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The article reports on the use of e-mail in most high-profile legal investigations and court cases in the U.S. Only 35 percent of companies have e-mail retention policies despite so many highly publicized legal cases involving e-mails. According to Nancy Flynn, founder and executive director of the ePolicy Institute, most companies do not realize that e-mail is the electronic equivalent of DNA evidence.

The article reports on the advocation against the auction company eBay Inc. by Tom Woolston, the CEO of MercExchange LLC which is an online auction house that dropped out of the auction business in 2000. Woolston wants the U.S. Supreme Court to force Virginia's Eastern District federal court to issue an injunction that would stop eBay from continuing to utilize the infringing Buy It Now technology. INSET: TECH-TALK TROUBLES, by Eric Chabrow..

The article presents information on the court case between Collin County, Texas and Siemens Business Services Inc. Collin County, Texas, last year signed an $8 million contract with Siemens Business Services Inc. for SAP applications to manage the fast-growing county's financial, human-resources, and other operations. Shortly after work began, however, Siemens encountered problems meeting the contract's requirements, and things only got worse from there, the county charges. In March, Siemens said it couldn't complete the project at all. With $1 million down the drain, angry county leaders sued Siemens and SAP's public-services unit. Damages sought is $10 million. INSET: I.T. PRACTICES: A broad approach.

Focuses on online privacy regulation in the United States with regards to the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Toysmart.com Inc. Background of the case; Protection for the use of customer data via the Internet; Implication of the Internet privacy debate.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States (US) as of January 2000. Capabilities of Wireless Personal Trust Agent software from VeriSign company; Legal arguments filed by Microsoft Corp. in its antitrust trial against the US Department of Justice; Earnings of Microsoft Corp. for second quarter of fiscal 2000; Decline in net income of Lucent Technologies Inc. for first fiscal quarter of 2000.

Focuses on Siemens AG's battle against class-action lawsuits filed by survivors of the forced labor camps it built during World War II. Denial of charges that it used such workers willingly; Reparations made over the years; Siemens' campaign to enter into the telecommunication market in the United Staes.

Presents news briefs from the information technology industry as of November 8, 1999. Pricing for Windows 2000 operating system unveiled by Microsoft Corp.; Decision of Compaq Computer Corp. to defend itself against a copycat suit over alleged faulty disk drives.

Discusses the US Department of Justice antitrust dispute involving Microsoft Corp. as of February 1998. The suggestion that there is too much pressure on government to do something about Microsoft; The actual effect of the US Federal Communication Commissions (FCC) regulation; Assumptions made by the author.

Focuses on the antitrust suit filed by the United States (US) Justice Department against Microsoft Corporation for its practice of bundling new technology into its core products. Details on the suit; Customers' reaction on Microsoft's practice; How Microsoft defends its bundling strategy; Information on Microsoft's plans. INSETS: Windows 98 adds more than IE;Justice to Microsoft: Don't strangle Netscape.

The article focuses on the problem with computer firmware bugs, and the occurrence of various lawsuits that involved embedded software. It notes that the progress of embedded systems corresponds to the rising number of lawsuits related to them, such as copyright theft cases. It cites several accidents that resulted from the failure of the firmware, and a case regarding the alleged defective source code of an Alcotest firmware. It suggests companies to adopt a coding standard for their firmware.

The article offers tips for organizations on how to avoid lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America Inc. (RIAA) due to file sharing of copyrighted materials. First is to ensure that information technology policies explicitly forbid unauthorized hosting or sharing of copyrighted material. Second is to include warning language to that effect on guest machines and guest wireless if provided. third is to provide user training on copyright and fair use.

The article presents information on a lawsuit related to Kaleidescape Inc. The company has temporarily dodged the threat of having its product, a novel home media server. But Kaleidescape may get entangled soon in an appeal. The story started on February 8, 2001, when three entrepreneurs nurturing an ambitious concept formed a company. Michael Malcolm of Kaleidescape said that at the time of incorporation, it was decided to explore the business of delivering movies to homes over the Internet.

The article reports on the patent dispute between IBM Corp. and Amazon.Com Inc. It is inferred that IBM, as a patent holder, has donated 500 software patents to the open source community with a pledge that it would not enforce its license rights to the technologies. Protecting its intellectual property, it filed a patent infringement suit against an Internet retailer Amazon.Com Inc. because it claims that Amazon has built its business using IBM-developed technology and processes.

The article reports that two decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court last Monday had broadband service proponents facing a double impact. In a unanimous ruling on the closing day of its 2005 session, the court found in MGM Studios Inc. vs. Grokster Ltd. that both content companies and Internet service providers could be sued for music or video file sharing over peer-to-peer networks if they encouraged illegal copying of copyrighted material. In the second decision, the court ruled 6-3 in National Cable & Telecommunications Association vs. Brand X Internet Services that cable TV multisystem operators do not have to share high-speed lines with non-facilities-based competitors, as local-exchange carriers were required to do under the original terms of the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act.

Discusses the decision of Sun Microsystems to pay Eastman Kodak Co. to settle a two-year-old patent dispute. Lawsuit that stemmed from Kodak's claim that Sun's Java programming language infringed on three software patents held by the Rochester, New York firm; Implications of the settlement for Java programming language; Possibility for another software intellectual property clash.

Reports on the debate over the impact of clauses in employment contracts on electronic design architecture (EDA) innovation. Extent to which the clauses are enforceable under state law; Synopsys Inc.'s trade-secrets-theft suit against Nassda Corp. in the wake of a discovery-phase finding that Nassda's HSIM product include code derived from Synopsys source code; Finding that the individual defendants were employed by Synopsys. INSET: Skirting a suit.

Reports that Amr Mohsen, founder and former CEO of Aptix Corp., was charged with attempting to intimidate witnesses and to have a federal judge killed. Jailing of Mohsen as a flight risk from perjury charges; History of the legal dispute between Aptix and Mentor Graphics Corp.; Fight over logic emulation patents; Bankrupt Aptix's provision of rapid-prototyping systems.

Reports on the lawsuit filed by inventor Shuji Nakamura against Nichia Corp. for the patent of bright blue light-emitting diode (LED) and violet lasers. Fundamental questions of the lawsuit; Allegations against Nichia; Implications of the posible victory of Nakamura.

Reports on the views of some analysts regarding the future of Avanti Corp. after some of its employees received maximum sentence for stealing source code of Cadence Design Systems Incorporated. Avanti restitution to Cadence including interest; Alternative companies for Avanti customers who are avoiding Avanti after the court ruling; One major Avanti customer that will keep using the company's tools, according to a spokesman.

Reports that the chairman and former employees of electronic design automation firm Avanti Corp. pleaded no contest to charges of stealing Cadence Design Systems Inc. source code. Two obsolete Avanti products that were found to contain Cadence Design Systems source code; Fines imposed to Avanti; Other charges against Avanti.

Presents updates on a court decision held for a patent infringement case, Festo Corp. versus Shoketsu Kinzoku Koygo Kabushiki Ltd. as of February 12, 2001. Implications for companies in the electronics industry; Reaction from legal experts; Review of the case facts.

Deals with the challenges faced by Via Technologies company after acquiring Cyrix Corp. of National Semiconductor Corp. Benefits of National on the acquisition; Implication of the acquisition on Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Corp.; Information on the lawsuit filed by Intel against Via.

Focuses on the legal problems of computer company, Microsoft Corporation. Speculations on the splitting up of the company into smaller companies; Comments from Bob Herbold, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Microsoft. INSET: Why Own When You Can Rent?, By Jennifer Mateyaschuk.

Reports that Robert Arkow has sued CompuServe and CompuServe Visa for alleged violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when they sent unsolicited message to his Compuserve e-mailbox which were charged to him. Provision of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act; Comment of `NetLaw' author and attorney Lance Rose on the case.

Looks at the lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) against Microsoft Corporation. What Microsoft violated according to the DOJ; Users' view on DOJ's charges; Response of Microsoft on the allegations.

Focuses on the claims of DSC Communications Corp. on engineer Evan Brown who developed the technique for automatically converting old computer code into current computer language. Assertion of confidentiality agreements by corporations; Common complaint by employees. INSETS: DSC communications battles ex-employee in court over an idea.;Battlegrounds form over intellectual property..

Reports that an executive and some employees of Avant! Corporation have been charged with stealing source code from Cadence Design Systems Incorporated. Response of Avant! on the allegations; Year in jail faced by the dependants if convicted; Information on the evidence collected.

Analyzes the impact of the Microsoft breakup ruling by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on computer programmers. Opinion on the ruling; Charges of the DOJ against the company concerning the tying of Internet Explorer to Windows; Effect of the Microsoft breakup on technology.

Presents a look at the issues and liabilities surrounding Microsoft Corp.'s ongoing battle with the United States Department of Justice, seen through the eyes of `Network Computing' editors and readers as of mid 1998. Suggestion that the company's competitors and even Microsoft itself may benefit from appropriate government intervention; Opinions about what belongs in the operating system.

Reports on Actel Corp.'s announcement that its motion for a summary judgment against competitor QuickLogic Corp. was granted by the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Inclusion of claims that QuickLogic has violated other Actel patents.

Explores the legal terrain that awaits Microsoft Corp. in the wake of the United States Department of Justice's antitrust investigation as of May 1998. Three scenarios; No further action taken against Microsoft; Company ordered to stop bundling applications with its operating system (OS), under certain conditions. INSET: Microsoft takes its lumps for trying to decaffeinate Java.

Deals with several issues in computer programming as of August 2000. How the Love Bug virus works; Effects of the virus on files; Terms under the United States Justice Department's recommendations regarding the antitrust case of Microsoft Corp.

The article reports that Apple Inc. has been awarded $1.049 billion and a verdict of willfull infringement on many counts for its charges filed against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. It says that the jury has found that many Samsung cellphones violated two design and three utility patents of Apple excluding its tablet computers. Meanwhile, the judge in the case has set a hearing on September 20, 2012 to determine an injunction that will ban the selling of infringed Samsung products in the U.S.

The author discusses the court battle between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. over patent infringement of iPhone. He says that there is enough pettiness and greatness in the courtroom of San Jose Federal Court Judge Lucy Koh in California where the two companies are suing each other. After observing around the court, he can say that it is time to end the patent madness.

The article focuses on the court decision regarding the three-year legal battle between SAP AG and Oracle Corp due to copyright infringement in the U.S. On November 1, 2010, the court has decided that SAP AG owes Oracle Corp. 1.3 billion dollars which is considered by intellectual property consultant Sam Wiley as the largest copyright infringement award in the country. However, it notes that SAP AG is likely to make an appeal, reaching third-party enterprise software support lawsuits.

The article reports on the complaint filed by AWR Corp. against ZTE Corp., in which it alleges that ZTE Corp. used its EDA software without official authorization from the company. It says that the lawsuit registered in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, aims to protect AWR Corp.'s intellectual property rights. It states that AWR asserts that its software was incurred by ZTE through their Web site, wherein it accords to use the software for assessment purposes only.

The article tackles the lawsuit issues of software providers Oracle Corp. and Rimini Street Inc. It notes the revenue increase of Rimini Street, even if the suit is slowing down the company's third-party application support business. It also discusses the allegations of Oracle to Rimini stating that the company was a massive theft of its software and related support materials by using robots to automate the process of logging into Oracle's password-protected technical support Web sites.

The article reports on the petition of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to overturn the Rambus decision. FTC filed a petition with the Supreme Court to review the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which found that the FTC failed to demonstrate that the actions by Rambus harmed competition. In 2002, FTC brought antitrust charges against Rambus.

The article reports on the acquisition battle between Mentor Graphics Corp. and Cadence Design Systems Inc. which is similar to the Microsoft Corp.-Yahoo Inc. battle for control in the U.S. After about two months of talks, Cadence Design quickly launched a bid for Mentor Graphics for $1.6 billion which was rebuffed by Mentor. Differences in details between the two deals may not matter much, however, the egos at play matter which might affect the electronic design automation market.

The article reports that Merck has agreed to settle a significant portion of the claims against the company over injuries that were allegedly linked to its pain reliever Vioxx. It states that the company has decided to settle after weeks of negotiations with a steering committee of attorneys who represented the plaintiffs. It is inferred that Merck had won four out of five cases considered significant, which may have strengthened its negotiating position.

The article talks about possible increase in patent legislation among companies in the semiconductor industry in the U.S. The U.S. International Trade Commission that has undertaken 50 Section 337 investigations into alleged patent infringements in the industry. The Supreme Court's unanimous landmark decision put an end to the general rule that a permanent injunction should follow a finding of patent infringement by a district court.

The article explains that court judgments in Europe, Japan, and South Korea validate Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD) allegations that rival Intel Corp. used its monopoly of the microprocessor market to stifle competition. Executives from AMD and Intel released statements about the possible results of an ongoing AMD action against Intel.

The article reflects on the dispute between Omnimedix and Dossia. According to the report, Dossia, a coalition that includes Wal-Mart, Intel, Pitney Bowes, Applied Materials, British Petroleum, and Cardinal Health, filed suit against Omnimedix, a nonprofit organization, it had contracted to build a data warehouse of medical records for employees, retirees, and dependents. The section further discusses several informations about the report, including insights on the reasons behind the lawsuit.

The article describes a legal battle over digital media security between the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) and startup Kaleidescape Inc. DVD CCA is responsible for the security of motion pictures on DVDs through its Content Scramble System (CSS). Kaleidescape is a manufacturer of hard-disk-drive-based media servers. DVD CCA has filed a civil action against Kaleidescape on an allegation of breach of license.

The article offers suggestions on defending electronic information from subpoena or discovery request during the litigation process in the U.S. federal court system. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), litigants are required to preserve and disclose electronic information a lawsuit becomes probable. To manage these information based on the FRCP, an organization must have a data retention policy and the counsel should be furnished all the necessary documents.

The article reports on the development of the application software called Idol Echo from Autonomy which enables companies to track all their data in case of lawsuits. The software can track the life cycle of all the data within a company generated by telephone calls, voice mail and instant messages. Idol Echo is built on the company's Intelligent Data Operating Layer7 enterprise search platform.

The article presents information on a court ruling in the case DVD Copy Control Association Inc. vs. Kaleidescape Inc. in California. As per the ruling, Kaleidescape Inc., a start up media server business enterprises can continue selling its media server. The court observed that the DVD Copy Control Association failed to prove the breach of license.

The article reports on the civil lawsuit filed by Oracle against SAP for allegedly copying proprietary technical and customer support data. According to Oracle, SAP gathered the support documentation to provide cut-rate support for Oracle products, then shift those companies to SAP products. The implication of the issue on customer service and support data protection is discussed.

The article reports on the trial proceedings for a civil suit relevant to fair use rights involving packaged digital media. The DVD Copy Control Association has filed the lawsuit against the Mountain View, California-based licensee Kaleidoscape Inc. for violating a contract provision intended to prevent the copying of DVDs.

The article presents news briefs on the plastics industry in January 2007. Packaging supplier Sonoco completed the purchase of Clear Pack Co. Custom molder Victor Plastics has purchased Kincses Tool & Mold. Mold & Hotrunner Technology AG has been ordered by the Supreme District Court in Frankfurt, Germany to pay a fine to preform mold maker Husky five years after the latter sued it for stealing intellectual property.