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Oura slaps Ultrahuman with a lawsuit for trying to copy its smart ring
Oura claims Ultrahuman is a copycat, not an innovator
While Oura has been around the block and is already on its third generation of smart ring, its rivals have been making some questionable moves. Last year, Oura dragged fledgling rival Circular into a patent war over ring design and biometric data collection. And now, the Finnish ring maker is throwing another legal punch at another startup, Ultrahuman, for allegedly copying its products and stealing its secrets.
US lawmakers are pushing Google to restructure amid monopoly concerns
The Justice Department argues that Google unlawfully diminished its competition
Whether you purchase a new tablet or a phone, you know that there is only going to be so much removable bloatware. In some cases, you might want to remove pre-installed software because you know that you won’t use it. However, big tech companies don’t make it easy to stray from default apps and services. Companies, including Amazon and Apple, are some of the biggest offenders. Now, the US Justice Department is taking Google to court, citing monopolistic business practices.
The service formally known as Twitter is suing a hate speech watchdog
X brought a lawsuit to Center for Countering Digital Hate for allegedly targeting the site
Combating hate speech online may be a noble goal, but not everyone is in agreement about the best approach. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) advocates for big tech companies to stop providing services to individuals who spread hate and misinformation. CCDH had publicly criticized X (formerly known as Twitter) for allowing hateful content on its platform, and now in a new twist, X has brought its own lawsuit against CCDH, accusing the organization of everything from flawed reporting to targeting its advertisers.
Think twice before sending that next thumbs-up emoji — it's now legally binding
Emoji can be considered a legally enforceable digital signature in Canada
Emoji have become commonplace in phone conversations, to the point where most people don't think twice about giving a thumbs up or hearting messages. Heck, emoji are even animated now — but they're not without issues. We've all found ourselves regretting an emoji choice after someone else took it the wrong way, and things like an eggplant or a peach can definitely have more than one meaning. Now, it appears that the thumbs-up emoji can get you taken to court.
Google’s making major changes to the way Android works in India
Auto-updating sideloaded apps, default search engine settings, and more
Google has come under the gun for anti-competitive practices in recent years. The United States Department of Justice filed a major antitrust lawsuit against the company over its digital ad dominance this week, following an earlier suit about alleged abuse of market share in the search segment. But it’s not just Google’s online presence facing legal scrutiny — the company’s Android policies were deemed monopolistic in India, and now, major changes are in store for the world’s largest mobile operating system.
Alphabet hit with a new antitrust lawsuit over Google’s online ads
DOJ already has a case pending against Google for alleged search monopoly
While companies like Google have seen countless antitrust cases brought against it by the EU, the US Department of Justice has shown itself to be far more forgiving. After years of leniency, however, those tides are finally shifting. Today, nearly two and a half years after filing an antitrust lawsuit against Google for its search dominance, the DOJ is bringing another antitrust case against Alphabet over alleged abuse of a monopoly through its online advertising platforms.
AT&T is pretty upset with T-Mobile over its recent ad campaign
This comes after T-Mobile took a jibe at AT&T for offering limited senior discounts
American wireless carriers are used to getting lawsuits — particularly T-Mobile, which has faced several lawsuits over the years, including in June this year for leaving Sprint 5G customers hanging following the heavily publicized merger. Well, the self-ascribed Un-carrier is gearing up for another legal battle, this time with AT&T, as the latter has made it clear it is unhappy over its competitor's recent marketing campaign alleging that AT&T and Verizon don't offer senior discounts unless they live in Florida.
Google files two new lawsuits against Sonos over speakers infringing on more patents
It's the legal battle that will never end
If you're deeply invested in Google's hardware ecosystem, you're undoubtedly aware of the ongoing legal battles between it and Sonos. The company behind some of the best connected speakers around first filed a lawsuit against Google back in 2020, and since then, the two have been engaged in courtroom fight after courtroom fight. After several attacks and counterattacks — not to mention a win for Sonos back in January — Google is filing two more lawsuits against Sonos.
Fitbit lawsuit claims most of its trackers and watches are burn hazards
Warning: there are plenty of pictures to go with it
About two months ago, Fitbit started recalling its first true smartwatch, the Ionic, due to overheating batteries that caused 78 reported injuries in the U.S., including a handful of second and third-degree burns. But a new lawsuit alleges many more people have been hurt using other Fitbit trackers and smartwatches that suffer the same defect and are capable of causing skin burns.
Samsung faces lawsuit and possible Korean consumer watchdog investigation over S22 throttling
Don't throttle me, bro
Samsung launched its Galaxy S22 series to great fanfare last month, but lately the phones have been in the spotlight for some decidedly negative reasons. The problem concerns One UI 4's game optimization service (GOS), and while Samsung claims it's there to improve performance while minimizing overheating, there's been widespread fallout accusing the software of cheating at benchmarks — even leading to a Geekbench ban. Now it looks like some users are mad enough about the throttling to sue the company, and they're organizing — just as the company is also drawing scrutiny from South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) for the same reason.
In 2018 developer Dylan McKay noticed that Facebook was doing something unexpected with information from his Android phone — it was recording names, numbers, and duration for every call. Shortly after he made this public via Twitter, multiple Android smartphone users got together and filed suit against the social media giant, alleging a violation of privacy. It's taken almost exactly four years, but now it looks like Facebook is ready to settle the claims.
OnlyFans accused of using terror list to derail rivals
A lawsuit filed in Florida alleges a conspiracy to torpedo traffic to rival FanCentro
OnlyFans has been wildly successful, so when the site said that it would drop the thing that made it famous — explicit content, a.k.a. porn — the backlash was strong enough to make the company rethink that decision. While attempting to get rid of adult content certainly made it seem like OnlyFans was ready for a big change, a lawsuit filed in Florida says that before it considered rebranding with a lot less skin, the company was up to some shady business to protect its place in the market, including putting content from some performers on... a terrorism blacklist?
Latest patent lawsuit to target Google takes aim at Android's power management code
Is there pocket change stuck in this Lint?
We're used to seeing patent lawsuits filed by small holding firms against tech giants go through Texas's federal courts. Whether they end up being rightful claims to royalties or a fruitless attempt at trolling, we don't often recognize the names of the plaintiffs. Not so with this new case against Google coming out of Purdue University.
Google faces fresh lawsuits alleging deceptive location tracking practices
It's accused of tracking location history without permission and using so-called dark patterns
Google is no stranger to lawsuits, and last year, some documents detailing its disregard for user privacy came to light. The company was said to have redesigned its settings menu to make it harder to find or understand the options to switch off location tracking. And, even when the user did manage to opt out of direct data collection successfully, Google may have used other complex approaches to figure out the location of its users. In a similar turn of events, the attorneys general of three states and DC are now suing Google for the alleged deceptive collection of location data on Android.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was aware of anti-competitive ads deal with Facebook, Texas AG alleges
Meta's Zuckerberg and Sandberg also knew about 'Jedi Blue'
Court filings from the Texas attorney general's office which have just been unsealed allege that top executives at Google and Facebook (now Meta) knew of and supported a deal that gave the social media giant a sweetheart deal on internet ads. They're the latest revelation in the midst of a multi-state antitrust lawsuit against the search giant.
Google Home app update makes Speaker Group volume controls much worse
An annoying, legally mandated change
Earlier this week, Google was handed a big blow in its legal tussle with Sonos over patent infringement. The US International Trade Commission found the company guilty of violating Sonos' IP. Due to this, Google was forced to remove unified Speaker Group volume controls. Going forward, users will have to adjust each speaker's sound level individually, with the option of controlling it using the phone's volume buttons completely removed. A new Google Home app update (v2.47.79.5) is now out with the regressions in tow.
Sonos vs. Google FAQ: What the ITC decision means for the future of Google devices
Everything you need to know
The recent decision from the USITC regarding the legal battle between Google and Sonos is bound to have some ripple effects throughout the world of tech, even if only in the short term. It's an outcome that has already had some impact on devices you have in your house right now, and likewise, this story is bound to continue developing over the incoming weeks and months.
Scandalous Google antitrust suit accuses company of market manipulation, collusion, and worse
'Jedi Blue' saw Google team up with Facebook to keep its ad auctions dominant
It's hard to keep track of all of the lawsuits Google is facing these days, but one of its most significant legal challenges from the past year is a barrage of antitrust lawsuits filed by both the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general. Thanks to some newly-unredacted filings first unsealed on Friday, we're finally getting a good idea as to how Google runs its advertising business, including claims of collusion, manipulation, shady deals, and more.
Google countersues Epic for the money it made by breaking Play Store rules
After courts ordered a similar payment to be made to Apple last month
Epic’s fight against the tech industry continues. Just a few weeks after its lawsuit against Apple came to a close — pending appeals, of course — there’s a new development in another court case. Epic’s case against Google has yet to conclude, and there’s a new twist unfolding more than a year later: Google is fighting back.
Epic Games may be on the hook for a whopping $3.6 million if it loses appeal against Apple
A narrative shift may toss out rules that would cost Epic the money
Last week's ruling in Epic Games v. Apple which basically allowed app developers to direct customers away from the App Store payment platform for in-app transactions was praised and panned across the spectrum. But in the view of Epic, it did not go far enough in stopping what it alleges to be Apple's harmful practices on its iOS app distribution monopoly. So it went on Sunday as the gaming giant filed an appeal.