federal judge

Judge: RealDVD Antitrust Case Real Stupid

John Paczkowski in News on January 11, 2010 at 11:02 am PT

The federal judge presiding over the RealNetworks legal battle with Hollywood has confirmed what even the company’s attorneys have likely known all along: There was no chance whatsoever that the company would prevail in its claims against the film industry, and the plight in which RealNetworks now finds itself is entirely its own doing.

Court Kills Preposterous Pirate Beatles Site

Peter Kafka in Media on November 18, 2009 at 4:05 pm PT

It’s official: You still can’t buy the Beatles’ songs on the Web, despite the efforts of a site that attempted to do so by rewriting copyright law on the fly. In other news: Have you seen this clip of Richard Pryor reading the alphabet on Sesame Street? Awesome.

Two Years and 30,000 Complaints Later, FTC Finally Busts Car Warranty Robocallers [UPDATED]

John Paczkowski in News on May 18, 2009 at 8:46 am PT

After more than one billion unsolicited calls and some 30,000 complaints–one from Senator Charles E. Schumer–the Federal Trade Commission is finally going after companies responsible for those supremely annoying car warranty robocalls. You know the ones I’m talking about, I’m sure. They’ve been occurring since 2007 and go something like this: “This is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire.” Hang up and the machine calls you again later. Transfer to a “warranty specialist” and ask to be taken off the call list and you’re either hung up on or, in my case, given an 800 number to call that turns out to be a phone sex line.

Just When Microsoft Thought It Was Out, the Justice Department Pulls It Back In!

Kara Swisher in News on April 17, 2009 at 2:36 am PT

The Microsoft antitrust trial seems like a distant memory, doesn’t it? Not quite yet to the Justice Department, it seems, which asked the federal judge overseeing the 2002 settlement with federal and state regulators yesterday to extend her oversight of some of the judgment another 18 months. The Justice Department said it wants that extended to make sure Microsoft fully complies with the requirement that technical documentation to licensees is crackerjack.

Vista Capable Plaintiffs Seek Express Class-Action Upgrade

John Paczkowski in News on February 27, 2009 at 12:37 pm PT

If you thought the Vista Capable lawsuit was all but over with its recent decertification as a class action, think again. The plaintiffs in the suit against Microsoft have narrowed its scope a bit and are asking a federal judge to reinstate its class-action status.