Roy Mark

The bogus diet patch spammers settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Thursday on charges they violated the CAN-SPAM Act and other federal laws. Last year, Phoenix Avatar and its principals fought the charges, claiming they could not be held liable because the FTC could not prove that they actually sent the spam. Thursday’s settlement […]

WASHINGTON — Even by the high theatrical standards of Supreme Court hearing days, Tuesday’s antics signaled that the online file trading controversy could change the law of the land regarding copyright. In whose favor — Hollywood or Silicon Valley? Judging by the scene outside the court, final oral arguments in MGM v Grokster case had […]

One thing that distinguished the Supreme Court debate Tuesday morning over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and copyright infringement liability was that the justices meted out tough questions for both sides. By the end of the one-hour hearing, the tough questions were enough to give both the entertainment and technology industries serious pause as to which way […]

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the cable industry told the U.S. Supreme Court today that the law permits denying Internet service providers (ISPs) access to broadband cable lines. At issue is a complex 2002 ruling by the FCC that cable broadband modems are information services, which are essentially unregulated by the FCC. […]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court prodded and probed but rarely showed its hand today in the long-running legal battle between content owners and technology developers. In questions from the bench, the justices pushed the entertainment industry throughout the morning about its copyright lawsuits stifling innovation while seriously questioning the business models of P2P companies such […]

The often conflicting interests of technology and the entertainment industry will be played out Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in MGM v Grokster. At issue is Hollywood’s ability to sue peer-to-peer (P2P) developers for creating file-sharing technology that has led to widespread copyright theft. In the closely watched case, Hollywood is […]

Federal telecommunications laws do not require BellSouth and other regional carriers to offer standalone DSL service, according to a decision released Friday by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The ruling, the last major decision of the Michael Powell era at the FCC, upholds BellSouth’s decision to bundle DSL broadband with its voice service. The decision […]

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued proposed rules Thursday attempting to eliminate any restrictions on political blogging. The rules focus on paid online advertising and political e-mail instead. FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said the panel is still trying to determine whether a specific regulation exempting bloggers needs to be written, or if blogging would be […]

With the Supreme Court set to hear MGM vs. Grokster Tuesday morning, more than half of all Internet users believe peer-to-peer (P2P) firms should be held responsible for the pirating of music and video files, according to a new national survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The report says 53 percent of […]

The Supreme Court next Tuesday will hear a case involving the regulatory classification of broadband services. At issue is a 2002 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that cable broadband providers are information services and do not have to share their lines with competing Internet service providers (ISPs). In contrast, incumbent telephone companies are […]

The State of Texas sued Internet telephony provider Vonage today for deceptive trade practices related to the company’s disclosures about its 911 emergency calling service. The lawsuit seeks a $20,000 fine for each Texas customer Vonage has signed to its Voice-over-IP (VoIP) service. The suit further requests injunctive measures to stop the New Jersey-based Vonage […]

Level 3 Communications withdrew late Monday its petition seeking a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling on the rates Voice over IP providers pay incumbent telephone companies to complete Internet telephony calls over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). In late 2003, Broomfield, Colo.-based Level 3 wholesaler filed a forbearance petition asking the FCC to clarify […]