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Internet TV Start-up Seeks US District Court Declaration of Non-Infringement
Internet start-up Aereo is seeking a federal court declaration that its rebroadcasting over computer networks of media obtained from the airwaves does not constitute a copyright infringement. Aereo conducts business by capturing broadcast signals using thousands of tiny antennas; it then charges customers to watch the captured content over computers and mobile devices.

BitTorrent site operator sentenced to 4 years
For abetting copyright infringement, a German district court has sentenced a BitTorrent site operator to 3 years and 10 months in prison. The site operator was accused of selling ads in association with links to torrent sites - i.e., generating profit by intentionally exploiting the attractiveness of infringing media services on the Internet. The site operator did not offer a defense, but an appeal is anticipated. The suit was initiated in 2006 by the German Society for the Prosecution of Copyright Infringement.

FBI Pushes For Internet Surveillance Law
Big Brother is seeking even more access to private information, this time, from Internet companies. According to reports, the FBI is pushing for law reform that would require Internet companies to give them access to anything that could provide a means for communication.

New Legislation to Modify U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act
A new piece of legislation, the "Unlocking Technology Act of 2013", has been introduced by members of Congress to explicitly legalize cell phone unlocking and modify the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to clarify that unlocking copyrighted content is only illegal if it is done in order to "facilitate the infringement of a copyright".

Warner Brothers Sued for Copyright and Registered Trademark Infringement
Warner Brothers and game developer 5th Cell face a federal lawsuit in the Central District of California involving allegations of copyright and trademark infringement. The plaintiffs, two creators of feline-themed Internet memes, allege that their memes are being used without their permission in Scribblenaults, a series of video games published and developed by the defendants. The plaintiffs also allege that the cat memes have been used by the defendants in promotional materials relating to the video games.

Google Books Copyright Infringement Case Appealed
Google is appealing a lower court's decision to permit a class of plaintiffs to proceed against it in a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit is in respect of the Google Books project. The plaintiffs allege Google is guilty of massive scale copyright infringement. The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals questioned the lower court's decision, stating that some authors may benefit from the project, the project may have enormous value for our culture, and the project is a truly unique endeavor in the history of mankind.

$3.4 Million Trade Secret Suit Against Former Opera Programmer
The company which owns and operates Opera, an increasingly popular computer and mobile web browser, has launched a lawsuit in Norway against former employee Trond Hansen over allegations of divulging trade secrets to rival web browser company Mozilla (makers of Firefox).

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Current Headlines