Flash Digest: News in Brief

By Kathleen McGuinness

Supreme Court of Canada Rules That Text Message Monitoring Requires Warrant

Google Announces Open Patent Non-Assertion Pledge

Legal Challenges to “Stingray” Surveillance Devices Continue to Grow

Supreme Court Balances Privacy Rights Against Law Enforcement in DNA Collection Case

Maryland v. King
By Kathleen McGuinness – Edited by Pio Szamel

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Maryland v. King, a challenge to the constitutionality of warrantless DNA sampling of persons arrested for serious crimes. If the policy is found to be unconstitutional, twenty-eight other states and the federal government face potential invalidation of similar laws.

Manufacturers’ Attempt to Invoke RICO Act Fails Against Non-Practicing Entity

In re Innovatio IP Ventures
By David LeRay – Edited by Kathleen McGuinness

The Northern District of Illinois granted in part and denied in part Innovatio IP Ventures’s motion to dismiss seven claims in a complaint brought by manufacturers of wireless Internet technology. The court dismissed several of the manufacturers’ claims, including the claim based on the RICO Act, but did not dismiss claims based on breach of contract and promissory estoppel.

Federal Judge Rejects Verizon’s Challenge to New FCC Data Roaming Rule

Cellco P’ship v. FCC
By Kathleen McGuinness – Edited by Charlie Stiernberg

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a facial challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) new rule requiring “providers of commercial mobile-data services to offer data roaming agreements to other such providers on commercially reasonable terms.”  The court held that the FCC had statutory authority to regulate data roaming, and that the flexibility of the new requirement does not amount to the imposition of common carrier requirements.

Flash Digest: News in Brief

By Kathleen McGuinness

Congress Passes Symbolic Resolution: “No UN Control of the Internet”

Supreme Court Will Hear Case on the Legality of Pay-for-Delay Practices

Preliminary PTO Finding Invalidates Key Apple Multitouch Patent