A U.S. District Court in Texas has drastically reduced a multi-million dollar jury award against three computer firms charged with patent infringement. The court's action lowered OPTi's share of the judgment from $19.4 million to $4 million. The court judgment includes a permanent injunction against further infringement....

German court holds AOL liable for music swaps. german court holds aol liable for music swaps. A German appeals court has ruled against America Online, upholding a 1998 Bavarian state court's ruling that the company is liable when its users illegally trade music files. A German appeals court has ruled against America Online, upholding a 1998 Bavarian state court's ruling that the company is liable when its users illegally trade music files....

Intel courts gamers. intel courts gamers. Intel Corp. . Intel Corp. has apparently decided to counter Advanced Micro Devices's successful efforts to identify itself with video gamers and gaming. The Inquirer reports that Intel will sponsor the ...

U.S. Court of Appeals Says One-Time-Use Is Literal for Cameras. u. Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. just let us know that it was given a favorable decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit (CAFC) on August 21, 2001, regarding one-time-use cameras. Not surprisingly, Fuji is considering what actions it can take to reverse that part of the Court's decision. ...

Imation Can Sell Black Watch DLT IV, Court Says. imation can sell black watch dlt iv. Twas only yesterday that I reported that Quantum won a preliminary injunction against Imation, and already Imation has put out a release saying that a ruling in California Superior Court, is denying a bid by Quantum to block Imation from selling Black Watch Digital Linear Tape IV cartridges. Imation says the Court's requirement that Imation pay a 30% royalty during the interim is "recognition of Quantum's dependence on their unusually high royalty structure....

Rambus Slapped Again: Court Protects Infineon Against Patent Charges. rambus slapped again court protects infineon against patent charges. The Court's entry of a permanent injunction affirms the August 2001 decision of Federal District Judge Robert E. Payne to uphold a Virginia jury verdict that Rambus committed fraud in connection with the SDRAM standardization process of the Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC). Judge Payne also ordered Rambus to pay Infineon more than $7 million in attorney's fees and expenses incurred by Infineon as a result of the suits heard by the Court. The Court based the payment order on its finding that the patent infringement claims of Rambus were "baseless, unjustified and frivolous." We look forward to successfully resolving these issues in the Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit."...

KaZaA.com continues to operate its Napster-style software downloads despite a ruling against its former owners in a Dutch court. KaZaA.com continues to operate its Napster-style software downloads despite a ruling against its former owners in a Dutch court. The court ruled the software "justifies on its own a ban on the use of the Web site", the Press Association reports. So it's unclear if the decision of the Dutch Court is enforceable. Although the music industry has successfully won its court case, it faces a bigger challenge in shutting down the service. ...

Scholars Voice their Objections to Video Game Ordinance in Court. scholars voice their objections to video game ordinance in court. A group of 33 international scholars, including media experts, social psychologists and academicians from U.C.L.A., London University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others, have filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis, Missouri, objecting to an earlier federal court's upholding of a parental consent ordinance in St. Louis County. The scholars joined together with the Free Expression Policy Project, a New York think-tank organization that has filed legal briefs in other court cases that involve limitations on access to media. A different federal appellate court earlier struck down a similar ordinance that had been enacted in Indianapolis, Indiana. ...

Court Rules Verizon Must Release Individual Subscriber's Identity in File Sharing. court rules verizon must release individual subscribers identity in file sharing. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) argued to the Court that it was justified in "fast tracking" the legal process and could compel an Internet Service Provider to turn over subscriber information without the legal prerequisite of requiring the copyright holder to first file a legal action. Verizon also argued that the subpoena process was unfair because it is not subject to approval by a Judge; subpoenas can be issued by the Clerk of any Federal Court. According to Sara Deutsch, Vice President and General Counsel for Verizon, "The Court's decision has troubling ramifications for consumers, service providers and the growth of the Internet. It opens the door for anyone who makes a mere allegation of copyright infringement to gain complete access to private subscriber information without the due process protections afforded by the Courts."...

Appellate Court Asks for Clarification in Xerox-Palm Patent Infringement Case. appellate court asks for clarification in xerox. The U.S. Federal Appellate Court upheld a lower State Court's ruling that Palm Inc.'s "graffiti" handwriting software was an infringement violation of Xerox Corporation's patent. However, the Court remanded the case back to the lower New York State Court to first determine whether Xerox's product under its patent claim is "unique." After it ruled that Palm had infringed Xerox's patent, the lower State Court ordered Palm to post a $50 million bond during the appeal process. Palm appealed the lower Court's ruling last month....