lawsuit

Lawsuits over Facebook's IPO flop to be consolidated in NY

Facebook's wishes have been granted, at least for now. The dozens of lawsuits brought against the social network over its bungled initial public offering have been consolidated and will be heard before one federal judge in New York, according to Reuters.

Approximately 50 lawsuits have been brought against the social network, some of its underwriters, and the Nasdaq exchange. Earlier today, a panel of federal judges ruled that all of these cases will be collected throughout the U.S. and transferred to U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan.

According to Reuters, Facebook said that it was pleased … Read more

Activision and No Doubt settle Band Hero lawsuit

The pop band No Doubt claimed that the video game Band Hero turned its front woman Gwen Stefani into a "virtual karaoke circus act." Now, that circus act may have sung its last song.

Activision, the maker of Band Hero, and No Doubt settled an ongoing lawsuit this week, according to the Associated Press. The settlement was agreed upon just weeks before a jury trial was set to begin.

The legal case began in 2009 when No Doubt charged that Activision didn't tell the pop musicians that gamers would be able to unlock the band's avatars … Read more

Pandora defeats privacy suit over Facebook integration

When Pandora was sued for alleged privacy missteps following Facebook integration, it was headline news, with one report saying the Internet radio company had stumbled "into the minefield of privacy lawsuits that are blowing up all over the tech industry." Even the Federal Trade Commission was dragged in.

But that minefield was a dud: A federal court has now tossed out the lawsuit, ruling that no "actual injury" was caused by the April 2010 partnership between Facebook and Pandora that allowed users to tie their accounts together.

The suit claimed violations of an obscure pre-Internet era … Read more

Apple sued over spreadsheet technology

Apple has been sued by a Texas-based company for allegedly infringing on a patent with its Numbers spreadsheet software.

The complaint, which was filed on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division, accuses Apple of infringing on a patent covering a "system and methods for improved spreadsheet interface with user-familiar objects" with its Numbers software.

That patent was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1995, and now belongs to Data Engine Technologies LLC, a non-practicing entity, or what some would call a "patent troll." … Read more

Samsung hit by OLED patent lawsuit from LG Display

Already reeling from legal battles with Apple, Samsung is the target of yet another patent lawsuit.

LG Display said today that it has filed a patent infringement suit against the handset maker, alleging that Samsung violated seven of its OLED (organic light-emitting diode) patents.

The lawsuit specifically claims that Samsung infringed on the design of LG's OLED panels, driver circuitry and device design, reported the Wall Street Journal. LG is looking for an unspecified amount in damages and a permanent injunction of five infringing products, including the Galaxy S3 phone, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet, and the Galaxy … Read more

Amazon opposes Apple's false-advertising claim in app store suit

In Apple's continuing trademark battle with Amazon over its use of the "App Store" name, the Internet retailer has asked a federal judge to dismiss Apple's false-advertising claim.

The dispute stems from a lawsuit Apple filed in April 2011 that accused Amazon of misappropriating the moniker, for which Apple applied for the trademark in 2008, a week after the company launched its iPhone App Store. The lawsuit sought an injunction against Amazon's use of App Store to describe its digital download store.

Apple amended its complaint last November to include claims of false advertising. Apple … Read more

Apple subpoenas Amazon for interviews in e-book suit

Apple is on the offensive again in the e-book pricing lawsuit. A subpoena issued by the tech giant in July has just surfaced and demands that the Department of Justice turn over interviews it conducted with Amazon employees for the suit, according to Paid Content.

The subpoena asks for "transcripts and exhibits" and a "list of individuals interviewed" by the DOJ in depositions.

To recap the case: in an antitrust lawsuit filed in April, federal prosecutors accused Apple and five book publishers of conspiring to artificially hike prices. At the time, Amazon was selling e-books much … Read more

Unwired Planet hits Apple, Google with patent suits

Patent troll Unwired Planet has gone on the offensive against Apple and Google.

The company has reportedly filed patent-infringement complaints against the companies over their alleged use of its intellectual property in mobile products. Unwired Planet charges Apple with violating 10 patents related to everything from its device designs to cloud services. Google, too, was hit with 10 claims. RRT News was first to report on the infringement suits.

Companies like Unwired Planet don't create products or services. Instead, patent trolls wait for another firm to develop products that allegedly infringe their intellectual property, then pounce. Allegedly offending companies … Read more

Samsung says it will drag iPhone 5 into legal war

It appears that Apple's iPhone 5 isn't going to escape the ongoing legal battle with Samsung Electronics.

Samsung said it would add the recently unveiled smartphone -- which has already seen record pre-sale figures and which will hit stores tomorrow -- to a list of products accused of violating its patents, according to Reuters, citing U.S. court documents.

Samsung confirmed to CNET that it would pursue the iPhone 5.

Based on information currently available, Samsung expects that the iPhone 5 will infringe the asserted Samsung patents-in-suit in the same way as the other accused iPhone models. Samsung … Read more