Variety: Twitch, Amazon Slammed by RIAA and Major Industry Groups for Using Unlicensed Music; Twitch Disputes Claim. “Twitch, the rapidly growing livestreaming platform, and its owner Amazon received a blistering letter on Thursday signed by multiple major U.S. music organizations including the RIAA, the Recording Academy, the National Music Publishers Association, the Music Managers Forum, the American Association of Independent Music, SAG-AFTRA and more than a dozen others over its lack of licensing deals with many major music rights-holders.”
legal
Global News Canada: Parents fighting for refunds of coronavirus cancelled school trips set to file class-action lawsuit
Global News Canada: Parents fighting for refunds of coronavirus cancelled school trips set to file class-action lawsuit. “As it became clear in March that COVID-19 was spreading around the world, the Canadian government released travel advisories warning against international travel, something that sent many travellers scrambling to cancel trips. Among those being cancelled were hundreds of international trips for high school students over the March break.”
Reuters: Google must respond to U.S. antitrust lawsuit by Dec. 19
Reuters: Google must respond to U.S. antitrust lawsuit by Dec. 19 . “Alphabet Inc’s Google must respond to the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit by Dec. 19, according to a court filing on Friday.”
The Drum: Signs point to another Google antitrust complaint, this time focused on adtech
The Drum: Signs point to another Google antitrust complaint, this time focused on adtech. “Google could be hit with another multistate antitrust complaint to pile on the US Justice Department’s search-centric suit against the company. State lawyers have been poking at Google’s adtech system for months, asking detailed questions about ad auction mechanics, header bidding, third-party data access and more.”
Reuters: South Korean antitrust chief says Google has undermined competition
Reuters: South Korean antitrust chief says Google has undermined competition. “South Korea’s antitrust chief said on Thursday the agency believes U.S. search engine giant Google has undermined competition, adding that the agency plans to present a case to its review committee this year.”
AL .com: Alabama lawsuit hits Apple, Google over gambling games
AL .com: Alabama lawsuit hits Apple, Google over gambling games. “Two federal lawsuits filed Wednesday seek refunds for Alabama residents who downloaded games from app stores the plaintiffs say are illegal gambling under state law. The potential class action lawsuits were filed against tech giants Apple and Google by two Shelby County residents who purchased the app-based games and paid money for more playing time.”
Neowin: Mozilla is worried about being collateral damage in Google’s antitrust case
Neowin: Mozilla is worried about being collateral damage in Google’s antitrust case. “Yesterday, the United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search giant of monopolistic practices to maintain its dominant position in the search market. Among the practices brought up in the case is the fact that Google pays to be in the default search engine on some devices and web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox.”
Vox: Why the US government is suing Google
Vox: Why the US government is suing Google. “The Department of Justice and 11 states filed the lawsuit against Google in a federal court, accusing Google of using money it makes from its dominant position in search to pay other companies to help maintain its lead and block out competitors. Google pays Apple billions each year to be the default browser on Safari, for example, and search comes preloaded on devices using Google’s Android operating system.
Seven states may sue Google in coming ‘weeks’: NY AG (Reuters)
Reuters: Seven states may sue Google in coming ‘weeks’: NY AG . “Seven additional states may file a separate antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc’s Google in the coming weeks, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday.”
Chiang Rai Times: Posting a Protest Selfie on Facebook in Thailand Could Land You in Jail
Chiang Rai Times: Posting a Protest Selfie on Facebook in Thailand Could Land You in Jail. “Social media in Thailand is playing an important role in anti-government protests, now the government warns over selfies at rallies. The Thai Government has announced plans to take legal action against those using social media accounts to publicize the anti-government protests, which includes posting selfies on Facebook from rallies.”
Reuters: U.S. Justice Department sets antitrust briefing; no mention of Google
Reuters: U.S. Justice Department sets antitrust briefing; no mention of Google. “The U.S. Justice Department said that it would hold a media briefing on Tuesday on an antitrust announcement but did not mention Google.” Wall Street Journal is reporting a lawsuit will be filed against Google today.
BBC: EU investigates Instagram over handling of children’s data
BBC: EU investigates Instagram over handling of children’s data. “Instagram is being investigated by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) over its handling of children’s personal data on the platform. The social media app’s owner Facebook could face a large fine if Instagram is found to have broken privacy laws.”
Columbia Journal of Transnational Law: Facebook’s Response to the Irish Data Protection Commission Falls Flat
Columbia Journal of Transnational Law: Facebook’s Response to the Irish Data Protection Commission Falls Flat. “As of the date of this writing, the DPC has not yet released the draft decision it anticipated would be complete within 21 days of the FIL Response Letter. While FIL’s arguments in the FIL Response Letter are rather tenuous, it looks like Ireland has become Facebook’s battleground to save its business across the European Union. It will not give up without a protracted fight.”
CNET: Judge orders DOJ to determine intent of Trump’s tweets ‘declassifying’ Russia docs
CNET: Judge orders DOJ to determine intent of Trump’s tweets ‘declassifying’ Russia docs. “A federal judge wants to know more about what President Donald Trump meant when he tweeted that he’d ‘fully authorized the total declassification’ of documents related to the probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US elections, according to media reports.”
BBC: Egypt releases satirical blogger Shadi Abu Zeid
BBC: Egypt releases satirical blogger Shadi Abu Zeid. “An Egyptian blogger and satirist has been released after more than two years in detention. Shadi Abu Zeid, 27, was arrested in May 2018 on charges of spreading false news and belonging to a terrorist group. His work focused on prejudices in religion, sexuality and within the Egyptian family.”