Class Action Suits Challenge Facebook, Google Over Location Tracking Posted on November 28, 2018 Tech giants Facebook, Google, and Apple harvest massive profits from the personal data that smartphone users share with them. Several recent lawsuits filed in California allege that these companies are reaping more than consumers intended. Individuals from several states have filed a flurry of class action lawsuits against some of the world’s biggest tech companies for the misrepresentation of how...
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Blackbird Tech v. Niantic: District Court Finds Geolocation Methods for Virtual Reality Games Are Not “Abstract Ideas” Posted on November 26, 2018 Blackbird Tech. LLC v. Niantic, Inc., No. 17-cv-1810-RGA, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186629 (D. Del. Oct. 31, 2018). On October 31, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware refused to dismiss a case against Pokémon GO software developer Niantic, Inc. In the case, Blackbird Technologies sued Niantic for alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,802,127 (“the ‘127 patent”)...
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FTC v. Qualcomm: Standard Essential Patent Holders Must License to Competitors Posted on November 19, 2018 Federal Trade Commission v. Qualcomm, Inc., No. 17-CV-00220-LHK (N.D.Cal. Nov. 06, 2018) On November 6, 2018, the Northern District of California Judge Lucy H. Koh granted a motion for partial summary judgment in favor of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in its lawsuit against Qualcomm, Incorporated (“Qualcomm”). The FTC brings its Complaint against Qualcomm under § 5 of the Federal...
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Copyright Office’s Ruling on Exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act: Allowing Consumers, Repairers, and Hackers to Fix their Own Devices Posted on November 14, 2018 Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies, 83 Fed. Reg. 54010 (Oct. 26, 2018) (to be codified at 37 C.F.R. pt. 201). Summary of Ruling: https://www.copyright.gov/1201... In reviewing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), the United States Copyright Office, a subsidiary of the Library of Congress, ruled on changes to section 1201. The ruling...
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Led Zeppelin’s “Stair”-ing Contest Heads Back to Court Posted on November 12, 2018 Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin, No. 16-56057 (9th Cir. Sep. 28, 2018). In what must surely be uplifting news for Michael Skidmore—trustee of late psych-rocker and Spirit band member Randy Wolfe—the Ninth Circuit has partially vacated the Central District of California’s ruling in a much-discussed 2016 copyright lawsuit contesting the originality of Led Zeppelin’s rock classic “Stairway to Heaven.” The 2016 case...
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United States v. Glover: Lynda Hacking Indictments Hit Pair Behind Massive Uber Breach Posted on November 07, 2018 Indictment, United States v. Brandon Charles Glover and Vasile Mereacre, No. 5:18-cr-00348-LHK (N.D. Cal. Aug. 2, 2018) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5021170-Lynda-indictment.html The two hackers behind Uber’s large 2016 data breach face felony charges for a separate hack compromising the data of 90,000 Lynda.com users, according to a recently unsealed indictment. Brandon Glover and Vasile Mereacre were indicted in the Northern District of California...
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Forward v. Biogen: Biogen Prevails in MS Drug Patent Appeal in Federal Circuit Posted on November 05, 2018 FWP IP ApS v. Biogen MA, Inc., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 29943 (Fed. Cir. Oct. 24, 2018), opinion hosted by Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On October 24, 2018, the Federal Circuit Court affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board ("PTAB") decision that determined FWP IP ApS ("Forward") was not entitled to a patent on a multiple sclerosis...
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Richard Lloyd v. Google LLC: No Liability for Acquisition and Sale of Users’ Personal Information Posted on October 31, 2018 Lloyd v. Google LLC [2018] EWHC (QB) 2599 (Eng.). Opinion In The High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, Media and Communications List, Case No: HQ17M01913 Richard Lloyd, filed suit in a representative capacity, seeking damages under the Data Protection Act for Google’s improper use of iPhone users’ personal information during the “Relevant Period” of June 1, 2011 to February 15...
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Music Modernization Act Signed Into Law Posted on October 29, 2018 Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (“Music Modernization Act”), Pub. L. No. 115-264 (2018), public law hosted by congress.gov. On October 11th, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Music Modernization Act, sponsored by Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). The Act comprises three titles, each of which updates a distinct aspect of the protection, licensing...
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Ohio Data Protection Act: Exchanging Legal Protection for Cybersecurity Posted on October 24, 2018 Ohio Substitute Senate Bill 220, 132nd Gen. Assemb. (Ohio 2018) bill hosted by The Ohio Legislature. On August 3, 2018, Governor John Kasich signed the Ohio Data Protection Act (“Act”) into law. The Act will go into effect on November 2, 2018. A product of Ohio Attorney General, Mike DeWine’s, CyberOhio Initiative, the Act introduces an incentive-based compliance mechanism to encourage “covered...
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