Technology

Microsoft Wins Emergency Stay of Judge’s Ban on Word Product Sales

A federal appeals court has granted Microsoft’s emergency appeal of a Texas federal judge’s order that would have banned the computer Goliath from continuing to sell some Word software products next month unless they could be reconfigured to avoid infringing on a Canadian company’s patent. In a ruling late yesterday,…

Sep 4, 2009 4:35 PM CDT

Berkeley Profs Team Up to Launch New Cyberlaw Cases Blog

Two academics at the University of California at Berkeley are teaming up to launch a new law blog that will feature what they consider the top 10 pending cases in the United States concerning Internet, software and database issues. Their Cyberlaw Cases blog will be unique says Jason Schultz in…

Sep 3, 2009 10:52 PM CDT

Judge’s Order Could Force Microsoft to Stop Selling Some Word Products

After Microsoft lost two big jury verdicts in patent infringement cases this spring, many observers expressed doubt that the computer goliath would ever have to ante up. However, the potential cost to Microsoft got a lot bigger this week. A federal judge in Texas not only added an additional $90…

Aug 13, 2009 5:45 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Associate, 29, Forms Biotech Boutique via Craigslist

When Afif Ghannoum decided to open a biotechnology boutique in Cleveland, the 29-year-old former BigLaw associate advertised for potential partner-level attorneys on Craigslist. He received responses from nearly 100 lawyers in Ohio and another 400 in New York City. To help keep costs low, the firm’s nine lawyers operate out…

Jul 27, 2009 5:54 PM CDT

Apple Withdraws Legal Threat Over BluWiki iPodhash Site

Apple Inc. has withdrawn a legal threat concerning a BluWiki website that discusses how users might use non-Apple media software with an iPod or iPhone, rather than iTunes. But it’s not the First Amendment victory for which advocates of freedom of information on the Internet would have wished, reports Ars…

Jul 23, 2009 6:54 PM CDT

‘Big Brother’ Amazon Deleted Orwell E-Books, Some Say; Lawyer Threatens Suit

In what some consider an Orwellian remedy, Amazon eliminated from users’ Kindles last week electronic copies of the classic George Orwell books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four after determining that that they were sold without proper authority. Although the Internet retailer also refunded the 99-cent purchase price, the move elicited…

Jul 21, 2009 7:41 PM CDT

Should TechCrunch Have Posted Material from ‘Twittergate’ Hack?

A computer hacker accessed internal documents at Twitter and made them public, igniting debate about the legal and ethical obligations of those who published confidential material about the microblogging website’s business plans. Co-founder Biz Stone said Twitter is consulting with legal counsel about possible consequences for those who accept or…

Jul 16, 2009 2:47 PM CDT

Cooley Partner’s ‘Long Goodbye’

In an interview earlier this month, a soon-to-be-former Cooley Godward Kronish partner said it had been a difficult decision to jump to Dewey & LeBoeuf’s office in Silicon Valley along with two other high-profile partners. But now it appears that Cooley’s parting with mergers and acquisitions star Richard Climan was…

Jul 14, 2009 8:39 PM CDT

Law Trails Behind as Disputes Over Genetic Patents Intensify

After being diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer, Lisbeth Ceriani had a double mastectomy last year followed by chemotherapy that caused her hair to fall out in clumps. Just when she thought the worst was over, she learned that some of the genes in her body that led…

Jul 3, 2009 2:00 PM CDT

Wrangling Genes

As the law changes and new medical frontiers open, the dispute over genetic patents intensifies

Jul 2, 2009 4:10 AM CDT

Jury Awards $1.67B to Drugmaker in Record-Breaking Patent Verdict

Siding with the world’s biggest health care company, a federal jury in Texas awarded a record-breaking $1.67 billion today to a Johnson & Johnson unit after five hours of deliberation. In its verdict against Abbott Laboratories, the jury found that the Illinois-based drugmaker willfully violated an exclusive patent licensing agreement…

Jun 29, 2009 11:08 PM CDT

Social Studies

In February, social networking behemoth Facebook announced changes to its terms of service. The highly publicized dustup that followed was much like most others: one part misinterpretation, one part overreaction and one part grain of truth.

Jun 2, 2009 3:50 AM CDT

Facebook, Twitter Make the Rules in New Internet Name Game

Only a few years ago, the rules of website domain-name ownership were clear-cut. But now social networking websites are integral to the daily lives of many, and their users don’t have the same rights as those who have purchased Internet addresses. In fact, neither Facebook users nor their counterparts on…

May 19, 2009 10:43 PM CDT

Intel Fined Record $1.45B in European Antitrust Case

The European Commission has fined Intel a record $1.45 billion for using anti-competitive practices to keep competitor Advanced Micro Devices out of the market for computer chips. Intel was accused of paying computer makers and retailers not to carry AMD products, according to the New York Times and the Wall…

May 13, 2009 11:17 AM CDT

Top NY Court Nixes GPS Tracking Unless a Search Warrant is Obtained

An apparent New York State Police practice of using GPS tracking devices on suspects’ vehicles for extended periods is a violation of their constitutional privacy rights unless a search warrant is obtained, according to a divided New York Court of Appeals ruling. In its 4-3 ruling today, the state’s highest…

May 12, 2009 6:19 PM CDT