative justices inclined to stop Texas and Florida from immediately implementing laws that ban the removal of certain controversial posts or political content. Even as justices expressed concern about the power of social media giants that have become the dominant modern public forum, a majority of the court seemed to think the First Amendment prevents state governments from requiring platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to host certain content.

Ad Fraud Campaign Uses Expired Domains from Reputable Companies

A massive ad fraud campaign named "SubdoMailing" is using over 8,000 legitimate internet domains and 13,000 subdomains to send up to five million emails per day to generate revenue through scams and malvertising. The campaign is called "SubdoMailing, as the threat actors hijack abandoned subdomains and domains belonging to well-known companies to send their malicious emails.

About 100 Afghan Domains Suspended After French Firm Fails Payment

More than 100 Afghan websites have been suspended after a French Internet services firm failed to make payments to the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Communications, officials said, a blow to mischievous Internet users who used the ".af" appended to Afghan web domains to give their sites an edgy feel. Country-specific domains — like Canada's .ca or France's .fr — are typically used by individuals or organizations in that country, but some — such as Tuvalu's .tv or Libya's .ly — also see wide use internationally because they can be used to create unique or evocative domains like "twitch.tv" or "bit.ly."

Supreme Court Set to Hear Arguments Over State Control of Social Media

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to make a pivotal decision about what Americans can see on social media as it takes up two cases this week that could transform the internet as we know it. The court will consider arguments on whether to give Texas and Florida significantly more control over social media platforms and their content, highlighting the central role that those services now play in modern American life.

  • Read the article: CNN

Historical 'Inaccuracies' Prompt Google to Suspend AI Tool's Image Feature

Images showing people of color in German military uniforms from World War II that were created with Google’s Gemini chatbot have amplified concerns that artificial intelligence could add to the internet’s already vast pools of misinformation as the technology struggles with issues around race. Now Google has temporarily suspended the A.I. chatbot’s ability to generate images of any people and has vowed to fix what it called “inaccuracies in some historical” depictions.

Documents Show Chinese State-Linked Hackers Targeting Governments

A trove of leaked documents from a Chinese state-linked hacking group shows that Beijing’s intelligence and military groups are attempting large-scale, systematic cyber intrusions against foreign governments, companies and infrastructure — with hackers of one company claiming to be able to target users of Microsoft, Apple and Google. The cache — containing more than 570 files, images and chat logs — offers an unprecedented look inside the operations of one of the firms that Chinese government agencies hire for on-demand, mass data-collecting operations.

Florida Legislature Approves Bill Banning Children from Using Social Media

Florida’s Legislature has passed a sweeping social media bill that would make the state the first to effectively bar young people under 16 from holding accounts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The measure — which Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would “be wrestling with” over the weekend and has not yet signed — could potentially upend the lives of millions of young people in Florida.

Canadian Federal Police Targeted by Cyberattack, But No Impact

Canadian federal police said their systems were targeted by an "alarming" cyberattack but there was no impact on operations and no known threat to the safety of Canadians. "The situation is evolving quickly but at this time, there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told reporters.

X Removes Accounts, Posts Following Order by Indian Government

Social media platform X said it took down certain accounts and posts following an order by the Indian government, which local media reports say are linked to ongoing protests by farmers demanding higher prices for crops. The platform formerly known as Twitter did not provide details of the removals but said it disagrees with the action and that the move amounts to curtailing freedom of expression.

Biden Signs Executive Order Strengthening Response to Maritime Cybersecurity Threats

President Biden signed an executive order to strengthen the government’s ability to respond to maritime cybersecurity threats, amid heightened concerns that China could seek to hobble crucial infrastructure systems in the United States. Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said that the order would also allow the U.S. Coast Guard to outline rules for establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements at ports throughout the United States, and that the government would invest $20 billion in port infrastructure as part of Mr. Biden’s infrastructure agenda.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal in VirnetX's Patent Case Against Apple

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear patent-licensing company VirnetX's bid to revive a $502.8 million jury verdict it won against Apple in a dispute over Internet-security patents. The justices turned away Zephyr Cove, Nevada-based VirnetX's appeal of a lower court's decision to overturn the verdict against Cupertino, California-based Apple that had been reached by a jury in Tyler, Texas

Lawsuit Accuses Dating App Company of Violating Consumer Protection Laws

In a class-action lawsuit filed Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day — six dating app users accused Match Group of having a “predatory” business model and deliberately “employing psychologically manipulative features to ensure they remain on the app perpetually as paying subscribers.” The lawsuit argues that Match’s apps violate consumer protection laws.

Read the article: The Washington Post

EU to Investigate TikTok in Connection with Rules Protecting Children

The European Union will investigate whether ByteDance's TikTok breached online content rules aimed at protecting children and ensuring transparent advertising, an official said, putting the social media platform at risk of a hefty fine. EU industry chief Thierry Breton said he took the decision after analyzing the short video app's risk assessment report and its replies to requests for information.

Ukrainian Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Cyberattacks on Vermont Hospital

A Ukrainian man pleaded guilty in federal court to his leadership role in two cyberattack schemes that caused tens of millions of dollars in losses and temporarily crippled a Vermont hospital in 2020, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said that Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, 37, was a leader for an organization that in May 2009 began to infect thousands of computers at corporations with malicious software, and that he helped lead a separate malware scheme that began around November 2018.

Read the article: The New York Times

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.