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Universal Music threatens to pull songs from TikTok over payment terms
Universal Music Group (UMG) is threatening to pull all of its music from TikTok today following a breakdown in negotiations over royalties.
Virgin Orbit gets the licenses it needs for the UK's first space launch
Virgin Orbit is set to make the first ever space flight from UK soil, after the nation's Civil Aviation Authority approved a "historic" first launch license.
Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US
Universal and Netflix signed a multi-year licensing agreement for Illumination's and Dreamworks' animated films.
Twitch faces music industry backlash over proper licensing (updated)
The RIAA and other music industry groups have written a letter to Twitch complaining that the service isn't licensing their songs.
Rocket Lab gains FAA approval to launch satellites from US soil
After successfully returning to launch following a failure in July, Rocket Lab has announced that it has received FAA clearance to launch Electron rockets in the US.
Apple stops updates for thousands of games in China’s App Store
Apple has suspended updates for thousands of games on its App Store in China because they lack a license from the Chinese government, The Financial Times reported. The company has faced mounting pressure from the Chinese government in recent weeks to comply with local regulations, including that all games show proof of a government granted license. Apple’s biggest App Store market is China, according to The Financial Times, and most of the $16.4 billion App Store revenue in the country comes from games.
Apple set to remove thousands of games from Chinese App Store in license crackdown
Apple could remove as many as 20,000 games from its App Store in China.
Amazon's checkout-free tech is heading to other retailers
Checkout-free, cashless supermarkets -- a novelty shopping experience or the future of bricks and mortar retail? According to Amazon -- which turned the concept into a 10,400-square-foot reality -- it's the latter. After announcing its plans to license its automated checkout technology to other retailers, the company has revealed it has "several" signed deals with customers, and has launched a new website inviting inquiries from others interested in the "Just Walk Out" experience.
Amazon may open checkout-free supermarkets early next year
There have been plenty of rumors about Amazon's plans to shake up the grocery industry with cashierless stores. The latest is that Amazon plans to launch checkout-free supermarkets in the first quarter of 2020. The company may also license its Amazon Go cashierless tech to other retailers, a person close to the project told Bloomberg.
Nokia-branded smart TVs are coming to India
The Nokia brand name may be synonymous with the indestructible cell phones of the 2000s, but did you know that back in the mid-90s it had a line in widescreen TVs? Nokia's efforts in the TV sphere may never have caught on with mainstream tech enthusiasts back then, but that could be about to change, as the company is now planning on launching a range of smart TVs in India.
Huawei's Mate 30 may launch without the Play Store and Google apps
Huawei is pushing ahead with the launch of its new Mate 30 smartphones, even though they won't come with Google's official Android operating system, and by extension, popular apps such as Maps, Search and YouTube.
US gives Huawei another 90 days to serve existing customers
The US government has granted Huawei another 90 days to buy from American suppliers. The "temporary general license" extension will allow Huawei to continue servicing existing US customers before it is fully blacklisted, Reuters reports. The company now has through November 19th to maintain existing telecom networks and provide software updates to existing Huawei handsets.
AMD will share its graphics technology with Samsung
AMD stole the spotlight at Computex 2019, where it shared details on its third generation Ryzen CPUs and first Navi GPUs. But that's not the only big news AMD has in store. Today, the company announced a multi-year partnership with Samsung, in which AMD will license its Radeon graphics IP for use in Samsung smartphones and other mobile applications.
Android's digital wallet could eventually hold your driver's license
Governments have been exploring digital driver's licenses for a while, but there are quite a few flaws with existing approaches. You usually have to rely on a proprietary app, sometimes with uncertain security... and what happens if your phone is low on battery when you need to flash your credentials? Google might have a solution. XDA has discovered that Google is working on an IdentityCredential framework that would securely store and display digital IDs, including driver's licenses. It could also display your ID even if there isn't enough power to start Android -- you'd just need the power for a secure chip and a "low-power communication channel."
Spotify launches in India
Spotify has had its eyes set firmly on the Indian market for some time. Now, after a messy legal dispute with Warner Music Group, the music-streaming service has officially launched in the country. With a population of 1.3 billion people, it's considered to be one the fastest-growing music markets in the world.
Rogue satellite startup gets the launch license it needed first time around
Sending things to space is a serious business that normally requires capital investments, rigorous preparations — and taking care of the paperwork. Earlier this year US startup Swarm circumvented the last part and sent a series of probes — so-called SpaceBEEs — into orbit despite being rejected for an FCC license. Although FCC is still looking at how to punish the rogue operator, it has just granted it a temporary license to send up a few more satellites.
Nokia will make €3 for every 5G smartphone sold
Licensing-related patent wars are pretty run-of-the-mill occurrences for tech companies -- there's always a report of some spat or another in the news. But now Nokia, and a bunch of other giants, are taking steps to avoid future battles by publicly disclosing the licensing fees involved in its 5G technology.
Uber loses another operating licence in the UK (updated)
Uber's UK troubles continue to mount. The company's operating licence has been suspended in Sheffield following what it calls "an administrative error." In early October, Uber told the council that its licence would need to be updated because the person named on the document was leaving the company. The council refused, however, and said it would need to submit a new licence application. "The legislation does not allow for the transfer of an operator's licence," a council spokesperson said. Uber went along and filed for a new permit on October 16th, which is still being processed.
Quadriplegic driver gets first autonomous car license
Sam Schmidt is no ordinary race car driver after suffering a devastating accident in training that rendered him a quadriplegic back in 2000. Now he's also the first American to have been handed a driving license that permits him to use an autonomous vehicle on public highways. The state of Nevada has announced that Schmidt is able to drive a modified Corvette Stingray Z06 that is controlled just with the motion of his head, breath and voice commands.
Intel to manufacture ARM chips in a bid for mobile domination
Intel is flexing its manufacturing muscle in an attempt to get inside your next phone. To do that, it has entered a licensing deal with ARM, according to a report from Bloomberg. Without this license, excess manufacturing space goes to waste. But with it, Intel can make processors for Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung -- the biggest players in smartphones. This gives Intel a much-needed boost in the mobile space that it couldn't achieve on its own.
