Settlements

Cingular, Others Settle Adware Suit With NY Attorney General

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 31, 2007 - 11:19am.

New York - Wireless carrier AT&T (Cingular) -- along with Travelocity.com and Priceline.com -- has agreed to change its policies when running online advertisements served through deceptively installed programs known as "adware."

Sony BMG to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle Some CD "Rootkit" Complaints

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 20, 2006 - 7:40am.

Los Angeles - Major record label Sony BMG will pay more than $1.5 million to settle cases in California and Texas over its inclusion of "rootkit" anti-copying technology on music CDs, which had the unintended effect of opening PCs to malicious attacks.

HP to Pay $14.5 Million in Spying Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 7, 2006 - 2:52pm.

Palo Alto, Calif. - Three months after initial reports of the company's internal spying scandal, Hewlett-Packard has reached a civil settlement with the California attorney general's office.

Universal Music CEO Expects to Settle MySpace Copyright Lawsuit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 29, 2006 - 2:38pm.

New York - Universal Music Group expects to reach a settlement agreement to resolve the major record label's copyright infringement lawsuit against News Corp.'s MySpace online social network, Reuters reported.

U.S. Permanently Bans U.K. Gambling Site BetOnSports

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2006 - 2:50pm.

St. Louis - U.K. online gambling site BetOnSports on Thursday settled civil charges filed by U.S. prosecutors, agreeing to permanently ban any wagers placed from the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

NYTimes: Kazaa Pays $10 Million to Settle Music Publishers' Lawsuit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2006 - 2:10pm.

New York - The operators of the Kazaa file-sharing network have agreed to pay $10 million to music publishers to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

Music Publishers, Kazaa to Settle Copyright Infringement Case

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 1, 2006 - 2:37pm.

Los Angeles - Music publishers suing the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Kazaa for copyright infringement announced that they have reached an anticipated settlement that includes a "substantial sum" that will be paid to compensate the publishers.

Taiwan Song-Swapping Service Kuro Agrees to Shut Down, Pay Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 15, 2006 - 11:28am.

London - The recording industry's campaign against illicit file-sharing sites claimed another victory this week, as Taiwan-based Kuro agreed to shut down and pay the industry unspecified damages for copyright infringement. Kuro, which counted an estimated 500,000 registered users for its commercial, subscription-based download service, announced plans to re-launch as a legitimate service that will compensate copyright holders.

eDonkey File-Sharing Service to Shut Down, Pay Labels $30 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 12, 2006 - 6:51pm.

Los Angeles - MetaMachine, operator of the eDonkey peer-to-peer file-sharing service, has agreed to pay $30 million to avoid copyright infringement litigation from the major record labels, the Associated Press reported. New York-based MetaMachine also agreed to immediately cease distribution of its eDonkey, eDonkey 2000, Overnet and other file-sharing applications, as well as take steps to prevent current eDonkey users from trading files with one another. Since the 2005 landmark Supreme Court decision that found providers of file-sharing software liable for copyright infringement committed by users, the recording industry has threatened litigation against the remaining popular free file-sharing networks. To date, BearShare, i2Hub, WinMX and Grokster have reached settlements with the record labels and shut down their peer-to-peer services. Holdouts include Soulseek and LimeWire, which was served a copyright infringement lawsuit by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last month.

Apple Pays Creative $100 Million to Settle MP3 Player Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 24, 2006 - 7:21pm.

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple and rival MP3 player maker Creative Technology announced that they have settled all outstanding patent litigation between the companies, with Apple agreeing to pay Creative $100 million.

Kazaa Pays Over $115 Million to Settle All Copyright Litigation

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 27, 2006 - 7:09pm.

Sydney, Australia - Sharman Networks, operator of the Kazaa peer-to-peer file-sharing network, announced on Thursday that it has settled all outstanding litigation with the movie studios and record labels that sued the company for copyright infringement. The Associated Press reported that under the terms of the settlement, Sharman will pay $115 million to record labels and an undisclosed smaller sum to the movie studios, and has agreed to "use all reasonable means" to discourage piracy on its network.

FTC Settles With Take-Two Over Hidden Sex Content in "Grand Theft Auto"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2006 - 5:16pm.

Washington - Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive and its Rockstar Games unit on Thursday settled charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that they failed to disclose information about sexually explicit content in their "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" video game to consumers.

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FTC Settles With Seller of "100% Legal" File-Sharing Tutorial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 30, 2006 - 1:32pm.

Washington - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled charges against a website operator who claimed the file-sharing network tutorial he was selling was "100 percent legal."

CBS Radio to Settle Lawsuit Against Howard Stern, Court Clerk Says

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2006 - 6:38am.

New York - CBS Radio has settled its lawsuit against Howard Stern, in which it alleged the shock jock improperly used his last months on terrestrial radio to promote his jump to satellite radio, Reuters reported.

Judge Approves Terms of Sony BMG "Rootkit" CD Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 24, 2006 - 7:52pm.

New York - A U.S. District Court judge has given final approval to a settlement for consumers who purchased Sony BMG music CDs that featured a "rootkit" security measure that put their computers at risk.

Altnet Settles P2P Patent Infringement Suits with Overpeer, Loudeye

Authored by dmw on May 17, 2006 - 4:48pm.

Los Angeles - Altnet, a file-sharing technology company associated with Kazaa distributor Sharman Networks, announced that it has settled some of the patent infringement claims it brought against the music industry.

BearShare File-Sharing Network to Shut Down, Pay Labels $30 Million

Authored by dmw on May 5, 2006 - 9:11am.

Los Angeles - Free Peers, the company behind the BearShare peer-to-peer file-sharing service, has agreed to shut down and pay the record labels a $30 million settlement to avoid copyright infringement claims, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Under the terms of the settlement, which must still be approved by a judge, BearShare will also sell its technology, user data and domain name to a unit of iMesh, another file-sharing service that settled with the labels and now offers a legitimate music service. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed. BearShare was one of seven targets of letters sent by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after the Supreme Court ruled providers of file-sharing software were liable for copyright infringement. Fellow RIAA letter recipients i2Hub and WinMX have also since shut down, while Warez P2P, Limewire, eDonkey and Soulseek continue normal operations.

Judge Issues Final Settlement in Netflix "Throttling" Class Action Suit

Authored by dmw on May 2, 2006 - 11:12am.

San Francisco - A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit brought by subscribers of online DVD rental service Netflix, that will award a free month of rentals to 5.5 million current and former subscribers, the Associated Press reported. Filed in 2004, the suit accused Netflix of misleading customers with regard to its delivery policies. The company was found to give preferential treatment to less frequent renters, as compared with those who quickly return their movies and thereby increase the company's costs -- in a practice dubbed "throttling". An earlier version of the settlement was criticized by the FTC because customers who accepted the free month of service were automatically billed for additional months after the free period. The final settlement was delayed while the judge determined payments to lawyers for the plaintiffs, whose request for $2.5 million was reduced to $1.3 million for the original team that filed the suit and $60,000 for various other litigators. "We settled the case in the best interest of all parties," Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey told the Associated Press.

Electronic Arts to Pay Programmers $14.9 Million in Overtime Settlement

Authored by dmw on April 26, 2006 - 12:22pm.

Redwood City, Calif. - Video game publisher Electronic Arts has announced it will pay $14.9 million to settle a class action suit brought against it by current and former computer programmers. The programmers, all from the company's California studios, had sued for overtime pay. Under the settlement, all of their claims will be dismissed, and any unclaimed funds will go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, as well as to establish scholarships at five universities, including Stanford, for female and minority students interested in studying interactive entertainment. The settlement still must be approved by San Mateo County Superior Court.

EU to Continue with Microsoft Antitrust Case Despite Settlements

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 9, 2004 - 8:03am.

Brussels -- Despite the fact Microsoft has reached settlements with two of its fiercest rivals, the European Commission said it would pursue its antitrust case against the U.S.-based software giant. On Monday, Microsoft announced that it had reached a deal with the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), and that it had agreed to pay $536 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit over Novell's Netware software. Even so, European Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said the settlements did not change "any elements of Microsoft's conduct in the market" and that EU antitrust enforcement did not "hinge upon complaints by individual parties." Acting EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti, who has spearheaded the EU case against Microsoft, is set to step down at the end of this month; so far, his replacement, Neelie Kroes, has said little about what line she plans take on the Microsoft antitrust case.

Cingular, Others Settle Adware Suit With NY Attorney General

Sony BMG to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle Some CD "Rootkit" Complaints

HP to Pay $14.5 Million in Spying Settlement

Universal Music CEO Expects to Settle MySpace Copyright Lawsuit

U.S. Permanently Bans U.K. Gambling Site BetOnSports

NYTimes: Kazaa Pays $10 Million to Settle Music Publishers' Lawsuit

Music Publishers, Kazaa to Settle Copyright Infringement Case

Taiwan Song-Swapping Service Kuro Agrees to Shut Down, Pay Damages

eDonkey File-Sharing Service to Shut Down, Pay Labels $30 Million

Apple Pays Creative $100 Million to Settle MP3 Player Patent Dispute

Kazaa Pays Over $115 Million to Settle All Copyright Litigation

FTC Settles With Take-Two Over Hidden Sex Content in "Grand Theft Auto"

FTC Settles With Seller of "100% Legal" File-Sharing Tutorial

CBS Radio to Settle Lawsuit Against Howard Stern, Court Clerk Says

Judge Approves Terms of Sony BMG "Rootkit" CD Settlement

Altnet Settles P2P Patent Infringement Suits with Overpeer, Loudeye

BearShare File-Sharing Network to Shut Down, Pay Labels $30 Million

Judge Issues Final Settlement in Netflix "Throttling" Class Action Suit

Electronic Arts to Pay Programmers $14.9 Million in Overtime Settlement

EU to Continue with Microsoft Antitrust Case Despite Settlements

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