Gawker: valleywag, lawsuit

Donk In A Box

Alaska Miller — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:40:00 EDT

What can you do when your expensive iPhone with the expensive monthly plan just doesn't work? Class action lawsuit! Class action lawsuit! And that's exactly what one Alabama woman did. Donk In A Box, today's featured commenter, calls the case as he sees it:

I was born and raised in Alabama. Went to school there. I know these people, I have lived among them, I am one of them, and let me tell you something...they're assholes.

However, Alabama is notorious for having the kind of civil litigation environment that makes tort reform advocates scream about "jackpot justice." So she probably thinks she can make this thing pay out like a Biloxi slot machine, and given the right sort of jurors, she probably can. Until the massive award gets knocked down to nubbins on appeal.

Please, somebody from Mississippi - do something stupid in public, quick!

Just like everybody else, eBay loses to the Patriots

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:23:06 EDT

The New England Patriots have no tolerance for cheaters. To prove it, the team sued eBay-owned ticket reseller StubHub, demanding the names of 13,000 season-ticket holders who sold their seats above face value on the site. The Patriots argued that StubHub encourages fans to violate state law and team policies. A judge ruled in the team's favor yesterday. On the bright side, if eBay decides to write off its StubHub purchase, as it did with Skype, there's only $310 million to lose. (Photo by AP)

Mark Zuckerberg's lawsuit that won't go away

Owen Thomas — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:34:20 EDT

A legal dispute from Mark Zuckerberg's past is not going away. Three years ago, fellow Harvard students Tyler Winklevoss, Cameron Winklevoss and Divya Narendra sued Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he'd taken code he'd written for ConnectU to launch his rival site. Now, legal filings reveal, the lawsuit is rolling forward, with motions to dismiss set to be heard on July 25. While it's likely that the case will keep wending its way through the courts for a while, I'm betting Facebook will settle, probably with Facebook shares rather than cash, before an IPO. After all, a lawsuit against the CEO is one of those pesky things investors don't like to see in an S-1 filing.

Software Patents for Dummies #1 Seller on Amazon

rabruzzo — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:42:48 EDT

I.B.M. take Amazon to court over a software patent which according to Big Blue's Sr. V.P. of Shakedowns and Extortion John E. Kelly III:

"Most if not all of Amazon's business is built on top of this technology."

I.B.M. has already roughed up smaller e-commerce companies for licensing, and claims to have been negotiating with Amazon for fees since 2002. NY Times buries the nature of the patents in the 10th paragraph, giving anyone who sells anything on the Internet nightmares.

The five patents...cover software-based techniques for storing, retrieving and displaying information on Internet commerce Web sites, for making buying recommendations, and for handling online transactions.

I.B.M. plans to enforce its patents on giggles and rainbows in the 2nd quarter of next year.

[NY Times]

Apple vs. Apple: The good bits

ndouglas — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:23:24 EST

Apple Computer is defending its logo against Apple Corps, the recording label owned by the Beatles. The latter claims that the Apple logo in the iTunes store dilutes Apple Corps' trademark. There's law involved, and serious IP issues and blah blah blah. But here are the good parts:

¬ The judge's name: Justice Edward Mann. How the UK Independent refers to him: Mr. Justice Mann.
¬ Mr. Justice Mann checked before the case that owning an iPod wouldn't disqualify him from presiding.
¬ Apple Computer lawyer Anthony Grabiner: "Even a moron in a hurry" couldn't mistake iTunes for a recording company.
¬ An Apple Corps lawyer chose Chic's "Le Freak" to demonstrate iTunes.

The fierce battle continues. The only hope for peace: if both Apple Computer and Apple Corps agree that Yoko was a mistake.

Apple vs Apple as the Beatles take on computer giant [Independent]
Apple: iTunes doesn't violate agreement [BusinessWeek]