complaints

A new lawsuit claims Apple's latest headphones could be confused with a line of hearing aids bearing a similar, trademarked name.

In a complaint filed late last week, Randolph Divisions and Hearpod Inc. said Apple's EarPods headphones infringe on its trademark for "Hearpods." Randolph Divisions filed for the name in February 2005, and ended up using the name in its line of hearing aids.

"Both Plaintiffs' Goods and Defendant's Goods are similar in nature in that, among other things, they are inserted into the ears of their users and are used to facilitate and … Read more

The U.S. International Trade Commission announced today that its members have voted to begin an investigation on behalf of security software company VirnetX into whether Apple infringes on its intellectual property with its mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

The company filed the complaint against Apple last month, saying the iPhone, iPad, and Mac maker was infringing on its patent that covers a secure connection between two computers over a network. VirnetX aims to halt the importation of Apple products into the U.S., though the two companies are likely to reach a settlement or licensing deal instead.

As the … Read more

A trio public interest groups intend to file a formal complaint against telecom giant AT&T over a decision to require a specific wireless data plan to use Apple's FaceTime video chat over its 3G network.

In a notice today, Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute said they intended to file a complaint against the carrier with the Federal Communications Commission asserting that AT&T has violated Net Neutrality with a policy that requires users to be on a specific data plan in order to use Apple's FaceTime video … Read more

Craigslist made good on its promise to go after PadMapper if it continued using Craigslist content on its site. The online classifieds company filed a lawsuit in San Francisco's federal court on Friday against both PadMapper and the data harvester it uses -- 3taps.

"For their own commercial benefit, defendants 3Taps and PadMapper are unlawfully and unabashedly mass-harvesting and redistributing postings entrusted by Craigslist users to their local Craigslist sites," reads the complaint filed by Craigslist. "This exploitation of Craigslist content undermines the integrity of local Craigslist communities, ultimately harming both Craigslist and its users."… Read more

How much are your digital backups worth?

According to one one British Columbia man, copies of data from his two computers and an iPhone that were being stored on an Apple Time Capsule that went kaput, are worth $25,000.

That's the amount Perminder Tung, a resident of Surrey, B.C., seeks from Apple after the Time Capsule he was using ceased to function, taking his files with it.

In a filing (PDF) made against Apple in a Canadian small claims court earlier this week, and picked up by CBC News today, Tung accuses Apple of being in breach … Read more

Apple has agreed to pay a $2.25 million settlement today for allegedly misbranding its third-generation iPads in Australia's online store, according to the Apple news blog 9to5Mac.

The complaint was brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in March and alleged that the computer giant violated the country's consumer law by misleadingly labeling its new iPad as 4G-capable -- the crux being that there aren't any 4G networks compatible with the device in Australia. The branding specifically said, "Wi-Fi + 4G."

Online travel site TripAdvisor has become the latest company to take aim at Google.

The company today filed an antitrust complaint against Google in the European Union, charging the search company with "anti-competitive and unfair practices...that harm the marketplace and consumer welfare." Bloomberg was first to report on the story.

TripAdvisor's move follows a similar one by online travel site Expedia, which filed a complaint against Google last week. Both companies argue that Google is using its dominant position in search to harm competition in the marketplace. They've joined a slew of companies across other … Read more

It's a booming holiday sales season for online merchants. As CNET contributor Don Reisinger reports, U.S. consumers spent $32 billion online from November 1 to December 18, according to research firm ComScore.

That's 18 percent more than they spent in the same period of 2010. While most online sales go smoothly, there's always a risk of a product you ordered from a Web site not arriving on time, or a product other than the one you purchased being shipped, among other possible problems.

A reader contacted me yesterday about an order he placed on Cyber Monday (… Read more