Technology

  • June 11, 2024

    Heinz Charity Says Ex-Adviser Stole Almost $1M Via Sham Co.

    A technology adviser for the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Endowments embezzled nearly a million dollars by steering payments to a company he secretly owned for work it never did, then tried to cover his tracks when he came under investigation, the endowments claimed in a federal lawsuit.

  • June 11, 2024

    JPML Consolidates AT&T Data Breach Suits In Texas

    Thirty lawsuits brought against AT&T over a data breach that left 70 million customers' information on the dark web are being consolidated in the Northern District of Texas, with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruling that proximity to AT&T headquarters will bring added efficiency to the proceedings.

  • June 11, 2024

    Pa. County Can't Give Voting Machine Data To Mich. Atty

    A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday blocked Fulton County commissioners from giving data copied from the county's Dominion Voting Systems equipment to an attorney and Donald Trump ally facing criminal charges for illegally accessing voter information in Michigan.

  • June 11, 2024

    Texas AG Urges DC Circ. To Revive Media Matters Probe

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants the D.C. Circuit to revive his investigation into progressive media watchdog Media Matters' reporting on the social media platform X, saying the D.C. federal court had no authority to interfere with the probe.

  • June 11, 2024

    Paramount Asks Court To Send 'Top Gun' IP Suit Packing

    Paramount Pictures has asked a California federal court to dismiss a right of publicity complaint from the actor who played Henry "Wolfman" Ruth in the original "Top Gun" movie, saying his claim over a photo of his character included in the film's sequel without his permission falls squarely under the so-called Rogers test, a free speech doctrine that protects expressive works.

  • June 11, 2024

    Spat Over Texas Trial, Vacation Plans Ends With New Date

    A Texas appeals court has dismissed a tech company's mandamus petition stating that a Harris County court scheduled a trial in its case despite several attorney vacation letters after the parties said the trial court moved the date.

  • June 11, 2024

    SEC Asks For $1.1M Insider Trading Penalty For Ex-Apple Atty

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is again urging a New Jersey federal court to levy a roughly $1.1 million civil penalty on a former Apple Inc. senior attorney who already pled guilty and was sentenced for criminal charges related to a lucrative insider trading scheme.

  • June 11, 2024

    JPML Consolidates GM, LexisNexis Driving Data Suits In Ga.

    Drivers claiming that their auto insurance rates increased after General Motors and its OnStar unit collected driving data without consent and shared the information with LexisNexis Risk Solutions will have their suits consolidated in Georgia federal court, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled.

  • June 11, 2024

    5th Circ. Won't Adopt Rule On AI-Drafted Docs

    The Fifth Circuit has decided this week not to adopt a proposed rule requiring attorneys to verify that documents were not written using generative artificial intelligence, or if they were, that they were checked for accuracy by humans.

  • June 11, 2024

    Swedish Software Co. IFS Buying Copperleaf In CA$1B Deal

    Linköping, Sweden-based IFS AB has agreed to purchase Canada's Copperleaf Technologies Inc. for about CA$1 billion ($725.6 million), the companies said Tuesday. 

  • June 11, 2024

    Longtime Orrick IP Partner Jumps To White & Case In DC

    An Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP partner, who spent over 14 years with the firm litigating a range of patent and other matters, has joined White & Case LLP to continue working on intellectual property appellate issues, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 11, 2024

    Elon Musk Sued Anew In Del. Over $16B Tesla Stock Sale

    A Tesla shareholder has hit Elon Musk with a lawsuit over his 2021 sale of $16 billion worth of stock just before his purchase of Twitter, claiming the billionaire profited by concealing his intent to buy the social media platform and made the purchase in part to reinstate former President Donald Trump's account.

  • June 11, 2024

    Wilson Sonsini-Led Yext Paying Up To $220M For Hearsay

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC is advising Yext Inc. on a new agreement to acquire Latham & Watkins LLP-repped Hearsay Systems, a client engagement platform for financial services, for $125 million and up to an additional $95 million if certain performance metrics are hit.

  • June 10, 2024

    Privacy Law Needs Broader State Override, Trade Groups Say

    Nearly two dozen business groups are calling on Congress to expand the preemption provisions in proposed legislation to give consumers more control over their personal information, arguing that the current draft "falls short" of creating a uniform national data privacy framework by failing to fully override the emerging state law patchwork. 

  • June 10, 2024

    Microsoft Wants $242M IP Verdict Axed Or Cut To $1.9M

    Microsoft has urged a Delaware federal judge to toss a $242 million jury verdict that found Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana infringed a patent originally issued to a company that developed Apple's Siri software, arguing infringement wasn't proven and the "grossly inflated" award should at least be cut to $1.95 million.

  • June 10, 2024

    Debevoise Aims To Sink Cognizant Bribery Trial Subpoena

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP urged a New Jersey federal judge Monday to quash defendants' trial subpoena that would require a Debevoise partner to testify in an upcoming September criminal bribery trial against ex-Cognizant Technology Solutions's chief legal officer and another former executive, arguing that the testimony is subject to attorney-client privilege.

  • June 10, 2024

    Biz Defends $525M Data Storage Patent Win Against Amazon

    Efforts by Amazon to dislodge a $525 million jury verdict are too late and amount to sour grapes, a small Chicago software company that won the amount has told an Illinois federal court.

  • June 10, 2024

    Health Data Co. Says Rival's Request Risks Patient Security

    A healthcare data company pushed back against claims in Maryland federal court that it blocks a rival's access to nursing home patient data used to identify potential complications, saying the rival is asking to disable security measures that prevent attacks on its system.

  • June 10, 2024

    Apple IPhone Antitrust MDL Heads To NJ, Where DOJ Is Suing

    Apple customers accusing the company of locking in iPhone users through anticompetitive agreements will have their cases consolidated in New Jersey, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled Friday, finding the parties can coordinate with the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement action there to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings.

  • June 10, 2024

    NY Lawmakers Pass Kids Social Media Addiction Bill

    New York lawmakers have passed a bill that will rein in social media algorithms from delivering addictive content to minors and sent it to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for approval, which is widely expected.

  • June 10, 2024

    FCC Urged To Add Missing Persons Code For Tribes

    Tribal leaders urged the Federal Communications Commission to consider adding a missing persons code specific to Indigenous people as it upgrades the Emergency Alert System.

  • June 10, 2024

    Cut Penalties For Rural Buildout Shortcomings, FCC Urged

    A trade group representing electric cooperatives is joining the chorus of industry interests calling for the Federal Communications Commission to reduce penalties for companies that withdraw from federally backed rural broadband projects, saying the commission rules should not be "punitive" when build-outs stop making sense.

  • June 10, 2024

    Emory Settles With Student Accused Of Cheating With AI Tool

    Emory University has reached a settlement with a student who received a $10,000 prize for developing an artificially intelligent study program before being suspended when the school decided the program violated its academic honor code, according to court filings Monday.

  • June 10, 2024

    Software Alliance Urges Congress To Tackle Deepfakes

    The Software Alliance, a trade group that includes Microsoft Corp., Adobe Inc. and IBM, urged Congress Monday to pass legislation that addresses the proliferation of digital replicas made possible with artificial intelligence, telling lawmakers that unauthorized deepfakes harm artists who rely on their reputation and public recognition.

  • June 10, 2024

    2nd Circ. Remands Malpractice Suit Against DLA Piper

    The Second Circuit on Monday sent back to state court a Chinese smart car technology company's malpractice suit against DLA Piper that accused the firm of mishandling a shareholder suit, with the appeals court panel saying federal court does not have jurisdiction over the suit.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate

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    With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.

  • AI And Trade Controls: A Guide To Expanding Restrictions

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    With restrictions on trade related to commodities, software and technology integral to high-performing artificial intelligence capabilities expected to expand — particularly between the U.S. and China — companies must carefully consider the export classification of the items they design, produce or procure, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • 4 Takeaways From Biden's Crypto Mining Divestment Order

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    A May 13 executive order prohibiting the acquisition of real estate by a foreign investor on national security grounds — an enforcement first — shows the importance of understanding how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States might profile cross-border transactions, even those that are non-notified, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions

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    A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Opinion

    'Natural Person' Or Not, AI-Made IP Deserves Protection

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    The entire legal edifice rests on a determination that an artificial system is not a so-called natural person, and although this may appear to be straightforward on its face, rapid advances in technology may soon force us to revisit our understanding of a natural person, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew

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    When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

  • Del. Dispatch: Chancery's Evolving Approach To Caremark

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    Though Caremark claims are historically the least likely corporate claims to lead to liability, such cases have been met in recent years with increased judicial receptivity — but the Delaware Court of Chancery still expressly discourages the reflexive filing of Caremark claims following corporate mishaps, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • A GC's Guide To Multijurisdictional Regulatory Compliance

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    Overlapping cybersecurity regulation has created an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape with elevated oversight for organizations across the globe, but general counsel can help develop a best-in-class approach to manage these complexities by building a compliance strategy holistically, say David Dunn and Meredith Griffanti at FTI Consulting.

  • Global Bribery Probes Are Complicating FCPA Compliance

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    The recent rise in collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice and foreign authorities in bribery enforcement can not only affect companies' legal exposure as resolution approaches vary by country, but also the decision of when and whether to disclose Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations to the DOJ, say Samantha Badlam and Catherine Conroy at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • When The Platform Is A Product, Strict Liability Can Attach

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    A New York state court's recent ruling in Patterson v. Meta, holding that social media platforms can be considered products, appears to be the first of its kind — but if it is upheld and adopted by other courts, the liability implications for internet companies could be incredibly far-reaching, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • Key Takeaways From FDA Final Rule On Lab-Developed Tests

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    Michele Buenafe and Dennis Gucciardo at Morgan Lewis discuss potential consequences of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently finalized rule regulating lab-developed tests as medical devices, and explain the rule's phaseout policy for enforcement discretion.

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