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Microsoft victory protects overseas data from US warrants
For the past three years, Microsoft has been locked in a legal battle with the New York district court over a deceptively simple question: does a US Judge have the right to issue a warrant for data stored overseas? According to a new ruling from the US Court of Appeals Second Circuit, the answer, is no.
Microsoft takes on the US government over data held overseas
Do you think that America's law enforcement agencies should have free access to the emails of your friends over in Ireland? It's the question that an appeals court is being asked to consider in a matter that has serious consequences for everyone in the world. The issue began when drug enforcement officials wanted to access to messages that were stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin. As far as Microsoft was concerned, that was a matter for the Irish government, but the g-people tried to hold the company's US arm accountable. Disturbingly, the US won the first two legal challenges, and now New York's 2nd circuit is about to hear to the appeal on behalf of Microsoft, with some cheering on from the rest of the technology industry.
ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers
ArcheAge's court system came into the limelight yesterday when a player in beta was sentenced to over 13 hours of in-game jail time by a jury of his or her peers. Players who break the various laws in the game and then die have a choice to either accept a short prison sentence or go to court and plead their case to a jury of five other players. These players then vote on the defendant's guilt or innocence, and in the case of the former, sentence the defendant to prison. Prisoners can wait out their sentence, play soccer in the jail courtyard, or attempt to tunnel their way to freedom. This particular player had over 100 criminal charges, which incurred a high amount (770 minutes) of jail time. If you want to learn more about ArcheAge's criminal justice system, check out the video after the break!
TV news cameras can film in some UK courts, can't be pointed at anyone interesting
It may seem slightly old-fashioned to the OJ generation, but British journalists have been campaigning for more than a decade to bring TV news cameras into courtrooms. Today they got a breakthrough: the UK's Ministry of Justice has partially lifted its ban on filming in a total of five courtrooms in the Court of Appeal, permitting on-the-day news coverage of certain trials. There'll be strict conditions, however, including the right for the judge to retrospectively cancel recording anytime he reaches for the Jameson's (thanks to a built-in time delay) and also a requirement that cameras only be pointed at lawyers and judges, rather than defendants, victims or witnesses. In other words, it looks like an important step for transparency in British courts, but we probably shouldn't expect to see any hugely dramatic judicial escapades right at the start.
Apple, HTC ordered by judge to sit down, try and make nice on August 28th
There's a trend starting to emerge of judges wanting Apple to talk settlements with others rather than duke it out in the courtroom. Just two weeks after Apple and Samsung were steered towards talking about a potential deal, a Delaware court has ordered Apple and HTC to meet on August 28th in the hopes that they could shake hands and put an end to an increasingly hectic legal battle under the eyes of a mediating judge. Whether or not that happens is very much up in the air. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he's not a fan of lawsuits, but he hasn't showed indications that he would take legal action off the table just yet. Likewise, HTC is no doubt eager to eliminate phone shipping delays stemming from Apple's court wins, but the lack of immediate pressure and the hopes of winning countersuits might lead it to hold off. Still, if the court's ideal vision of the world comes to pass, you could see HTC's Cher Wang shopping in an Apple Store without staff giving her the evil eye. [Image credit: mobile01]
Apple v. Samsung judge yells 'get to the point, you two'
Judge Lucy Koh, presiding over the courtroom battle 'twixt Apple and Samsung has ordered that both companies slim down the bundle of litigation so its easy for juries to understand. The docket currently contains 16 patent violations, six trademark issues, five "trade dress" claims and an antitrust matter -- which her Honor Judge Koh described as a "cruel and unusual punishment" for a jury. If both companies can't get over a table and produce a Cliffs Notes edition of their global patent battle, then she'll postpone the trial date until 2013.
AU Optronics found guilty of US price fixing, appeal already in the works
AU Optronics has had its name bandied about in the courtroom before, most recently in a 2009 group suit where it was targeted for LCD price fixing. 'Course, LCD price fixing has been quite a popular pastime for a smattering of outfits, but it looks like AUO will be seeing the wrong end of the decision process here in the States. A US court found the Taiwanese company guilty in a case that could see it hit with a fine totaling as much as $1 billion. Yeah, with a b. As it goes, the outfit was charged as part of an alleged price-fixing group that operated between 1999 and 2006, but it was the only Asian LCD maker in that lot to plead not guilty. This here ruling comes after LG agreed to pay a $400 million fine in 2008, while Samsung talked itself into an early deal to sidestep prosecution. A pair of AUO execs were also found guilty, but its former CEO L.J. Chen (who is still hanging around in the top brass) was not. We're told that the company plans to appeal -- a process that could last as long as a year -- but that hasn't kept its stock price from sinking in the interim. First comes sliding LCD margins, and now the looming thought of a $1 billion slap on the wrist; suddenly, your woes don't seem so bad, huh?
Apple files ITC request to block import of select Samsung devices
And with that, yet another punch is thrown. The slugfest that is Apple vs. Samsung is getting uglier by the minute, as each one pushes the other's buttons in a presumed effort to get paid (or get the other to back down). Just as Apple was being told "no" in a request for a preliminary injunction, it's hoping for a more satisfactory outcome from its most recent filing. That one's headed to the US International Trade Commission in Washington, where Apple's trying to block the import of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, amongst other Samsung products. The ITC only stated "Electronic Digital Media Devices," but FOSS Patents has found five utility patents and a pair of design patents -- those encompass a grand total of six Sammy smartphones and a duo of slates. Analysts are stating that an outright ban on Samsung imports is unlikely (no shock there), and the most likely outcome here is a "settlement and cross-licensing deal." Mo' money, mo' problems, right?
Patent spar between ZTE, Ericsson escalates to courtroom showdown
Like nostrils, tensions are flaring between two powerhouses in the wireless industry. Ericsson and ZTE have chosen to trade off the role of both plaintiff and defendant, since each company is suing the other for several patent infringements. It's hard to say who the guilty party really is -- with the number of accusations flying around, it's possible everyone is at fault somehow. All we know is that Ericsson challenged its rival company to a throwdown once attempts to reach a licensing agreement failed two weeks ago. ZTE accepted the challenge and raised the stakes by filing a lawsuit of its own. It's not exactly clear what got the quarelling pair's feathers all ruffled, though it reportedly involves 4G / WCDMA / GSM network technology employed in each other's handsets. That sure narrows it down, doesn't it? At least we have a good idea of what's up for grabs: as is oftentimes the case in these types of tumultuous proceedings, the loser has to stop selling the products and services in question and fork over some cash for damages caused to the winner. Why oh why can't we all just get along? [Thanks, Alex]
Phoenix Wright: still hot, still rare
Following the announcement that Capcom is developing a new Phoenix Wright DS title for the Japanese market, PunchJump.com reports that the third printing of the US version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) has sold out in roughly a week's time. According to one online retailer, Capcom's next reprint is scheduled for mid-August. In the meantime, consider importing the UK or Japanese* version.*There's a built-in English language option. On the title screen, tap the red button to toggle the language.
Anime homage to Phoenix Wright
In this episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the characters find themselves at a turnabout dinner table, trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. If you've played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (and you really, really should have), you may spot some awfully familiar mannerisms that give the homage away.[Thanks BPM!]
DS mega list shows Phoenix Wright 2, more
If you thought Reggie was skilled at assaulting posteriors and acquiring names, you'd best beware of the author of one highly comprehensive fact sheet that was pulled from Nintendo's press website. A tipster sent us the document in question and, upon reading the list of currently planned titles and their projected release dates, we experienced something that could best be described as a seizure of delight. If the epic list is to be believed, zany courtroom adventure (and DS Fanboy favorite) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is receiving a sequel in October. The rest of the document also contains a bunch of unannounced titles (none of them from Konami) and some specific release dates, including one for Star Fox DS. Another click will take you to the complete list. Trust us, it's a good read. [Thanks, Ryan F!]
