Items tagged with illegal
Is peer-to-peer file sharing wrong? Is it illegal? Is it a crime to engage in it? If you're just casually reading that, you may say: "Of course!" But read it once again. We didn't specifically say which kind of file sharing; just file sharing in general. Different story! Thankfully, we're still not living in a world where P2P is outright forbidden from top to bottom, but one nation is taking a serious stand against the illegal kind. New Zealand just passed a law against online piracy, which "outlaws file-sharing and threatens repeat offenders with having their Internet access cut off." The new law allows for penalties of up to NZ$15,000 to be paid back to the copyright owner, and if this isn't...
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Texting and driving is already illegal for citizens in a number of US states, but now commercial truckers and bus drivers are also going to be included on the "do not text and drive" list. The Department of Transportation enacted a new rule this week that bars those classes of drivers from texting while operating their vehicle, which will probably lead to all sorts of other legislation in the coming months and years.This is actually a pretty major decision, but it sort of feels like an obvious one. Should truckers and drivers of buses that hold dozens of children be doing anything at the wheel other than driving? Not in our mind. We're kind of surprised it took this long to get a rule passed...
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And the fines just keep on coming. Shortly after Intel was dealt a staggering $1.45 billion fine for alleged antitrust practices against the likes of AMD, Microsoft is now facing a slightly less painful $200 million payment to software ware i4i Ltd. This week, a Texas federal jury ordered Microsoft to pay the aforementioned Canadian outfit nearly a quarter-billion dollars for damages for infringing a patent.Those familiar with such matters will recognize that Texas, particularly Marshall, is somewhat of a patent troll haven, but obviously things worked out for the relatively unknown outfit. Of note, Microsoft has more matters than just this to deal with, ensuring that its lawyers stay adequately...
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We're not referring to just any keyword ad. But 1-800-Contacts is suing Lensworld for buying search link advertising using the keyword: 1-800-Contacts. The downstream effect of a win for 1-800-Contacts would essentially make buying keyword ads that feature things like your competitor's name or trademarks illegal. Google, call your lawyers. In one of best-publicized cases dealing with trademarks in online ads, Google prevailed over insurance giant Geico after trial in 2004. A federal district court judge in that case ruled that Geico hadn't proven that consumers were confused when they were shown links to Geico rivals after typing "Geico" into the query box.Google in 2006 also won a major case...
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How many times have you been annoyed by a cell phone user, practically shouting into his or her phone on a bus or subway? Or been annoyed by someone's phone ringing in the theatre? More than you can count, right? Unless, of course, you are of the offenders. Ever wish you could rip the phone out of their hands, or just tell them to knock it off? Some are doing more than that, illegally, however.One afternoon in early September, an architect boarded his commuter train and became a cellphone vigilante. He sat down next to a 20-something woman who he said was “blabbing away” into her phone.“She was using the word ‘like’ all the time. She sounded like a Valley Girl,”...
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Major League Baseball is joining the growing ranks of companies who are less than enthusiastic about the "placeshifting" feature. Here's a tidbit from Ars Technica: "Like other professional sports leagues, Major League Baseball is jealous of its content. The latest company to come under its scrutiny is Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox television place-shifting device. According to The Hollywood Reporter Esq. (subscription), MLB is upset that fans can watch out-of-market games via the Slingbox, calling the device illegal." So what's the big deal? Well it seems that MLB and other media organizations want to have some control over what various markets watch, and of course what they pay...
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