Google Faces Class Action Suit Over Buzz Privacy Issues

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

San Francisco
– Despite the company’s attempts to address negative feedback by beefing up the
privacy features on its new Buzz social features within Gmail, Google (NASD:  GOOG) now faces
a class action lawsuit over the new service, according to reports. Law firms in
San Francisco and D.C. on Wednesday filed a
class action complaint in federal court in California
on behalf of Eva Hibnick, a 24-year-old Harvard Law
School student, ABC News reported.

The lawsuit alleges that Google Buzz violates the Federal Electronic Communications
Privacy Act, Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Federal Stored
Communications Act and various California
state laws.

Hibnick told ABC she was "concerned that Google Buzz had
publicly disclosed her personal relationships."

The class action complaint
seeks an injunction against further similar privacy breaches by Google, in
addition to unspecified monetary damages.

"It’s not so much that we’re
expecting to get millions of people hundreds of dollars," Gary E. Mason,
an attorney representing Hibnick, told ABC News.

"What we’d like to see as
result is a commitment from Google that they’re not going to do this again the next
time they launch a product."

The lawsuit follows on the heels of a
complaint about Buzz filed with the Federal Trade Commission by privacy
watchdog the Electronic
Privacy Information
Center.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/uexgf
(S.F. Chronicle)

http://snipurl.com/uexg4
(ABC News)

http://snipurl.com/uexjm
(DMW previous coverage)

Report: Some Apple E-books to Sell Below $12.99-$14.99

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– Apple’s (NASD: AAPL) deals with major publishers on pricing for e-books for its iPad may
be more flexible than previously expected, and allow the company to match
Amazon’s $9.99 list price on some titles, The New York Times reported.

Previous
reports indicated that Apple’s deals with Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan,
Penguin and Simon & Schuster set a price range for new releases of between
$12.99 and $14.99.

Three sources told The Times, however, that terms say
publishers must allow Apple to discount e-book prices on best-sellers.

Apple
also wants to discount e-book pricing on titles whose hardcover editions sell
for less than the industry standard $26 — even if they are not best-sellers.

 

Related Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/technology/18apple.html

Report: Google Eyeing Acquisition of Catch Media

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– Google (NASD: GOOG) has shown interest in acquiring Catch Media, the developer of a cloud-based
service that lets consumers access music and other media across a range of
platforms and devices, CNET News.com reported.

Sources with knowledge of the
negotiations told CNET it’s unclear whether they have gone beyond "informal
discussions."

Founded in 2003, Los Angeles-based Catch has already
licensed tracks from all four major record labels for its service.

"The
company wants to be to digital media what Plus, Cirrus, and ATM networks are to
the banking industry," CNET reported. "Catch has developed a
technology that helps hardware companies and service providers register, track,
route and clear digital media as it moves across different platforms."

Google was also reportedly interested in Lala, the streaming and cloud-based
music storage service that was acquired by Apple in December for about $80 million.

 

Related Links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10455535-261.html

http://www.catchmedia.com

Ticketmaster Settles With FTC Over Springsteen Ticket Sales

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Washington
– The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Thursday that it has
settled charges against Ticketmaster and affiliates over "deceptive
bait-and-switch tactics" used in selling tickets to a series of Bruce
Springsteen concerts last year. The FTC alleged that Ticketmaster redirected
consumers seeking tickets to the shows to TicketsNow, a secondary marketplace
where some were charged double, triple or quadruple the face value of tickets.

The FTC said Ticketmaster also failed to tell consumers that some of these
resale tickets "were being sold speculatively — that is, they were merely
offers to try to find tickets."

Some Springsteen fans paid for tickets in
February for a show in May in D.C. that never materialized, and the FTC says
Ticketmaster kept the sales proceeds for more than three months without a
reasonable basis for believing it could fulfill those orders.

"TicketsNow.com
sold phantom tickets without letting consumers know that the tickets did not
exist. Then, the company held onto consumers’ money, sometimes for months, when
it knew those fans weren’t going to see Springsteen," said FTC chairman
Jon Leibowitz said. "Clearly consumers deserve better."

Under the
terms of the settlement, consumers who have not previously received a refund
will get back the extra money they paid to buy higher-priced tickets from
TicketsNow.

The FTC is using purchase information from TicketsNow’s database,
and expects refunds to become available in six months.

The FTC also said it is
sending a warning letter to other ticket resale companies whose practices may
violate the law.

 

Related Links:
http://ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/ticketmaster.shtm

http://snipurl.com/uewkx
(DMW previous coverage)

http://snipurl.com/uewl3
(DMW previous coverage)

U.S. Intl. Trade Commission Probing Apple, RIM on Kodak Patent

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Washington
– The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to launch an
investigation into whether iPhone maker Apple (NASD: AAPL) and BlackBerry maker Research in
Motion (NASD: RIMM) are infringing a Kodak (NYSE: EK) patent with their mobile phone camera software.

The
complaint, filed by Kodak on Jan. 14, alleges violations of the Tariff Act of
1930 — namely the importation of phones with digital cameras that Kodak
believes are infringing its patent.

Kodak is asking the USITC to issue cease
and desist orders that would block imports of the iPhone and BlackBerry into
the U.S.
from their Asian manufacturing plants.

The USITC said it has not yet made any
decision on the merits of the case, but said it will set a target date for
completion within 45 days.

 

Related Links:
http://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2010/er0217hh1.htm

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10455225-52.html

Google Book Settlement Gets Day in Court; No Ruling Today

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– The federal judge overseeing the settlement between Google (NASD:  GOOG) and authors over
Google’s plan to build a digital books index said the "voluminous materials"
submitted by parties mean he will not make a ruling on Thursday, according to
reports. "To end the suspense. I am not going to rule today. There is too
much to digest," said U.S. District Judge Denny Chin.

Chin is hearing
testimony on Thursday from the numerous parties opposed to the settlement deal,
including authors, the Justice Dept., several foreign governments, and Google
rivals Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon.com.

The Justice Dept.’s opposition to the
terms of the original version of the settlement compelled Google and the other
parties to resubmit a revised settlement proposal in November.

After the
Justice Dept. reiterated its objection to the revised settlement, Google opted
to defend the new terms against the Justice Dept. and other opponents in court.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/uevhw
(AP)

http://snipurl.com/uevjb
(DMW previous coverage)

Yahoo, Microsoft Get Regulatory Approval for Search Alliance

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

Sunnyvale, Calif.
– Yahoo (NASD:  YHOO) and Microsoft (NASD:  MSFT) announced on Thursday that they have received antitrust
approval from both the U.S.
Justice Department and European Commission for their proposed search
partnership. The companies expect implementation of the deal to begin in coming
days, when Yahoo will transition its algorithmic and paid search platforms to
Microsoft.

Yahoo will become the exclusive relationship sales force for both
companies’ premium search advertisers globally.

"This breakthrough search
alliance means Yahoo can focus even more on our own innovative search
experience," said Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz.

"Yahoo gets to do what we do
best: combine our science and technology with compelling content to build
personally relevant online experiences for our users and customers."

The
companies said they hope to complete the transition, at least in the U.S., by the
end of 2010, while all global customers and partners are expected to be
transitioned by early 2012.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/uevdr

http://www.searchalliance.com

Clicker Media Raises $11 Million for Internet TV Program Guide

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
1

Los Angeles
– Clicker Media, the developer of a programming guide for Internet television,
announced on Thursday that it has closed an $11 million second round of
funding, led by JAFCO Ventures.

Previous investors Benchmark Capital and
Redpoint Ventures also participated in the round, proceeds from which will
support long-term development of the company’s product line and partnerships
with consumer electronics, connectivity and content providers.

Los Angeles-based
Clicker launched its service to the public last November.

It offers an index of
more than 600,000 TV episodes from over 10,000 online shows, in addition to
over 30,000 movies from Netflix Instant Streaming and Amazon VOD, and 50,000
music videos.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/uev20

http://www.clicker.com

Google Acquires Email Search Technology Firm Remail

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Mountain View,
Calif. – Google (NASD: GOOG) has acquired
Remail, a developer of email search technology, for an undisclosed sum.

Remail was created for Apple’s iPhone, but in the wake of the
company’s acquisition the application has been removed from the App Store.

CNET
speculated that Google may have an eye towards incorporating Remail into its
Android mobile operating system, or Gmail email service.

 

Related Links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10455446-265.html

http://snipurl.com/uev2r
(reMail blog)

EveryScape Lands $6 Million for 3D Local Search

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Waltham, Mass.
– EveryScape, a developer of 3D local search technology, announced on Thursday
that it has raised $6 million in its third round of funding, led by SK Telecom
Americas, a unit of South Korea’s
SK Telecom.

Previous backers Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Dace Ventures also
participated.

Founded in 2002, Massachusetts-based EveryScape has created 3D photographic
maps of 20 cities in four countries.

The company makes money in part by selling
the ability for businesses to include interior panorama photographs in
"The Real World Online."

EveryScape will use the funds to fuel its
Asian market strategy, as well as to propel growth in the U.S.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ueuui

http://www.everyscape.com

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