Legal

Apple could let you sell your iTunes content to other people

Want to sell that movie you bought on iTunes but never watch? You may be able to one day if a new Apple patent filing ever comes to life.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and filed last June, an Apple patent application named "Managing Access To Digital Content Items" conjures up a system for legally selling or loaning iTunes items to another person.

The method involves transferring digital access rights from the original owner to someone else. Once those rights are transferred, the new owner would gain access to the content while the … Read more

Nokia backs Apple in legal skirmish against Samsung

Apple has finally found an ally in its fight for a sales ban of Samsung phones.

On Monday, Nokia filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington backing Apple in its bid for a permanent injunction of certain Samsung phones, Reuters reported yesterday.

Though the brief itself was sealed, a summary from Nokia said that the court was wrong to deny Apple's request.

Nokia attorney Keith Broyles argued that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, Calif., made a mistake when she said that Apple must show a "… Read more

Apple: Suppliers now 99 percent compliant with work week policy

Apple's suppliers have achieved a new compliance mark for employee hours, according to the iPhone maker.

To shed light on how its suppliers are behaving, Apple launched its Supplier Responsibility page early last year. This page attempts to show how suppliers are faring with such issues as excessive overtime, underage workers, and other violations of Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct.

Compliance with the 60-hour work week limit varied throughout 2012. But in January, the rate reached a record of 99 percent, Apple revealed yesterday on the Supplier Responsibility page

The number of workers we track has increased from … Read more

Apple notches 3G patent win over Samsung in U.K.

Apple has won another case -- this time in a U.K. court -- in its ongoing spat with Samsung over the use of standard essential patents in its products.

Judge Christopher Floyd ruled in a London court yesterday that Apple's products do not infringe Samsung's patents around the ability to send and receive information from a device over a 3G network.

"We are disappointed by the court's decision. Upon a thorough review of the judgment, we will decide whether to file an appeal. For decades, we have heavily invested in pioneering the development of technological … Read more

Attorney General Eric Holder defends Aaron Swartz case

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder defended the criminal case against the late activist Aaron Swartz today, saying the penalties sought represented a "good use of prosecutorial discretion."

In an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder denied that Justice Department prosecutors engaged in any wrongdoing, arguing that Swartz could have avoided a lengthy prison sentence if he had simply accepted a guilty plea of up to six months.

Swartz committed suicide on January 11 in New York. His family and friends have blamed prosecutors for filing 13 felony charges -- meaning years or decades in prison if … Read more

Silicon Valley stymied on immigrant worker plan

Silicon Valley firms aren't going to get the immigration changes they want, at least not right away.

Straightforward fixes to a legal framework that just about everyone agrees is broken -- the fixes would let foreign engineers and scientists remain in the United States post-graduation -- have run aground on the usual shoals of special interest politicking and partisan bickering.

Technology companies were hoping for prompt action on a pair of bills introduced this year that would ease a shortage of skilled workers, in part by expanding the H-1B visa program. It's a bipartisan idea backed by Microsoft, … Read more

Notes on Steve Jobs shelved in e-books antitrust case

The notes from biographer Walter Isaacson's numerous interviews with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will not be used as evidence in the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Apple.

That decision, made last week and reported earlier today by PaidContent, means that Isaacson will not have to testify either.

Isaacson is the author of "Steve Jobs," a book that chronicled the life of Jobs, based on interviews with the then-CEO of Apple, as well as his friends, family, colleagues, and rivals. It was published by Simon & Schuster (owned by CBS, parent company of CNET) weeks after … Read more

What the DMCA cell phone unlock ban means to you (FAQ)

There has been a lot of talk lately about about how it's now considered illegal to unlock your smartphone without your carrier's permission.

The change comes as part of a three-year cycle for renewing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (PDF). And in this cycle the Library of Congress, which has the job of approving exemptions to the law, decided not to exempt the software locks that carriers put on devices that prevent them from being used on other carrier networks.

The change has caused quite a stir in the wireless community since it took effect in January. An … Read more

Apple's iWatch may be unveiled this year, Bloomberg says

Apple's rumored iWatch may get its unveiling sooner than later.

The company is seeking to introduce the device as soon as this year, according to Bloomberg. The wire service previously reported that Apple had roughly 100 people working on the project.

CNET contacted Apple for comment, and we'll update the story when the company responds.

The iWatch may end up being more profitable than Apple's other rumored new business, the television. While the television business is saddled with low margins, a long replacement cycle, and high costs, the watch business boasts higher margins and growth.

The popularity … Read more