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Judge: NCAA's likeness compensation rules violate antitrust laws
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled yesterday that NCAA rules prohibiting student athletes from receiving compensation for the use of their images, names and likenesses violates antitrust laws, CBS Sports reported. NCAA rules do not allow colleges to pay athletes when their images are used in a video game series such as EA Sports' NCAA Football games, and Wilken said those rules "unreasonably restrain trade." Wilken is the same judge that ordered settlement talks between the NCAA and Ed O'Bannon in February, after EA agreed to settle its own likeness lawsuits with student athletes to the tune of $40 million in September 2013. EA canceled its next NCAA Football game at that time and began "evaluating [its] plan for the future of the franchise." The publisher later reported an additional $8 million in expected expenses as a result of the lawsuit settlement, which amounted to roughly $1,000 per athlete, per appearance in the games.
Europe wants better safeguards on in-app iOS purchases
It appears the European Commission isn't thrilled with Apple's slow movement to provide more safeguards from accidental in-app purchases made on its devices. The administration issued a press release today discussing joint action from the firm and member states to enforce better protection for consumers in regards to incidental purchases, praising Google's proposed solutions to the issue. "Although, regrettably, no concrete and immediate solutions have been made by Apple to date to address the concerns linked in particular to payment authorisation," the European Commission wrote, noting that Apple said it will address the issues in due time, though it did not provide a time-frame for the changes. An Apple spokesman told Reuters that "over the last year we made sure any app which enables customers to make in-app purchases is clearly marked," and that it will "continue to work with the EC member states to respond to their concerns."
Court puts a stop to Activision Blizzard independence
So here's a short story for the morning told over one act. First, Activision Blizzard announces that it is separating from its parent company Vivendi and going independent, which surprises many people. Then a shareholder sues the company to prevent this from happening, claiming that it's a huge waste meant to cover a power grab. As a result, the separation is now officially on hold by the order of the Delaware Chancery Court, which was probably not the result most people had expected thus far. In order for the separation to continue, either the injunction must be modified on appeal or a majority vote by non-Vivendi stockholders must come down in favor of continuing the process. Activision Blizzard's representatives restated that they were dedicated to this course of action and are exploring options to ensure it still takes place. Vivendi has been trying to divest itself of Activision Blizzard for nearly a year now in hopes of boosting its overall stock price.
Owner of e-sports team charged with participation in massive hacking operation
What do League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counterstrike have in common? If you answered "all three games were played by eSports team Moscow 5," you are remarkably well-informed and also correct. And if you're that well-informed, you also probably know that the team owner, Dmitry Smilianets, was arrested a year ago as part of an investigation by the FBI. What you might not be aware of is that Smilianets has now been officially charged with taking part in a massive hacking network along with five other Russian and Ukranian nationals. According to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, this represents the largest such case tried in the US, as Smilianets and his accomplices are charged with stealing at least 160 million debit and credit card numbers. Smilianets is in custody, as he was arrested while sightseeing in the United States, and is expected to be in federal court next week.
Apple may now sell the iPhone in Iran
The US Treasury Department has opened a door that could allow Apple to sell iPhones in Iran. The Treasury Department has made an agreement to allow exportation to Iran "of certain services, software and hardware incident to personal communications," which would include Apple's mobile devices. This is good in a few different ways: Apple employees in the past have been rumored to not sell iPhones to people of Iranian descent, and in addition to the company from Cupertino being able to sell iPhones directly inside Iran itself, this should also prevent any other issues along those lines, thankfully. This isn't a completely open policy, however -- the Treasury Department still won't allow sales directly to the Iranian government, or to people or organizations in Iran on a "Specially Designated Nationals" list. So Apple doesn't have carte blanche to sell iPhones over there. But at least those sanctions issues can be laid to rest, and Apple can go forward with exporting consumer-focused devices over there.
38 Studios vs. State of Rhode Island court case begins
We'll never see Project Copernicus come to light, and for some people that's the last that needs to be said about 38 Studios. For the state of Rhode Island, however, there's quite a bit more at stake, with the state alleging that 38 Studios tried to hide its financial condition and essentially defrauded the taxpayers of Rhode Island. Opening arguments have been heard today for the case, with the 14 individual defendants seeking to have the case dismissed as completely spurious. When 38 Studios folded, that left Rhode Island in the hole for a $75 million loan. The lawsuit is seeking restitution from Curt Schilling and 13 other individuals, including former members of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp that originally supported the loan. According to the EDC's lawyers, substantial evidence exists that this loan was based upon intentional misdirection on the part of upper management, although the defense claims these allegations are ridiculous. At this point, it's up to the courts who's in the right.
US Navy to deploy ship-mounted laser in 2014, blasts drones in the meantime (video)
Lasers have been flaunted by the US Navy before, but now it's announced that 2014 will see the very first solid-state laser deployed aboard a ship, two years ahead of schedule. The USS Ponce, a vessel used as an amphibious transport dock stationed in the Persian Gulf, will get the honor of hosting the prototype Laser Weapon System (LaWS). Not only can the hardware set boats and airborne drones ablaze, but it can also emit a burst to "dazzle" an opponent's sensors without inflicting physical harm. Sure, it cost roughly $32 million to construct, but the price is expected to fall when it hits wider production, and Chief of Naval Research Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder estimates that it each shot rings up at under $1. It may not be the missile-obliterating free-electron laser that the Navy's been lusting for, but we're sure it doesn't matter much to drones at the end of the beam. Hit the jump to for a video of the contraption in action.
The Think Tank: Should the government regulate video game content?
While government regulation is welcomed in some corners of our lives, it's not always welcomed everywhere. After recent gun violence has been making headlines more than ever, U.S. President Barack Obama set out to "find the cause" through new funding for 23 executive orders that pertain to the origins of gun violence. Vice President Joe Biden then met with experts in the video game industry to discuss the possibility that video games themselves are the cause. And probably that rock 'n' roll music, too. Darn kids! Certainly we here at Massively have our own opinion on this matter, as video game violence legislation would affect us all. Read on past the cut to see what we have to say about government regulation for our favorite hobby.
House passes bill that would call for a single website tracking federal spending
The last time a proposed law captured our attention it was so widely loathed it was never even put to a vote, but today we bring you the kind of no-brainer legislation that seems to have strong support on both sides of the aisle. The US House of Representatives has passed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA), a bill that calls for the creation of an independent board to log all federal spending on a single, centralized website. What's more, these expenses need to be recorded with identifiers and markup languages that make them more easily searchable. As Computerworld notes, the vote happens to come on the heels of a recent dust-up involving the US General Services Administration spending $823,000 on a conference in Vegas -- precisely the sort of excess this proposed website would be designed to expose. The next step, of course, is for the bill to win Senate approval, though for now it seems the legislation has garnered strong bi-partisan support: in a rare showing, all of the lawmakers who discussed the DATA Act on the House floor argued in favor of it.
Physicist uses math to get out of a traffic ticket, publishes findings
When most folks get ticketed for running a stop sign, most people wind up writing the court a check. UC San Diego physicist Dmitri Krioukov wrote a mathematical paper instead. Rather than throw his fallible human opinion on the mercy of the court, Krioukov uses a series of equations and graphs to prove that the accusing officer confused his car's real space-time trajectory "for a trajectory of a hypothetical object moving at approximately constant linear speed without stopping at the stop sign." In other words, the officer was wrong, but Krioukov stresses that it isn't the officer's fault. "This mistake is fully justified," he writes, pointing to the math. "As a result of this unfortunate coincidence, the O's perception of reality did not properly reflect reality." And to think, you probably never thought you'd use this kind of math in the real world.
US Judge rejects Hasbro / ASUS sales ban, Transformer Prime prevails
Coming up with original gadget names is tough work, and, after all, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery -- right? So it was no surprise when ASUS happened upon an alias that more than slightly resembled that of a popular fictional mutant semi -- you know, Transformer Optimus Prime. However shockingly, Hasbro wasn't a fan, opting to battle ASUS to the death in the U.S. court system. And, after countless weeks and many bank holidays, we finally have a victor. It appears that the leader of the Autobots will continue to share its name with the Taiwanese company's tablet -- that's what you get for leaving the fate of the world to mere human bureaucrats. Just don't be surprised when it comes time to name the world's next Superhero, Ms. Zenbook UX31.
US DOJ sues AT&T for improper IP Relay billing, alleges millions in false claims to FCC
AT&T has violated the United States False Claims Act to the tune of "millions of dollars," according to a Department of Justice lawsuit filed this week. The DOJ alleges that the carrier intentionally neglected to authenticate users of the IP Relay service -- a tool utilized by hearing-impaired persons to type messages that communications assistants then read to callers. The service is also abused by individuals overseas to defraud U.S. businesses (think infamous Nigerian scams), which prompted the FCC to establish a law requiring telecom providers, including AT&T, to confirm the identity of registered users, which it apparently failed to do. This resulted in thousands of fraudulent users, representing some 95 percent of all calls, which AT&T received FCC payments for to the tune of $1.30 per minute. An AT&T spokesman was somewhat dismissive when speaking to the Associated Press, saying "as the FCC is aware, it is always possible for an individual to misuse IP Relay services, just as someone can misuse the postal system or an email account, but FCC rules require that we complete all calls by customers who identify themselves as disabled." But if the allegations are proven, there could be some pretty serious repercussions for Big Blue. DOJ PR is just past the break.
AT&T and Verizon lobby for less FCC spectrum control, Sprint and other carriers respond
Since 1993, the FCC has held the ability to restrict bidders' participation in spectrum auctions based on their current spectrum holdings, needs and dominance in the marketplace. Given that wireless spectrum is a public resource, the current law tasks the FCC with the responsibility to ensure competition in the marketplace and prevent monopolies and duopolies from forming. A new proposal contained within the JOBS Act, H.R. 3630 -- a sweeping bill that primarily addresses the extension of unemployment benefits -- threatens to strip the FCC of this authority and return spectrum auctions to the freewheeling wild west era. The bill is so controversial that former FCC chairman, Reed Hundt, recently called this proposal "the single worst telecom bill" he'd ever seen, and, "a repudiation of the smartest auction theorists in the world." Today, the CEOs from many of the US's smaller telecoms -- which include Sprint, T-Mobile, Cricket, C Spire and Bluegrass Cellular (among others) -- officially lodged their objections to this proposed bill based on the notion that, left unrestricted, AT&T and Verizon Wireless could start bullying smaller carriers in the race to acquire more spectrum.While the majority of the bill deals with making additional spectrum available, Section 4105 of Title V -- the controversial bit in question -- is ostensibly the work of lobbying efforts on behalf of AT&T and Verizon. Are the nation's top two carriers legitimately concerned that the FCC will limit their ability to participate in future auctions? Sprint contends that the current law has worked rather well for both top dogs, which together control approximately 73 percent of the spectrum under 1GHz. There's no doubt that spectrum is the bread and butter of the wireless industry, but as a public resource, it deserves to be allocated in a way that promotes competition and best serves the citizens. Regardless of your gut reaction, it seems that the topic deserves some legitimate debate. If the proposed bill hits the Congressional floor and is mired down amongst discussions of unemployment benefits and flood insurance reform, just how much of this important discussion will fall on deaf ears?[Tower photo via Shutterstock]
The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: A talk with Teppy
I have to say, I have nothing but admiration for lone wolf-style developers who decide to pish-posh giant studio teams and massive budgets and jump into the game-making mosh pit anyway. Andrew "Teppy" Tepper is one of these visionaries who had an idea for a unique MMO and took it to fruition. I mean, most of us come up with "totally tubular" notions for online games, but how many of us make it happen? Outside of a couple of doodles on a Post-It, that is. In our second week covering the fascinating sandbox world of A Tale in the Desert, The Game Archaeologist had the pleasure of sitting down with Teppy to get his perspective on how one man bootstrapped his way into the MMO world. He also dishes on the team's next MMO project, which we'll be talking more about on Massively later this week. So what's it like to create the ultimate sandbox in Egypt of all places? Teppy, take it away!
FCC frees up to 650MHz of backhaul spectrum to accelerate rural 4G deployment
Busting down a critical obstacle in the deployment of mobile broadband in rural areas, the FCC announced plans to make up to 650MHz of spectrum available for microwave wireless backhaul. This particular block, which will be shared with cable TV relay (CARS) and broadcast auxiliary services (BAS), spans across half of the land mass of the US and blankets roughly 10 percent of the total population. The large expense of laying fiber optics at rural cell sites has been a barrier most companies haven't been able to break through; by implementing the use of microwave wireless backhaul, however, the government is hopeful this will drive the cost of deployment down, create new jobs and accelerate the rollout of 4G networks in remote areas. The FCC also allowed for the use of wider channels and smaller antennas, and lifted several federal restrictions in an attempt to make the process of securing spectrum easier. The department's clearly putting more focus on wireless broadband deployment in remote regions, and is currently asking for more comments on ways to ease the burden. Hit up the source link for more details on the plan.
New York DOT now adding 2-point driver's license penalty for talking on the phone while driving
It has been illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in New York for years now, but the state has just steeply upped the penalties associated. The $100 fine which is currently imposed has been joined by a 2-point penalty on the driver's record -- which should serve as a real deterrent for most. The DMV has estimated that one in five crashes now involve so-called distracted drivers, resulting in about 5,000 deaths last year. So please, keep your eyes on the road.
British man convicted for riding Segway on the sidewalk, can't ride on the street either
The United Kingdom's Department for Transport passed regulations making Segways subject to road traffic laws four and a half years ago, which effectively banned their use on Britain's sidewalks. And now, after years of apparent non-enforcement, UK's Highway Act of 1835 has finally claimed its first Segway-riding victim. An unemployed factory worker was convicted of riding a motor vehicle on a "pavement", which apparently is another word for sidewalk in the Queen's English, and was ordered to pay a total of £340 ($540) when the court found that Segways qualify as motor vehicles under the 176 year-old law. Given that Segways don't meet the safety standards required to be legally used on UK roads, it looks like Brits who own Woz's preferred mode of transport are exclusively limited to tooling around on private property lest they risk similar governmental retribution.
Revamped PEGI ratings enforceable in UK April 1, 2011 (no joke!)
The Video Standards Council, the UK government body that adjudicates the content of games and sticks them with a PEGI rating, has announced that revamped rating labels will go into effect April 1, 2011. At that time, the ratings -- which were recently rendered inert by a legal loophole -- will actually be able to be enforced. Which, as we understand it, is pretty important for government-issued regulations. Though the VSC and ELSPA hoped to have the new ratings out by October in time for the holiday shopping season, their plans were pushed back due to the introduction of the Digital Economy Act, which regulates electronic media, including video games. This new legislation also goes into effect April 1. Unless, of course, this is just an elaborate prank. Given UK politicians' proclivity for pulling the ol' switcheroo on the gaming industry, that actually wouldn't surprise us too much.
Finland the first country in the world to make broadband access a legal right
We knew this was coming, but starting today, every citizen of Finland has the legal right to a 1Mbps broadband connection, meaning that providers are now required to make the connections available to everyone. The government of Finland has also promised to make good on its goal of getting every citizen with a 100Mbps connection by 2015, saying that they now consider internet access a basic requirement of daily life. We're with you on that one, we promise.
A Tale in the Desert to launch new player driven server
A Tale in the Desert may not be the first game that comes to mind when you think of MMOs, but the title from independent developer eGenesis is something quite unique in this market. A Tale in the Desert isn't a combat-focused game at all, rather it's more about social, economic, and even legal systems in an ancient Egyptian setting. Players involved in a "telling" (a game arc) can even vote to determine the game's laws, which sets this title apart from most others. eGenesis announced this week that they're launching a new server on February 20th, stating that it will give even greater control to players by allowing them to "completely control the timing of the telling." The new server will offer players an ancient Egypt that has yet to be built. In other words, it's an open environment where the players can have some degree of control over how that setting takes shape. If the notion of a player-driven setting where the game's subscribers shape the play experience and surroundings appeals to you, have a look at what's coming soon to A Tale in the Desert.
