Gibson is suing Activision, Harmonix, Electronic Arts, and MTV over alleged patent infringement over the companies’ involvement in Rock Band and the Guitar Hero series. The lawsuit is not over Guitar Hero’s use of the iconic Les Paul, SG, and Explorer guitars as controllers, but for violation of a decade-old patent for….drumroll please… “a method for simulating a live performance using a musical instrument, a 3D headset with stereo speakers, and a pre-recorded concert.” (US Patent 5,990,405) Gibson does not rock, at all…
Government Policy
Apple Sued: New 20" iMac Screens Display 260k Colors, Not Millions
By 4.2.08
Anyone who has been on the receiving end of an Apple ad campaign in the past 10 years knows that they tend to play fast and loose with the truth in their ad copy. Their towers are the fastest, their laptop is the thinnest, their phone is the most advanced. With so many unchecked exaggerations, Apple sometimes comes across as the consumer electronics version of Donald Trump, augmented by killer industrial and UI designers. Now a law firm in California has filed a class-action suit against the company for misrepresenting its new 20-inch iMac models as being capable of producing millions of colors, when in fact they use a substandard el-cheapo screen that is nowhere near as capable as what’s in the 24-inch models.
Judge Wants To Know Why 31 Law Firms Are Seeking A Cut Of The "Credit Card Hidden Transaction Fee" Settlement
By 4.2.08
Last year’s class-action settlement against Mastercard, Visa, and several banks over the fees they charged customers who traveled abroad came up to about $336 million, and of that, 31 law firms are claiming a total of about $86 million for fees. The federal judge responsible for determining how much they get paid wants to know why.
Walmart Drops Lawsuit Against Brain Damaged Worker
By 4.1.08 — Updated: 10.25.12
The world’s largest retailer said Tuesday in a letter to the family of Deborah Shank it will not seek to collect money the Shanks won in an injury lawsuit against a trucking company for the accident.
Arkansas Attorney General To Payday Lenders: Shut Down Or I'll See You In Court
By 3.31.08
On March 18, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel sent letters to 156 payday lenders, ordering them to stop issuing new loans and void any current and past due loans or face legal action. McDaniel charges that the lenders are violating Arkansas’s constitutional prohibition against usurious interest rates.
Costco Recalls 10,368 Pounds Of Listeria-Contaminated Chicken
By 3.31.08
Costco is issuing a voluntary recall for 10,368 pounds of Discover Cuisine frozen chicken entrees under suspicion that the chicken may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause headaches, neck stiffness, and, uh, spontaneous abortions.
TSA Freaks Over Speakers, Lets Knife Pass Through. Twice.
By 3.31.08
TSA throws away passenger’s toothpaste, freaks out over his JBL On Tour speaker system, and lets him pass through with a lock-knife keychain, twice. Couple this with that story a few weeks ago about the Apple Air trying to go through security (it doesn’t have a hard drive! there’s no ports!) and it seems that the TSA’s main concern is that the next terroristic attack will have incredibly attractive design.
Scam Watch: Credit Card Shaving
By 3.31.08
Have you heard of “credit card shaving?” In this version of credit card fraud, thieves try out 16-digit number sequences until hitting one that works. Then they take gift cards from stores and shave off the digits and glue them onto a credit card. They scratch the magnetic strip so the clerk has to enter the credit card number by hand. It’s apparently all the rage in Portland There’s no defense against it except to monitor your statement for suspicious charges.
Suspected Hat Stealer Drops Dead In Macy's
By 3.31.08
Last Thursday, a 400-pound man in his early thirties was confronted at a Macy’s in Oakland, California, and accused of shoplifting a hat from the men’s department. According to CBS News in San Francisco, “Security officers at the mall then attempted to arrest and detain Gomes, who allegedly resisted and assaulted security personnel, according to police.” The police were called, but on their way to the mall they received a follow-up report that the man had become unresponsive. He died later that evening at a hospital.
TSA Will Allow Women With Nipple Piercings To Fly If They Flash Officials
By 3.30.08
Your nipple piercings are still a threat to national security, but the TSA will let you fly if you “allow a visual inspection of [your] piercings.” The announcement came after TSA officials in Texas forced Mandi Hamlin to remove her nipple piercings with a pair of pliers before allowing her to board her flight. The TSA stopped short of apologizing to Ms. Hamlin, instead saying: “TSA acknowledges that our procedures caused difficulty for the passenger involved and regrets the situation in which she found herself.”
Treasury Secretary Calls For Supercharged Fed, Streamlined Regulatory System
By 3.29.08
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson wants to consolidate the nation’s financial regulators into a tripartite gang that can save the economy from distress and doom. The plan to give the Federal Reserve broad new regulatory powers and streamline the regulatory community has been in the works since last March, before the start of the subprime meltdown. Paulson is worried that the U.S. markets are no longer competitive with maturing world markets, some of which aren’t hampered by nuisances like regulation. After the jump we’ll explain the consumer impact of the plan and introduce you to your three new regulators.
Lawsuit Says Verizon's Text Message TV Show Contests Are "Illegal Gambling"
By 3.29.08
A class-action lawsuit has been filed in California against Verizon and several third-party companies, alleging that they promoted illegal gambling by enticing customers to pay to enter contests in which there was an “infinitesimally” small chance of winning, reports RCRWireless. “The suit centers on 99-cent charges levied on wireless consumers who played contests associated with popular TV shows like ‘Deal or No Deal’ and ‘Sole Survivor.'” The plaintiffs claim that the contests were less promotional sweepstakes than “illegal lotteries designed to generate revenues far in excess of the value of the cash awarded.”
38.6% Of Reported Debt Collectors Demand More Money Than Is Legal
By 3.28.08
Debtors have rights, and sometimes they get violated. The FTC released its annual Fair Debt Collection Practices Act report, part of which documents the number of complaints they get about debt collectors violating consumers rates. FTC received 70,951 DCPA violation complaints in 2007. Of them:
Starbucks CEO Thinks Pesky "Laws" Don't Apply To His Company
By 3.28.08
In the state of California it is illegal for supervisors to share in employee tips. Starbucks recently lost a lawsuit brought by an employee who said he was forced to share a portion of his tips with his supervisor. The judgment awarded over $100 million in back tips and interest to the Starbucks baristas of California, and now several similar lawsuits are pending in other states.
TSA Forces Woman To Remove Nipple Piercings
By 3.28.08
Woman Says TSA Forced Piercings Removal [AP] (Thanks to Benny!)
FDA Investigating Possible Increased Risk Of Suicide From Popular Asthma Drug Singulair
By 3.27.08
Concerns over “behavioral issues” with Singulair developed over the past year. Merck periodically updated the drug’s labels to include warnings for tremors, depression and anxiety. FDA spokesperson Susan Cruzan said reports of suicides by “three or four” people who were taking Singulair prompted Merck to clarify suicide warnings on labels and patient information sheets in October 2007.
Leukemia Survivor Settles ID Theft Lawsuit With TransUnion; Five More Companies To Go
By 3.27.08
When Eric Drew was in the hospital being treated for leukemia five years ago, a lab technician stole his personal information and began opening up credit card accounts in his name.
