Lawsuit
ValueLicensing is suing Microsoft for £270 million over the the company’s alleged stifling of competition in the software market. ValueLicensing, a certified provider of pre-owned Microsoft software licences based in Derbyshire.
Competition and Markets Authority
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigating Apple’s conduct in relation to the distribution of apps on iOS and iPadOS devices in the UK, in particular, the terms and conditions governing app developers’ access to Apple’s App Store.
Competition and Markets Authority
The UK competition regulator, the CMA, is to investigate whether Virgin Media’s proposed £31bn tie-up with telecoms operator O2 could lead to higher prices for mobile and broadband customers or poorer 5G connectivity for rival operators.
Telegram
A Washington-based non-profit group called the Coalition for a Safer Web has sued Apple for not removing the Telegram app from the App Store. The group alleges that the platform is being used by hate groups and extremists to attack the Capitol.
Apple Cerellium
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach has ruled against Apple in its copyright violation claims against Corellium, which offers virtual iPhones for security researchers testing for vulnerabilities in the operating system.
patent trademark
MobileIron has agreed to drop both patent infringement and extortion claims it levelled against BlackBerry. In a four page joint filing, BlackBerry and MobileIron asked Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero to end MobileIron's case, which it filed against BlackBerry in April.
Competition and Markets Authority
UK competition regulator the CMA has referred the proposed merger of Liberty Global-owned Virgin Media and Virgin Mobile with Telefónica’s O2 for an in-depth Phase 2 probe following Virgin and O2’s request that the watchdog move quickly to this stage through a ‘fast-track’ process.
Fortnite
A US federal judge ruling will allow Apple to continue to bar the Fortnite game from its App Store, but also sets out that it cannot harm publisher Epic Games' developer tools business, which includes the Unreal Engine software use by other video games.
Vodafone
In a unanimous decision, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on Friday ruled that India’s retrospective demand of Rs 22,100 crore as capital gains and withholding tax imposed on the UK telecommunication company for a 2007 deal was “in breach of the guarantee of fair and equitable treatment”.
Wechat
A US judge has blocked Donald Trump's executive order banning WeChat in the United States. In issuing the preliminary injunction, Judge Laurel Beeler wrote that the plaintiffs, a group of US-based WeChat users, had shown "serious questions" in their claim that the executive order threatens the users' First Amendment rights.
Epic Games
Apple countersued Epic Games on Tuesday, claiming the company breached a contract when it introduced a new in-app payment system within the popular video game Fortnite. Apple asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers for punitive damages and to block Epic from continuing what it calls unfair business practices, in the escalating skirmish between the two companies
Apple
A three-judge panel in California has ruled that Apple Store staff should be paid for time spent waiting to undergo the company's bag checks, in the the latest turn in a class action Apple has been battling for seven years, fending off retail workers that asked to be paid for up to 45 minutes spent at the end of their shift waiting to be searched.
patent trademark
The UK Supreme Court today unanimously dismissed appeals by China’s Huawei and ZTE in patent disputes over mobile data technology with Unwired Planet International and Conversant Wireless. It is the first time that a UK court has issued a decision on what constitutes a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) commitment to licence standard-essential patents (SEPs).
Lawsuit
An Android app developer has sued Google for allegedly anti-competitive and unlawful practices related to its Google Play app store, and attorneys say its behaviour – which gives rise to U.S. Android developers having to pay it exorbitant fees – constitutes violation of federal antitrust laws, according to Hagens Berman.
5G
Ofcom has confirmed plans to auction important airwaves to help improve mobile broadband and support the rollout of 5G. Ofcom manages the UK’s airwaves – or spectrum – a finite resource that is essential for wireless services including mobile phones.
FCC
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially designated Chinese telecommunication providers Huawei and ZTE as national security risks, a decision that officially prohibits American phone companies from purchasing their equipment with government subsidies.
BlackBerry
BlackBerry has announced that the nine nominees listed in the company's management proxy circular dated May 8, 2020, for the company's annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 23, 2020, were elected as directors
Apple Pay UK
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Apple's conduct in connection with Apple Pay violates EU competition rules.
Apple App Store
The European Commission has opened formal antitrust investigations to assess whether Apple's rules for app developers on the distribution of apps via the App Store violate EU competition rules.
Ads
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a "misleading" advertisement campaign from Three UK. The ad campaign ‘if it’s not Three, it’s not real 5G’, has been banned following complaints from BT and Vodafone, five members of the public and an independent telecoms consultant.
Ads
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned "misleading" advertisements from BT and O2, following complaints from rival companies and members of the public.
Ofcom
Ofcom today confirmed how they will release important airwaves to help improve mobile broadband and support the rollout of 5G. Ofcom manages the UK’s airwaves – or spectrum – a finite resource that is essential for wireless services including mobile phones.
ICO
A council employee has been fined £400 for an offence under the Freedom of Information (FOI) regulations, marking the first ever successful conviction under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Nicola Young, town clerk of Whitchurch Town Council, was convicted under Section 77 of the FOIA of deliberately obstructing records with the intent to prevent disclosure.
Huawei
A US federal judge has rejected Huawei's constitutional challenge to a US law that restricted its ability to do business with federal agencies and their contractors, ruling that Huawei does not have grounds to sue the U.S. government.
Huawei today mounted a legal challenge to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), seeking the court to overturn what they claim to be an an unlawful order passed by the FCC on Nov. 22. The order bans carriers in rural America from tapping the Universal Service Fund (USF) to purchase Huawei equipment.
Chip manufacturer ARM is to resume its supply of chips to Huawei after cutting them off in May thanks to the US-China trade war. ARM  has concluded an investigation by its legal team which found its designs are of UK origin, and so supplying the Chinese tech manufacturer with them would not breach the embargo placed on Huawei by the US.
Huawei
US technology companies will be allowed to continue selling to Huawei under certain circumstances, after the US commerce secretary extended a second temporary 90-day reprieve. Wilbur Ross on Monday said the Trump administration would extend a temporary licence for companies to sell to the Chinese company if they are selling repairs or updates to existing systems.
Lawsuit
A panel of administrative patent judges (APJs) has instituted two IPR proceedings filed by Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram. Both IPRs challenge the same 12 claims of BlackBerry’s U.S. Patent No. 8279173, User Interface for Selecting a Photo Tag.
Huawei UK
US government agencies will be banned from buying Huawei equipment after the Trump administration implemented a congressional measure to crack down on Chinese companies seen as security threats. A rule issued by the administration bans Huawei and other Chinese groups from supplying the federal government.
HTC
HTC has suspended the sale of its smartphones in the UK, as part of an ongoing patent dispute. Non-practising entity IPCom claimed that, as a result of its claim of patent infringement, HTC had indicated it would suspend the sale and importation of the recently launched Desire 12 handset to the UK market, in addition to taking steps to stop sales of all of its mobile devices in the UK.
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) has opened an administrative procedure to prohibit Google from transcribing Google Assistant recordings by employees or third parties for a period of three months. This is intended to protect the privacy rights of those affected for the time being.
Facebook
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has voted to approve a £4bn ($5bn) settlement with Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The fine is the largest-ever imposed by the FTC for violating an order and is in line with what the company said it expected to pay in its quarterly report in April. In July, the ICO issued a Notice of Intent to fine Facebook as part of a wide ranging investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes.
British Airways
British Airways faces a record fine of £183.39 million for a data breach which happened last year. Following an extensive investigation the ICO has issued a notice of its intention to fine British Airways £183.39M for infringements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
FedEx has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce to stop it from enforcing certain export restrictions against the company. In a statement, FedEx didn’t name Huawei specifically but the filing comes after the company has botched Huawei-related shipments on at least two occasions.
Huawei
It has been hard to miss but back in May the US commerce department added trade restrictions on Huawei and discontinued its business with American firms, and now the Trump government’s acting chief is asking for a postpone in restrictions on Huawei’s products.
Huawei
Google has warned the Trump administration it is risking compromising US national security if it pushes ahead with sweeping export restrictions on Huawei and is reportedly asking for an exemption from the ban.
Google has revoked Huawei's Android license, restricting Huawei from some updates to Android. The company has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses.
Apple App Store
The US Supreme Court has said customers could sue Apple over the 30 per cent commission it charges developers who want to sell apps through its App Store, paving the way for a landmark antitrust lawsuit filed by iPhone owners who argued that Apple’s “walled garden” for apps is anti-competitive.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has vacated the ban it imposed on the TikTok app in IndiaThe interim order banning downloads of the TikTok app was given by the Madras High Court on April 3 and the app was subsequently removed from Google and Apple’s app stores in accordance with the High Court’s order.
Qualcomm
Qualcomm and Apple's massive legal battle began in a San Diego Court Monday, but both companies today announced they were settling their numerous multibillion-dollar legal fights and paving the way to bring Qualcomm chips back into the iPhone.
Qualcomm
Apple and Qualcomm head to court in San Diego Monday, in what could be one of the biggest US corporate lawsuits Apple Chief Executivr Tim Cook is expected to give testimony in a four-week trial in a federal court in which the iPhone maker and four companies in its supply chain are suing Qualcomm for up to $27bn in damages for overcharged chip royalties.
Tech companies in the UK face new rules, sanctions and oversight as the UK government declared to end the “era of self-regulation”. The government will impose a new legal “duty of care” on companies to take steps to tackle illegal and harmful activity on their services, according to plans announced in a white paper.
Facebook
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)  is charging Facebook with violating the Fair Housing Act by encouraging, enabling, and causing housing discrimination through the company’s advertising platform.
European Parliament
The European Parliament has voted in favour of the EU’s first update of copyright rules in nearly two decades, as MEPs in Strasbourg on Tuesday voted by a margin of 348 votes to 274 to back rules that will force internet groups such as YouTube and Google to take out licences to show copyrighted content and make them liable to take down material that breaks intellectual property rules.
European Commission
The European Commission has fined Google €1.49bn following an antitrust investigation into Google's ‘anti-competitive’ behaviour in online ad market. The probe, led by the European Union’s antitrust czar Margrethe Vestager, looked into accusations that Google had spent 10 years trying to prevent websites from using the advertising services of its rivals.
Data Breach
Employees could face a criminal prosecution if they access or share personal data without a valid reason, the Information Commissioner’s Office has warned.The warning came after Birmingham Magistrates' Court fined two workers in separate cases for breaching data protection laws.
The never-ending mess of Apple and Qualcomm legal disputes continued today.  While a court in California was awarding Qualcomm $31 million in damages against Apple, a Federal court in the US was ruling that Qualcomm owes Apple nearly a billion dollars, or £754 million from previous payment agreements.
Qualcomm
A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California has found that Apple iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X infringe two Qualcomm patents, U.S. Patent No. 8,838,949, and U.S. Patent No. 9,535,490, and Apple iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X infringe Qualcomm's U.S. Patent No. 8,633,936.