Federal Circuit continues trend of interpreting “use” under §271(a) broadly By Philip Yen – Edited by Matthew Gelfand Centillion Data Systems, LLC v. Qwest Communications International, Inc., No. 2010-1110 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 20, 2011) Slip Opinion The Federal Circuit vacated an order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, which had granted summary judgment of noninfringement in favor of Qwest on the grounds that neither Qwest nor its customers individually “practice[d] all of the limitations ... Read More...

By Greg Tang TSA Offends Travelers with Body Scanners, Fails to be Accountable The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) commented on the TSA’s use of body scanners in airports across the country, which has raised serious public concerns over the indignity and invasiveness of the body scanners and pat-down searches. The EFF expressed skepticism over the effectiveness of the body scanners in detecting terrorist attacks like the Christmas Day Bomb of 2009, citing various sources, including a TSA document, that have ... Read More...

By Emily Hootkins New Law Improves Access to Technology for Disabled Bloomberg Businessweek and The Associated Press report that President Obama has signed into a law a bill requiring the telecommunications industry to enhance the accessibility of devices and programming for Americans with vision and hearing loss.  The bill could improve the quality of life for an estimated 61 million disabled people.  Among other requirements, the law sets new federal guidelines regarding accessible user interfaces on smart phones, telephone compatibility with hearing aids, ... Read More...

Lawyer Violates Telephone Consumer Protection Act with Outsourced Newsletters By Ian B. Brooks – Edited by Jad Mills Holtzman v. Turza, No. 08-C-2014 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 3, 2010) Opinion hosted by Google The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that a lawyer makes unsolicited advertisements under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) when his primary purpose for hiring a company to distribute his materials via facsimile was to advertise his services.  Granting the plaintiff’s summary ... Read More...

By Chinh Vo Republican Senators Draft Bill in Opposition to FCC’s Net Neutrality Regulations Plans CNET reports that a group of Republican senators, led by Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, is sponsoring a new bill designed to thwart the FCC’s plans to regulate broadband providers. The bill, dubbed the Freedom for Consumer Choice Act, would allow the FCC to impose requirements on the broadband industry only if marketplace competition is inadequate, giving the agency authority similar to the Department ... Read More...