The Verge - Policy & Law Posts

Scanner patent troll targeted in 'groundbreaking' attorney general lawsuit

2013-05-23T10:20:01Z

A patent troll threatening legal action against small businesses over their use of basic office products like scanners has become the subject of a "groundbreaking" lawsuit of its own. On Wednesday, Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell became the first state attorney general to file a suit against a so-called patent troll, alleging MPHJ Technology had "engaged in unfair and deceptive acts" under state law.

MPHJ Technology's tactics were certainly aggressive. As part of a nationwide campaign, the company used various shell companies (more than 40 in total) to send letters to Vermont businesses claiming they were owed thousands of dollars from users that scanned and emailed documents. At least two of its targets were non-profit...

SoftBank pledges to work with US government as Dish sparks national security fears

2013-05-23T05:24:26Z

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son wants Sprint, and he’s willing to make some significant concessions to get hold of it, like letting the US government choose one of the 10 directors to its board. The Wall Street Journal reported the news today, writing that the director in question will be in charge of overseeing national security issues. At the same time, rival Dish is hoping to derail SoftBank’s bid with a major PR blitz against its Japanese opponent, running full-page color ads in Washington publications like The Washington Post, Politico, and The National Journal, reports Reuters. The ads reportedly compare SoftBank’s proposal to acquire Sprint to the 2006 controversy surrounding Dubai Ports World’s ownership of various ports on...

Telecom companies threaten to sue reporters for uncovering privacy breach with Google

2013-05-23T03:37:29Z

After being made aware of a large and potentially costly privacy breach exposing more than 170,000 records containing Social Security numbers and financial information, the two companies responsible for the blunder are threatening legal action against the journalists that uncovered it. The companies’ lawyers claim that by using “automated means” like the Wget command-line utility to download the records instead of an ordinary web browser, the “hackers” have violated federal cybersecurity law and should expect to be held liable for any financial damages that result.

Kim Dotcom accuses Google, Facebook, and Twitter of violating his two-step security patent

2013-05-23T02:46:03Z

Hours after Twitter rolled out support for two-step verification, Kim Dotcom has claimed credit for inventing the security feature. In a series of tweets, the embattled Megaupload founder points to a patent dating back to 1997 as proof for his claim, and accuses companies including Google, Facebook, and Twitter of infringing his intellectual property rights.

Tesla repays $465 million government green energy loan ahead of schedule

2013-05-22T22:00:44Z

Tesla Motors has repaid a $465 million loan to the Department of Energy nine years ahead of schedule, becoming the first of several car companies to repay its share of a multibillion-dollar program meant to spur electric vehicle development. The company announced today that it had made a final payment of $451.8 million, drawn from the more than $1 billion the company recently raised in a major stock offering last week. Tesla recently turned the first profit in its decade-long history, posting income of $11.2 million last quarter after launching its Model S sedan in 2012.

Tesla's loan was secured under the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program, created by Congress under the Bush...

Should US companies be allowed to hack China in revenge? New report says yes

2013-05-22T20:46:48Z

It's no secret that major US companies have been victims of a growing number of hacks from overseas in recent years, allegedly by attackers looking to steal corporate information and intellectual property, such as patented software. The Department of Defense and US diplomats have also accused China's government and military of being behind some of these attacks. Now, a new report by a group of influential former government officials and private executives says that if intellectual property theft continues at future levels, Congress should consider passing laws allowing US companies to "counterattack" against such hackers, whoever they may be.

Four US citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009, says Attorney General

2013-05-22T20:38:14Z

For the first time, US Attorney General Eric Holder has admitted that four American citizens have been killed in extrajudicial strikes by unmanned aircraft. The New York Times has obtained a letter sent to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, disclosing details about the Obama Administration's drone program. In it, Holder gave the names of the four citizens killed since 2009: Muslim cleric and alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, his teenage son Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, and Jude Kenan Mohammed.

Of the four, only Anwar al-Awlaki was specifically targeted for a strike. Samir Khan was caught in the same strike as al-Awlaki, and Mohammed and al-Awlaki's son were killed in separate strikes. While the...

Road warriors: critics say big change to US traffic safety 'bible' could put drivers at risk

2013-05-22T16:20:02Z

A massive plan is underway to upgrade aging road signs in the US. The goal is to make them more reflective at night, and easier for drivers to see. But the main government instruction manual for doing so, the longtime bible of roadside signage and safety, could soon be chopped in half. Advocates worry the change will cause confusion for drivers and increase the risk of accidents. "The idea of dividing the baby and only keeping the parts that are mandated is, we think, shortsighted," said Henry Jasny, vice president and general counsel for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a lobbying group made of up of insurance organizations and consumer rights' proponents.

Oxfam claims $18.47 trillion held in 'tax havens' as EU leaders meet to discuss solutions

2013-05-22T13:46:02Z

A new report from Oxfam estimates that at least $18.47 trillion is being held by individuals in so-called "tax haven" countries across the globe. The international agency says that a large bulk of that (approximately $12.29 trillion) can be traced to the EU. Oxfam says if you were to add all of that up, it'd be enough to end extreme poverty twice over. "These figures put the UK at the centre of a global tax system that is a colossal betrayal of people here and in the poorest countries who are struggling to get by, and put the government on the side of the privileged few," said Emma Seery, Oxfam's Head of Development Finance and Public Services. How reliable Oxfam's estimate is remains unclear; the very nature of tax avoidance makes a...

Apple's $100 billion overseas tax headache

2013-05-21T18:21:13Z

Apple's strategy of keeping the majority of its income (64 percent in 2011) in subsidiaries located outside of the US, where it pays ultra-low taxes, has drawn criticism and scrutiny from US Senators, who held a hearing in May 2013 to question Tim Cook and other Apple executives about their company's tax practices.