The Federal Trade Commission pressed executives and former leaders from X Corp., Strava, Pinterest and Reddit on Monday for all the things that distinguish their services from Meta Platforms Inc., painting Facebook and Instagram in D.C. federal court as effectively the only place to really connect with friends and family to show the social media giant's alleged monopoly.
Law360
Technology
TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Exec 'Can't Believe' X Offers Itself As Place For Friends

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission pressed executives and former leaders from X Corp., Strava, Pinterest and Reddit on Monday for all the things that distinguish their services from Meta Platforms Inc., painting Facebook and Instagram in D.C. federal court as effectively the only place to really connect with friends and family to show the social media giant's alleged monopoly.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ's Slater Outlines 'America First Antitrust' Priorities

By Matthew Perlman

The head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division said Monday that robust antitrust enforcement meshes with conservative principles, and the agency's priorities will be on pocketbook issues and protecting individual liberty online.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ramey IP Attys Pay Sanctions, But Defend Fed. Circ. Appeal

By Lauren Berg

Texas intellectual property lawyer Bill Ramey and two other attorneys informed a California federal court Monday that they have made payments toward fines totaling $64,000 and alerted disciplinary bodies that they were sanctioned, the same day they urged the Federal Circuit to keep alive their appeal of the sanctions.

5 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Declines Review Of 'Server Test' In Copyright Suit

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to the Ninth Circuit's criteria for determining copyright liability when photos are embedded online, denying a photographer's appeal in a case where he is suing Canadian media company Valnet Inc.

Order List attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

USPTO Discovery In VLSI Row Unlawul, PQA Tells Fed. Circ.

By Theresa Schliep

A company that was sanctioned for flouting discovery while challenging the validity of a VLSI Technology LLC patent underpinning a since-vacated $1.5 billion infringement verdict told the Federal Circuit on Friday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director lacked the authority to order that discovery.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Meta Gets Jury In Damages Trial Over NSO's WhatsApp Hack

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge empaneled eight jurors Monday to decide how much Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes Meta Platforms for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, selecting from a pool of dozens of San Francisco Bay Area residents, many of whom criticized Meta, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Israeli government.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Wants Live Nation Case Split Between Liability, Damages

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice asked a New York federal court on Monday to split the case accusing Live Nation of quashing competition in the live entertainment industry by having a jury decide if the company violated antitrust law and the judge decide what remedies to impose.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

No Harm Shown Over DOGE Access To Tax Data, US Says

By Kat Lucero

The U.S. government asked a D.C. federal court to throw out four organizations' bid to keep the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data, saying their suit fails to show injury to the groups' members.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

POLICY & REGULATION

FCC Eyes New Power Limits For NGSO Satellites

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission on Monday floated new power limits for nongeostationary orbit satellites in a move the feds say could boost the availability of broadband service beamed from space, and that was requested by SpaceX.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Aims To Fight Robocall Scams With Caller ID Reg

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission on Monday proposed new rules to make sure phone networks that haven't adopted internet technology are still authenticating caller ID.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

SAIC, Feds, Microsoft Settle Night-Vision Goggle Patent Suit

By Adam Lidgett

The federal government has reached a deal to end a suit from Science Applications International Corp. accusing the government of contracting with Microsoft and L3 Technologies Inc. for night-vision goggle weapon systems with infringing displays.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Weighs Impact Of Top Court Ruling On DOE Grant Cap

By Brian Dowling

A federal judge hearing a challenge to a Department of Energy grant cap on Monday expressed concerns about the case's potential overlap with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cast doubt on a bid to revive federal teacher training grants.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Stewart Wants PTAB To Check If Chip Co. Has Ties To Intel

By Andrew Karpan

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director has ordered the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to allow discovery over a chipmaker's relationship with Intel Corp., which could block challenges targeting patents issued to a former Texas Instruments Inc. executive.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chancery Tosses Palantir Suit Targeting Direct Sale Gains

By Jeff Montgomery

Observing that corporate insiders can't be penalized for profiting from public information, a Delaware vice chancellor has thrown out a derivative suit filed by Palantir Technologies stockholders accusing the private company's directors and officers of unfairly profiting from direct-to-market stock sales without taking the company public.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Century Surety Seeks Exit From Vape Battery Lawsuit

By Jonathan Capriel

Insurance provider Century Surety Co. says it shouldn't be on the hook for the legal defense of a smoke shop being sued by a customer who was burned when a vape pen battery caught fire in his pocket, arguing that one defendant isn't actually covered under the larger policy and the incident did not take place at one of the insured's retail locations.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Napco Faces Investor Suit Over Sales Downturn

By Emilie Ruscoe

Security device maker Napco Security Technologies Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging that the company overpromised on a long-term earnings margin goal, hurting investors when trading prices fell as its sales and progress toward that target stalled in February.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

9th Circ. Nixes COVID-19 App Suit Appeal Against Apple

By Jared Foretek

The Ninth Circuit has once again shut the door on a doctor's suit accusing Apple of illegally refusing to distribute his COVID-19 tracking app through its app store, affirming a lower court ruling from October 2024 that denied his motion to reopen.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

ITC Affirms Optimum's Network Patent Case Is Over

By Andrew Karpan

The U.S. International Trade Commission has decided not to breathe any new life into Optimum Communications Services Inc.'s patent infringement case against several Chinese tech companies over network switching and routing patents, but it also cut part of an agency judge's findings on ownership of the patents.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DEALS

PE Giant TPG Snags Sabre's Hospitality Biz For $1.1B

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Travel industry-focused technology provider Sabre Corp., advised by Haynes Boone, on Monday announced plans to sell its Hospitality Solutions business to Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP-led private equity shop TPG in a $1.1 billion cash deal.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ENFORCEMENT

FCC Tells Courts 5th Circ. Wrong To Kill $57M AT&T Fine

By Ali Sullivan

The Federal Communications Commission defended multimillion-dollar fines against T-Mobile and Verizon in letters to the D.C. Circuit and Second Circuit, urging the appeals courts not to heed the Fifth Circuit's toss of a related $57 million privacy fine against AT&T.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Requires Co. To Cease Inaccurate AI Detection Claims

By Allison Grande

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday took aim at the marketer of a tool that's designed to detect whether online content has been developed using generative artificial intelligence technology, issuing a directive for the company to stop advertising the accuracy of its product without sufficient evidence. 

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Nasdaq Presses SEC To Enact Clearer Digital Asset Rules

By Tom Zanki

Nasdaq is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and its sister agency that regulates derivatives to adopt clearer rules governing digital assets, calling for a system that classifies such products into four categories.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Trump DOE's Plan On AI Offers Challenges, Opportunities

The Trump administration's push to make federal land available for development of artificial intelligence data centers follows a similar Biden administration proposal — but a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy envisions a rapid timeline that may prove challenging for both the DOE and industry stakeholders, say attorneys at HWG.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY Tax Talk: Sourcing, Retroactivity, Information Services

Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland examine recent decisions by New York’s Tax Appeals Tribunal, Division of Taxation and Court of Appeals on location sourcing of broker-dealer receipts, a case of first impression on the retroactive application of Corporate Franchise Tax regulations and when fees for information services are excluded from taxation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

The 2025 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

Law firms and the legal profession are facing new uncertainties, shifting the stress levels, economic pressures, and overall contentment of lawyers in private practice, according to the 2025 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'The Court Is Not A Cartoon': Judge Rips Dragon Watermark

By Hailey Konnath

A Michigan federal magistrate judge Monday ordered an East Lansing, Michigan, firm called Dragon Lawyers PC to stop plastering its pleadings with a large, suit-clad purple cartoon dragon watermark on each page, saying it's not only "distracting, it's juvenile and impertinent."

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Feds Have Strong Hand On Judge Charged With Blocking ICE

By Danielle Ferguson and Carolyn Muyskens

A Wisconsin state judge faces an uphill battle in defending against federal criminal allegations that she helped a man evade immigration officials at a Wisconsin courthouse, but she may be able to stake out a defense in arguing the government can't prove intent, experts told Law360. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

California Judge Loses Pay After Conviction For Murdering Wife

By Gina Kim

The California Commission on Judicial Performance formally suspended a California judge without pay after a state jury found him guilty of second-degree murder last week for shooting his wife to death in their Anaheim Hills home on Aug. 3, 2023, following a heated argument. 

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Q&A

Sullivan M&A Chief Sees Opportunities Amid Tariff Turmoil

By Al Barbarino

After a rocky start to 2025, the mergers and acquisitions landscape is grappling with economic volatility, shifting trade policies and a complex regulatory environment. But even in a "choppy" market, there are always deals to be made, says Melissa Sawyer, global head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's M&A group and co-head of its corporate governance practice.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Judge Apologizes Through Waylon Jennings Lyrics

By George Woolston

Clark Township, New Jersey, Municipal Judge Antonio Inacio said Tuesday that he isn't proud of all the things that led him to appear before a Garden State judiciary disciplinary committee, but he can say that he never intentionally hurt anyone by his conduct.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

$10M Brown Rudnick Deal With Guo Trustee Gets Judge's OK

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a $10 million deal between Miles Guo's Chapter 11 trustee and the Chinese exile's onetime attorneys at Brown Rudnick LLP, and greenlighted 10 lesser settlements with other firms and luxury retailer Versace.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

GOP Plan To Shutter Audit Watchdog Could Strain SEC

By Jessica Corso

Congressional Republicans are renewing the push to get rid of a financial regulator that conservatives have complained is costly and lacks proper oversight, but some former staffers at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board wonder whether the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has the manpower or expertise to take over the board's duties.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Federal Defenders Of NY Staff Announce Union Drive

By Andrea Keckley

Staff members at the Federal Defenders of New York have announced their plans to join their attorney colleagues as members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Scoff At Feds' Defenses In Mistaken FBI Raid Case

By Chart Riggall

Supreme Court justices Tuesday appeared flummoxed by the government's "ridiculous" arguments it should be immune to a Georgia resident's lawsuit over a mistaken FBI raid on her house, but seemed unlikely to issue a blanket ruling on when an officer's discretion trumps their liability for injuries caused by their actions.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Alex Jones Wants High Court Look At $1.3B Sandy Hook Case

By Brian Steele

Bankrupt Infowars host Alex Jones will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate a mammoth libel judgment that families of Sandy Hook shooting victims secured against him and his company over his conspiratorial broadcasts calling the massacre a hoax, he told a Connecticut appellate court in seeking to extend a pause on the payout.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Breyer To Talk Pragmatism At NJ Bar Association Convention

By Carla Baranauckas

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will bring his pragmatic legal philosophy to center stage when he appears at the New Jersey State Bar Association Convention on May 16 in Atlantic City.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey Promo that reads 2025 AI Survey

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

American Council on Education

American Federation of Teachers

Apple Inc.

Association of American Universities Inc.

Bank of Charles Town

Communications Workers of America

Democracy Forward Foundation

EchoStar Corp.

Electric Power Research Institute Inc.

Epic Games Inc.

FTI Consulting Inc.

Google LLC

Instagram Inc.

Institute for Justice

Intel Corp.

International Association of Privacy Professionals

Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

L3Harris Technologies Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

NASDAQ Inc.

New Jersey State Bar Association

Optimum

Palantir Technologies Inc.

Paychex Inc.

Paypal Holdings Inc.

Pegasus

Pinterest Inc.

Public Co. Accounting Oversight Board

Reddit Inc.

Renesas Electronics Corp.

SAIC Inc.

Sabre Corp.

Snap Inc.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

State Bar of Michigan

T-Mobile US Inc.

TPG Capital LP

Texas Instruments Inc.

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

TikTok Inc.

Track Data Corp.

Twitter Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

Viasat Inc.

Walmart Inc.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

ArentFox Schiff LLP

Baker & Hostetler

Baker Botts

Bronstein Gewirtz

Broocks Law Firm

Brown Rudnick

Clement & Murphy

Cohn Birnbaum

Cooley LLP

Cravath Swaine

Davis Polk

Eversheds Sutherland

Fish & Richardson

Freshfields

GPS Legal

Gibson Dunn

Grant & Eisenhofer

HWG LLP

Haynes Boone

Hodgson Russ

Jenner & Block

Kellogg Hansen

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Koskoff Koskoff

Latham & Watkins

Levi & Korsinsky

Lowenstein & Weatherwax

Lowenstein Sandler

Maschoff Brennan

McKool Smith

McManimon Scotland

Mitchell Silberberg

MoloLamken

Morris Kandinov

NachtLaw

Neubert Pepe

Phelps Dunbar

Potter Anderson

Ramey LLP

Randazza Legal Group

Robbins LLP

Slayden Grubert

Spero Law LLC

Sullivan & Cromwell

Troutman

Weiss Law

WilmerHale

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Commission on Judicial Performance

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Delaware Court of Chancery

European Union

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Internal Revenue Service

International Trade Commission

National Institutes of Health

National Labor Relations Board

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

New Jersey Supreme Court

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

New York State Tax Appeals and Tax Appeals Tribunal

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama