courts

A European court says an employee shouldn't have been fired for sending private messages while at work. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) overturned a lower court decision and said the employee's right to privacy had been violated. However, ... the court said the verdict was largely about the specifics of the case and that it didn't constitute an absolute ban on monitoring staff computer use, or create a right to private Internet access while at work. The case involves Bogan Mihai Barbalescu, a Romanian man fired in 2007 after using Yahoo Messenger at work to send personal and intimate ... (view more)

A Texas man is suing a woman he dated for text messaging while the pair were watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Brandon Vezmar filed in small claims court seeking $17.31, the cost of his ticket for a 3D showing. According to the filing, ... reported in the Austin American-Statesman, the pair were on a first date after meeting online. Vezmar claims the woman "activated her phone at least 10-20 times in 15 minutes to read and send text messages." (Source: newsweek.com ) Texter Labeled Threat to Society He argues that this violated the theater's policy and spoiled the experience ... (view more)

It's been less than a year since Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom appeared on CBS to discuss his controversial file-sharing business and show off a sprawling, 60-acre estate located just outside beautiful Auckland, New Zealand. Now, it appears that ... after a three-year legal fight, things could be coming to an end. Dotcom says he has lost everything in an attempt to defend himself against accusations of copyright infringement. With over 50 million visitors a day, Megaupload was one of the biggest file-sharing services established on the Internet. It's estimated that Megaupload at one time ... (view more)