News of the Week; June 12, 2019

GAMES

1. Report: Global gaming software spend hits $132bn
2. Lawsuit alleges Unity CEO sexually harassed former VP
3. Unity faces lawsuit as John Riccitiello accused of sexual harassment: Former VP of recruitment claims CEO made several advances before she was unfairly dismissed
4. Unity faces lawsuit as John Riccitiello accused of sexual harassment
5. Star Control creators no longer opposing Stardock’s Star Control trademark
6. Stardock and Star Control creators settle lawsuits—with mead and honey: A surprising – and surprisingly amicable – conclusion to the multi-year legal saga.
7. Star Control creators settle legal battle with Stardock:
8. Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III say dispute was settled “amicably and in a way where the fans are the biggest winners”
9. Blog: What can devs learn from the Ion Maiden trademark lawsuit?
10. Activision Shouts ‘First Amendment’ Over Humvee’s Trademark Lawsuit For Call Of Duty Depictions
11. Report: Tariffs prompt Nintendo to move some Switch production out of China
12. New Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser speaks against crunch
13. Nintendo is working on a direct Breath of the Wild sequel
14. Breath of the Wild sequel partially inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2
15. Don’t Miss: Designing Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s unconventional mechanics
16. Nintendo’s E3 Direct had nothing new for the 3DS
17. Inside the work to get Doom on the Super Nintendo
18. Streamer Dr Disrespect has E3 badge revoked after filming in public bathroom: Twitch channel also taken down after multiple “IRL” livestreams that included bystanders using restrooms
19. Ubisoft: Watch Dogs Legion “has a message for sure”: Creative director Clint Hocking says the new game is about “fighting back against things that are obviously wrong”
20. Ubisoft says avoiding messages is part of making “more mature games”: VP of editorial Tommy Francois talks about publisher’s stance on politics in games, says “Nothing is simple in life”
21. New Ubisoft tool lets Assassin’s Creed Odyssey players create custom quests
22. Ubisoft’s new Uplay+ subscription launches for PC this year, Stadia in 2020
23. Ubisoft fills E3 hour with Tom Clancy games and Watch Dogs Legion gameplay: Publisher also announces multiple new IP and a new subscription service, UPlay+
24. Ubisoft enters subscription battleground with Uplay Plus: PC and Google Stadia service to include over 100 Ubisoft PC games
25. Google Stadia will let publishers offer their own subscription plans
26. Anita Sarkeesian: “No more excuses for the lack of women at E3” – The Feminist Frequency founder on the need for better representation, both with games characters and on-stage presenters
27. Pole to Win CEO: Building a team that will retire with you: Deborah Kirkham on the importance of company culture, and how she landed her current executive role by asking for it
28. Epic collaborates with dance creator on Fortnite emote: Developer changes tact after series of lawsuits over alleged copyright infringement dominate headlines
29. ‘Fortnite’ Still Leads Views For Gaming Titles On Social Video. By A Lot.
30. Game over for loot boxes in new proposed legislation
31. After 8Chan-gate, THQN unveils stirring anti-Nazi game set in 1930s Germany
32. Xseed Games’ controversial credits policy only names current staff members: Publisher says it “appreciates the hard work of everyone who contributes” but removes them from game credits if they leave
33. Are we witnessing the end of the console wars? | Opinion: Sony and Microsoft’s controllers appearing onstage at an Apple keynote speaks to a new landscape where former rivals are working together
34. Sony trialing new PlayStation voice chat transcription feature
35. Sony chief: ‘There’s no scenario where the PlayStation and Xbox platforms combine’
36. Sony: There is “no scenario where the PlayStation and Xbox platforms combine” – PlayStation’s Jim Ryan insists that Sony’s new partnership with Microsoft will only go so far
37. Xbox One successor Project Scarlett slated for Holiday 2020
38. Microsoft reveals first details on “Project Scarlett” game console for 2020
39. Microsoft’s next-gen Project Scarlett console will still have a disc drive
40. Microsoft working to get “every single Xbox One game” working on Scarlett
41. Microsoft ending Xbox One backwards compatibility efforts to focus on next-gen
42. Microsoft will launch new Xbox console next year: Halo Infinite will be a launch title for the new hardware, codenamed Project Scarlett
43. Phil Spencer on Project Scarlett: “We want to be compatible across all generations” – Xbox head nods toward backward compatibility on next-gen console with emphasis on Xbox Live
44. Microsoft ends Xbox One backwards compatibility efforts to focus on Project Scarlett: Reveals final titles to be added as it aims to make four generations of games work with next console
45. Xbox at E3: Halo Infinite leads massive first-party deluge of Xbox, PC games – Microsoft moves on Sony’s E3 absence with a smorgasbord of Xbox Game Studios fare.
46. Phil Spencer: “It would be nice to buy a Japanese studio” – The head of Xbox on Game Pass, the impact of streaming, and why he’s not afraid of Google
47. Microsoft revamping Xbox Live gamertags so users can share the same name
48. “There is no downside to Game Pass,” says Playground Games: Forza Horizon studio tells us how the Xbox subscription service has taken its series to even greater heights
49. Microsoft announces PC Game Pass pricing, adds to Ultimate bundle
50. UPlay+ subscription lets you play every Ubisoft game on PC and Stadia: $14.99/month service includes all DLC, “earliest access” to new Ubisoft titles.
51. Project Xcloud demo of Halo 5 nearly indistinguishable from local play
52. Xbox’s Phil Spencer: Our next console will have a disc drive – Microsoft gaming boss says that millions of people still love physical
53. Xbox adding Remote Play-style console streaming, xCloud preview launches this October – Platform holder’s streaming strategy will centre around two pillars: Project xCloud and user’s own consoles
54. Xbox head: xCloud aims to complement video game hardware, not replace it
55. Microsoft xCloud console streaming service goes live in October
56. Microsoft acquires Double Fine Productions
57. Microsoft picks up Psychonauts 2 publishing rights from Starbreeze
58. Double Fine Productions is Microsoft’s latest Xbox acquisition: Crowdfunders will still get Psychonauts 2 on their chosen platform.
59. Microsoft buys Double Fine Productions: Xbox paid Starbreeze $13.2 million for publishing rights to Psychonauts 2
60. Ooblets to self-publish after Double Fine joins Microsoft
61. Struggling Starbreeze granted extended reconstruction period until September
62. Double Fine: Xbox deal won’t change multi-platform Psychonauts 2 release – Tim Schafer describes relief at no longer having to pitch ideas “to every publisher that exists”
63. Double Fine confirms no layoffs to publishing team after Xbox acquisition: Plans for Double Fine Presents are still “evolving,” but it is committed to spotlighting original developers
64. Microsoft has quietly established a new Age of Empiresstudio
65. Microsoft forms dedicated Age of Empires studio
66. Xbox now has 15 standalone studios follow past year’s high-profile acquisitions
67. Microsoft confirms no Forza Motorsport 8 in 2019: Next entry in the series is “in concept” as Turn 10 Studios focuses on building community
68. Google Stadia’s paid subscription service launches in November: Stadia Pro to cost $9.99/month for 4K streaming, occasional free games; free version ‘Stadia Base’ coming next year
69. Google Stadia requires $130 upfront, $10 per month at November launch
70. Stadia ‘Founder’s Edition’ launches in November, base version in 2020
71. Despite “revolutionary” promises, Stadia’s biz model is pure establishment
72. “Big exclusive games win the day, and Stadia does not have any”: Industry analysts are questioning the value that Google Stadia will offer to its paying subscribers
73. YouTube can’t be trusted with Google Stadia | Opinion: Years of lax content policy has permitted bigotry, hate groups, and harassment to flourish on YouTube. Now Google wants to use it to sell games directly
74. Publishers can put their own separate subscriptions on Google Stadia – Phil Harrison: Publishers with “bigger catalogs and more significant lineups” could put other subscriptions on top of Stadia Pro
75. Google Stadia in 4K might push you past your home-Internet data cap
76. Larian Studios will not “participate in the exclusivity game” with Baldur’s Gate III: The long awaited RPG sequel will not be exclusive to Google Stadia or any other platform
77. Divinity: Original Sin developer Larian Studios is behindBaldur’s Gate 3
78. Baldur’s Gate III is finally official, coming to PC and Stadia
79. Atari’s throwback Atari VCS console up for pre-order, starting at $250
80. Hatch partners with Samsung to bring 5G game streaming to the U.S.
81. EA signs fresh indie publishing deals with Zoink, Glowmade and Hazelight: Meanwhile, more studios join EA’s Origin Access subscription service
82. UK Charts: Sony’s Days of Play campaign puts FIFA 19 back at No.1 – PlayStation exclusives account for almost half the top ten best-selling games of the week
83. Konami announces plug-and-play TurboGrafx-16 Mini
84. Super Mario Maker 2’s online mode will get a “friends” patch after launch [Updated]
85. Fallout 76 updates promise turnaround after “well-deserved criticism”: Battle royale mode, human NPCs, and free trial among coming changes.
86. Bethesda unveils Orion to offer engine-level enhancements for streaming games
87. Bethesda unveils Orion game streaming tech: Robert Duffy and James Altman discuss the details of the company’s new engine optimization SDK that works with any streaming service
88. Bethesda says its Orion tech can make all cloud gaming better, faster
89. Bethesda’s E3 revealed new IP from Tango Gameworks, Arkane Lyon
90. The Elder Scrolls Online has reached 13.5m players: Zenimax’s MMORPG has gained 2.5m new players in the last year
91. Destiny goes free-to-play as Destiny 2: New Light
92. Destiny 2 will become free-to-play later this year, cross-platform [Updated]
93. FFVII and Avengers bookend Square Enix’s hour of announcements, commercials: Multiple retro remasters also announced, and a new title from Square Enix Collective
94. Bungie to launch free-to-play Destiny 2 in September –
95. Destiny 2: New Light will launch on the same day as transition to Steam, the “new home for the Destiny PC community”
96. Shenmue 3 is an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC
97. Shenmue III is an Epic Games store exclusive on PC: It appears Ys Net will not be issuing refunds for those upset at the game’s removal from Steam
98. Steam developers can start uploading assets for new library layout
99. Epic Games Store exclusive Satisfactory has topped 500,000 sales
100. Epic Games store offering a free game every week for 2019: Storefront to continue Epic Mega Sale offer for the rest of the year
101. Epic launches its overhauled Unreal Online Learning portal
102. Epic Games has acquired group video chat platform Houseparty
103. Playground Games: “Crunch has no place in modern development” – The Forza Horizon developer on its new studio, and the transition to running a game as a live service
104. Report: Blizzard began making, then canceled, a StarCraftfirst-person shooter
105. Report: Blizzard cancels StarCraft spinoff to double down on new Diablo, Overwatch games
106. Blizzard reportedly cancels StarCraft FPS to focus on Overwatch, Diablo: No layoffs from StarCraft project or other cancelled mobile game, resources allocated to upcoming major IP sequels
107. Naughty Dog is shutting down PS3 servers for Uncharted 2,3, and The Last of Us
108. Minecraft Dungeons hands-on: A shameless Diablo clone—and better for it
109. Blog: Admiring the design in hyper-casual games
110. Video: Efficient texture streaming in Titanfall 2
111. Video: Inside the theme-oriented design of Phantom Doctrine
112. Video: How cheating and making player life easier helpedDead Cells shine
113. Video: Why fashion in (most) games sucks, and why you should care
114. Don’t Miss: A look at the data-driven AI framework behindDestroy All Humans 2
115. Don’t Miss: How bad crediting hurts the game industry and muddles history
116. Opinion: Observation’s AI is a brilliant narrative device
117. What Massive has learned making live content for The Division 2
118. Next Games is making a location-based Stranger Things mobile game
119. Zynga launches Snap Games-exclusive battle royale game
120. Zynga proposes $600m convertible note sale: If successful, it would add to the $600m raised from the sale of its San Francisco headquarters
121. Novaquark secures $11.2 million in funding to continueDual Universe development
122. Novaquark raises additional $11.2 million for Dual Universe: Including Kickstarter funds, the French developer has brought in $22.6 million toward the game
123. Rec Room dev Against Gravity secures $24 million in funding
124. Tencent sells a quarter of its Glu Mobile shares for $56 million
125. Tencent sells a quarter of its stake in Glu Mobile: Online giant still owns nearly 15% of mobile publisher after unloading about 5% for more than $56 million
126. Intellivision opening European office: Hires Computec CEO ahead of new Amico console launch in 2020
127. SuperData: US millennials spend $112 a month on gaming – Report finds 71% of millennial gamers watch gaming video content online
128. AAA game downloads on the brink of overtaking physical in Europe: Exclusive figures reveal rapid digitisation as consumers drop physical in favour or digital
129. Sports Direct offers to buy UK retailer Game Digital for $66 million
130. Can Sports Direct halt the gradual demise of GAME?: Expect more store closures, but hopefully a future for the specialist UK retailer
131. Immortals Gaming Club acquires Infinite Esports & Entertainment: Deal brings OpTic Gaming and Houston Outlaws under same umbrella as MIBR and the LA Valiant
132. Esports Global Fund launches next month backed by British Esports Association: Esports and gaming investment venture secures €30m in total investment with goal of €100m in three years
133. Esports: an untapped market for both brands and law firms
134. ReKTGlobal acquires Greenlit Content: Esports company takes on portfolio including GameDaily.biz, Prima Games, and Shacknews
135. FaZe Clan’s Youngest Member, 12-Year-Old H1ghSky1, Gets Twitch Account Deactivated After Lying About His Age
136. Imagine Dragons Become First Major-Label Band With a ‘Beat Saber’ Music Pack
137. VR app Virtual Desktop dropping VR streaming feature at Oculus’ behest
138. Oculus is Forcing the Removal of SteamVR Streaming from Quest App, Dev Says
139. Facebook: $5m in Oculus Quest software sold since launch: VP of AR and VR Andrew Bosworth indicates size of the software market in Oculus Quest’s first two weeks
140. Analysis: Monthly-connected VR Headsets on Steam Pass 1 Million Milestone – Monthly-connected headsets on Steam are up 80% year-over-year
141. Sony sets December 2020 release date for Uncharted movie: Spider-Man’s Tom Holland will play Nathan Drake in the long in development adaptation
142. EverQuest’s long, strange 20-year trip still has no end in sight
143. Vanessa Gill and Damon Packwood named Global Gaming Citizens

DIGITAL

1. Huawei’s PR Campaign Comes Straight From the Party’s Playbook: The trade war is showing how deep Beijing’s global influence runs.
2. Canada’s economic future could be ‘difficult’ if it fails to ban Huawei: expert
3. Report: Google argues the Huawei ban would hurt its Android monopoly
4. Huawei’s export ban is wider in scope than most people imagine
5. Huawei cancels MateBook laptop launch because of US export ban
6. New York AG Declares War on Fake Followers, Likes, and Online Deception 
7. The Catch-22 that broke the Internet
8. BGP event sends European mobile traffic through China Telecom for 2 hours
9. Facebook’s Triple Woes Over Cambridge Analytica Data Harvesting Scandal
10. Facebook is stopping Huawei from pre-installing its apps: From bad to worse for Huawei
11. Will this deepfake of a power-hungry Zuckerberg make Facebook rethink fake news?
12. Facebook’s AI system can speak with Bill Gates’s voice
13. Facebook launches searchable database, identity verification for political ads ahead of federal election
14. Facebook Watch grows to more than 720 million monthly users Users are also spending more time in the social network’s video hub.
15. Facebook, ProSiebenSat.1 Sign First Content Pact for Watch Platform in Europe
16. Facebook bans health and conspiracy site Natural News
17. Facebook Tested With Deepfake Of Mark Zuckerberg: Company Leaves It Up
18. Facebook lets deepfake Zuckerberg video stay on Instagram
19. Delaware Court Of Chancery Grants Books And Records Request Arising From Caremark Claims Related To Facebook User Privacy 
20. District of Columbia v. Facebook: General Consumer Protection Statute can serve as vehicle for state attorney general seeking redress for data privacy violations
21. Researchers discover “Fishwrap” influence campaign recycling old terror news
22. Facebook’s Radical Bitcoin-Beating Cryptocurrency Plans Revealed
23. Draft law proposes 10-year jail term for dealing in cryptocurrency: Besides making it completely illegal, the bill makes holding of cryptos a non-bailable offence.
24. Blockchain Remittance Platform ZED Network Receives First Prospectus Exemption for Distributing Crypto Tokens 
25. New SEC lawsuit could decide the fate of dozens of blockchain projects: The SEC says Kik’s initial coin offering was an unregistered sale of securities.
26. UBC launches Canada’s first graduate blockchain training path
27. Tinder and the Russian Intelligence Services: It’s a Match! – Will Facebook and Twitter be next?
28. FTC: Consumer Gag Clauses a No-Go 
29. Senator Blumenthal Calls for FTC Investigation of Detox Teas Promoted on Social Media
30. Lawyers post social media videos on legal aid cuts: Videos target provincial budget, #GotBeerNeedJustice hashtag used
31. Another One Bytes the Dust: Court Dismisses Flash Drive False Advertising Suit Based On Back-Of-Package Clarifying Disclosures
32. Republicans Blame CDA 230 For Letting Platforms Censor Too Much; Democrats Blame CDA 230 For Platforms Not Censoring Enough
33. Appeals Court Issues Strong CDA 230 Ruling, But It Will Be Misleadingly Quoted By Those Misrepresenting CDA 230
34. DC Circuit Holds that Section 230 Protects Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! Against Locksmiths’ Claims but Warns that Immunity Is Not ‘Limitless’
35. D.C. Circuit Issues Sweeping Pro-Section 230 Opinion–Marshall’s Locksmith v. Google (Eric Goldman)
36. Once Again, Section 230 Protects Twitter’s Account Suspension Decisions–Brittain v. Twitter (Eric Goldman)
37. Historical Documentation Of Key Section 230 Cases
38. Contract Breach Claims Against Google Survive First Amendment Defense–Dreamstime v. Google (Eric Goldman)
39. Google CEO Sundar Pichai says tackling hate speech on YouTube is hard: YouTube is under fire for hosting channels and videos that foster hate speech and fake news.
40. Susan Wojcicki Apologizes For Hurting LGBTQ Community, But Defends Decision To Let Steven Crowder Videos Stand
41. The Impossibility Of Content Moderation Plays Out, Once Again, On YouTube
42. Looking for the elusive Goldilocks standard of online content moderation (Andres Guadamuz)
43. The Impossibility Of Content Moderation: YouTube’s New Ban On Nazis Hits Reporter Who Documents Extremism, Professor Teaching About Hitler
44. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 6/9/2019
45. Creators Can’t Always Take Risks With Their Content. That’s Why YouTuber Community Standard Built Nebula — A Platform For Its Creators To Experiment.
46. Activists Lobby For Google’s Removal From San Francisco Pride Festivities At Board Meeting
47. This week’s dead Google product is Google Trips, may it rest in peace
48. NY Times Publishes Laughable Propaganda To Argue Google Owes Newspapers Like Itself Free Money
49. As Google Ponders Making Ad Blockers Less Useful, Mozilla Ramps Up Tracker Blocking
50. Too much sweetener in your grande: ariana grande follows a long line of celebrities being sued for copyright infringement
51. YouTube Creators Who Document Extremism Caught In Crossfire Of Site’s Evolving Policies
52. YouTube’s anti-extremism crackdown targets journalist who documents extremism
53. Bowing to pressure, YouTube will reconsider its harassment policies: ‘One particular challenge we face more and more these days is creator-on-creator harassment.’
54. YouTube Adds Notification Settings For Users, Metrics For Creators To Clarify When Subscribers Are Alerted
55. Livestreamers Are Changing The World With Their Generosity — And Last Month They Raised A Record $2.1 Million For St. Jude
56. Emma Chamberlain Says She Spends Up To 30 Hours Editing Each Of Her Weekly Vlogs
57. Fullscreen Signs 9 Creators, Including MindOfRez, Lexy Panterra, And Kellie Sweet
58. Sway Calloway, Omarion, and MindofRez Sign With Fullscreen
59. Influencer Marketing Platform CreatorIQ Raises $12 Million At $40 To $50 Million Valuation
60. Canadian Digital Network BroadbandTV Surpasses 575 Million Monthly Viewers
61. Vancouver-based BroadbandTV’s videos clock over 46.9 billion minutes of watch-time every month
62. BroadbandTV Corp. is Now Viewed by More Than 575 Million Unique Viewers Each Month and Achieves 46.9 Billion Minutes of Watchtime
63. Snapchat Testing In-App Shops For Top Influencers Like The Kardashians, Bhad Bhabie, Spencer Pratt
64. Snapchat is experimenting with an events feature of its own: Time for Snapchat to start copying Facebook?
65. Student Uses Snapchat’s ‘Gender Switch’ Filter to Nab Cop Allegedly Looking to Hook Up With Teen Girl: Police
66. Lionsgate Pacts With Hulu, FX for Two-Year Output Deal
67. Insights: Quibbling About Quibi – Too Big To Fail Or Too Expensive To Succeed?
68. Quibi’s Steven Spielberg Horror Series Can Only Be Watched When It’s Dark Outside
69. Having an ethical framework is the best way to mitigate risks in autonomous technology
70. Devs hit Apple with class action lawsuit: Tech giant accused of anti-competitive practices and “profit killing” commissions
71. Apple wants to acquire Intel’s 5G business to build its own modems, sources claim
72. Michigan Senator Proposes Bill That Would Force YouTube To Stop Recommending Videos Featuring Kids
73. Public Metrics Were Never Designed To Be As Important As They Are
74. Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi To Revive Iconic MTV Series ‘Singled Out’ And ‘Punk’d’
75. The Obamas Ink Exclusive Deal With Spotify For Original Podcast Slate
76. Barack and Michelle Obama Sign Spotify Deal to Produce Exclusive Podcasts
77. Spotify’s ‘Sound Up’ Boot Camp Returns To Support Women Of Color In Podcasting
78. Instagram one-ups TikTok with karaoke lyrics
79. Instagram Adds New Custom Gender Options For User Profiles In Honor Of Pride
80. Vox Media staff stages one-day walkout over union contract
81. Amazon, reeling from recent regulatory hurdles, pumps $404M into its India business
82. Amazon Scores U.K. Rights to Women’s Tennis
83. HBO Cancels ‘Vice News Tonight’, As Vice’s News EVP Josh Tyrangiel Departs Company
84. Mailchimp Created an In-House Entertainment Studio That’s Working With WME, Vice and Others
85. Mailchimp Is Making Original Content Now, Because Why Not?
86. Netflix’s ‘Love, Death & Robots’ Gets Second Season Helmed By Jennifer Yuh Nelson
87. Introducing the Principled Artificial Intelligence Project
88. The Other Half of the Truth: Staying human in an algorithmic world
89. Artificial intelligence: Is your data well protected across borders?
90. Artificial intelligence: Is your data well protected across borders?
91. When Employees Are Using Software That IT Hasn’t Approved

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Rogers Calls for Expansion of Media Bailout to Cover Broadcast Organizations…and Thinks Netflix Should Pay For It (Michael Geist)
2. Netflix, Indigenous cultural groups partnering to develop talent in Canada
3. Super-Secret Submissions: Corus and SaskTel Block Disclosure of Their BTLR Submissions Claiming Prejudice to Their Competitive Position (Michael Geist)
4. Comcast broke law 445,000 times in scheme to inflate bills, judge finds
5. Comcast’s fight against racial-bias lawsuit is taken up by Supreme Court: Comcast seeks dismissal of suit claiming refusal to carry TV channels was racist. 
6. Comcast Gets $9 Million Fine For Tricking Customers With ‘Worthless’ Protection Plans
7. Here’s Why Net Neutrality Still Matters One Year After Repeal
8. T-Mobile/Sprint merger faces big test as nine states sue to block it
9. 10 State AGs Join Forces, Will Sue To Stop T-Mobile Sprint Merger
10. FCC Rules to Permit Default Robocall Blocking by Telephone Companies
11. FCC “Passes the Baton” on Stopping Robocalls to Carriers: Final Declaratory Ruling on Default Call Blocking Adopted – Caller Redress Mechanism Part of the Final Ruling 
12. FCC Announces Results of 5G Millimeter Wave Auctions; AT&T, Verizon Rank at Top of Winner List
13. Spam robocalls are a growing problem, but now carriers are allowed to automatically block them: Big questions about how well the technology will work and who will end up paying are still on the table.
14. Phone companies can block robocalls by default starting today, FCC says
15. Microsoft Again Slams America’s Shaky Broadband Maps
16. Small Idaho City Shows The Benefits Of Open Access Broadband Networks
17. If You Think The Reason Internet Companies Snarf Up Your Data Is Because Their Services Are Free, Allow Me To Introduce You To The Telcos

PRIVACY

1. Get All of Your Bots in a Row: 2018 California Bot Disclosure Law Comes Online Soon 
2. Spanish soccer league’s app caught eavesdropping on users in anti-piracy push
3. We Read 150 Privacy Policies. They Were an Incomprehensible Disaster.
4. Majority of poll respondents express support for extending privacy laws to political parties
5. AG William Barr Doesn’t Want The Government Spying On The President But Thinks It’s OK If It Spies On Everyone Else
6. Released Warrant Shows SFPD Started Monitoring Journalist’s Phone Weeks Before Officers Raided His Home
7. Australian Federal Police Raid Even More Journalists Over Leaked Documents
8. From face to DNA: New method aims to improve match between DNA sample and face database
9. Oversight Says FBI’s Facial Recognition System Has Gotten Bigger, But Not Better
10. Whining About Big Tech Doesn’t Protect Journalism
11. Amazon, Law Enforcement Joining Forces To Turn Your Front Door Into An Integral Part Of The Surveillance State
12. Google confirms that advanced backdoor came preinstalled on Android devices
13. China Based Company is Believed to be Behind HiddenWasp Malware 
14. Is the GDPR fulfilling its real purposes in the age of fake news?
15. Does Privacy Shield Provide Adequate Protections?
16. The Future Of School Safety Includes Round-The-Clock Surveillance Of Students
17. The clever cryptography behind Apple’s “Find My” feature
18. Client Alert: Privacy law update: Nevada and Maine Pass Laws Restricting the Sale of Personal Information
19. Maine Passes Broadband Privacy Bill 
20. Maine Enacts Nation’s Strictest Data Privacy Restrictions on Internet Service Providers
21. New York State’s Privacy Law Would Be Among The Toughest In The US
22. Nevada’s New Privacy Law Has Data Sale Opt-Out Rights
23. Oregon Latest State to Require Reasonable Security for IoT Devices
24. More States Move to Restrict Companies’ Use or Sale of Personal Information
25. The International Encryption Debate: Privacy Versus Big Brother

CREATIVITY

1. Pepe the Frog’s Creator Obtains Monetary Settlement from Infowars
2. U.S. – District Court reversed: No fair use defense for Adams Morgan neighborhood photo 
3. Artist takes on Frida Kahlo Corporation in copyright spat 
4. Rolling Over: Bitter Sweet Symphony copyright dispute between Jagger, Richards and Ashcroft finally resolved 
5. Copyright Office Urges Federal Publicity Rights for Moral Rights Protection
6. The end of political cartoons at The New York Times
7. New Canadian Report Offers Balanced Recommendations for Progressive Copyright Reform
8. Radiohead Dropped 18 Hours Of Unreleased Music To Screw Pirates
9. Radiohead release hours of hacked MiniDiscs to benefit Extinction Rebellion: Climate activists thank the band for ‘unprecedented support’
10. The U.S. entertainment industry should know about the astounding contractual protections the EU just guaranteed for authors and performers.
11. Kawhi Leonard Accuses Nike Of Trying To Steal His Logo Via Trademark
12. The King of the North v. Nike: A Clash Over Valuable IP Rights
13. Tom Brady Attempts To Trademark The Nickname He Doesn’t Even Want, That’s Already Used By A Famous NY Met With Dementia
14. [Statute of] Queen Anne’s Revenge? Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in Allen v. Cooper
15. The LawBytes Podcast, Episode 15: Cows, Cars, and Copyright – A Conversation With Myra Tawfik on the IP Concerns With Implementing the USMCA (Michael Geist)
16. Canadian Copyright Mid-Year Update – Looking Back Through 2018 and Ahead In 2019

Jon