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Tesla fired New York workers 'in retaliation for union activity,' complaint alleges
Organizers at Tesla's NY autopilot facility are accusing the company of illegally terminating employees in retaliation for union activity.
EU consumer groups file complaint against Google over 'deceptive' sign-up practices
Consumer groups in Europe have filed complaints against Google for using "deceptive design, unclear language and misleading choices" in its sign-up process.
Epic Games brings its antitrust feud with Apple to Europe's competition watchdog
Epic is taking its dispute against Apple's App Store practices to Europe by filing a complaint with the European Commission.
Pentagon says Microsoft still deserves $10 billion JEDI cloud contract
After an internal investigation, the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that is standing by its decision to award the $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract to Microsoft and not Amazon.
Huawei accuses the US of cyberattacks and other ‘unscrupulous’ behavior
Today, Huawei accused the US of carrying out cyberattacks, attempted entrapment, unlawful searches and more. The company says the US has "been using every tool at its disposal" including "unscrupulous means" to disrupt the business operations of Huawei and its partners. The accusations, which were made without evidence, come one day after the US and Poland signed an agreement to rigorously investigate 5G network equipment from foreign providers like Huawei.
FTC to accuse Facebook of misusing phone numbers and facial recognition
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reportedly plans to issue a complaint over Facebook's handling of phone numbers and facial recognition. According to The Washington Post, the FTC plans to allege that advertisers managed to target users who provided their phone numbers for Facebook's two-factor authentication security feature. Sources also told The Washington Post that the FTC will accuse Facebook of providing insufficient information about the ability to turn off the facial recognition tool that offers photo tag suggestions.
FTC complaint alleges Amazon's Echo Dot Kids violates child privacy law
A month after we found out Amazon employees might listen to your Alexa conversations, Amazon is facing more privacy concerns. This time, they have to do with how the company stores data collected by its Echo Dot Kids. Today, a coalition of privacy and child-advocacy groups plan to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that Amazon stores kids' conversations and data even after parents attempt to delete it. According to the The Wall Street Journal, the group is asking the FTC to investigate.
Apple says Spotify wants 'the benefits of a free app without being free'
Apple is firing back in response to Spotify's European Commission (EC) complaint. In a newsroom release, the company said that Spotify "seeks to keep all the benefits of the App Store ecosystem ... without making any contributions to that marketplace." It added that the App Store has generated $120 billion for developers while offering users a secure platform, and that Spotify is seeking to side to sidestep the rules that every other app follows. "Spotify has every right to determine their own business model, but we feel an obligation to respond when Spotify wraps its financial motivations in misleading rhetoric about who we are," the company wrote.
Microsoft faces 238 complaints of gender discrimination
Microsoft has been accused of 238 cases of gender discrimination or sexual harassment by female employees working in US-based technical jobs, according to court filings made available this week. The complaints were made between 2010 and 2016, and include systemically denying pay rises or promotions to women working at the company. The plaintiff's attorneys are pushing to proceed as a class action lawsuit, but a trial has not yet been scheduled.
Google removes ‘View Image’ button from image search
Say goodbye to the "View Image" link in Google Images. Google announced a few changes to its image search today, one of which being the removal of its option to check out an image without visiting the site that hosts it. It might be a bummer for some, but since it was a stipulation of Google's settlement with Getty Images, it was only a matter of time before it happened. In a tweet, Google said today that the changes "are designed to strike a balance between serving user needs and publisher concerns, both stakeholders we value."
Mozilla and Yahoo sue each other over default search engine deal
Deals between web browser suppliers and search engine providers are big business. For Mozilla, agreements with search engines have brought in as much as US$300 million a year, which accounts for 90 percent of its income. So the stakes are high amid the latest tech company quarrel, which sees Mozilla end its partnership with Yahoo due to claims it hadn't been paid. Neither party is happy with the situation, so they're suing each other.
Tesla hit with unfair labor complaint from US watchdog
The US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against Tesla after investigating workers' complaints over unfair labor practices. Workers said Tesla "coerces and intimidates" them via a confidentiality agreement that illegally prevents them from discussing labor conditions and unionization.
Uber defiant in the face of French ridesharing crackdown
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today launched a legal action to permanently shut down UberPOP, Uber's non-professional ride service, according to Reuters. The move follows a protest against UberPOP by as many as 3,000 taxi drivers that crippled large sections of the city and both airports. Seven police officers were injured, 70 vehicles damaged and 10 people arrested during the rally. Yesterday, French authorities ordered police to ban UberPOP and seize driver's cars if necessary. However, Uber's general manager in France replied that the measures "changed nothing," and that UberPOP would continue to operate.
Europe accuses Google of abusing its monopoly in mobile and search
It's been coming for what seems like an eternity, but today's the day that Europe finally hits Google with an official investigation into its business practices. The European Commission has announced that it'll open an antitrust probe into Android, and has laid out its objections following a similar probe into Google Shopping. In essence, regulators believe that the search giant has "abused its dominant position," or playing favorites with its own products and crowding competitor's products out of the market.
Parents groups take concerns about YouTube Kids to the FTC
There are plenty of rules about what you can and can't do on kids' tv, but not a lot of those rules automatically carry over to the internet. That's why a posse of advocacy groups is asking the FTC to investigate if YouTube's kids-only service is breaking laws on unfair and deceptive marketing. According to a report by the San Jose Mercury, these groups believe that YouTube Kids also contravenes FCC rules about advertising to young children that have been in place since the '70s.
BlackBerry drags Typo back to court over another iPhone keyboard
Sorry, Typo, you aren't getting away with paying a fine. BlackBerry has filed another complaint against the Ryan Seacrest-backed peripheral maker over claims that the Typo 2 iPhone keyboard also infringes on patents. Not surprisingly, BlackBerry doesn't believe that a few minor design changes (such as a battery indicator and a lock key) put Typo's eerily familiar-looking keyboard in the clear -- it wants a ban on Typo 2 sales. We've reached out to Typo to see what its response will be, but something tells us that the odds of a successful courtroom defense are even lower this time around.
Samsung asks the US government to block NVIDIA's chips
The patent war between NVIDIA and Samsung isn't going to wind down any time soon. Samsung has backed up its countering lawsuit against NVIDIA with a US International Trade Commission complaint asking the agency to block imports of NVIDIA's GeForce graphics chips and Tegra mobile processors. While it's not clear just which parts are under scrutiny, the dispute names a slew of third-party device makers who'd have to stop selling hardware in the US. Most of them are video card designers, such as Biostar and EVGA, but the action would also affect Tegra-based gadgets like OUYA's mini console and the Wikipad gaming tablet.
Gearbox suing 3D Realms, Interceptor for 'unauthorized' Duke Nukem use
Gearbox Software filed a lawsuit against 3D Realms (3DR) and Interceptor Entertainment, accusing the studios of unauthorized use of the Duke Nukem property and alleging violation of trademarks held by Gearbox. The lawsuit points to 3D Realms' recent reveal of Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction, which features a teaser site with a timer counting down to February 25. "Apparently, after selling its Duke Nukem IP rights to Gearbox in 2010, 3DR sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened," the complaint reads. "The result is the unauthorized development effort that reportedly exists between 3DR and Interceptor." Among the documents filed in the suit is a breach statement issued by Gearbox stating that 3D Realms infringed on Gearbox's intellectual property in addition to a statement signed by 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller and Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard that acknowledged the infringement. In a statement filed to Joystiq, Gearbox Software said, "As the filing shows, 3DR's wrongdoing is both admitted and unfortunate for everyone who cares about Duke Nukem." 3D Realms filed a lawsuit against Gearbox in June 2013 for alleged unpaid royalties for Duke Nukem Forever, and later issued a public apology and withdrawal of the lawsuit in September 2013. Gearbox took over the development of the game in September 2010 in addition to acquiring the rights to the brand from 3D Realms. [Image: Gearbox Software]
Advocacy groups notify AT&T of net neutrality complaint with the FCC over FaceTime restrictions
Public advocacy groups aren't all that impressed with AT&T's justifications for limiting FaceTime access over 3G and 4G to those who spring for its costlier Mobile Share plans. Free Press, Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute have served formal notice to AT&T that they plan to file a net neutrality complaint with the FCC within 10 days. It's not hard to understand why, given the groups' existing pro-neutrality stances: the Free Press' policy lead Matt Wood argues that the carrier is unfairly pushing iOS users into plans they don't need, a particularly sore point for iPad-only customers that have no AT&T phones to share. We've reached out to AT&T for comment, although we're not expecting a change from its position that allowing app use over WiFi makes its restrictions okay. As for the FCC? It's mum on the current situation. A literal reading of its net neutrality rules, however, doesn't include a WiFi exemption and might not favor AT&T when Skype video is allowed and Verizon has no problems with unrestricted access.
Motorola's latest ITC complaint against Apple targets newer iOS devices and Macs, messaging and sync
Motorola filed its most recent ITC complaint against Apple so late into last week that the court system couldn't immediately provide more details; we're only just seeing documents now that the weekend is over. As it stands, the case involves seven patents that mostly touch on staple technologies of the modern mobile world, such as syncing messages between devices and bookmarking media playback on one device to resume on another. Does that last technique sound familiar? You might recall it being a cornerstone of the movie and podcast support that Apple has implemented since 2005. Despite reaching that far back into history, Motorola is just as eager to modernize the targeted hardware list to keep its complaints relevant -- the current iPad, the iPhone 4S and other devices are at risk of a trade ban, posing more of a threat to Apple's bottom line than the dust-covered (and near-finished) initial legal challenge from October 2010. Before coming to any conclusions, though, remember that the newer complaint isn't likely to have any speedy resolution of its own. Past ITC cases have usually taken a year and a half to complete, which could leave most or all of today's technology as another distant memory.
