lawsuits

Photographer sues Apple over promotional eyeball image

Apple has been sued by a Swiss photographer who claims the electronics giant misused one of her images by including it in a promotion for its latest MacBook Pro computers.

Photographer Sabine Liewald claims Apple acquired the rights to use the image of a model's eye (complete with make up) for "layout purposes only," as opposed to commercial use. The complaint specifically points to examples where Apple ended up using the image in its advertising, including on its Web site.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York earlier … Read more

Netflix and deaf-rights group settle suit over video captions

Netflix and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) have come to an agreement about captions for the company's streaming videos: 100 percent must be captioned by 2014.

The agreement comes by way of a class action lawsuit filed by NAD in 2010 that alleged the streaming service was "failing to provide adequate closed captioning on 'Watch Instantly' streaming video programming," and therefore was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After back-and-forth between the lawyers -- and Netflix working to get the case thrown out -- the two sides finally settled this week.

"We … Read more

Facebook unfriended us, company claims in contract suit

A Facebook developer is suing the social network, claiming the company damaged its business when it abruptly abruptly terminated a multi-year deal that gave the company access to Facebook data.

Profile Technology, a New Zealand-based company that says it created the first ever independent Facebook search engine, said the social networking giant suddenly cut off its access in late 2010, then embarked "on a campaign of destruction" to damage its reputation.

The company is asking for damages with an unspecified dollar amount, but that include compensation for lost profits following when Facebook allegedly cut off its access without … Read more

Patent trolling nearly doubled in five years, study finds

It's no secret patent lawsuits are on the rise, and it turns out the same can be said for the ones filed by what have affectionately been called "patent trolls."

According to a new study published today by University of California Hastings College of the Law, lawsuits filed by patent trolls -- or as they are re-categorized "patent monetizers" -- saw a dramatic increase between 2007 to 2011.

As part of a research project put on by the Government Accounting Office, the law school teamed up with legal tracking and analytics tool Lex Machina to … Read more

Supreme Court closes door on warrantless eavesdropping suit

The long-standing warrantless spying case ended at the hands of the Supreme Court today. After six years of working its way up through the courts, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit against the National Security Agency -- which aimed to hold telecom companies liable for allowing government eavesdropping on U.S. residents -- was terminated.

The Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling on the case today, closing the door on further appeals. Its decision did not address the merits of the case.

Hepting v. AT&T was a class-action suit filed by the American Civil Liberties … Read more

Facebook redoes privacy settlement, offers cash to users

Facebook is taking another shot at a "Sponsored Stories" settlement, agreeing to pay affected consumers and provide a simpler way to review all Sponsored Stories interactions.

The social-networking giant first tried to settle the case several months ago, but a judge rejected the settlement in August, saying he had "serious concerns" with the pact. In particular, the judge wondered how the parties determined the $20 million settlement amount to be paid out by the social network. The amount included $10 million in legal fees for the plaintiff attorneys.

Under the new agreement, filed Friday, Facebook has … Read more

When Apple got serious about software patents

Apple's exploits in the world of software patents are under close scrutiny, and with good reason. Every few weeks new applications are unearthed providing possible clues to future products, or insights into what's already been released.

In recent years though, the focus has been less about products and more about how Apple can use these patents in court -- or to avoid it entirely. Case in point, just a handful of patents (seven to be precise) were enough to set the stage for a dramatic U.S. court battle between Apple and Samsung, a fight that already has is sequel lined up. … Read more

Vringo sues ZTE for alleged patent infringement

Vringo, a company that offers ringtones, but has increasingly relied on licensing its patent portfolio, is the latest to take aim at ZTE.

The company announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese telecommunications equipment company, saying that it has violated three of its patents. According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.K. High Court of Justice, Chancery Division Patents Court, Vringo alleges that ZTE's cellular network technologies, as well as its GSM/UMTS multimode wireless handsets, are violating its patents.

ZTE has suffered through an awfully tough day. In addition to getting … Read more

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