Text of the proposed settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and
Google over Google's Buzz service, which many users claimed violated
their privacy. The proposed settlement orders Google to establish a
privacy program and sets up notification and reporting requirements for
the operation of the program. The full Commission must approve the
settlement before it takes effect.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the plaintiffs' motion in the Proposition 8 lawsuit to vacate the stay of the decision overturning California's constitutional ban on gay marriage, thus keeping the ban in effect until the court issues its decision in the case. The 9th Circuit has certified a question of California law to the California Supreme Court and is currently awaiting that court's determination before moving forward on the matter.
A federal district court judge in New York has rejected the settlement between Google and the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers over Google's plans to digitize millions of books currently available in libraries. Judge Denny Chin concluded that the settlement was not fair, adequate and reasonable since it would give Google a significant advantage over its competitors by allowing the company to reproduce copyrighted works without permission.
Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble, the maker of the Nook e-book reader, alleging that the Nook infringes on several of Microsoft's patents. The lawsuit constitutes an indirect attack on Google since the Nook runs on Google's Android operating system.
Several professional football players have filed a lawsuit against the National Football League on behalf of all NFL players after labor negotiations between the NFL and the players' union broke down. The suit alleges that the NFL has violated federal antitrust laws as well as state contract and tort laws.
Charlie Sheen has filed a $100 million lawsuit against Chuck Lorre, the co-creator and executive producer of "Two and a Half Men", and Warner Bros. following his termination from the hit comedy earlier in the week. The suit claims, among other things, that Lorre and Warner Bros. breached Sheen's contract and discriminated against him based on a real or perceived mental illness.
A federal grand jury has issued a new, 49-count indictment of Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of
going on a shooting rampage at a congressional event that critically
wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others, and killed
federal judge John Roll and six others. The new indictment includes a
murder charge for the killing of Judge Roll and includes indictments for
the attacks on the non-federal-employees present on the grounds that
the attacks occurred during a federally provided activity.
