jatiN mahindrA doT coM

Kentucky Supreme Court Favors State In Online Gambling Case

The Kentucky Supreme court issued a ruling Thursday that it will not lift the freeze by registrars of 141 Internet gambling domain names unless an owner of the names comes forward. The ruling by the Court is not final, but the decision is being viewed as a temporary setback by the affected parties. Joe Brennan Jr. IMEGA’s chairman "In the written decision, the Court clearly indicates they...

YouTube, Viacom Fight Gets Fiercer

Almost exactly three years ago, Viacom sued YouTube for copyright infringement, and since then, neither side has been able to say much in public.  But today, 108 pages’ worth of court documents were released, and YouTube also issued a more comprehensible, 865-word statement. In the statement (which was posted on the YouTube Blog), Zahavah Levine, YouTube Chief Counsel, raised several interesting...

Report: Rupert Murdoch “Ready To Sue” Google

Although a few months have passed since the last big flareup, News Corp. may still be willing to go to war with Google.  A fresh report indicates that Rupert Murdoch is indeed prepared to take the search giant to court, and has been talking to Microsoft about an exclusive deal, too. Gabriel Sherman recently published a long profile of Murdoch for New York magazine, and within the profile, quoted...

Should Social Media Be Held Accountable for User Actions?

A judge in Milan, Italy has convicted three Google executives over a video uploaded to YouTube in a case, which could have serious implications for social media and ultimately, the web in general, at least in Italy. The video, uploaded back in 2006, featured a group of school kids bullying an autistic child. Google says it worked with Italian authorities to help ID the person responsible for uploading...

Advocacy Group Asks DOJ To Probe Google Search Results

Consumer Watchdog today called on the Justice Department to guarantee that its ongoing antitrust probe of Google’s business practices include an investigation into if the company is manipulating its search results to favor its own products. The nonprofit advocacy group said it sent a letter to Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Division, after news that the European Commission...

New Legislation Aims To Regulate Internet Gambling

The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, an advocacy group, said today it supports the introduction of legislation by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) that includes provisions to legalize and regulate Internet gambling under the "Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010.   "With so much media focus on the differences between Democrats and Republicans...

Xerox Sues Google, Yahoo

Google and Yahoo get sued on a regular basis, often by tiny outfits with no chance of winning.  But now, the two companies are facing a much more serious lawsuit, as Xerox, which has a market cap of almost $8 billion and a genuine legal team, is taking them to court. Xerox claims that Google and Yahoo have infringed on two patents it holds.  Susan Decker explained earlier this morning, "One...

eBay Loses Court Case To Louis Vuitton

The Paris District Court ruled today that eBay is liable for harming the reputation of luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton through its use of trademarks, company name and domain name. The Paris court has ordered eBay to stop using keywords which harm the reputation of the Louis Vuitton brand to promote its sites and will impose penalties of  $1,372 (1,000 euros) for future violations. "Louis...

Justice Department Objects To Google Books Settlement

The amended Google Books settlement agreement (ASA) has not impressed the U.S. Department of Justice.  A statement the organization issued late yesterday praised the idea of making rare books widely available, but also maintained that there are a number of problems with the proposed deal. The DOJ said, "Under the ASA as proposed, Google would remain the only competitor in the digital marketplace...

Yahoo Loses Patent Infringement Case, $12.4 Million

IMVironments – the little background themes for Yahoo Messenger – have gotten Yahoo in a lot of trouble.  The company’s lost a patent infringement case that concerns them, and as a result, is supposed to pay a subsidiary of Acacia Research Corporation $12.4 million. With no offense intended to Yahoo’s lawyers, it’s safe to say that the odds never favored a Yahoo victory;...

NY AG Calls On Kids Websites To Add More Protections

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said today he is calling on social networking sites at aimed at children to provide more protections against the threat of sexual predators. Cuomo said that the Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) law he authored has now resulted in the removal of accounts associated with at least 4,336 registered sex offenders from major social...

Old Street View Lawsuit Allowed Another Gasp

About 22 months ago, Google was sued over its Street View program by a couple named Aaron and Christine Boring.  The entire suit was dismissed a little while later.  Now, the Borings have made a small bit of headway with an appeal, but it doesn’t appear that Google has much to worry about. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is sticking by the dismissal of the Borings’...

FBI Takes Down Cable Modem Hacker

The FBI has announced it arrested a man on Thursday for allegedly selling hacked cable modems that provided free Internet access. Matthew Delorey, 26, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence on each count of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Delorey ran a now...

Barnes & Noble Says It Does Not Share Data With Discount Clubs

Barnes & Noble has acknowledged it has received a subpoena from New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for information concerning an investigation into online retailers who link customers to discount clubs that charge hidden fees. The world’s largest bookseller said it wants to stress to customers it is not one of the retailers who turns over personal or credit or debit card information...

NY AG Investigating Online Discount Clubs

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said today his office is investigating 22 online businesses that deceptively link consumers to fee-based membership programs that charge unauthorized fees for discount offers. The investigation found online shoppers are unknowingly directed to a membership program seller’s website that is separate from the online retailers site. Information about joining...