Roy Mark

Nvidia said today the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is investigating possible antitrust violations at the world’s third-largest maker of computer graphics chips. According to a company statement, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based Nvidia has received a subpoena from the DoJ related to graphics processing units and cards. Nvidia, which has not returned a request for […]

Two Florida men and a Web site corporation are facing multiple federal charges of conspiring to use a child-modeling site as a front for posing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The 80-count indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charges Marc Evan Greenberg, 42; Jeffrey Robert Libman, 39; and Webe Web Corp., all of the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., […]

A Chicago district court cleared the way Tuesday for the Department of Justice (DoJ) to proceed with its antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The DoJ contends the NAR is engaging in anti-competitive behavior against online home brokers. The NAR hoped the court would dismiss the suit when it made changes to […]

WASHINGTON — A highly engaged United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case that could have wide implications for the future of the country’s patent system. At issue is the standard currently used to determine if a patent should be issued if the invention is obvious to those with knowledge of the […]

The United States Supreme Court will talk gas pedals today in a case the technology industry hopes the justices will find all too obvious. The issue at hand is decidedly low tech: gas pedals. The outcome, though, could be a landmark decision that redefines how patents are issued. In KSR International v. Teleflex, two makers […]

Two notorious spyware operators settled charges Tuesday with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Both John Robert Martinson, the principal owner of Mailwiper, and Odysseus Marketing and its principal, Walter Rines, drew the FTC’s attention for their secret downloads lurking behind free downloads of screensavers, anti-spyware and peer-to-peer (P2P) software. The settlement imposes a $1.86 million […]

Reporter’s Notebook: As Congress departs for the Thanksgiving holidays, it’s time for my first annual Legislative Turkey awards. The ratings system is so simple even a lawmaker can understand it: bills are scored on a one-to-five turkey score, with five being the biggest gobblers around. It’s been a particularly competitive year, so we only have […]

Internet providers and individual users are exempt from libel laws if the material they post or distribute is written by others, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday. In a unanimous ruling, the court said the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 clearly provides a legal safe harbor for those who republish comments by others, even […]

Just two weeks after Zango (the former 180solutions) settled deceptive trade practices charges with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a Washington public-policy advocacy group is complaining that the controversial adware distributor is not living up to its end of the deal. After agreeing in a settlement not to install its adware without consumers’ consent, the […]

UPDATED: Along with the financial good news of HP’s latest quarterly results and profit growth, its boardroom spy scandal is germinating. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Palo Alto, Calif.-based systems vendor said it remains the target of “various governmental inquiries” for its use of pretexting to obtain the personal […]

Guidance Software agreed Thursday to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the computer forensics specialist did not take reasonable security measures to protect sensitive customer data. The settlement requires Guidance to implement a comprehensive information security program, including independent, third-party audits every other year for the next ten years. The company also will be […]

Former Computer Associates chief salesman Stephen Richards was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for his role in the company’s financial accounting scandal that cost stockholders $400 million. In April, Richards pleaded guilty to securities fraud, obstruction of justice and perjury. The sentencing in U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser’s New York courtroom follows […]