Hasta La Gadget!

Last year, Google ponied up $22.5 million to the FTC as a penalty for bypassing cookie settings in the Safari browser to track users. While Mountain View no doubt wishes this episode were far behind it already, the company will pay a pretty sum once again as the result of a settlement today: $17 million in a suit brought by 37 states and the District of Columbia over that very same practice of tracking users in Safari.

From 2011 to 2012, Google used a loophole in Apple’s browser that allowed for placing tracking cookies on users’ machines without them knowing. The search giant’s suffered more than a slap on the wrist, but it’s still not admitting wrongdoing; in a statement, a spokeswoman said that the company “has taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple’s browsers.”

Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google

Comments

Via: The Wall Street Journal

Source: New York State Attorney General

In late February the FTC and HTC came to a tentative settlement over the manufacturer’s poorly secured software, which included HTC Loggers. The commission voted three to none, with one commissioner recused, to require the company to patch the vulnerabilities and develop a security program that would undergo an independent assessment every other year for the next two decades. The American arm of HTC will also be watched closely regarding its security and consumer privacy claims. Any statements that are found to be false or misleading could lead to fines of up to $16,000 per violation. With the public comment period closed, the FTC has cleared the last hurdle to enforcing the settlement. Let’s just hope others are taking heed, last thing we need is second round of electronic privacy scandals. Oh, wait…

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, HTC

Comments

Remember when you were holding it wrong? Remember when Apple was supposed to compensate you for holding it wrong? No? Well, if you didn’t opt for the free rubber bumper back in the day, apparently that $15 “we’re so sorry your iPhone 4’s antenna sucked” settlement check alternative’s finally being sent out via snail mail. So, case closed iFans. It’s time to move on to greener, 5S pastures.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple

Comments

Source: TUAW

One of the strangest corporate espionage stories in recent memory has come to a conclusion with a confidential settlement between cinema cam makers Red and Arri. It started when a former Arri honcho, Michael Bravin, pleaded guilty to hacking into email accounts at his ex-employer, camera distributor Band Pro Film & Digital. Red founder Jim Jannard claimed his personal account was also compromised during the attack and that other Arri executives were aware of it. As a result, Red sued its competitor for “unfair competition based on email hacking, invasion of privacy, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets and unlawful trade practices, among other charges.” In a post on Red’s user forum, Jannard said “we are very happy with the terms of the settlement with Arri and glad to have this behind us.” He added that a separate suit filed by Band Pro against Arri has yet to be concluded, saying “hopefully they will settle in a way that Band Pro is as happy as we are.” Whether Red will be equally gleeful at the conclusion of its recent clash with Sony remains to be seen.

Filed under: Cameras

Comments

Source: RedUser

It took awhile to read the writing on the wall, but Macmillan has finally settled the antitrust lawsuit brought by the US Justice Department for the publisher’s alleged e-book price fixing. In doing so, Macmillan joins Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Penguin in choosing not to go to trial against the DoJ’s lawyers. It’s an about-face from Macmillan’s initial stance in settlement negotiations, when it claimed that the DoJ’s terms were far too onerous.

Why settle now? Company CEO John Sargent told the Wall Street Journal that the company changed its tune not because it was guilty, but “because the potential penalties became too high to risk even the possibility of an unfavorable outcome.” Should the settlement terms be approved by the court, retailers will be able to discount Macmillan titles, regardless of existing contracts, for 23 months starting from December 18, 2012. With Macmillan bowing out, Apple remains as Uncle Sam’s lone legal opponent at the trial scheduled in June. Given Apple’s staunch denial of wrongdoing and general willingness to litigate, it seems we may be in for some more legal fireworks this summer.

Comments

Via: Electronista

Source: Wall Street Journal