Telecommunications

  • February 20, 2024

    Liberal Justices Hint Chevron Deference Hanging By A Thread

    In the U.S. Supreme Court's latest battle royal over administrative powers, left-leaning justices at oral arguments Tuesday openly suggested that the landmark legal doctrine underpinning modern rulemaking might soon shrivel up, clearing the way for industry-led challenges to regulations on the books for decades.

  • February 20, 2024

    Fubo Wants Sports Giants' 'Unlawful' Streaming Plan Blocked

    The streaming company Fubo asked a New York federal court on Tuesday to block a joint venture under which ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery would combine sports portfolios into one streaming app, claiming that the plan would harm competition and result in higher prices for consumers.

  • February 20, 2024

    Apple Asks For Discovery Pause During Class Cert. Appeal

    Apple is urging a California federal judge to halt discovery in a sweeping App Store antitrust suit while the company appeals the class certification granted earlier this month.

  • February 20, 2024

    DirecTV Slams Studies Showing No 12 GHz Interference

    DirecTV is defending its supremacy in the 12 gigahertz band, pushing back against analysis showing that terrestrial 5G use of the band wouldn't lead to interference in a new filing with the Federal Communications Commission.

  • February 20, 2024

    Judge Says He'll Mull $10M Fine For Racist Robocaller

    An Idaho white supremacist has been found liable by a Montana federal court for sending out thousands of racist robocalls in an attempt to sway public opinion against Black and Jewish political candidates, with a fine that could top $10 million to follow.

  • February 20, 2024

    FCC Urged To Revisit Caps On Duplicate FM Broadcasts

    Musicians and small radio stations are pressuring the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate limits scrapped three years ago on FM stations airing duplicate content, but face pushback from the broadcast lobby.

  • February 20, 2024

    Ericsson, Lenovo IP Row Halted Amid Federal Probe

    A lawsuit alleging that Lenovo is infringing Ericsson's video technology was halted by a North Carolina federal court, which reasoned that a federal probe that will look into the same issues as the suit should be completed before the litigation can proceed.

  • February 20, 2024

    GOP, Democratic Reps. Team Up To Decry Punted FISA Vote

    The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's controversial Section 702, which gives the government a backdoor to intercept American communications without a warrant, is set to expire soon, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers says it's time they be allowed to vote on a version of the reauthorization that would add privacy protections.

  • February 20, 2024

    4th Circ. Orders Redo On Sony's $1B Music Piracy Damages

    Cox Communications Inc. is liable for contributing to copyright infringement against Sony Music Entertainment and others, but a Virginia federal court went too far by applying vicarious liability as well and needs to redo its $1 billion damages determination, the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • February 20, 2024

    Epic Calls Apple's $73M Fees Bid An Overreach

    Epic Games blasted Apple on Friday for seeking $73.4 million in legal fees following the pair's California federal court antitrust battle over App Store payment fees, arguing that antitrust claims like Epic's are immune from legal fees and that Apple cannot wrap its demands in successful contract breach counterclaims.

  • February 20, 2024

    Justices Give Feds Time In Texas, Fla. Social Media Law Fights

    The U.S. Supreme Court has set aside time for the federal government to weigh in on looming oral arguments in cases to determine the constitutionality of controversial Texas and Florida laws that restrict social media companies' ability to curb users' speech.

  • February 20, 2024

    EU Approves Orange's €18.6B Spanish Telecoms JV

    Europe's competition enforcer on Tuesday approved a deal for Orange SA and MasMovil Ibercom SA to combine their operations in Spain through a €18.6 billion ($20.3 billion) joint venture after the companies agreed to sell spectrum to a growing mobile operator in the country.

  • February 20, 2024

    FCC Panel To Focus On AI's Consumer Impact

    The Federal Communications Commission set a consumer advisory panel back into motion Tuesday, with the impact of artificial intelligence on the telecom industry as a top priority.

  • February 20, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Apple Patent Challenge In $576M Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Tuesday to consider if Apple should have been barred from joining a successful challenge to network security patents in a $576.5 million case, turning down cybersecurity company VirnetX Inc.'s argument that Apple's petition was filed too late.

  • February 16, 2024

    FCC Needs Enforcement Ombudsman, Ex-Agency Atty Says

    The Federal Communications Commission should consider a wide range of enforcement-related reforms, including creating an ombudsman's office to help companies navigate disputes that crop up during FCC investigations, a former agency general counsel has argued in a new industry-backed paper.

  • February 16, 2024

    Samsung Ordered To Arbitrate Hundreds Of BIPA Claims

    An Illinois federal judge has ordered Samsung Electronics to arbitrate 806 customers' biometric-privacy claims and to pay the American Arbitration Association for fees it owes in the slew of disputes, ruling that the company can't refuse to arbitrate under its own binding agreements.

  • February 16, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Revives Comcast Patent Case, And Warns Its Atty

    The Federal Circuit on Friday revived a patent suit against Comcast over voice recognition technology, finding that a lower court misinterpreted the patents, and reprimanded a Comcast attorney from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP for exceeding word counts in a brief in a related case.

  • February 16, 2024

    FCC Offers Incentives So Small Carriers Can Use Spectrum

    The Federal Communications Commission's new program to encourage spectrum licensees to divvy up their unused airwaves for sublease to smaller and more rural carriers is now up and running and accepting applications.

  • February 16, 2024

    States Defend Authority To Bring Texas Google Ad Tech Case

    State enforcers have told a Texas federal court they have standing to sue Google for allegedly violating federal antitrust law with its control over key digital advertising technology, arguing that states play an important role in enforcing the statutes and that Google's dismissal bid is unfounded.

  • February 16, 2024

    Malware Schemer 'Tank' Pleads Guilty To Stealing Millions

    Accused hacker group leader Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, known online as "Tank," pled guilty in Nebraska federal court to charges stemming from two malware schemes Thursday.

  • February 16, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen a legal battle erupt between JPMorgan and the founder of a Greek payments company following a dispute over the valuation of their jointly owned fintech business, the children of late Russian oligarch Vladimir Scherbakov face a claim by Fieldfisher LLP, the Director of Education and Training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority tackle a claim by two solicitors, and train operator First MTR South Western Trains file a claim against a security company. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 15, 2024

    Home Depot, Google Sued Over AI Customer Call Monitoring

    Home Depot and Google were hit with a proposed class action in California federal court Wednesday, accusing them of deploying artificial intelligence technology to surreptitiously "eavesdrop" on calls between customers and Home Depot's representatives without permission, in violation of Golden State privacy laws.

  • February 15, 2024

    FCC Wants Licensing Revamp To Help Hatch Space Industries

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed ways to streamline federal licensing needed to support an array of services in space, including manufacturing and parts assembly.

  • February 15, 2024

    FCC Makes It Easier To Revoke Robocall Consent

    The Federal Communications Commission has ushered in new rules that are supposed to make it easier than ever for consumers to revoke previously given consent to receive telemarketing calls and text messages.

  • February 15, 2024

    7th Circ. Questions $4M Samsung Arbitration Fee Order

    The Seventh Circuit seemed skeptical Thursday that more than 35,000 Samsung consumers had enough evidence to prove the telecommunications giant should pay $4 million in individual biometric privacy arbitration fees, as one judge also questioned whether the appeal is properly before the court. 

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Insider-Threat Reminders After Recent DOJ Prosecutions

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    Three recent U.S. Department of Justice actions may well lead to much greater scrutiny of companies in which insiders engage in a variety of corporate misconduct, including conducting or enabling cybercrimes, which will likely fall not just on government contractors, but across industries and geographies, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model

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    Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.

  • Section 214 Order Solidifies FCC's Role In National Security

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    In its recent approval of an order to collect foreign ownership information from international Section 214 authorization holders, the Federal Communications Commission demonstrates its formal commitment to improving efforts to protect national security and international telecommunications services, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Why Ericsson DPA Breach Is Precedent-Setting

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    Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson recently faced several penalties for breaching a deferred prosecution agreement, revealing a sobering new precedent for when the U.S. Department of Justice will find an entity in noncompliance, so companies should be prepared to revisit pre-resolution disclosures, say James Koukios and Sarah Maneval at MoFo.

  • Metaverse Presents New Challenges For Data Preservation

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    With regulators increasingly requesting data — and recordings — from virtual meeting applications, and cracking down on employee use of ephemeral messaging, companies have hints of what's to come for metaverse-generated data and should consider the technological capabilities of the metaverse and governance of its data, says Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight.

  • Failed Tegna Deal Reveals Increasing Merger Review Hurdles

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    A deeper look at how the Tegna-Standard General deal derailed during merger review suggests some practical steps that firms should consider to close transactions when dealing with multiple federal agencies operating under a whole-of-government antitrust enforcement approach, say Jody Boudreault and Katherine Dutcher at Baker Botts.

  • A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery

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    The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.

  • Opinion

    High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law

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    The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.

  • G7 Russia Restrictions May Further Complicate Compliance

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    New sanctions and export controls announced at the G7 summit targeting parties that help Russia circumvent existing restrictions signal continued multilateral commitment to intensifying economic pressure on Russia, and underscore the increasing compliance challenges for companies that pursue Russia-related opportunities, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • A Look At Corwin Cleansing After Chancery Edgio Ruling

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's denial of Corwin cleansing in an action seeking post-closing injunctive relief in the Edgio stockholders case has potentially significant implications for corporations and their boards in the negotiation of investment agreements with significant stockholders, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Opinion

    Time For Law Schools To Rethink Unsung Role Of Adjuncts

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    As law schools prepare for the fall 2023 semester, administrators should reevaluate the role of the underappreciated, indispensable adjunct, and consider 16 concrete actions to improve the adjuncts' teaching experience, overall happiness and feeling of belonging, say T. Markus Funk at Perkins Coie, Andrew Boutros at Dechert and Eugene Volokh at UCLA.

  • Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy

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    Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.

  • The Multimillion-Dollar Patent Consequences Of 'A' Vs. 'The'

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    Two Federal Circuit cases last month provide exemplary applications of both the general rule and its exception when interpreting the exact meaning of the indefinite articles "a" and "an" in patent claims, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Opinion

    Radical Reform Is Needed So Small Biz Can Better Assist DOD

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    A recent U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing was a good first step in identifying national security implications of barriers to entry for small businesses selling to the U.S. Department of Defense, but the DOD and Congress must keep up momentum to prevent small business participation from declining further, says Jessica Lehman at Verizon.

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