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Screw you, Brits, says Google: We are ABOVE UK privacy law
Google is disputing a lawsuit brought by UK-based Apple users whose browser habits were slurped – without permission – by the ad giant. Mountain View claims that Britain's data protection laws do not apply to it as British courts have "no jurisdiction" over the company.
Owners of Apple devices who used Cupertino's Safari browser …
Open Rights Group revives 'unavailable for legal reasons' HTTP error code plan
The UK's Open Rights Group has revived the campaign to create a new HTTP error code to protest censorship.
The campaign to do so has burbled along for a few years, partly thanks to a Google employee named Tim Bray who created a draft for ”An HTTP Status Code to Report Legal Obstacles ”. Bray has revised the draft a couple of …
Oz High Court says streaming music is not a 'broadcast'
Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has been denied permission to appeal to the High Court in an attempt to overrule decisions in lower courts that will force it to pay twice for music it broadcasts – once for over the air and another for simultaneous internet broadcast.
The case over just how radio broadcasters should pay for …
Microsoft DMCA takedown requests targeting OpenOffice
The vigilant folk at TorrentFreak think they've found something odd: among the hundreds of thousands of sites Microsoft has recently asked Google not to index are requests to remove references to sites that in no way infringe Microsoft's rights but instead mention the the free OpenOffice suite.
TorrentFreak's report on the …
Engineer's $30m windfall from Nintendo 3DS patent spat SLASHED by beak
A US judge has halved a $30.2m payout awarded to an inventor by a jury in a patent infringement trial involving Nintendo's 3DS console.
The panel of peers in New York handed ex-Sony engineer Seijiro Tomita the multimillion-dollar damages after finding that Ninty had infringed his patented 3D display technology - which allows …
How much will Apple cough for ebook conspiracy? Trial starts May 2014
Apple is due to face a trial on damages in summer next year, after a judge found the fruity firm guilty of conspiring with publishers to raise the price of ebooks.
US District Judge Denise Cote said that if another resolution hadn't been arrived at before then, the trial would be scheduled to kick off in May 2014 to determine …
Bradley Manning: 'I'm sorry my actions hurt the United States'
US Army Private Bradley Manning, who in July was found guilty of disclosing hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to WikiLeaks, has apologized in open court for his actions.
The New York Times reports that Manning gave a three-minute, unsworn statement before military court judge Colonel Denise Lind on …
Does Gmail's tarted-up tab makeover bust anti-spam laws?
Anti-spam experts are openly wondering whether Google's redesigned web mail service Gmail violates US laws against bulk unsolicited messages.
The CAN-SPAM Act (passed in 2003) makes the mass distribution of commercial electronic mail legal as long as the messages are properly formatted, include correct contact information and …
DARPA calls Big Data boffins: Help us lock up everyone's privates
The American military is looking for number-crunching wizards able to tackle the national security threat posed by, erm... publicly available data.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is searching for boffins to "measure the national security impact of public data and to defend against the malicious use of …
Most UK privacy cock-ups are 'careless' spaffing of personal data - watchdog
Most of the data breach incidents analysed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in a three-month period earlier this year concerned errors in the way personal information was disclosed, the watchdog has said.
The ICO said that it had looked at 335 data breach incidents between 1 April and 30 June 2013 and found that in …
Don't trash-talk the boss on Twitter: Oz judge
Australia's Federal Magistrates Court has sparked an argument about Internet speech freedoms by declining to issue an injunction preventing a federal public servant's dismissal over her use of Twitter.
It should be noted that while there is a real risk the public servant, Michaela Banerji, could be dismissed, her fate is still …
Feds arrest rogue trucker after GPS jamming borks New Jersey airport test
A New Jersey truck driver is facing a fine of nearly $32,000 after leaving the GPS jammer he was using to dodge his bosses active during a visit to Newark, New Jersey's Liberty International Airport.
Gary Bojczak, then an employee of crushed-stone supplier Tilcon, was using a $100 GPS jammer plugged into the cigarette lighter in …
Apple wins Samsung import ban, loses 'Battle of Rounded Corners II'
The US International Trade Commission has issued a decision in the long-running Apple-Samsung patent wars that – barring a veto by the Obama administration – bars some geriatric Samsung kit from importation into the US, but denies Apple the protection it sought in other infringment allegations, including two design patents …
Second LulzSec Sony website hacker starts a year in the cooler
A LulzSec hacker has been sentenced to a year in a US jail for hacking Sony Pictures and dumping personal information of 138,000 movie fans online.
Raynaldo Rivera, 21, of Tempe, Arizona, will spend 366 days behind bars, followed by 13 months of house arrest and 1,000 hours of community service for his involvement in the …
Publishers stand behind Apple in ebook price-fixing fight
The five publishers involved in the Apple ebook lawsuit-o-rama have filed a formal objection to the remedies proposed by the US Department of Justice after Cupertino lost its court battle concerning alleged price fixing.
"Despite achieving their stated goal of returning price competition, plaintiffs now seek to improperly impose …
Here we go again: Apple gets second bite in ITC Moto patent spat
A US appeals court has overturned an International Trade Commission decision that invalidated one Apple patent brought against Motorola – and decided that Moto didn't infringe on another.
The ITC decided last year that the phone firm was off the hook on the two patents, but the appeals court ruled that it erred in its decision …
Brits give thumbs-up to shale gas slurping in university-run poll
Analysis Public perception is tilting in favour of the UK exploiting its rich shale gas reserves, according to a survey conducted by the University of Nottingham.
After asking thousands of Brits whether they backed shale gas in Blighty as a cheap source of energy, yes or no, and subtracting the negative percentage from the positive, the …
US federal judge: Yes, Bitcoin IS MONEY
A US federal judge has ruled that Bitcoin meets the criteria for "a form of money" under US law, paving the way for what could become a defining lawsuit for the virtual currency.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Texas resident Trendon Shavers with operating a Ponzi scheme under the name Bitcoin Savings and …
Manning's max sentence cut, may only spend up to 90 years in the cooler
Bradley Manning's maximum possible sentence for publishing tens of thousands of American classified documents via Wikileaks has been reduced from 136 years to 90 years.
The military judge overseeing his trial agreed that some of the 20 charges on which the army private was found guilty last week were closely related and could be …
UK plods cuff another bloke in Twitter violence threat probe
A 32-year-old man has been arrested by cops investigating violent threats against high-profile women on Twitter.
Scotland Yard said in a statement that the unnamed suspect was manacled at an address in Bristol this morning and is now being quizzed at a nearby police station.
He was cuffed on suspicion of committing an offence …
Lawsuit: Infosys abuses visas to discriminate against US staff
A class-action lawsuit filed against IT outsourcing firm Infosys claims that the company is systematically abusing the visa system and actively discriminates against hiring US workers for staff position.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Eastern Wisconsin by VMware specialist Brenda Koehler, claims that up to 90 per …
Lawyers seek $16m payday in Apple 'moist iDevice' settlement
The proposed settlement of the lawsuit against Apple by iPhone and iPad touch owners whose iDevices were unfairly denied warranty service when they incorrectly indicated water damage has not yet been approved by the court, but if you're one of those eligible for a payout, you can now get in line – well behind the lawyers. …
Tor servers vanish as FBI swoops on kiddie-smut suspect
Network anonymisation outfit TOR has posted a fascinating piece of commentary on reports that some of the anonymous servers it routes to have disappeared from its network.
“Around midnight on August 4th we were notified by a few people that a large number of hidden service addresses have disappeared from the Tor Network,” the …
USA reverses iPhone, iPad sales ban
US Trade Representative Michael Froman has recommended Samsung's bid to prevent Apple from selling its iPhone and iPad due to patent violations not be approved.
In a letter (PDF) dated August 3rd, Froman wrote to the Chair of the International Trade Commission (USITC) and laid out his reasons for deciding not to impose a sales …
The hammer falls: Feds propose drastic controls on Apple's iTunes Store
Updated The US Department of Justice, fresh from its ebook price-fixing victory over Apple, has proposed a sweeping array of restrictions on Cupertino's content-peddling iTunes Store, along with the appointment of a watchdog to keep an eye on Apple's compliance.
"Under the department's proposed order, Apple's illegal conduct will cease …
SAP boss cops jail time plea after Lego barcode bust
A former SAP vice president has struck a plea deal with prosecutors after he was caught running a side business selling Lego kits purchased using home-made barcodes.
Thomas Langenbach, a former VP of SAP Labs in Palo Alto, was caught by store detectives at a local Target after he was observed sticking a new barcode on a Star …
Tick-tock, Apple: Obama has just days to stop US iPhone iPad sales ban
The US International Trade Commission has delayed its decision on whether or not some of Samsung's mobile devices infringe on Apple patents.
The commission said that it wouldn't finish its investigation into the mobes and fondleslabs until next week, without giving any explanation. The ruling concerns fruity patents that deal …
Icahn sues Dell's board over Big Mike's buyout bid
Activist investor Carl Icahn and his affiliates have filed a legal complaint against Dell and its board members in his latest attempt to thwart Big Mike's efforts to regain control of the PC behemoth.
Icahn filed in Delaware's Court of Chancery on a number of counts. One of these is a request for the court to to stop Michael …
MPs get secret squirrel dossier of 'lawyers, megabiz hiring hackers'
Blue-chip firms who allegedly hired private investigators to unlawfully hack systems for personal and sensitive information have been named in a secret list submitted to Parliament.
That's the same sort of alleged skullduggery that ended up bringing down Rupert Murdoch’s best-selling Sunday tabloid News of the World.
Law firms …
US and China make major bilateral anti-piracy bust
US and Chinese customs officials have joined together on a bilateral anti-piracy blitz that has seen over 240,000 fake electrical items confiscated.
The combined operation came as a result of recent talks between the two countries in which they agreed to work together to stem the flood of pirated goods flowing from China – where …
WikiLeaks: Manning guilty verdict sets 'dangerous precedent'
Chief WikiLeaker Julian Assange has said that the guilty verdicts in the case against US Army Private Bradley Manning have set a dangerous precedent.
Manning, who handed hundreds of thousands of classified documents over to WikiLeaks in what he claims was an attempt to prompt debate about US military and foreign policy, was …
MIT clears itself of responsibility for Aaron Swartz's prosecution
Six months after the suicide of internet activist Aaron Swartz, MIT has released a 182-page report into the university's involvement in his arrest and prosecution, and has determined that it did nothing wrong.
Swartz, who at 14 coauthored the RSS standard, subsequently cofounded Creative Commons and the Reddit online community, …
WikiLeaker Bradley Manning found not guilty of 'aiding the enemy'
In a surprise verdict, US Army Private Bradley Manning has been found not guilty of the serious charge of "aiding the enemy" by a military court, but still faces over a century behind bars after being found guilty of 20 other charges.
Bradley Manning in court Manning at the court. Credit: Patrick Semansky AP
"While we are …
Plods probe death threat tweets to MP - but WHO will rid us of terrible trolls?
+Comment Twitter UK was in damage-limitation mode overnight after high-profile British women were bombarded by sick threats and abuse - and the trolling made front-page headlines.
Labour MP Stella Creasy complained to police on Monday evening after receiving a death threat from an anonymous tweeter. Scotland Yard said this morning: …
Jurors start stretch in the cooler for Facebooking, Googling the accused
Two men have been jailed for two months for breaking strict rules against using Facebook and Google while serving on a jury.
The pair were found to be in contempt of court by senior judges in London yesterday. One of the jailed men posted a damning message on the social network about a child sex abuse defendant mid-trial; the …
Exposed: RSPCA drills into cops' databases, harvests private info
Exclusive British animal welfare charity the RSPCA enjoys unique access to confidential information on the Police National Computer (PNC) - the extent of which has not been disclosed before.
Civilians who claim to work for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can access criminal records and carry out vehicle checks …
Irish watchdog won't probe Apple, Facebook over PRISM... but COULD IT?
Analysis Is the Irish Commissioner correct to claim that he can’t investigate Apple and Microsoft over PRISM?
On Friday, Reuters reported that the Irish Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) had refused to look at the transfers of personal data undertaken by Apple and Facebook to the United States.
An Austrian student …
Crumbs, we're going to lose that public sector bid - Jeeves, send for the lawyers
The number of complaints raised by businesses over the awarding of public sector contracts has more than doubled over the last year, according to new figures.
According to data released by the Cabinet Office following a freedom of information request by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, business complaints about …
Microsoft to Google: Please remove us from internet
Microsoft appears to have asked Google to remove some microsoft.com pages from Google's search engine.
TorrentFreak reportsthat LeakID, an organisation that provides services such as “Monitoring illegal links and sources” and “Send automated takedown notices to ISPs hosting infringing links and websites”, has sent Google a …
Banknote campaigner's Twitter rape threats ordeal: Bloke, 21, cuffed
A 21-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after a feminist campaigner was repeatedly sent abusive messages - including rape threats - on Twitter.
Scotland Yard said in a statement to The Register that the suspect was cuffed in Manchester over claims of harassment. The Met added:
The arrest is in connection with an allegation of …
Samsung wins not-so-final 'final' pinch-to-zoom patent decision
Samsung has rushed to inform the courts of another "final" decision from the US Patent Office on Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent that is not, in fact, final at all.
In the wake of its recent similar ruling on the bounce-back patent in April, the USPTO has said that it also rejects the claims made in the pinch-to-zoom patent - aka 7 …
British boffin muzzled after cracking car codes
Here is a tale of two security research presentations, both looking at motor vehicle security in a world in which even the humblest shopping trolley now has more brainpower than a moonshot.
Flavio Garcia, a University of Birmingham lecturer familiar with insecurity in car systems – here, for example, is a paper he co-authored …
