As you probably know, AT&T is currently suing Verizon over the “There’s a map for that” ad campaign. The big blue death star says that the maps depict different things, whereas Verizon says the maps are truthful and “the truth hurts.” A federal judge says the ads can stay up — for now.
lawsuits
Federal Judge Rules Against Scrappy Mac Clone Manufacturer Psystar
By 11.18.09
Sorry, Mac OS lovers who don’t love the price tags on Apple hardware. Apple has emerged victorious in their copyright lawsuit against Mac clone manufacturer Psystar. U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup ruled that Psystar is violating Apple’s copyright as well as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by selling computers with a modified version of OS X pre-installed.
Verizon's Response To AT&T's Lawsuit: "The Truth Hurts"
By 11.18.09
Awhile back AT&T sued Verizon over their “There’s a Map For That” advertisements, claiming that the maps were misleading because the empty areas on the maps represented different things. Now Verizon has responded to the lawsuit with some fightin’ words.
Get A Refund If You Took Vytorin Or Zetia
By 11.13.09
If you or someone you know were prescribed the high cholesterol drugs Zetia or Vytorin and paid full price or a co-pay, you may be eligible for a refund as part of a recent class-action lawsuit. Manufacturers Merck and Schering-Plough are accused of violating consumer protection laws. While both drugs were marketed as superior to other, cheaper statins on the market, more recent studies showed that the drugs weren’t significantly more effective than the older drugs, and could have more harmful side effects.
Burger King Restaurants Angry Over $1 Burger Promo, File Lawsuit
By 11.13.09
I’ve been wondering how some fast food chains can sell $1 cheeseburgers and still make a profit. Apparently they can’t, which is why a group that represents about 80% of the restaurant’s franchisees have sued the company over the promotion.
Stroller Company Maclaren Knew About Amputation Risk 5 Years Ago
By 11.12.09
The British company Maclaren knew that its recently recalled strollers could potentially lop off a tot’s fingertips over five years ago, reports the New York Post, but it didn’t bother to alert the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Selling Expired Products: CVS To Pay $875,000 Settlement
By 11.12.09
The NY AG’s office says that CVS will pay an $875,000 settlement to end legal action against them over the sale of “expired products – including over-the-counter drugs, baby formula, milk, and eggs – at stores across New York State.”
Target Pays New Jersey $375K To Settle Fraud Charges
By 11.10.09
Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle charges that it sold baby formula and non-prescription drugs that had expired, and that it charged higher prices on some products than what was displayed on the shelves.
$1.26 Billion Glorified Tap Water Judgment Against Pepsi Thrown Out
By 11.8.09
Good news for Pepsico: the lawsuit two Wisconsin men filed, accusing the company of stealing from them the idea that eventually became Aquafina, will have to be judged on its actual merits. The default judgment of $1.26 billion that they received when Pepsi failed to acknowledge the suit has been vacated.
iPhone App Developer Sued For Stealing Users' Phone Numbers
By 11.6.09
For secretly stealing users’ phone number by exploiting a backdoor iPhone vulnerability, app developer Storm8 got slapped with a class action lawsuit.
Company Sued For Selling Beatles MP3s Says They're Original Works, So It's Okay
By 11.5.09
Since the Beatles are notorious for refusing to release their music online, the mere fact that BlueBeat.com was selling them was kind of strange, which probably explains why EMI just sued them for copyright infringement. But BlueBeat has come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation. The songs aren’t really Beatles songs, you see, but “psycho-acoustic simulations” and therefore original works.
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Payless Shoesource For Text Message Spamming
By 11.4.09
Peter, who wrote in last month to complain about being text-spammed by Payless Shoesource on his phone, wasn’t the only customer they annoyed. A man in California has filed a class action lawsuit against the shoe company and Voice & Mobile Broadcast Corporation, which is the marketing company it hired to run the campaign.
NY AG: Intel Is An Illegal Monopoly That Uses "Bribery And Coercion"
By 11.4.09
Andrew Cuomo, the Attorney General of New York, has filed a lawsuit against Intel, claiming that the company is an illegal monopoly that engages “in a worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct – revealed in e-mails – in order to maintain its monopoly power and prices in the market for microprocessors.”
AT&T Sues Verizon Over "There's A Map For That" Ads
By 11.4.09
AT&T has had it with Verizon’s “there’s a map for that ads” and have filed a lawsuit. The big blue death star says that the ad is misleading because while the blank spaces in Verizon’s map actually show places where there is no Verizon service at all — the blank spaces in the AT&T map may still have voice and data coverage — just not “3G” coverage.
Baby Too Boring? Watch The Neighbor's Baby With This Monitor
By 11.3.09
If you buy the Summer Infant Day and Night Video Monitor, you might want to make sure your neighbors haven’t also got one, or else they’ll have a secret window into your newborn’s room.
Facebook Sues Spammer; Wins $711 Million
By 10.31.09
Facebook won $711 million in a lawsuit against a notorious spammer. Don’t cheer too hard, though. The same spampresario owes MySpace $234 million for the same thing.
Misplaced Letter Costs PepsiCo $1.26 Billion In Bottled Water Lawsuit
By 10.29.09
It’s easy to joke about PepsiCo’s Aquafina. After all, it’s purified municipal tap water, bottled and sold at prices comparable to juices and soda. But the product is no joke to two men in Wisconsin. In 1981, they discussed their idea to bottle and sell purified tap water with some of PepsiCo’s regional bottlers. Allegedly, the idea made its way back to PepsiCo and eventually became Aquafina.
Copycat Company Sues Original Artist To Void Copyright Claims
By 10.28.09
It’s a natural impulse to want to support the little guy, the David who faces down a powerful Goliath. That’s why it’s easy to get behind this guy’s claims that a copycat business is suing him to force him to abandon his own copyrights. Wtf!, you might say when you read something like that. Is that even possible? It is, and the story is more nuanced when you look at both sides, which makes it a good example of why it’s sometimes hard to be a “good consumer” when deciding where to spend your money.
