Politics and Law

DOJ announces three e-book settlements, but not with Apple

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed today that it has reached antitrust settlements for alleged e-book price fixing with three large publishers -- but said Apple has chosen to fight the charges in court.

Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference this morning (see video below) that the settlement will provide retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble the "freedom to reduce the prices of their e-book titles" in the future.

Lagardere SCA's Hachette Book Group, News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers, and Simon & Schuster (owned by CBS, which publishes CNET) agreed to settle charges in the more

Why Microsoft spent $1 billion on AOL's patents

Microsoft dropped an eye-popping $1 billion on 800 AOL patents today, an astonishing amount likely spent to keep the intellectual property trove away from rival Google.

But according to a source close to the situation, Google didn't even bid on the portfolio.

That makes Microsoft's lavish bid, which averages $1.25 million per patent, all the more astounding. Still, even without Google, there was good reason: according to data crunched by MDB Capital Group, an investment banking firm that focuses on intellectual property, the AOL patents have far more relevance to Microsoft than to any other company.

MDB more

U.S., U.K. firms selling spy gear to repressive regimes, says report

A privacy group is claiming that Britain is exporting high-tech spy gear to repressive countries, endangering dissidents, says a report in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper.

The Guardian reports that a group called Privacy International said it has identified at least 30 British companies it believes have exported surveillance gear to Bahrain, Iran, Syria, and Yemen, among other countries. The group also said 50 firms were exporting such technology from the U.S. and that Germany and Israel are also big exporters of spy gear.

The technology includes tools for monitoring mobile phone calls and text messages and for more

How much is that patent lawsuit going to cost you?

So you're facing a patent lawsuit. Or maybe you want to sue someone. Get out your checkbook, because this isn't going to be cheap.

A survey conducted last year by the American Intellectual Property Law Association to find median litigation costs for patent infringement suits produced jaw-dropping (at least for a startup) numbers: For a claim that could be worth less than a $1 million, median legal costs are $650,000. When $1 million to $25 million is considered "at risk," total litigation costs can hit $2.5 million. For a claim over $25 million, median legal costs more

Motorola targeted by European regulators over patent issues

The European Commission today opened two formal antitrust investigations against Motorola Mobilty to determine if the company has breached its promise to offer fair patent licensing.

The Commission is specifically aiming to see if Motorola used its patents to hurt competition in violation of European Union antitrust laws.

The investigation is based largely on complaints from Apple and Microsoft, which have alleged that Motorola's licensing arrangements are not in accordance with FRAND, or "fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory," terms. Motorola had previously pledged to the EU that it would honor such terms.

The EC's probe will also focus on more

No, Comcast is not breaking the Internet...again

Comcast annoyed media activists last week by announcing it wouldn't count television programming retrieved through a customer's Xbox console against a monthly "excessive use" threshold for Internet access.

As with any change to existing Internet services -- even one that sounds like a good thing -- the response in Washington was to sound the doomsday alarm. "The reports that Comcast is offering a video product through the Xbox 360 without the data counting toward the customer's data cap," Public Knowledge said last week, "raises questions not only of the justification for the caps but, more importantly, of more

Teacher's aide refuses to share Facebook access, is suspended

Teacher's aide Kimberly Hester has found herself on suspension and in the middle of a legal battle with her school after reportedly refusing to show a superintendent her Facebook account.

Working as an aide at the Frank Squires Elementary School in Cassopolis, Mich., Hester was employed by the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District, according to news site WSBT.

The issue arose in April 2011 when Hester posted a picture on her own time of a co-worker's pants around her ankles and a pair of shoes. Hester thought the picture harmless enough. But one of her Facebook friends, also more

Motorola could face European patent probe, official says

Motorola Mobility may find itself the target of an EU investigation over complaints about its patent licensing.

In a recent Washington, D.C., speech, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia specifically cited patent concerns over Motorola, lumping it in the same regulatory hot seat as Samsung.

"We have recently opened an investigation against Samsung to make sure that the company has not failed to honor the commitments it had taken back in 1998 to make its standard-essential patents for mobile phones available in fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms," Almunia said in the speech. "We have also received similar complaints by Apple more

House Republicans vote to limit FCC authority

Congressional Republicans are taking aim once again at the Federal Communications Commission.

Earlier this week, House Republicans approved legislation that would put limits on conditions that the FCC could impose on future mergers and wireless spectrum license transfers. The legislation would also require the FCC to justify the costs and benefits of new rules it imposes as well as imposes a "shot clock" when making decisions. The legislation also requires the FCC to publish proposed rules before voting on them.

Senate Democrats oppose the legislation. And President Obama has threatened to veto it if it reaches his desk. And it more

Feds target 95MHz of wireless spectrum for mobile broadband

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has taken a big step in freeing up more wireless spectrum for wireless broadband service providers.

The agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced on Monday that it has determined that it can repurpose 95MHz of wireless spectrum used by the government for commercial use. Specifics of how and when this spectrum will be cleared, and how much it will cost, are still being developed. But the agency said its preliminary report shows that it is possible.

The addition of this 95MHz of spectrum, which lies in the 1755MHz-to-1850MHz more