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 |
Ever wonder what the tech landscape might look like if companies could pursue application development without pesky patents getting in the way? Well, we may not have to wonder anymore, merely look to New Zealand as an example, since it just passed a bill giving…
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 |
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 |
News Corp. COO Chase Carey isn’t too pleased about the courts siding with Aereo, the startup that pipes broadcast television programming and DVR features via the Internet. All four of the major broadcasters and several TV stations are actively suing to stop the TV-over-Web company,…
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 |
Politicians and Hollywood actors aren’t the only ones who get caught in sex scandals. Turns out, the technorati aren’t immune to it either. Chief Operating Officer Keith Rabois resigned from his position at mobile payment processing company Square after being accused of sexual harassment. New…
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 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 Adriana Lee |
Ever been ticked off enough by a company or local business to write a scathing review? (Who hasn’t?) Well, you might want to cool off before you hit that submit button. The line between sharing an experience and engaging in defamation is a fuzzy one, and Jane…
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 Brandon Russell |
After weeks of hearings between Motorola Mobility and Microsoft over standard essential patents, a Seattle judge has ruled that no injunction is necessary seeing as both sides have already agreed to a licensing agreement. The two have tangoed over how much a patent holder, in…
By Todd Haselton |
Apple has yet again defeated Samsung in a patent suit related to bounce-back scrolling in Samsung’s Android handsets. A court in the Netherlands recently handed Apple the victory but, unlike in other areas, the court didn’t issue an injunction against Samsung’s tablets and smartphones. Instead,…
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…
By Brandon Russell |
Jon R. is back to tackle more questions and queries from Buffalo readers, viewers and fans! In this episode, Jon answers one of the more asked about topics regarding last week’s ATB episode – What’s up with the legal documents hanging in his office? What’s…
By Brandon Russell |
Apple on Friday added six new Samsung devices to its lawsuit in California, just a few days after the Korean company added the iPhone 5 to its own list of infringing devices. It’s quite obvious neither company is willing to back down from its claims,…
By Brandon Russell |
Samsung’s head of mobile and IT believes that, without some of the company’s wireless patents, there would be no iPhone. That’s a pretty substantial statement, especially considering Samsung was found to infringe upon plenty of Apple patents in a $1 billion case earlier this year.…
