News of the Week; August 19, 2020

GAMES

1. FTC Issues Staff Perspective on Video Game Loot Boxes
2. FTC Staff Issue Perspective Paper on Video Game Loot Boxes Workshop
3. FTC Video Game Loot Box Workshop (Staff Perspective)
4. ‘Fortnite’ Battles Big Tech: Why Epic Games Is Suing Apple, Google Over Their App Store ‘Monopolies’
5. Epic Games v. Apple Inc. (Complaint for Injunctive Relief, August 13, 2020, United States District Court Northern District of California)
6. Epic’s Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite video is an irresponsible piece of corporate propaganda | Opinion: Fortnite’s operator is demonstrating it’s fully prepared to weaponize its young audience of millions for its own monetary gain
7. Insights: The Teachable Moments In The TikTok/’Fortnite’ Teenpocalypse 
8. Epic Games sues Apple to end what Epic calls ‘unfair and anti-competitive actions’
9. Fortnite takes on Apple’s App Store in Epic antitrust battle royale
10. The Fortnite App Store Battle: A Real Antitrust Conundrum, Or Just A Carefully Planned Out Contract Negotiation?
11. Epic files suit against Apple after Fortnite pulled from iOS App Store
12. Apple to revoke Epic’s dev tools, including those used for Unreal Engine 
13. Apple terminating Epic developer accounts, tools access: Epic files motion in US courts for a temporary restraining order in response 
14. Apple threatens to boot Epic and Unreal Engine off Mac and iOS 
15. Epic asks court to block Apple’s ‘retaliation’ as Fortnite, Unreal Engine face consequences 
16. Epic offers discount to Fortnite players on mobile, but only if they dodge platform fees
17. Apple, Google pull Fortnite from App Store over Epic’s new in-app payment option 
18. Fortnite removed from App Store after it dodges Apple’s rule on direct payments: Epic Games has filed a legal complaint against Apple, taking the fight over the 30% cut to US courts 
19. Sensor Tower: Apple’s removal of Fortnite cuts off $1.2b in player spending – Data firm’s estimates show huge disparity in monthly spending between iOS and Android versions of Epic’s game 
20. Epic Games Deploys Viral #FreeFortnite Campaign As It Sues Apple, Google For Removing Game From App Stores
21. Epic, Creator of Fortnite, sues Apple and Google Over App Store Altercation 
22. Florida landmark Coral Castle suing Epic Games: Company behind the tourist attraction demands damages and removal of in-game castle 
23. Apple eyes rolling Apple Arcade into bundles with other Apple-exclusive services 
24. Fortnite has also been kicked off of Google Play: And, as with Apple, Epic Games is now also suing Google for anti-competitive practices 
25. Epic Games is now also suing Google over ‘anti-competitive’ Android policies
26. Epic’s battle for “open platforms” ignores consoles’ massive closed market
27. In 2018, women came forward about misconduct at Rocksteady – and were ignored
28. Rocksteady releases employee letter defending it from accusations: Multiple women who co-signed 2018 letter about sexism at Arkham Knight studio say recent report of management’s response misrepresented the situation
29. Ex-Rocksteady writer asks for name to be left off Suicide Squad credits: Senior scriptwriter says she wrote the original 2018 letter alerting management to sexual harassment problems and was pushed out for it 
30. IGDA issues statement on human rights violations in Belarus: County’s recent disputed election spurred protests, with protesters reporting being arrested, beaten, and tortured
31. Gree is suing Supercell for patent infringement in Clash Royale and Brawl Stars 
32. Infernal Technology and Terminal Reality Sue Ubisoft, Epic Games, Take-Two, Sony, Crytek, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts for Patent Infringement
33. Valve forbids developers to promote other platforms on Steam: Valve clarified that the new language on the FAQ was just a “reminder of existing rules for developers exploring the boundaries of the existing policies”
34. Game refunds & the hidden costs of ‘getting to net’ on Steam 
35. Former Assassin’s Creed Valhalla creative director fired after misconduct investigation 
36. Ubisoft’s Ashraf Ismail fired following misconduct investigation: The creative director had stepped down from his role on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in June
37. New allegations show the cycle of abuse and misconduct runs deep at Ubisoft 
38. Creative Europe wasn’t aware of Alexis Kennedy accusations when it gave The Weather Factory money: Industry hits back at the EACEA’s decision to award the studio a €150,000 grant
39. Games dominated UK entertainment sales during initial months of lockdown: Entertainment Retailers’ Association reports 21 of the top 40 best-selling projects were games
40. UK Charts: EA Sports UFC 4 battles to No.1 – Animal Crossing New Horizons down to No.2
41. Ghost of Tsushima was the best-selling game in the US in July – NPD: However, rankings this month do not include Take-Two digital sales data
42. Take-Two Interactive acquires mobile studio Playdots for $192 million
43. Game companies have claimed £444m in UK tax relief since 2014: 1,375 games have claimed VGTR over the last six years, with UK expenditure reaching £3.7 billion 
44. State of Games: What happens to the industry when the pandemic is over? –  Newzoo’s Candice Mudrick explores the impact of COVID-19 on cloud gaming and other platforms, and forecasts what comes next
45. COVID-19 drives first-half mobile app spending to $50b – App Annie: Mobile analytics firm says pandemic “has changed consumer behavior on mobile forever” 
46. A Total War Saga: Troy was downloaded 7.5m times in 24 hours: Epic Games Store giveaway brought a huge number of players “new and old” into Creative Assembly’s new game
47. Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios is going fully remote 
48. Tera publisher En Masse is shutting down after over a decade 
49. Stacking the deck against the new console launches | Opinion: Halo Infinite’s delay is a watershed moment — between economic recession and development disruption, the climate is looking tougher than ever 
50. Only Control Ultimate Edition owners will receive its free next-gen upgrade: Those who purchased the regular edition of Control on consoles will not automatically get the game on PS5 or Xbox One X
51. Menus on Xbox Series X will look a lot like those on Xbox One
52. Microsoft has unveiled the new look of the Xbox Series X dashboard
53. Microsoft: We’re Not Trying To Sell More Consoles Than Sony And The PS5, We’re Doing Something Else
54. Forza Horizon 3 reaches the end of its life: Players will still be able to play the racer after September 27
55. Wildlife raises $120m, valuation now reaches $3bn: The mobile games company has raised $250 million to date
56. Bandai Namco: How long can we sustain working with independent studios? – Hervé Hoerdt on the impact of acquisitions on finding AAA partners, and the challenge of finding new IP for the coming console transition 
57. How EA turned The Sims into a reality TV show: During GamesIndustry.biz digital conference Changing Channels, EA talked about how to evolve a brand into a concept for another medium 
58. EA unifies EA Access and Origin Access branding as EA Play
59. EA Access and Origin Access Basic become EA Play: EA’s annual summer event, EA Play, will now be called EA Play Live 
60. EA Play, formerly EA Access, launches on Steam on August 31: Subscription service includes franchises such as The Sims, Battlefield, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and others
61. Electronic Arts’ EA Play subscription service arrives on Steam this month
62. PUBG Corp invests $10 million into 1Up Ventures to support indies
63. PUBG Corporation invests $10m in venture capital firm: Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds developer “looking to foster the next generation of video game developers around the world” 
64. THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others
65. RektGlobal has acquired Fearless Media: Acquisition puts digital advertising agency in company with Greenlit Content, Rogue, and Fullcube 
66. Sega will “aggressively” focus on PC ports after Steam strength during lockdown: Strong sales of Persona 4 Golden port will lead to more Sega catalogue titles on PC
67. Embracer Group acquires multiple studios, including 4A Games: THQ Nordic parent company also acquires New World Interactive, Pow Wow Entertainment, and Deca Live Operations
68. Paradox posts record Q2 revenue and profits: “We leave an operational as well as financially successful quarter behind us,” says CEO
69. Amplifier Game Invest buys three studios, extends investment in another: Acquisitions include Palindrome Interactive, Rare Earth Games, and Vermila Studios
70. Lazlow Jones left Rockstar Games to work on Disney and Netflix shows: Former GTA writer and in-game radio DJ also consulting with an unknown games company 
71. Licensing lessons from Hello Neighbor’s success: During GamesIndustry.biz’s Changing Channels, Alex Nichiporchik gave pieces of advice and words of warning for developers tempted by a licensing adventure 
72. Bossa Studios shifts to hybrid remote/office model: Surgeon Simulator developer allows people to work at home permanently, but office remains open to benefit mental health
73. Lumikai is the first VC fund to focus on India’s growing games industry: New fund will make up to 20 early-stage deals worth between $200,000 and $2m each
74. Netmarble’s global portfolio maintains growth in Q2: Korean mobile developer saw 75% of its revenue come from overseas
75. Steady beat of new mobile titles brings Q2 growth for NetEase: World of Warcraft in China also saw record concurrent users during the first half of the year
76. Foreign developers can only hope to reach China with mobile games | Opinion: The last crop of officially approved games tells us a lot about the Chinese market, says Apptutti’s Daniel Camilo
77. Odyssey Interactive raises $6m to make impactful games for a new generation: Co-founders Richard Henkel and Dax Andrus share their vision for a small, Supercell-like team born from their work at Riot on Teamfight Tactics
78. Ex-Riot devs launch multiplayer game studio Odyssey Interactive in Canada
79. Jagex Partners signs Shadow Warrior developer in first publishing deal: Runescape publisher will release new sci-fi action game from Polish studio Flying Wild Hog in 2021
80. Hitman 2’s multiplayer assassination race Ghost Mode is going dark after two years
81. Tencent picks up minority stake in hyper casual game publisher Voodoo
82. Tencent profits soar amid COVID-19 pandemic: Second quarter results testify to the “diligence of our teams and resilience of our business model” says Tencent CEO
83. Epic and Unity rev their engines for the next era of entertainment
84. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 leads fired 
85. Paradox & Hardsuit Labs fire two creative leads on Bloodlines 2 
86. Shroud’s Homecoming Twitch Stream Brings 3 Million Live Viewers
87. 14-Year-Old ‘Fortnite’ Pro FaZe Ewok Returns To Twitch
88. Safeguarding children in the virtual world of esports – lessons to be learnt from the real world
89. Oculus plans to replace Oculus Accounts with Facebook Accounts 
90. New Oculus Users Required to Use Facebook Account Starting in October, Existing Users by 2023
91. The Facebookening of Oculus VR becomes more pronounced starting in October [Updated]
92. Grounded: A big experimental adventure made by Obsidian’s tiniest team – Adam Brennecke talks about his 16 years at the studio, and how a history of RPG development led to a backyard survival game
93. Investment platform pays record $140,000 for sealed Super Mario Bros.
94. War Stories: Diablo’s loot lottery was almost a turn-based affair
95. Blog: Analysing the level design in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
96. Blog: Mortal Kombat’s John Tobias on the creation and evolution of a franchise
97. Blog: Game composers and the importance of themes – Part 3 
98. Blog: Designing for accessibility in Fake Illusions 
99. Blog: Simple performance capture for indie developers 
100. Blog: The creative dynamics between games and players
101. Blog: Player segments based on gaming motivations
102. Video: Quad mesh simplification in the Frostbite engine
103. Video: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair speedrun with dev Chris Sutherland
104. Video: Republic Commando speedrun with dev commentary from Harley Baldwin
105. Postmortem: A look back at the 5-year development of Eastshade
106. You can now play an ultra-rare Quake arcade cabinet at home 
107. Obituary: ZeniMax board member Robert Trump 
108. U.S. Patent no. 9,526,995: Video game recording and playback with visual display of game controller manipulation

DIGITAL

1. It’s Not Too Late to Save the Internet
2. Google Warns Australians That The Government’s Plan To Tax Google To Give Money To Newspapers Will Harm Search & YouTube
3. Court Says First Amendment Protects Ex-Wife’s Right To Publicly Discuss Her Ex-Husband On Her Personal Blog
4. Facebook says it will crack down on QAnon conspiracy theory but stops short of full ban
5. Anti-vaccine group sues Facebook, claims fact-checking is “censorship”
6. Oh Snap! Employee Lawfully Terminated For Profanity-Laced Facebook Post
7. Facebook Messenger starts taking over Instagram Direct messages
8. What if Facebook goes down? Ethical and legal considerations for the demise of big tech
9. Not A Good Look: Facebook’s Public Policy Director In India Files A Criminal Complaint Against A Journalist For A Social Media Post
10. Muting Misinformation: What’s the role of social media companies?
11. Why Chicago’s Mayor should reconsider social media monitoring
12. Antitrust and Platform Monopoly (Herbert Hovenkamp)
13. Big Tech Funds a Think Tank Pushing for Fewer Rules. For Big Tech
14. Tweeters Were Criminally Charged For The Crime Of Trying To Identify A Police Officer… Who The Police Revealed In The Charging Docs
15. Report: 2015 Twitter breach targeted Saudi dissidents, led to arrests
16. Devin Nunes Is Still Suing A Satirical Cow & A Political Consultant, But Judge Rejects Attempt To Bring Twitter Back
17. Gambling advertisements – how to get approval from Facebook to run gambling ads
18. The Globar War: the EU’s Apple Tax Case
19. Apple’s value soars to a record $2 trillion
20. Apple bundles CBS and Showtime with Apple TV+, announces new Music radio stations
21. TikTok Integrates With Music Distributor UnitedMasters, Will Let Artists Boost Their Songs From Its App To Spotify, Apple Music, More
22. President Trump Orders Chinese Company ByteDance to Divest Its Holdings in TikTok (formerly Musical.ly)
23. So Now We Needed Another Ridiculous Executive Order About TikTok That Goes Beyond The President’s Authority?
24. Oracle enters race to buy TikTok’s US operations
25. Microsoft takes one more step toward the death of Internet Explorer
26. WarnerMedia Looking To Sell Anime Service Crunchyroll For Reported $1.5 Billion
27. Indiana Cities File Doomed Lawsuit Against Disney, Netflix, Demand 5% of Gross Revenues
28. Disney+ will show a Lego Star Wars Holiday Special on Wookiee Life Day
29. Apple’s Prime equivalent “Apple One” will launch in October
30. People Spend 25% Of Their TV Time Streaming Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ (Report)
31. Cities sue Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, claim they owe cable “franchise fees”
32. Netflix Rolls Out Content Shuffle Feature, Wants Viewers To Feel More Like They’re Watching Traditional TV
33. YouTube Comes Out Swinging Against Proposed Australian Law Requiring It To Pay News Publishers
34. Lilly Singh Lands Primetime Comedy Show At NBC, Bringing Her YouTube Sketches To Primetime
35. Studio71 Signs Supermodel — And Burgeoning YouTube Personality — Naomi Campbell
36. Google/Fitbit deal runs into competition issues
37. Google Defeats Account Termination Case on Section 230 Grounds (Mostly)–Enhanced Athlete v. YouTube (Eric Goldman)
38. It Doesn’t Make Sense To Treat Ads The Same As User Generated Content
39. Confused Critic Of Section 230 Now In Charge Of NTIA
40. If Oracle Buys TikTok, Would It Suddenly Change Its Tune On Section 230?
41. Why Keep Section 230? Because People Need To Be Able To Complain About The Police
42. Content Moderation Case Study: Amazon’s Attempt To Remove ‘Sock Puppet’ Reviews Results In The Deletion Of Legitimate Reviews (November 2012)
43. Google Responds To Hong Kong’s New National Security Law By Rejecting Its Government’s Requests For Data
44. Gmail’s big merger with Google Chat and Meet starts rolling out today
45. Google Maps gets “more detailed, colorful map”
46. Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 8/17/2020
47. Top 50 Most Viewed US YouTube Channels • Week Of 8/17/2020
48. YouTube Will Let Creators Prevent Channel Editors From Seeing Revenue Data
49. Amid YouTube Channel Exodus, Bon Appétit Taps Marcus Samuelsson As Advisor, Guest Editor
50. Quibi Tries To Spur Second (Or First?) Wave Of Hype On Social Video
51. Jake Paul Signs With New Management — Shots Studios CEO John Shahidi
52. Retailers use influencer marketing while commercial photo shoots are shut down 
53. Social Media Influencers and FTC Lawsuits
54. Influencer Law and Contract Disputes
55. Fanjoy Teams With Apparel Giant ‘Mad Engine’ To Bring Influencer Merch To Physical Retailers
56. Snapchat Will Let Users Share Original Shows Off-Platform, Is Rebranding Its ‘For You’ Feed (Report)
57. Spotify Is Hiring A Head Of Audiobooks, Signaling Its Ambitions In The Space
58. Is Bitcoin money?
59. Bitcoin Is “Money” for Purposes of D.C. Money Transmission Law, Says Federal Court
60. Texas State Securities Board halts cryptocurrency debit card investment scheme
61. How the Custom Ringtone Industry Paved the Way for the App Store – and Then Vanished: Why I miss Crazy Frog
62. COVID-19 Mobile Phone Apps Fail the Most Vulnerable (Susan Erikson)
63. Europe Proves Contact-Tracing Apps Aren’t a Coronavirus Cure-All .
64. Bit by (Twitch) Bit: “Platform Capture” and the Evolution of Digital Platforms
65. When Technology Meets Ideology: Frame Analysis of Ideological Discourses on the Nature of the Internet in American Magazines of Opinion (1995-2019)
66. The Golden Age of computer user groups

A.I.

1. UK ditches exam results generated by biased algorithm after student protests: Protesters chanted ‘Fuck the algorithm’ outside the country’s Department for Education
2. England’s Exam Fiasco Shows How Not To Apply Algorithms To Complex Problems With Massive Social Impact
3. Court rules AI breaks equality laws
4. Algorithmic Colonization of Africa
5. The Whiteness of AI
6. Data, AI and Society – What is ‘Race in Algorithmic Discrimination on the Basis of Race?
7. AI in Life Sciences
8. From Pool to Profile: Social Consequences of Algorithmic Prediction in Insurance
9. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence releases Second Quarterly Report
10. NSC on Artificial Intelligence releases Second Quarterly Report Includes recommendations to update export controls, screen foreign investment, accelerate research, and establish a National Reserve Digital Corps
11. UK ICO issues new guidance on AI and data protection
12. Designing or buying in AI? 5 things to minimise GDPR risk
13. Evaluating Patentability of AI Inventions
14. US Patent Office Sued For Requiring Human Inventor on Patent Applications
15. Could robots replace humans in mediation?

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Trump, Big Telecom Continue Quest To Ban States From Protecting Broadband Consumers
2. Chip and phone supply chain shaken as Huawei faces mortal threat
3. Verizon Forced To Back Off Charging Extra For 5G
4. Want Verizon or AT&T 5G? You’ll have to buy an expensive unlimited plan
5. FCC beats cities in court, helping carriers avoid $2 billion in local 5G fees
6. Court Largely Rules in Favor of FCC in Small Wireless Facility Orders Disputes
7. FCC asks for more public input on whether to let Charter impose data caps
8. Charter can charge online video sites for network connections, court rules
9. Charter Spectrum Tells FCC Broadband Caps Are ‘Popular’ As It Tries To Kill Merger Conditions Preventing Them
10. AT&T Fires Hundreds Of DC, HBO Execs In Latest Example Of ‘Merger Synergies’
11. Sharp Elbows and Profit-Maximizing Licensing Ruled Insufficient Evidence of Anticompetitive Conduct in FTC v. Qualcomm, Inc.
12. Ninth Circuit Reverses FTC Win in FTC v. Qualcomm, Finding No Antitrust Violations from Qualcomm’s Licensing of its Standard-Essential Patents
13. NAB Announces that a Majority in Congress Have Signed on to the Local Radio Freedom Act – A Look at the Broadcast Performance Royalty Debate

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1. Judge Denies Copyright Troll Malibu Media’s Request For A Default Judgment
2. Media Co. Ordered To Stop ‘Cartoon Classics’ DMCA Notices
3. Don’t use my music! Neil Young sues Donald Trump for copyright infringement
4. More Rockin’ In The Free World
5. S.D. Florida Refuses To Toss Artist’s Claims Over Alleged Knock-off Art Installation
6. Copyright in photographs – not such monkey business
7. Copyright Reforms to Better Support the Digital Environment
8. Should Massachusetts extend its right-to-repair law to connected cars?
9. EUIPO joins WIPO DAS for EU registered design applications
10. False Claim of Exclusive Distributorship results in Injunction and Forced Recall of Grey Market Goods
11. Boston University Applies For Trademark On Offensive COVID-19 Awareness Slogan For Some Reason
12. UK High Court rejects Land Rover’s appeal for registration of Defender shape marks
13. Costco Gets Trademark Judgement Overturned, Defeating Tiffany And Co.
14. Second Circuit Overturns Tiffany’s $21M Judgment Against Costco in Trademark Battle
15. Three Keyword Advertising Decisions in a Week, and the Trademark Owners Lost Them All (Eric Goldman)
16. An apple is an apple, a pear is a pear. Don’t Compear!
17. Yes, You CAN Trademark Cannabis Products and Services in Maryland
18. Are Valentino’s Rockstud® Shoes as Distinctive as the Red Soles?
19. If You Coexist, You Need Not Desist (Part One): TTAB Grants Laches Defense After 4 Years Coexistence
20. Atomic Café Trademark Litigation Against LeanBox and Cold Brew Does Not Trigger Travelers Indemnity’s Duty to Defend or Indemnify, Judge Green Rules
21. 3D trade marks: it’s all in the gömböc
22. Supreme Court Lets Booking.com Reserve Its Brand: Generic.com Terms Can Now Be Registered as Trademarks
23. Generic Trademarks in a Digital World
24. General Court refuses registration of ‘XOXO’ mark in relation to fashion goods
25. The conception of a drinks brand – innovation and IP
26. Jurisdictional Toss Gives Sommeliers Reason to Whine
27. Tips for Defendants Litigating Software Disputes at the Intersection of Trade Secret, Copyright and Patent Law
28. Self-Driving to Federal Prison: The Trade Secret Theft Saga of Anthony Levandowski Continues
29. Protecting Trade Secrets: Lessons Learned From the Levandowski Case
30. Not so Pretty: Cosmetic Company Acquisitions Lead to Contentious Trade Secret Spat
31. Keeping up With the Kardashian-[Jenner]’s Trade Secret Battle
32. Appeals court ruling for Qualcomm “a victory of theory over facts”
33. It Was Nice While It Lasted: 9th Circuit Rejects Lower Court Ruling On How Abuse Of Patent Monopolies Can Violate Antitrust
34. New Federal Court Decision Provides for Greater Protection of Combination Drugs Under CETA
35. Glass Half Empty: Patent Reciting “Half Liquid” Is Indefinite
36. “Method of Preparation” Claims Still Patent Eligible Under § 101 in Modified Opinion
37. Explain Yourself: “Untethered” Obviousness Determination Reversed
38. Court Upholds Patent Eligibility of “Method of Preparation” Claims in Modified Opinion
39. Lack of inventive step: reading v appreciating
40. Patent Quality, Ranking and Valuation
41. Limiting the Use of Applicant Admitted Prior Art
42. Federal Circuit Directs Transfer Of Patent Suit From Western District Of Texas To Northern District Of California
43. Casting a New Light on Diagnostic Patents: “Methods of Preparation” Patent-Eligible
44. Fighting Counterfeits at the U.S. Border: The Counterfeit Goods Seizure Act of 2019 Would Expand Customs and Border Patrol Enforcement to Design Patents
45. Key Considerations and Tools for IP Protection of Computer Programs in Europe and Beyond
46. The Expanding Scope of Patentability of Computer related Inventions: A Welcome Development

PRIVACY

1. Cops in Miami, NYC arrest protesters from facial recognition matches
2. Secret Service buys location data that would otherwise need a warrant
3. Bill 64: Mirroring the GDPR?
4. Bill 64 and The Exportation of Personal Data From Quebec: Complications In Sight
5. Ontario Government Launches Consultation to Enhance Privacy Protections
6. Hopping on the Bandwagon: The Council of the European Union Imposes its First Sanctions for Cyber-attacks
7. Judge Forbids Facebook Users Being Sued By A Cop From Publishing The Cop’s Name On Social Media
8. CBP Privacy Impact Assessment Says It Can Pull All Sorts Of Data And Communications From Peoples’ Devices At The Border
9. Capital One to Pay $80 Million Fine for 2019 Data Security Hack
10. Booze and cruise providers are the latest to be hit by ransomware scourge
11. WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants – Supreme Court rules on vicarious liability for unlawful disclosure of personal data by rogue employee
12. Clearview Hires Prominent First Amendment Lawyer To Argue For Its Right To Sell Scraped Data To Cops
13. ICE Signs $274,000 Contract With Clearview
14. DC Police Union Sues To Block The Release Of Names Of Officers Involved In Shootings
15. Search Company Slammed by FTC for Fake Salacious Reports
16. Disney/Viacom/Kiloo Settlements Creating a Future Trend Exceeding Federal Privacy Rights Under COPPA
17. LinkedIn Seeks Supreme Court Review of Data Harvesting Dispute
18. The California Consumer Privacy Act Regulations Are Finally Here, But Wait There’s More…
19. CCPA Regulations Take Effect, Six Weeks After CCPA Enforcement Begins
20. California Approves Final CCPA Regulations
21. The CCPA Regulations Are Final – Summary of OAL’s Changes
22. Finally, the CCPA Regulations Are Finalized…For Now
23. CCPA Final Regulations, with a Few Unexpected Changes
24. NSA and FBI warn that new Linux malware threatens national security
25. Hackers can eavesdrop on mobile calls with $7,000 worth of equipment
26. An Alexa bug could have exposed your voice history to hackers
27. Schrems II: Reflections on the Decision and Next Steps (Daniel Solove)
28. Schrems II: 7 practical steps on what to do next
29. Impact of Invalidation of US-EU Privacy Shield on Share-Based Incentive Programs
30. Is it legal to record video meetings?

CREATIVITY   

1.  B.C.’s new vaping regulations may breach Charter rights: Canadian Constitution Foundation
2. Did Vape Maker Smear Competitor With Nonexistent Lawsuit?
3. China’s National-Security Law Reaches Into Harvard, Princeton Classrooms: Professors at elite U.S. universities turn to code names, warning labels to protect students
4. Spooky action at a distance: The future magic of remote collaboration
5. AMC Theaters: Risk Death And Disability To Watch Movie Reruns For 15 Cents!
6. Legendary Berlin nightclub to open for all as art gallery
7. “These are not my grades”: could downgraded A-Level results be defamatory?
8. “Moralistic Preening” and Broken Commitments Under the Washington Principles—Ninth Circuit Chastises Spain for Keeping Nazi-looted Pissarro but Rules Painting Will not Return to Cassirer Family
9. Ricky Byrdsong And The Cost Of Speech

Jon