By Adriana Lee |
Replacing a smartphone can be an expensive proposition. Many in the U.S. cost $200 subsidized, and $600 to $800 (or more) at full price. But the data on that handset? Well, that can be priceless — especially when you’re talking about irreplaceable images of lost…
By Adriana Lee |
The Senate began debating a new immigration reform measure recently, and it has privacy hounds up in arms. The legislation involves creating a national database of biometric information on every adult in the United States. What exactly do they mean by “biometric information”? Well, in…
By Adriana Lee |
When you think of bank robbers, ski-masked men seizing a bank with guns blazing might be the predominant mental picture. Oh, but that’s soooo over. Thieves no longer have to threaten tellers or ransack vaults to get their loot. But they do need tech expertise,…
By Adriana Lee |
Generally speaking, techsters don’t really like too many limitations. After all, there’s a reason why open-source, or freely available software code, has so many fans. Google and other companies have been advocates of an open Internet, doing their best to persuade closed nations and regimes…
By Adriana Lee |
San Francisco’s City Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to revoke an extremely controversial statute — the first of its kind in the U.S. — that would have mandated health warnings to customers for mobile phones. Specifically, the law would have required retailers to inform…
By Adriana Lee |
Instagram caused quite a stink when it updated its Terms of Service. Users, fearing that their uploaded images could be used for advertising without permission, spoke out against the new ToS, forcing the company to reverse the terminology to mitigate the P.R. nightmare. And yet,…
By Adriana Lee |
Who doesn’t know the horrifying, nerve-jangling experience of losing a mobile device? If it hasn’t yet happened to you, then count your lucky stars. First panic sets in, then shock, usually followed by the stomach-gnawing sensation of utter desperation. And that’s just your run-of-the-mill scenario. Imagine…
By Adriana Lee |
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And when it involves Facebook, the truth is often even stranger: Reportedly five people have been arrested in India in connection to the Facebook sale of a baby — including the boy’s grandfather. Ferox Khan, 47, kicked off a bizarre…
By Adriana Lee |
If you’re driving along Route 101 and fire up Google Maps to check the traffic, don’t be surprised if you get pulled over. A California appellate court ruled late last month that “I was just using the maps” is no excuse. The case centered around…
By Adriana Lee |
Google’s commitment to open-source got a boost today, thanks to the company’s newly posted Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) pledge. The OPN pledge outlines Google’s passion and commitment to open-source, and promises not to instigate a lawsuit against any parties that use open-source software based on…
By Adriana Lee |
The known Internet is a playground for anyone who’s into breaking news, kitten videos and Amazon products. But few realize that there is a second Internet — a mysterious, dangerous and isolated Web that operates outside the public’s awareness. It stands to reason that anything…
By Adriana Lee |
Ever performed an “ego search” or “vanity search”? Of course you have. Who isn’t curious about what happens when you plug your own name into Google? But what if the things that pop up aren’t so favorable, like an unflattering suggested query. Would you get…
By Adriana Lee |
The latest from a federal appeals court in Chicago may make civil liberties advocates cheer, but will likely unsettle parents of children who frequent social networks: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that barring registered sex offenders from using Facebook and other…
By Adriana Lee |
The patent system is busted. Litigious companies suing over vaguely worded claims, tying up courts and throwing obstacles at each other, preventing consumers like you and me from getting our tech goodies, make that perfectly clear. That fact isn’t lost on the U.S. Patent and…
By Todd Haselton |
The European Union is gearing up to file an antitrust case against Samsung after a watchdog division of the group decided that the South Korean tech giant broke competition laws to file patent related lawsuits against Apple, Reuters said Thursday. It’s unclear exactly where Samsung broke…
By Todd Haselton |
Eastman Kodak today announced it has agreed to sell its portfolio of imaging patents to a consortium of tech firms that was originally organized by two patent licensing firms, Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation. The consortium and Intellectual Ventures will purchase the patents and licenses…
By Todd Haselton |
Judge Lucy Koh has denied Apple’s request for an injunction against Samsung’s products. Apple originally won a $1 billion lawsuit against Samsung last summer, but then tried to turn up the heat on the South Korea tech giant by adding additional phones and tablets to…
By Adriana Lee |
Before Senator Al Franken became a politician, his exploits on TV and in movies drew a fanbase and a chuckle. (He was good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people liked him.) But when he buckled down and become a public servant, he stopped joking…
By Todd Haselton |
A court recently ruled that Apple is infringing on three patents owned by MobileMedia Ideas, Bloomberg confirmed in a tweet Thursday. Unfortunately, however, it’s currently unknown which patents Apple is guilty of infringing. Apple, itself, has accused plenty of firms in court for violating its intellectual…
By Todd Haselton |
Wi-LAN, a Canadian intellectual property licensing company, filed a lawsuit against Research In Motion on Tuesday. The firm claims that the BlackBerry maker is infringing on patented technology related to Bluetooth communications. Wi-LAN didn’t explain much in a release published on its website, other than…
By Todd Haselton |
Judge Lucy Koh, the judge who has presided over the Apple v Samsung case in the United States, is begging the two firms to resolve ongoing disputes. Her words sound almost desperate, too. “When is this case going to resolve?” She asked recently, following three…
By Todd Haselton |
Nokia has reportedly asked a California court to step in and prevent RIM from selling some of its BlackBerry products. The Finnish phone maker and Research In Motion have yet to agree on the patent royalty rates that RIM will pay Nokia and, until the…
By Adriana Lee |
Looks like Apple’s not the only one interested in spanking Samsung in the courts. Today, Ericsson filed a lawsuit against the South Korean company, alleging — you guessed it — patent infringement. Although direct consumer sales haven’t been super-lofty for Ericsson, it is still the…
By Todd Haselton |
A trial will begin today in which Alcatel-Lucent is accusing both LG and Apple of infringing on several of its patents. Just like the trial between Apple and Samsung, a jury will make the final decision on whether Apple and LG are indeed guilty of…
