Courts

For those who follow the tech industry, and in particular Microsoft, the sudden announcement of legal matters is hardly surprising. It seems the Redmond-based company, and others like Sony and Apple, are perpetually engaged in litigation to defend ... anything from copyright issues to product quality. Now, the most recent case surrounds a woman who has launched a legal campaign against Microsoft's Vista advertising, and the "Windows Vista Capable" motto. The suit comes from one Dianne L. Kelley, who finds that a number of PCs sold last year with Vista on board are anything but capable. Instead, ... (view more)

In the first of what may become many law suits involving Microsoft Windows Vista, a class action suit was recently filed alleging that people who bought "Vista Capable" and "Vista Ready" computers last year have found themselves with a machine ... barely capable of running Vista, not capable of running "the real Vista." Last year, before the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft and several computer makers launched a program to put "Windows Vista Capable" logos on computers that met hardware requirements to run the new operating system when it came out. The law suit alleges that people bought the ... (view more)

Although it was once the toast of music pirates everywhere -- and exactly the place where many got started -- the original Napster is being laid to rest. It's seen some 30 billion songs (shared) since the protocol was crafted over six years ago, but ... the market has largely changed. As Torrents and iTunes rip offs take over the Internet, the lawyers officially chose to close a chapter of digital media history. According to reports, EMI and financier Bertelsmann have reached a legal settlement that will terminate Napster functionality. For those who missed it, Bertelsmann funded Napster in 2000 ... (view more)

Google Inc. has been dealt a heavy blow in the form of a US $1 billion copyright lawsuit issued by major media corporation, Viacom Inc. The lawsuit specifically targets the unauthorized content found on YouTube.com. The website was purchased by ... Google last November for $1.76 billion. Viacom, whose subsidiaries include MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central, continuously lashed out against the popular video-sharing site for its lack of enforcement when dealing with copyright issues. The lawsuit signals an escalation in long-standing tensions between Viacom and Google and also marks the biggest ... (view more)

Yahoo was recently slapped with a $20 million dollar lawsuit from an Ohio woman claiming that the Yahoo.com portal used her photo without permission in a welcome email sent to its new users. Shannon Stovall filed the lawsuit late February at the ... U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Stovall said she discovered the her photo was being used when she signed up for Yahoo's email service in October 2006. (Source: news.com ) The email begins with the headline "Hooray! Your first email" and includes a photo of two women, one of which is allegedly Stovall. According to the complaint ... (view more)

BitTorrent, a company synonymous with manufacturing technology that allows for the free trade of pirated videos, is launching a website that will sell downloadable films and television shows fully licensed by the studios. BitTorrent had recently ... attained several contracts with major entertainment companies. Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, MGM and Lionsgate have all agreed to sign on with them. (Source: theglobeandmail.com ) The BitTorrent Entertainment Network, the expected name of the website, will be aimed at the same young male audience who regularly use the service to ... (view more)

The past few weeks, I started following a news story that raises my ire! No, it isn't about Microsoft and Vista -- it's about a substitute school teacher that has been caught in what is termed a ... well, we'll call it an adult-oriented Pop-up Trap ... (if you know what I mean). To begin with, a 'Pop-up' Trap (or a 'Mouse' Trap) is when an Internet surfer clicks on a web site and is treated to a cascade of pop-ups, usually advertising offensive material geared toward twisted individuals. These ads come in at such a high rate of speed, the user cannot keep up with them. The content is also rather ... (view more)

When Apple's chief executive, Steve Jobs, revealed a new product that would serve as a mobile phone, a camera, a music device, and had Internet capabilities, many industry analysts were certain that Apple would soon become a major player in the ... handset market. The high expectations were soon delayed when the name selected for the product, the "iPhone", was disputed by rival company Cisco Systems, resulting in a lengthy copyright battle. Now, over one month later, Apple has finally put an end to their trademark dispute with Cisco Systems and can once again set their sights on becoming a ... (view more)

I wonder if Microsoft knew all of the roadblocks it would run into when it decided to pursue the "Live" moniker? Recently, Microsoft came under some heat from emailers frustrated at the company's decision to change "Windows Live Mail" to "Windows ... Live Hotmail." The name game drama has not stopped for Microsoft, which has recently been slapped with a lawsuit claiming trademark infringement on the name "Office Live." A company called Office Live filed the lawsuit last Friday, asking courts to grant an injunction against Microsoft using the name for its online office and web application suite. ( ... (view more)

Microsoft has been embroiled in legal troubles countless times in the past. Last year they were on the butt-end of a class-action lawsuit filed after a collective of consumers became enraged with the company's invasive Windows Genuine Advantage ... (WGA). Eventually, the company toned down its piracy policy, relegating WGA to second tier news. However, Microsoft is again on the wrong end of court proceedings, with a federal jury finding that it owes $1.5 billion for MP3 patent infringement. Alcatel-Lucent, a global communications giant with interests in everything from broadband to VOIP to ... (view more)