Lawsuit

First Lawsuit Filed For iPhone Location-Tracking Debacle

I had a feeling this was coming. The very first lawsuit has been filed against Apple for the highly controversial tracking of location data from the iPhone and iPad.

According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit was filed against Apple on April 22nd in Tampa, Florida, at a federal court by iPhone user, Vikram Ajjampur, and iPad user, William Devito. The two iDevice users claim that Apple has been surreptitiously tracking the location of iPhone and iPad owners.

They claim to have filed the lawsuit in an effort to stop the alleged data collection by Apple. 

Apple Sues Samsung Over iDevice Copycatting

The smartphone industry is filled with ongoing patent suits. From Nokia and Apple to Microsoft and Motorola, it seems like all the major players in the mobile phone industry are currently in litigation.

Typically the lawsuits seem to be a stretch from patent infringement, but I think Apple's got a real case here. Have you ever noticed that the Samsung's Galaxy line of products look an awful lot like iDevices? Apple thinks so. So much apparently that they filed a trademark infringement suit against Samsung last Friday with a U.S. District Court in North California...

GeoHot Gives Left Over Donations to EFF

If you missed out on the Sony vs. GeoHot saga, let me quickly fill you in. GeoHot (real name George Hotz) was one of the first people to jailbreak the iPhone years ago. He's been in and out of the jailbreak scene since then, but had recently turned his attention to Sony's PS3.

After hacking the console, GeoHot released the code to the internet. Sony caught wind of this and took the infamous computer wiz to court. Hotz hopped online and asked for donations to help him in litigation, and received overwhelming support. He told supporters that he had received more than enough help to survive the first round of legal fees...

Time Warner Channels Back on iPad App

We told you about all of the fire Time Warner Cable was under after releasing its new iPad application. The popular software saw tremendous success until networks starting interfering.

Discovery and Fox networks pressured TWC into removing their channels from the app. Viacom forced Time Warner to remove 11 of their channels from the application, and is currently in litigation with the cable giant.

Today we bring you an update on the situation, as several media outlets are reporting that some of the pulled channels are starting to reappear in the iPad app.

The returning channels include Discovery Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet from Discovery networks, and National Geographic, FX, and Fox News from Fox. Obviously due to their legal dispute, Viacom channels still remain excluded.

What's really interesting is that competing cable company, Cablevision, has recently rolled out its own iPad application that allows customers access to close to 300 channels. TWC is currently offering around 50 channels, depending on the subscriber package.

The difference might be in the technology used to stream the content. While TWC broadcasts the video over the internet, Cablevision streams the media via Wi-Fi from their digital cable boxes. However, both methods require the user of the iPad app to be in their home to view the content.

The good news is that major cable networks are starting to realize that we are in the 21st century. Times are a changing, and only the companies that figure out how to adapt will survive. We'll keep you updated on future news regarding the iPad app lawsuit.

What do you think?

[Tuaw]

Apple Gets Sued by Parent Over In-App Purchasing

Remember when we told you about the in-app purchasing changes that came with iOS 4.3? Apple removed the 15 minute window of password-free app purchasing in wake of consumer complaints. At the time, several angry parents were asking the FCC for an investigation into Apple's in-app purchasing practices.

Well, it appears that the recent update didn't make the situation blow over, because the complaints have started to materialize. A Pennsylvanian man adds his name to a long list of people in litigation with Apple, filing a lawsuit citing breach of contract and unjust enrichment...

The GeoHot Versus Sony Shenanigans Are Over as George Hotz Settles With Sony

Well, that didn't exactly resemble a grand finale at a fireworks show, but it provided some good water cooler discussion during its peak.

The George Hotz aka GeoHot Versus Sony litigation is done. It's over folks, it's time to take your ball and go home.

This afternoon, Sony -- no doubt grinning ear to ear from their "win" -- posted an update on their blog that outlined some of the settlement terms...

Apple’s iPhone Joins a Long List of Plaintiffs in Yet Another Patent Lawsuit

My hat goes off to the lawyers of the tech world. How do you keep track of who's suing whom, and for what? If you're an Apple attorney, it seems like that would be extra tough.

Just like in sports, the team doing the best has the biggest target on their backs. And as of right now, there isn't anyone hotter than Apple in the portable electronics market.

Unlike sports, teams in the electronic industry don't go for the target by trying to get better; they sue you. While that was meant to be more of a joke, if you were in Cupertino's law offices right now, nobody would be laughing. Apple Insider is reporting on yet another lawsuit involving Apple and the iPhone...

Nokia Files Another ITC Complaint Against Apple

Just days after an ITC (International Trade Commission) judge dismissed Nokia's claims of patent infringement by Apple, the Espoo, Finland-based cellphone giant has filed a new complaint with the ITC.

ITC Judge James Gildea had made an initial ruling in favor of Apple in which he found that the Cupertino giant is not violating Nokia patents in any of their products.

Today, Nokia filed its second ITC complaint against Apple, claiming that Apple is infringing seven new patents present in virtually all Nokia products. Those patents relate to multitasking, data synchronization, positioning, call quality, and Bluetooth accessories.

Judge Determines Apple’s iPhone Didn’t Infringe on Nokia Patents

It seems like everyone is suing each other in the tech world these days, particularly those in the mobile phone business. In case you haven't been keeping up with the latest in tech lawsuits, Apple and Nokia are suing each other over patent issues in the U.S. and Europe.

This specific court battle is being presided over by the ITC (International Trade Commission). Nokia has asked the ITC to bar the importation of Apple devices that infringe on Nokia Patents. While this move is just to block the shipping of Apple products that violate the patent laws, companion suits from Nokia are said to be under review by U.S. district courts seeking financial damages...

Geohot Flees the Country in the Heat of Sony’s Lawsuit [Update: No, He Didn’t Flee]

I know this is not directly related to anything iPhone but I thought the news was important enough to report here on iDB. According to The Escapist, Geohot fled the country and is currently in South America.

In case you didn't know, Geohot is currently being sued by Sony for jailbreaking the PlayStation 3, and even though he pretends to be confident about the situation, he is clearly feeling the heat coming from the Japanese electronics giant...

Apple Files Lawsuit Against Amazon Over ‘App Store’ Trademark

Amazon has had an "appstore" developer portal since January; a place where developers can submit mobile applications for approval and then sell them on Amazon's website.

Bloomberg reports that Apple has filed a lawsuit against Amazon Inc. on March 18th over the “App Store” trademark used in their developer portal...

Geohot Will Try His Hacking Skills On Windows Phone 7

Geohot has been causing quite a disturbance due to his ongoing legal battle with Sony. Geohot jailbroke the Sony PS3 to run unsigned code. Sony is now suing him, and Geohot is under the tech industry's spotlight more than ever.

So, what does all this have to do with Windows Phone 7? Microsoft has shown interest in Geohot before, and the company even reached out to him financially for his legal fight against Sony. Geohot will know be using his hacking skills at an upcoming convention to try and jailbreak Windows Phone 7...