Rightscorp fights Internet piracy by ‘ticketing’ copyright infringers

Dec 1, 2014 1:50 AM CST

Suit claims Google’s listings for unlicensed locksmiths harmed licensed business

A Virginia locksmith contends in a lawsuit that Google knowingly published listings for unlicensed locksmiths, cutting into his business and forcing him to buy ads for his licensed enterprise. The second amended suit (PDF) by Baldino’s Lock & Key also accuses Yellowbook and Ziplocal, which publish print and online advertising…

Nov 24, 2014 12:32 PM CST

Are tech elite above the law? Columnist questions whether industry promotes lawless hubris

Do those who rule the Internet and run the technology industry intertwined with it have to follow the same rules that apply to the rest of humanity? That question was raised by a writer for the Washington Post (reg. req.), in the wake of news that Uber Technologies executive Emil…

Nov 20, 2014 4:45 PM CST

9th Circuit says paroled sex offenders don’t have to provide their Web names and addresses to police

Agreeing with a trial judge, a federal appeals court has refused to enforce provisions of a California ballot measure that require registered sex offenders to provide law enforcement with all Internet names and addresses they use in social media, instant messaging and Web posts. The overbroad Californians Against Sexual Exploitation…

Nov 19, 2014 12:30 PM CST

Google wins SLAPP motion, has constitutional right to list search results as it wishes

Unhappy about search-engine results that put its website way down in the list of results, the owner of CoastNews sued Google, alleging antitrust law issues and seeking some $5 million in damages. But the search-engine Goliath not only prevailed but did so in a motion to dismiss under California’s SLAPP…

Nov 18, 2014 2:30 PM CST

Authorities arrest 17, take down 410 illegal sites in Web raid infiltrating Tor anonymity software

Cybercriminals using Tor encryption software to make their Internet activities anonymous may have thought they were beyond the reach of law enforcement. If so, they were wrong. Europol says 17 individuals have been arrested and 410 “hidden services,” including an unspecified number of websites, have been taken down in a…

Nov 7, 2014 11:35 AM CST

Is an Uber ride covered if an accident occurs? Insurance representatives are dubious

It isn’t just traditional taxi drivers who see a problem with the ride-sharing service offered by Uber. Linking potential customers, via a smartphone application, with private drivers willing to take them to their destinations may result in a fare lower than what a traditional cab company would charge. But it…

Nov 6, 2014 6:05 PM CST

Federal appeals court blasts attorney for forwarding chief judge’s congratulatory email

After receiving a congratulatory email earlier this year from the sitting chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a prominent patent lawyer did what the email expressly suggested and forwarded the praise to others. Edward Reines sent the email to more than 70 current or…

Nov 5, 2014 4:18 PM CST

Federal judge says lawyer must pay $87K for filing ‘objectively baseless’ suit over Web news posts

A California lawyer has been ordered to pay $87,000 in attorney fees for his litigation opponents because he pursued an “objectively baseless” copyright claim in a federal lawsuit over articles about him that were posted by an Internet news aggregator. Dionne Choyce should have realized, after his initial lawsuit against…

Nov 5, 2014 1:05 PM CST

Bully Fighting: New York’s high court says anti-cyberbullying law won’t pass First Amendment muster

The White House held a conference about it in 2011. Legislators have referred to it as the scourge of the Internet. It allegedly has caused teen suicides. Many school districts have policies aimed at it, and some state laws specifically address it. It is cyberbullying, a form of online harassment…

Nov 1, 2014 5:20 AM CDT

Charles Schwab sues law firm and its client for libel over ‘chuck-you.com’ website

A famous investment guru and his son have sued a Beverly Hills law firm and its client for libel, contending that they are responsible for a website with the domain name www.chuck-you.com (also known as www.chuck-u.com). The website makes the claim that plaintiff Charles Schwab and his son, Michael, have…

Oct 31, 2014 6:40 AM CDT

FBI faked Associated Press news story to identify teen suspect in high school bomb-threats case

Seeking to download law enforcement malware onto the computer of a teenager suspected of making bomb threats against a Washington state high school, the FBI admittedly faked a news story. Then the FBI planted the bogus article about the threats, which purported to have been published by the Associated Press,…

Oct 29, 2014 11:50 AM CDT

FTC sues AT&T over claims about smartphone data plans, says ‘unlimited means unlimited’

Saying that a company’s marketing claims about “unlimited” data offered to smartphone customers should, in fact, mean that data usage is unlimited, the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday announced that it has filed suit against AT&T Mobility LLC. The company, contrary to its claims to consumers, “throttled” their data speeds…

Oct 28, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

One-third of top websites have clauses to restrict consumer lawsuits

About a third of the nation’s top 200 retail websites have clauses requiring arbitration of disputes or banning class actions. Some of the websites inserted the clauses in “clickwrap” agreements requiring online users to click their assent to the restriction, according to the New York Times Upshot blog. Others used…

Oct 24, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Federal judge in $1.2B Silk Road drug case is threatened online

Threats have been made against a federal judge overseeing the New York prosecution of a man accused of masterminding the underground ‘Silk Road” website on which bitcoins were used to purchase drugs. Private information including the home address of U.S. District Judge Katherine Bolan Forrest has been posted online on…

Oct 22, 2014 4:50 PM CDT