Stefania Spagnuolo

In the latest installment of tech-related lawsuits, online media company Intertainer has filed a lawsuit against three heavyweights: Apple, Google and Napster. Although Intertainer closed its doors in 2002, it was granted a patent in 2005. The broad ... patent gave Intertainer the rights for "managing, distributing, and/or retailing digital media assets." (Source: arstechnica.com ) The meaning and breadth of the patent description is hazy: not only to the typical reader, but also to patent lawyers. Eric Goldman, head of the High-Tech Law Institute, said "I have the same problem with this patent ... (view more)

Pop sales took off when people were able to put some change into a vending machine and get a nice cold drink. Apple has decided that if it worked for pop, it could also work for iPods. iPod vending machines first started popping up a couple of years ... ago in airports. Although intuitively the idea of selling a big ticket item in a vending machine seems odd, the concept has actually proven successful. iPod vending machines now exist in airports, universities, military bases and department stores. (Source: ajc.com ) Mark Mullins, Executive Vice President of Zoom (a company that makes the vending ... (view more)

Firefox developer Blake Ross weighed in on Google's Tips recently, and what he had to say wasn't exactly complementary. Ross, 21, has posted a blog accusing Google of using its tips to unfairly promote its own products during searches. The tips, ... which appear at the top of a search results page after specific queries such as "calendar," "blogging," and "photo sharing," are a result of Google abusing its power, says Ross. (Source: news.com ) In his blog, Ross points out that if Google's services are superior, they would appear at the top of a search, thereby eliminating the need to plug the ... (view more)

Two U.S. Federal judges have approved a proposed $2.45 billion settlement in a case filed against Nortel by shareholders. Judges Richard Berman and Loretta Preska issued their approval of the deal earlier this week. The settlement has Nortel paying ... $575 million in cash to shareholders. It also has the company issuing shares equal to about 14.5 percent of its current outstanding equity, or $1.64 billion based on Nortel's current stock value. (Source: hachinthebox.org ) The settlement will be paid to investors who purchased common stock or sold options between April 24, 2003 and April 27, 2004 ... (view more)

Google's popular service Gmail let down some users recently (and worried many others) when users reported missing emails. After investigating the situation, Google has reported that about 60 users have been affected by the problem. This represents ... an extremely small proportion of Gmail users -- a group in the tens of millions. (Source: thestreet.com ) Google spokesperson Courtney Hohne issued an emailed statement apologizing for the problem. "Once we found out about this issue, we worked day and night to confirm that only a few accounts were affected and to do whatever we could to restore as ... (view more)

If you illegally download music via a file-sharing program, you better watch out -- music companies may file a lawsuit against you. Or at least that's what they want you to think. Earlier this week, the case on Patti Santangelo was dropped and ... refiled, this time implicating Santangelo's two children. Santangelo was sued -- along with many others -- as part of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s campaign to stop the illegal pirating of online music. Unlike the others, however, Santangelo refused to settle, instead choosing to go through costly litigation. (Source: slyck.com ... (view more)

Federal investigators are reviewing Apple stock option documents that may have been falsified by company officials. Reports state that the investigation puts Apple at risk for possible criminal prosecution. (Source: cnn.com ) The allegedly falsified ... documents were uncovered during an earlier investigation on Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Although Jobs was cleared of any wrong-doing over stock options, the investigation uncovered additional problems. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver ... (view more)

YouTube has agreed to discuss copyright issues with a Japanese group, the company said last week. The Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) had sent a letter to YouTube earlier this month requesting stricter ... copyright policies. The letter was sent on behalf of the JASRAC and 22 other Japanese entertainment industry associations, including the Motion Picture Producers' Association of Japan, Yahoo! Japan and all of the major commercial television broadcasters. (Source: pcadvisor.co.uk ) The reply, which was signed by YouTube CEO Chad Hurley and CTO Steven Chen, ... (view more)

Hype for the Apple iPhone has been increasing in anticipation for its expected January release. But, if you think that any Apple product with an "i" prefix is destined for success, think again. Many industry experts are forecasting that the iPhone ... will crash and burn. Below are some of the reasons why they may be right. No Gap for Apple to Fill The iPod's success wasn't a fluke; the MP3 players flew off the shelves because Apple created a device that solved a problem: space. The iPod differentiated itself from its competitors because it enabled users to carry their entire music library with ... (view more)

Between Google's acquisitions and new program launches, the company has still managed to find time to create a partnership with space conglomerate NASA. Google and NASA have come together to sign the Space Act Agreement. The agreement will enable ... the two companies to collaboratively develop a system which will make it easy for people to find weather forecasting data, view high-resolution 3D maps of the moon and Mars, and track the International Space Station in real time. (Source: pcworld.com ) Although the partnership may not seem to be the most natural fit at first, it actually makes ... (view more)