Technology

  • September 30, 2024

    Amazon's Soured Solar Deal Suit Misses Mark, PE Firm Says

    A California-based private equity firm and firms tied to two solar projects have urged a Washington state judge to toss most of Amazon's claims in a $200 million countersuit over a power purchase deal fallout, accusing the e-commerce giant of making an "end run" around its own contracts to drain them financially.

  • September 30, 2024

    Calif. Court Finds Snapchat Can Seek 'Spectacles' TM

    Following a three-day bench trial earlier this year, a California federal judge has told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reverse its refusal to grant Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. trademark protection covering its "Spectacles" brand of digital glasses.

  • September 30, 2024

    Judge Blasts Scamming Exec's 'Pathetic' Bid To Cut Sentence

    A Colorado federal judge waved away what he saw as a convicted data executive's efforts to absolve himself of responsibility during a sentencing hearing Monday, calling it "pathetic nonsense" as he sentenced him to 10 years in prison for his role in selling consumer data to scammers who preyed on the elderly and vulnerable.

  • September 30, 2024

    AI Co.'s Antitrust Claims Against Thomson Reuters Tossed

    A Delaware federal court dismissed antitrust counterclaims being brought by tech startup ROSS Intelligence in a case from Thomson Reuters alleging ROSS ripped off the Westlaw research platform for its artificial intelligence product.

  • September 30, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Keeps Patent Case Against Sony In EDTX

    The Federal Circuit on Monday rejected Sony's bid to move a patent suit against it over a newer line of wireless PlayStation 5 controllers out of a Texas federal court, finding that it failed to show that the Northern District of California was a more convenient forum.

  • September 30, 2024

    Wi-Fi Experts Hope Gov't Opens More Midband Airwaves

    A new report from the group WifiForward touts wireless internet services as a major driver of the U.S. economy and urges the federal government to quickly open portions of the 7 gigahertz airwaves to expand their availability across the country.

  • September 30, 2024

    GM's Cruise To Pay $1.5M Penalty Over SF Robotaxi Crash

    General Motors Co.'s Cruise LLC agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty for failing to promptly disclose that one of its self-driving vehicles last year had dragged a pedestrian for 20 feet, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Google Investors' Attys Snag $66.5M In $350M Privacy Deal

    A California federal judge on Monday gave final approval to Alphabet's $350 million deal settling a Google data breach securities suit and awarded $66.5 million for attorney fees amid objections, calling the deal "an excellent result" and noting the 19% cut was below the benchmark for similar cases.

  • September 30, 2024

    Commerce Dept. Seeks To Streamline AI Development Exports

    The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a final rule Monday to streamline the export of items to preapproved data centers in foreign countries, which is intended to help boost the development of artificial intelligence.

  • September 30, 2024

    Latham, Davis Polk Steer AI-Focused Chipmaker's IPO

    Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence startup Cerebras on Monday filed plans for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, hoping to tap investors' enthusiasm for AI-linked companies, and with Latham & Watkins LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP guiding the process.

  • September 30, 2024

    Private Trading Platform Scraps SPAC Merger In Favor Of IPO

    Special-purpose acquisition company Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. I said Monday that its merger agreement with private investment platform Linqto Inc. has been terminated, while Linqto separately announced it will go public through an initial public offering instead.

  • September 30, 2024

    FCC Approves Audacy's Soros Deal, Triggering GOP Anger

    The Federal Communications Commission has given the green light to the purchase of an ownership interest in bankrupt radio station owner Audacy Inc. by a fund manager with ties to George Soros.

  • September 30, 2024

    Chancery Sidelines Squarespace Merger Doc Suit For Now

    A Delaware Court of Chancery action to compel stockholder access to website builder Squarespace Inc.'s corporate records remained under a stay Monday, after a court finding that the suit aimed to preserve future review rights focused on a proposed $7.2 billion company take-private deal.

  • September 30, 2024

    Indiana's TikTok Kids Safety Suit Revived On Appeal

    An Indiana appeals court on Monday revived the state's suit against TikTok Inc. alleging it violated state law by downplaying the risks of personal data being accessed by the Chinese government, finding that state courts do have jurisdiction over the company.

  • September 30, 2024

    T-Mobile To Pay $31.5M In FCC Data Breach Settlement

    T-Mobile has agreed to settle a group of Federal Communications Commission data breach cases for $31.5 million, the agency announced Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Speedway Workers' BIPA Suit Headed To Trial

    An Illinois federal judge said Sunday that Speedway must defend itself at trial against a now-certified class of employees who say the gas station chain required employees to scan their fingerprints to clock in to and out of work for years without ever obtaining their informed consent. 

  • September 30, 2024

    SEC Scores Win In $18M Crypto Registration Suit

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was granted an early win Monday in a case alleging that a startup founder illegally sold $18 million in cryptocurrency tokens, after a federal judge said it was "undisputed" that the founder knew that he hadn't registered the tokens.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ex-UNC Prof Claims Admin Tapped Classroom In Firing Suit

    A Native American former professor at the University of North Carolina has taken the school to federal court for allegedly recording his lectures without his consent and terminating him in retaliation for his public comments criticizing what he says is a lack of proper diversity initiatives at the university.

  • September 30, 2024

    9th Circ. Asked To Interpret DMCA In GitHub Code Suit

    A California federal court has asked the Ninth Circuit to determine if the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires an infringing copy be identical to the original to have an actionable claim for removing copyright management information, a key question in a case where developers sued Microsoft and GitHub for allegedly ripping off code to develop AI tools.

  • September 30, 2024

    Atari Can Pursue Copyright Claim Against State Farm Over Ad

    Atari Interactive Inc. can pursue a copyright infringement claim against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. because the insurer featured part of the 1980s arcade game Crystal Castles in a commercial, but a Texas federal judge tossed all the other claims in the suit from the pioneering game company.

  • September 30, 2024

    PE-Backed IT Provider Ingram Micro Files Long-Awaited IPO

    Private equity-owned technology company Ingram Micro made public its U.S. initial public offering filing Monday, more than two years after the Irvine, California-based electronics distributor laid the foundation for its return to stock markets.

  • September 30, 2024

    Smart Car Equipment Makers Call For C-V2X rules

    High-tech automakers are pushing the Federal Communications Commission to finalize cellular vehicle-to-everything rules, telling the commission that the wait for clear regulation has delayed the technology's rollout.

  • September 30, 2024

    Popwallet Shareholders Sue Buyer Snap Inc. After Stock-Drop

    Stockholders of virtual payment wallet startup Popwallet Inc. have sued tech company Snap Inc. for fraud and equitable fraud in Delaware's Court of Chancery, accusing Snap of withholding deeply negative news about its own business until after closing on a mostly paid-in-stock merger in late 2021.

  • September 30, 2024

    Feds Seek Prison In Tax Case Linked To 'China Initiative'

    Prosecutors have asked a Texas federal judge for an 18- to 24-month prison sentence for a Chinese-born engineer who pled guilty to tax crimes after being charged with export violations and fraud in a case the defense claims began as an espionage investigation under the U.S. Department of Justice's now-disbanded "China Initiative."

  • September 30, 2024

    Akin Launches New AI Director Role With Bryan Cave Pro

    Akin is redoubling its commitment to emerging technology and artificial intelligence with a new director of practice technology and AI innovation at its London office who most recently was at Bryan Cave and previously spent more than seven years with Akin.

Expert Analysis

  • What FCA Cases May Look Like In The Age Of Generative AI

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    Generative artificial intelligence raises unique considerations both in the context of potentially leading to False Claims Act cases and in the discovery and litigation phases of these lawsuits, says attorney Rachel Rose.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Remedy May Be Google's Biggest Hurdle Yet In Antitrust Case

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    There are difficulties ahead in the remedies phase of the antitrust case against Google in District of Columbia federal court, including the search engine giant's scale advantage and the fast-moving nature of the tech industry, setting the stage for the most challenging of the proceedings so far, says Jonathan Rubin at MoginRubin.

  • 3 Ways To Limit Risks Of Black-Box AI In Financial Services

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    As regulators increasingly highlight the potential for artificial intelligence to make unfair consumer credit decisions, and require financial institutions to explain how these so-called black-box algorithms arrive at conclusions, companies should consider three key questions to reduce their regulatory risks from these tools, say Jeffrey Naimon and Caroline Stapleton at Orrick.

  • Takeaways From EU's 'Pay Or Consent' Advertising Probe

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    Anne-Gabrielle Haie and Charles Whiddington at Steptoe examine key points from the European Commission's recent investigation into Big Tech's use of "pay or consent" advertising models, as well as the European Data Protection Board’s opinion on how such models can comply with EU competition and data protection laws.

  • Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges

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    Artificial intelligence promises new technical advantages for the energy industry, but it is also responsible for vast, and growing, energy consumption — so the future of AI and energy will require balancing technological advancement with regulatory oversight, environmental responsibility and infrastructure development, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Tips For Revamping Patent Portfolio Strategy In AI Deal Era

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    Recent data suggests patents are significantly enhancing exit valuations, particularly with cutting-edge technologies like those powered by artificial intelligence, but it is necessary to do more than simply align patent strategy with business goals, says Keegan Caldwell at Caldwell Law.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opting In To CIPA Risk Mitigation After New Precedent

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    A recent California federal court decision, adopting a new, broad interpretation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, will likely increase the volume of CIPA claims and should prompt businesses to undertake certain preventative measures, including adopting an opt-in approach to using third-party website advertising technologies, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry

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    The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.

  • What 7th Circ. Samsung Decision Means For Mass Arbitration

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    The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Wallrich v. Samsung highlights the dilemma faced by mass arbitration filers in the face of nonpayment of arbitration fees by the defending party — but also suggests that there are risks for defendants in pursuing such a strategy, says Daniel Campbell at McDermott.

  • Takeaways From Virginia's $2B Trade Secrets Verdict Reversal

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    The Virginia Court of Appeals' recent reversal of the $2 billion damages award in Pegasystems v. Appian underscores the claimant's burden to show damages causation and highlights how an evidentiary ruling could lead to reversible error, say John Lanham and Kamran Jamil at Morrison Foerster.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • FTC Drives Crackdown On Connected Cars' Data Privacy Risk

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    After the Federal Trade Commission's warning to automakers about data privacy, which continues to emerge as a national concern, automakers must carefully examine their data collection, use and retention practices, say Catherine Castaldo and Michael Rubayo at Reed Smith.

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