Ruh roh. Those wildly flung patent infringement claims tossed out by Hillcrest Laboratories could have some merit, but even if not, it'll be the ITC making the call. The US International Trade Commission has given itself the green light to investigate the allegations made by the aforesaid company, which state that Nintendo infringed on four of its patents in order to make obscenely large quantities of cash with the hot-selling Wii. There's no telling how high (or low) this is in the agency's priority list, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for some sort of resolution, regardless.

Not a lot of people in the US know the name Lee Kun-hee, but he's the chairman and son of the founder of the world's largest gadget company: Samsung. And he's also at the epicenter of one of the craziest corruption scandals the industry has seen in years. Kun-hee and his cronies have already been subject to government probes, and the disgraced chairman has already basically admitted his guilt and responsibility for Samsung's bribery wrongdoings, but now he's made the next ever so gingerly step towards the exit by stating, "I will deeply think about reshuffling the corporate management structure and the management lineup, including myself." Sure, think it over, take all the time you need -- just don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, man.

Lee Kun-hee, Samsung's 66 year old chairman and son of the company's founder, made a potentially damning announcement over the weekend. Following 11 hours of interrogation by prosecutors into allegations of bribery and maintaining a slush fund (among other improprieties), Lee said, "This is all due to my carelessness. I am responsible for everything and must take responsibility." We won't know for sure until the investigation is complete. However, the statement is less likely an admission of guilt than it is an attempt to appease the people of South Korea where the Samsung "chaebol" is more than just a brand, it's a national symbol of pride... at least it was.

Gulp. FCC chairman Kevin Martin is prepping for a big ol' congressional probe this morning. Martin received a letter today warning that he is being investigated for, "management practices that may adversely affect the Commission's ability to both discharge effectively its statutory duties and to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse." Martin, you'll recall, was recently accused of being in Verizon's back pocket during its attempt to revise the 700MHz open-access rule. The investigation is prompted by allegations made by "credible" FCC employees, both current and former, so far reaching -- including its handling of Comcast and the so-called, 70-percent ruling -- that Ars Technica expects it to turn the "FCC upside down." Martin has two weeks to deliver "a truckload" of records to Congress before this revolution gets televised.

Samsung just can't seem to keep itself out of hot water these days. On the heels of its chairman's home raid, it now appears that the Samsung Group headquarters have also been the target of a shakedown. Apparently, the flurry of activity is all related to an ongoing probe into accusations that the electronics-maker is responsible for a slush fund used to bribe influential prosecutors, judges, and political figures. The charges are being lobbed by Kim Yong-chul, a former legal affairs official at Samsung, who claims that the conglomerate used some 200 billion won ($215 million) to fund the shady dealings. The company denies the accusations, of course, though Chairman Lee Kun-hee has been convicted of bribery before in Korean courts... so, uh, this isn't looking good.

Microsoft, the ever-present target of scorn from the little guy, has once again been hit with antitrust charges in the EU, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal today. This time it's charges related to the company's refusal to disclose "interoperability information" for a variety of products, including Office, which is keeping competitors from marketing compatible software (we've heard complaints of this type from Open Office users for some time). Additionally -- just as we reported in December -- Norwegian web browser outfit Opera is stepping up to the plate, alleging that Redmond's inclusion of Internet Explorer with its ubiquitous operating system leaves little room for rival companies to enter the game. Considering how Microsoft's last antitrust case went in the EU, this may bode poorly for the giant, though a ruling in favor of reforms could benefit the end user. Stay tuned to this space for more information as we get it.

In addition to laying down the smack, AMD and the office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo just slammed Intel with an antitrust probe. Cuomo's office issued a "wide-ranging subpoena" on Thursday seeking documents and more information from Intel. The probe was launched after a preliminary probe "raised questions" about Intel coercing customers to exclude AMD CPUs.

While you may assume that three's company, it looks like Fujitsu Kansai Systems has little choice but to join the dubious trio in yet another round of bookkeeping scandals. Aside from questioning the quality of accounting curriculums in Japan, parent company Fujitsu is being faced with news that one of its subsidiaries allegedly "booked fictitious sales," and while we're sure it wishes the slight dip in stock prices were the only consequence, we're also hearing that "other companies may be involved with the bogus accounting at the software-consulting and sales unit." Of course, spokespersons for the company simply reiterate that investigations are ongoing, but at least one instance of circular sales involving NAJ has reportedly been divulged. So, who's next? [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

Sorry to end the EMI and Apple anti-DRM love-in so quickly but the EU is back with more complaints about Apple's business model. This time, they've launched an official probe into iTunes pricing across Europe accusing Apple of "restricting choice." Only now, the "Big 4" music majors are also lumped into the European Commission's accusations of anti-competitive practices. The core of the complaint is Apple's nationalized approach to their iTunes store. On-line shoppers can only purchase content from the store in their home country with British shoppers suffering the highest per song fees at 79p or $1.56 at current exchange rates -- ouch! As they tend to do, Apple quickly shifted blame to the labels by stating through a spokesman that Apple "wanted to operate a Europe-wide store, but music labels and publishers expressed legal and copyright concerns." Of course, if that strategy doesn't work out for you Atlas, you can always shrug.

Update: The EU Commission is now saying that Apple's multi-country store approach is indeed being "imposed on Apple by the major record companies." Of course, the majors have come off the ropes swinging by denying any breach of law. Now quick, redirect your ire at the Big 4 per protocol.