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Claim your PlayStation Vita settlement credit now
If you've been anxiously waiting to claim the credit Sony owes you after it settled with the Federal Trade Commission over misleading PlayStation Vita ads, you'll be glad to hear that you can finally take action. The company handling Sony's settlements has launched a website that lets you file a claim so long as you bought a Vita in the US before June 1st, 2012. The options are fairly tempting. You can receive a $25 check or PSN credit if you're only concerned about the bottom line, but you can also choose from one of three bundles with decent (if aging) games like the God of War Collection and Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Be sure to move quickly, whatever you do -- you have to file for compensation by June 29th.
Target's proposed data breach settlement pays victims up to $10k
Target has agreed to a $10 million settlement with lawyers for victims of its 2013 data breach, and CBS News reports it could pay individuals up to $10,000 each in damages. It has yet to be approved by a judge, but Target spokesperson Molly Snyder says the company is "pleased to see the process moving forward." In case you've already forgotten, the retailer discovered in December 2013 that hackers had stolen information for some 40 million credit and debit cards, while its security ignored breach alerts for 12 days. The company's CEO stepped down in May saying he felt "personally accountable" for the lax security. KSTP TV5 in Minnesota has posted a copy of the form victims will fill out to receive their damages if the settlement is approved, which you can see here.
Walmart vs. Netflix DVD battle snags $12 each for 1.2 million people
Ready for a blast from the past? Ten years ago, Walmart's plan to undercut Netflix on DVD-by-mail rental pricing failed, and the retail giant turned that part of its business over to the movie service in exchange for a cut of the revenue, referral bonuses and Netflix promoting Walmart's DVD sales to rental customers. A class action lawsuit against the two followed in 2009, with customers alleging they illegally restrained trade and kept prices high. Walmart settled the case for $27 million in 2011, which will turn into about $12 (paid out in gift cards or cash) for the 1.2 million people who filed claims. While the deadline to file has long passed, the payout has been held up due to appeals in the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco against Walmart and Netflix -- until now.
Microsoft and Samsung settle their fight over Android royalties
It looks like Microsoft and Samsung aren't eager to drag out their dispute over Android patent royalties. The two tech giants have reached an agreement that ends Microsoft's lawsuit over interest payments and otherwise smooths things over. The circumstances surrounding the deal are "confidential," so it's unclear who made the most concessions. However, it's more likely that Microsoft came out on top. Unless the Windows developer was willing to walk away empty-handed (which is doubtful given its aggressive licensing strategy), Samsung probably had to cough up more money than it originally planned.
Sony accepting claims on 2011 PSN data breach settlement
If you were a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment user at the time of the April 2011 Sony hack that disrupted the PlayStation Network for nearly a month and compromised 70 million user accounts, now's your chance to get a piece of the class action settlement levied against Sony last year. To qualify, you must have held a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account on or before May 14, 2011. Each service is eligible to receive different claims, but PSN users are able to receive either one or two games - if you already received a free game in Sony's 2011 "Welcome Back" promotion, you're only eligible for one; if not, you're eligible to choose two - from a list that includes standouts like LittleBigPlanet and God of War HD. Notably, none of the games on offer are for the PlayStation 4. If none of the games tickle your fancy, you can instead choose free dynamic themes for your PlayStation 3 or free PlayStation Plus subscription time. After wading through multiple pages of bureaucratic legalese, you'll find everything you need to make your claim at the PSN-SOE settlement website. [Image: Sony]
The claim process for Sony's $15 million PSN breach lawsuit starts now
Been waiting for Sony to start dishing out the $15 million in restitution for the 2011 breach that took its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services down back in 2011? Well, thanks to the outfit putting a claim form online, now you can start the payment redemption process. It's limited to those who had either a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account prior to the intrusion (May 15, 2011), and the payouts aren't all that different from what the firm gave out as part of its "Welcome Back" program at the time. Of course, back then PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable games and themes were a bit more desirable, but three months of PlayStation Plus is actually a bit more valuable now than it once was. Sony doling out the goods could still take a bit longer, though.
Apple and Google want to settle no-poaching lawsuit for $415 million
Google, Apple, Adobe and Intel do not want to go to trial in April -- they've made that clear by agreeing to a $415 million settlement for the no-poaching class action lawsuit filed by over 60,000 employees years ago. The companies originally offered $324.5 million in 2014, but Judge Lucy Koh turned it down, as she believed the plaintiffs deserve a lot more than that. That's still far from the $3 billion the plaintiffs originally wanted, but it's still $90 million more to divvy up amongst themselves. What's this no-poaching lawsuit about anyway? Well, between 2005 and 2009, these four Silicon Valley corporations along with Lucasfilm, Intuit and Pixar had an agreement not to steal each other's employees.
Apple and Google try again to avoid a trial in 'no-poaching' suit
When Adobe, Apple, Google and Intel first offered a settlement to workers to make up for shady no-poaching pacts that kept salaries down, both the court and plaintiffs balked. They thought the $324.5 million was too low given the years of allegedly lost income and the financial clout of the tech giants involved. The Silicon Valley quartet is ready to give it a second shot, though. They've reached a new settlement that they hope will pass muster and avoid a full-blown trial in April.
T-Mobile pays $90 million to settle claims it profited from texting scams
T-Mobile protested its innocence after the Federal Trade Commission accused it of letting text message-based scams run amok in the name of profit, but it's not going to fight that complaint to the bitter end. The UnCarrier has agreed to a settlement that will have it paying "at least" $90 million in fines to the FCC and all 50 states. Moreover, it'll have to both offer full refunds to victims and require explicit permission for third-party charges. In the future, that sketchy celebrity gossip service can't take your cash unless you offer consent. T-Mobile's decision to cry "uncle" isn't surprising given that AT&T already settled with the FTC over similar unauthorized billing. However, it suggests that Sprint faces an uphill battle in its own texting dispute -- history definitely isn't on the company's side.
Nintendo and Philips resolve 'virtual body' dispute
Nintendo and Philips resolved their patent disputes by signing a licensing agreement, the technology company announced. Per the agreement, both Nintendo and Philips will "cross-license portions of each company's patent portfolio." However, Philips did not disclose any other terms or financial details for the licensing agreement. Philips filed a complaint against Nintendo in May, alleging that the video game maker infringed on Philips' patent '379, "Virtual Body Control Device." Philips said it sent notice of the alleged infringement to Nintendo in December 2011, claiming a second instance of infringement in May for patent '231, "User Interface System Based on Pointing Device." In June, a UK court found that Nintendo's reasons for developing various devices and controllers for its Wii, Wii U and DS consoles with both motion-sensing tech and cameras in it to be "unconvincing." [Image: Nintendo]
Sony to refund Vita customers in FTC settlement over false ads
Sony Computer Entertainment America has settled with the FTC over charges that it produced false and misleading advertisement during the Vita's launch campaign from late 2011 to early 2012. Sony will provide refunds to Vita customers who purchased the device before June 1, 2012 – either a $25 cash or credit refund, or a $50 voucher for select games and services. Sony will email eligible customers after the settlement is finalized. The FTC alleges that some of Sony's claims about the Vita were misleading, including that the Vita "would revolutionize gaming mobility" by enabling remote play and cross-platform play with the PS3, allowing players to start a game on PS3 and finish it on Vita. Sony is barred from similar advertising practices in the future. The FTC alleges the following: "Sony claimed, for example, that PS Vita users could pause any PS3 game at any time and continue to play the game on their PS Vita from where they left off. This feature, however, was only available for a few PS3 games, and the pause-and-save capability described in the ads varied significantly from game to game.... Sony's PS Vita ads falsely implied that consumers who owned the 3G version of the device (which cost an extra $50 plus monthly fees) could engage in live, multi-player gaming through a 3G network. In fact, consumers could not engage in live, multiplayer gaming.... In reality, most PS3 games were not remote playable on the PS Vita."
Activision, Vivendi lawsuit settlement amounts to $275 million
Activision Blizzard reached a settlement this week over a shareholder's lawsuit in regards to the Call of Duty publisher's October 2013 buyout. As a result, Vivendi and others will pay $275 million to Activision to settle the litigation, which began in August 2013 before Activision's $8.2 billion purchase of itself from Vivendi was completed. Under the settlement terms, Activision will also add two directors to its board and must change the terms of its voting rights. According to the lawsuit, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and Co-Chairman Brian Kelly seemingly benefited from insider knowledge of the company's purchase, obtaining a 10 percent discount when Kotick's investment firm purchased 172 million shares of Activision for $2.34 billion. The lawsuit alleged a "breach of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment." Emails from the suit presented in July revealed that Vivendi wanted to fire Kotick in 2013 during the purchasing negotiations. [Image: Activision]
AT&T to pay $80 million in refunds for unauthorized charges
In order to settle an FTC complaint over unauthorized third-party charges, AT&T will pay $80 million to the Commission for customer refunds. The FTC complaint alleges that the carrier billed "hundreds of millions of dollars" in charges from outside companies for subscriptions, ringtones, horoscopes and more without consent -- a practice more commonly referred to as mobile cramming. It also states that AT&T pocketed at least 35 percent of collected funds that usually appeared as $9.99 monthly additions. Folks who think they might've been charged without giving proper consent can submit a claim with the FTC starting today. AT&T will also pay $20 million in penalties and fees to 50 states and the District of Columbia alongside a $5 million penalty to the FCC. That brings the grand total of the settlement to $105 million. An AT&T spokesperson responded to the matter, noting (among other things) that it was the first carrier to stop billing for this so-called premium SMS content in late 2013. The rest of the statement resides after the jump.
Marriott settles complaint that it forced convention goers to use hotel WiFi
Ever suspected that a hotel was forcing you to use its paid WiFi by making your mobile hotspot unusable? Apparently, your hunch has some grounding in reality. Marriott has paid a $600,000 fine to settle a complaint that it blocked third-party hotspots at a Nashville hotel to make convention attendees and exhibitors pay for the venue's commercial WiFi access -- not exactly cheap at $250 to $1,000 a pop. As the FCC explains, the hotel was effectively asking users to either pay twice for internet access or else risk going offline whenever they approached the convention center.
Yelp settles with the FTC over claims it collected personal info from kids
The FTC is eager to crack down on any perceived online privacy violations, especially when they involve children -- and we just got a good demonstration of that eagerness today. Both Yelp and mobile app developer TinyCo have settled with the FTC over allegations that they knowingly scooped up kids' personal information without permission. Yelp is paying a $450,000 penalty because it didn't have an effective age screen in its apps, letting those under 13 sign up by themselves. TinyCo, meanwhile, is shelling out $300,000 after some of its kid-oriented games asked for email addresses in return for in-game currency. These aren't the biggest settlements we've seen by any stretch, but they'll hopefully serve as warning to any app creator that wants to collect your little ones' data.
Snapchat acknowledges jilted founder, settles legal spat
We've seen the whole "successful startup begets jilted cofounder" thing many times before -- there's Facebook and Eduardo Saverin, Twitter and Noah Glass and (most recently) Snapchat and Reggie Brown. The legal battle that last pair has been embroiled in has finally come to an end, though: a statement released earlier today confirms that both parties have resolved their little spat. And really, what better way to quietly end a year's worth of startup drama than to issue a press release while Apple's going crazy?
Google settles with the government for $19 million over in-app purchases
Don't think that Apple and Amazon are the only ones currently in the FTC's crosshairs over their in-app purchasing policies. But while Jeff Bezos and company are fighting tooth and nail, Google has decided simply settle with the government and offer refunds to parents whose children went a little overboard with the in-app purchases. Mountain View will issue full refunds to those who were charged for unauthorized purchases made by their kids. That will mean a minimum of $19 million dollars is being returned to angry consumers, though that's mere pocket change for the internet giant. That's also significantly less than the $32.5 million Apple settled for, though it remains to be seen how much Amazon will be hit for if it fails to fend off the FTC's lawsuit.
Verizon to shell out $7.4 million to settle FCC marketing privacy investigation
An FCC investigation determined that Verizon failed to offer around two million new customers instructions on how to decline personal info being used in marketing tactics. The Commission announced today that Big Red would pay $7.4 million to settle the matter, and it has to notify customers of their right to opt out on very bill they'll receive for the next three years. While phone companies collect personal info from customers on the regular, use is limited to things like marketing, but only if the chance to say "no thanks" is explicitly offered. When the participation process isn't working correctly, the FCC has to be notified within five business days -- something Verizon did not do. Going back to 2006, millions of cases were found where the opt-out notices weren't properly disclosed. Although Verizon found the issue in September of 2012, it did not notify the FCC until 126 days later, in January of 2013. The sum that Verizon stands to pay out is the largest of its kind to date for settling an investigation into personal data privacy for landline customers. [Photo credit: Rick Maiman/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Fandango finalizes a truce with the FTC after exposing your movie ticket data
Fandango slipped up in a big way between 2009 and 2013: its mobile apps would send your movie ticket purchases without a basic security measure, leaving credit card info and other data vulnerable to theft. However, the company is about to make amends for playing fast and loose with your personal info. The FTC has just approved a settlement with Fandango that will require the movie service to follow the straight and narrow. As agreed to in March, Fandango has to implement new procedures that address security concerns in apps before they reach the public; it will also have to get independent security reviews every other year for the next 20 years. The remedy won't help much if someone swiped your banking details while you were watching a summer blockbuster, but it should at least reduce the chances of a movie-related breach in the future.
Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach
The US District Court for the Southern District of California approved a settlement for the class action lawsuit resulting from Sony's 2011 PSN data breach. The settlement may result in Sony doling out as much as $17.75 million, which includes an offer for one free game (PS3 or PSP only), three PS3 themes or credit for three months of PlayStation Plus membership (valid only for new subscribers). The claimant groups are divided based on whether PSN account holders prior to May 15, 2011 took advantage of the "Welcome Back" program following the intrusion. Those that did not accept the PSN Welcome Back offer can claim two of the benefit options among the games, themes and PS Plus membership credit on a first come, first served basis until a $6 million allocation from Sony is reached. For those that did take advantage of the program, they will receive one of the benefits above until a $4 million allocation is reached.
