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Motorola clamps down on Droid X's leaked Android 2.2 upgrade with cease and desist scare

Sean Hollister — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:04:00 EST

Hoping to spoon-feed your Droid X some Froyo before the official OTA rollout? You'd better do it now -- Motorola's sending out cease and desist emails in an attempt to shut the leaked ROM down. We can't say whether it's just red tape or to protect customers from a EVO 4G-like non-final build, but for whatever reason Motorola's director of information security is asking sites like MyDroidWorld to remove the files ASAP. Given the company's recent history with the mod community, however, we imagine there's some sort of walled-garden reason behind it.
[Thanks, Dustin D.]

Motorola clamps down on Droid X's leaked Android 2.2 upgrade with cease and desist scare originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conflipper says Shipped Roms is 'here to stay,' will cooperate with HTC

Donald Melanson — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:06:00 EST

It looks like those worried that firmware site Shipped Roms would disappear after being hit with a cease and desist letter from HTC can now rest a bit easier -- Conflipper, the man behind the site, says that it is "here to stay." That news comes after the site was apparently able to work out a deal of sorts with HTC, in which it has agreed to no longer host so-called test or carrier files (HTC is said to be providing it with a complete list of files it doesn't want hosted). Conflipper also says that he's asked HTC about becoming a license partner, which HTC seemed to at least be open to. Of course, those test and carrier files are one of the big draws for the site, so we'll just have to wait and see exactly what's left when everything shakes out.

[Thanks, Brian W.]

Conflipper says Shipped Roms is 'here to stay,' will cooperate with HTC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC slaps phone firmware site with cease and desist letter

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:47:00 EST

You might be familiar with firmware impresario Conflipper by now, a man who's earned a reputation tearing apart ROMs -- often for unreleased devices -- and pulling out the juicy bits for everyone to see. Turns out the dude runs a site called Shipped ROMs with... yes, you guessed it, a bunch of shipped ROMs for a wide variety of phones on it, and it seems HTC's legal cats in Taiwan have taken issue, saying they've got "very strong reasons to believe that the HTC Intellectual Property was illegally obtained by fraudulent means" in a strongly-worded cease and desist letter sent to him earlier today. We reached out to HTC's US branch for comment and got back the following:

"While HTC tries to take a hands off [approach] about the modder / ROM chef community, this site's sole purpose [is] to make HTC's content available for download from a source other than HTC. That content is not just the open source parts and kernels of Android but all of the software that HTC itself has developed. This is a clear violation of our copyrights and HTC needs to defend itself in these cases."

In other words, these guys are just really against hosting official ROMs on unofficial servers. Anyone can dump a ROM from a phone and flesh it out, so we can't imagine there's any competitive concern -- and no first-party site makes so many firmware builds available for so many devices in such a concise, well-organized way as Shipped ROMs is doing. Ultimately, it's HTC's property -- it seems like they're probably in the legal right here -- but the unsavory PR effect with some of the company's staunchest enthusiasts makes the endeavor more trouble than it's worth, we'd argue. Tread carefully, HTC.

HTC slaps phone firmware site with cease and desist letter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T apologizes to customer warned off emailing the CEO: 'This is not the way we want to treat customers'

Nilay Patel — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:14:00 EST

AT&T's Executive Response Team certainly caused a little controversy yesterday after it warned reader Giorgio Galante that sending another email to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson would result in a cease and desist letter, but apparently it was all just a mistake -- Giorgio tells us that he's received a sincere apology from an AT&T senior VP, who took responsibility for the mixup. Apparently the cease and desist warning came about due to bad reading of AT&T internal policy -- Giorgio was told the rep who made the call is "not having the best of days today" -- and AT&T tells us it's reviewing its procedures to make sure it doesn't happen again.

As for Giorgio, he says AT&T's rep sincerely listened to his concerns about the new data plan pricing schemes and that he's accepted the company's apology, but ultimately he's decided to switch over to Sprint and the EVO 4G anyway. That's to be expected, we suppose -- and we'd say next time Randall might do well to use up a few bytes of his 2GB limit and write back to a dissatisfied customer. Here's AT&T's official statement on the matter:

We are apologizing to our customer. We're working with him today to address his questions and concerns. This is not the way we want to treat customers. From Facebook to significant customer service channels, AT&T strives to provide our customers with easy ways to have their questions addressed. Because of this incident, we are reviewing our entire process to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.

AT&T apologizes to customer warned off emailing the CEO: 'This is not the way we want to treat customers' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T warns customer that emailing the CEO will result in a cease and desist letter

Nilay Patel — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST

Sure, Steve Jobs might be a one-man email PR machine, but his pal Randall Stephenson at AT&T doesn't appear to be quite as gregarious -- as reader Giorgio Galante found out today, sending AT&T's CEO two emails in two weeks results in a phone call from AT&T's Executive Response Team and a warning that further emails will result in a cease and desist letter. What did Giorgio's emails say? The first was a request to bump up his iPhone eligibility date and a request for a tethering option, and today's outlined his displeasure with AT&T's new data rates and ultimate decision to switch to Sprint and the EVO 4G. That prompted "Brent" to call Giorgio back and thank him for the feedback, but also politely warn him that further emails would be met with legal action. Ouch. As you'd expect, AT&T just lost itself a customer. We've followed up with Ma Bell to find out exactly why they went the lawyer route instead of oh, say, filtering Randall's email -- we'll let you know what they say.

P.S.- Amusingly, Giorgio says he emailed both Randall Stephenson and Steve Jobs last year about offering tethering and actually got a response from Steve -- maybe these two CEOs need to talk about more than data rates and service quality the next time they meet up.

AT&T warns customer that emailing the CEO will result in a cease and desist letter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google hits Android ROM modder with a cease-and-desist letter

Nilay Patel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:26:00 EST

So this is interesting: apparently Google's hit the developer of the Cyanogen modded Android ROM with a cease-and-desist letter, asking him to stop distributing the closed-source Google apps like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. What's a little strange is that Cyanogen is targeted at "Google Experience" devices like the G1 and myTouch, so it's not like Google is really protecting anything here -- leading us to wonder if they're just using the copyright argument to shut down a popular mod that's tempted over 30,000 users into rooting their phones. That's just speculation on our part, though -- the dev says he's trying to open a dialogue with Google, so perhaps we'll find out some more answers soon.

[Via Android and Me]

Filed under: Handsets, Software, Android

Google hits Android ROM modder with a cease-and-desist letter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google hits Android ROM modder with a cease-and-desist letter

Nilay Patel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:26:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones

Google hits Android ROM modder with a cease-and-desist letter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm lays the smack down on Pre theme for Android

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:49:00 EST

Android's supposed to be all about peace, love, and openness, but that apparently doesn't exempt it from copyright law and trigger-happy general counsels (who knew?). In a move that should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone, Palm has sicced its legal team on the makers of the aptly-named "Palm Pre Android Theme" that borrows icons, wallpapers, and mojo (not to be confused with Mojo) directly from webOS. The concerns center around the usual suspects -- graphics copyrights and trademark infringement -- and the company is demanding that they cease use of the Pre's interface, name, and all that good stuff by some date that's been redacted from the leaked letter (we're assuming it's soon). To be fair, Palm comes out and says that it "appreciates that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery," but at the end of the day, they're concerned about the potential for consumer confusion. Interestingly, to the best of our knowledge, they haven't given the iPhone-based theme the same treatment -- but hey, maybe it's easier to confuse a Hero with a Pre than it is an iPhone... or something.

[Thanks, Justin]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Palm lays the smack down on Pre theme for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm lays the smack down on Pre theme for Android

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:49:00 EST

Filed under: Software, Palm, Android, webOS

Palm lays the smack down on Pre theme for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist... to Engadget

Joshua Topolsky — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:17:00 EST

You know, one of these days, someone at one of these big companies is going to get this right. If you send a cease and desist about "leaked" photos of a supposed device, you're basically saying, "Hey guys, those pictures are real." Now, we can't tell you with 100 percent assurance that that's the case when it comes to those factory pics of rubber-gloved hands all over an apparently-new PS3 hardware design, but it doesn't help anyone's case when a Chinese company sends your Japanese wing a takedown notice. Keep in mind, since this thing isn't from Sony, we can't really be sure that it's the real deal, but we'll be honest -- things are starting to look mighty suspicious. Text of one of the charming messages after the break. We'll pause for comment now.

Gallery: Wild and slim PS3 redesign caught on camera?

Continue reading Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist... to Engadget

Filed under: Gaming

Slim PS3 update: mysterious Chinese firm issues a cease and desist... to Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm issues takedown for TealOS

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:37:00 EST

If you're a fan of TealOS (you know, that fairly striking webOS-aping launcher for Palm devices), you're in for some bad news. According to a post on the company's TealTalk support forum, a rep tells users that Palm has issued a takedown of the lookalike. In their words:

I'm sorry to say that at Palm's request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS.

While we can certainly understand the motivations on Palm's part behind wanting to scuttle this copycat, we do find it a little odd. When we met with a Palm rep to retrieve the Pre earlier in the month, he actually had the software installed on his phone and seemed pretty excited about its existence. Our money here is actually on Palm's legal department being a bit hair-trigger, though we hardly think TealOS is posing a threat to the company's bottom line. Bottom line? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[Via PalmInfocenter; Thanks, Herman M.]

Filed under: Software

Palm issues takedown for TealOS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Palm issues takedown for TealOS

Joshua Topolsky — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:37:00 EST

I'm sorry to say that at Palm's request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm issues takedown for TealOS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Psion Teklogix sending out cease & desist letters to netbook-centric websites

Darren Murph — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:02:00 EST

Wow, talk about spreading that holiday cheer. Psion Teklogix has apparently hired a legal team to write up cease & desist letters that are being sent out to select netbook enthusiast websites. One particular letter is pictured above, and we can only assume the URL is hidden for the safety of those involved. jkOnTheRun dug a little deeper into the matter and found that the outfit did indeed produce a Netbook and Netbook Pro back in the day, and while the surprisingly netbook-like devices (imagine that, right?) have since been discontinued, it is still making compatible accessories. Something tells us Psion waited a touch too late to pick this fight, but just in case Engadget is next in line for one of these letters, we'll be utilizing the term smallcheap(er)book for the foreseeable future. Hope that's okay.

Filed under: Laptops

Psion Teklogix sending out cease & desist letters to netbook-centric websites originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple sends cease and desist to "iPod Monday"

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:38:00 EST

The legal hammer strikes unpredictably: that's the lesson to be learnt from the case of "iPod Monday," a weekly event at The Lift in Des Moines, Iowa where patrons ~~bring~~ brought along their iPods to play 15 minute playlists based around different themes. Unfortunately, the event's host and creator, Clint Curtis, is bringing the event to a close on its second anniversary (tomorrow) after receiving a cease and desist email from Apple. As the dispute is limited to Clint's use of the trademarked word "iPod," Clint could presumably have kept the event running under a different name. However, a quick read of his email correspondance with Apple reveals the reasoning for closing the event. As Clint points out, he sent several emails to Apple before starting the website and specifically asked for permission to use the term "iPod Monday," he's had visits by Apple employees, a mention on Apple.com, and has praise heaped upon him everytime he visits the local Apple Store, and he is also a loyal Apple customer and claims to have generated a lot of publicity for the company despite receiving no compensation. Unfortunately, that means nothing to Apple, who are still requesting that he cease using the name despite his pleadings. This all begs the question: why now? Why, after two years, many emails, and much publicity, is Apple cranking it up a gear? As is often the case with these kind of David and Goliath legal scenarios, Clint has only two possible choices: resign to his fate and accept the demands, or start a lengthly legal battle against a company he likes, for an event that probably isn't worth the financial cost to defend.

[Via Boing Boing]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Apple sends cease and desist to "iPod Monday" originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With "pod" on lockdown, Apple goes after "podcast"

Evan Blass — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:15:00 EST

Now that Apple's lawyers have scared the pants off of small entrepreneurs selling products like the Profit Pod and TightPod -- items that have nothing to with portable audio in any way, mind you -- it seems that the next targets are companies that have the audacity to use the word "podcast" in their names. Wired's Listening Post blog is reporting that Steve's legal eagles have sent one of those scary cease and desist letters to a company called Podcast Ready, whose premier product, myPodder, gives users an automated way to download 'casts to their portable devices. CEO Russel Holliman claims that he'd consider changing the name of the program if necessary, but seems to be justifiably reticent about rebranding his entire business, considering the fact that "podcast" may not be "owned" by Apple nor even a derivative of "iPod" in the first place. Robert Scoble -- whose own company, PodTech, may be at risk in this witch hunt -- has weighed in on the issue by suggesting that the tech community as a whole adopt other terms like "audiocast" and "videocast" (or alternately, "audcast" and "vidcast") to describe this type of content, while other folks feel that fighting Apple and generating a ton of negative press for Cupertino is the best solution. Our take? Apple should be happy that its golden goose is getting so much free publicity, and if it isn't, we know of several companies that probably wouldn't mind if zencast, zunecast, or sansacast became the preferred terminology.

Update: BBHub's own Russell Shaw delves into this issue a little further over at ZDnet, and finds that Apple is having trouble getting certain iPod-related phrases trademarked, including the word "iPodcasting."

Read- Apple's nastygram
Read- Scoble's take
[Via calacanis.com]

Filed under: Portable Audio

With "pod" on lockdown, Apple goes after "podcast" originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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