Settlement

Stratfor has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed against the global intelligence firm after hackers affiliated with Anonymous stole subscriber data from its computers last year, Reuters reported today.

The settlement -- which calls for Stratfor to offer subscribers one month of free access to its service, a digital version of a book, and credit-monitoring service, in addition to paying attorney fees -- is expected to cost the company about $1.75 million, according to the settlement given preliminary approval by Judge Denis Hurley in U.S. federal court in New York.

Stratfor does not admit any "wrongdoing, … Read more

If a judge approves Facebook's settlement of a class-action lawsuit regarding "sponsored stories," the social network will give users more control over the advertising tool, which features users' profile photos and other information in ads for businesses and products the users have "Liked."

Reuters reported today that the settlement agreement includes giving users the ability to determine what, if any, user information can be featured in ads, and adding new language to Facebook's guidelines informing users of sponsored ads, according to court documents filed Wednesday. TechCrunch reported that user opt-outs will apparently apply on … Read more

Apple and a number of other technology companies have settled with licensing company SimpleAir, bringing a close to a two and a half year old patent infringement complaint.

In a release today, SimpleAir said it had settled with Apple, and entered into a confidential agreement to license its patents, which relate to mobile notifications.

Apple was one of 11 companies named in a complaint filed on Sept. 23, 2009, in the U.S. federal district court for the Eastern District of Texas. Also included was Research In Motion, which requested a re-examination of two of SimpleAir's patents last May. … Read more

Apple and HTC need to make up.

At least, that's according to the U.S. District Court of Delaware, which ordered the two companies to discuss a potential settlement. The talks would be moderated by Judge Sherry Fallon, Foss Patents reported today.

The order comes after two key HTC smartphones, the Evo 4G LTE and the One X, were barred from coming into the U.S. as a result of the companies' ongoing dispute. The embargo was related to a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling from last year over a data tapping patent, which HTC was supposed … Read more

Myspace and the Federal Trade Commission have reached a settlement over charges that the social network let advertisers access user information without first asking for permission.

As part of the settlement, Myspace will implement a new privacy program that requires "independent privacy assessments" and runs for the next 20 years.

The original issue stemmed from a behavior that gave advertisers access to Myspace users' Friend IDs, unique identifiers that linked to user accounts on the service. The FTC alleged that Myspace was breaking its own privacy policy by not alerting users about the behavior, or asking for their … Read more

An end to what has become an ugly, complicated, and costly court battle between Apple and Samsung could be in sight.

The two companies plan to meet out of court to discuss a possible settlement to their legal fracas, which has centered on intellectual property.

In a court order issued today -- relayed by intellectual-property blog FOSS Patents -- U.S. District Court judge Lucy Koh referred the two companies to a magistrate judge settlement conference that will take place within the next 90 days.

According to the referral, both Samsung's and Apple's CEOs will be at the … Read more

Suspected of collusion with intent to drive up e-book prices, Apple and some of its major publication partners are now negotiating to settle a suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Negotiations continue, but sources close to the talks tell Reuters that Apple and its partners are looking to avoid a long litigation process by bending on some of the wording used in contracts with publishers and retailers.

The "most favored nation" clause, as it has come to be known, states that the price of an electronic book published using Apple's iBookstore cannot be higher … Read more

Apple iPhone 4 owners can collect a cash settlement or free bumper for their smartphone's antenna troubles. Just don't expect to be blown away by the windfall.

A Web page, aptly named iPhone4settlement.com, has gone live, allowing iPhone 4 customers burned by the device's antenna problems to collect their $15 settlement. According to the site, iPhone 4 owners have between now and August 28 to file their claim for the cash.

The site's claim form, which can be mailed or filed electronically, requests basic contact information. The settlement also requests that users print out their … Read more

A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit targeting the antenna performance of Apple's iPhone 4.

As part of a preliminary approval made this afternoon, U.S. residents who bought Apple's iPhone 4 will be entitled to $15 in cash or a bumper case provided by Apple.

The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one. All share the claim that Apple was "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4--particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and … Read more