Regulation

SAN FRANCISCO--On the three-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy, leaders in the technology community are taking up the cause of the fight against gun violence.

At a press conference today here, members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a grassroots organization formed by the Newtown community where 26 lives were lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School, were joined by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and tech investor Ron Conway to announce new initiatives to address gun violence with technology and innovation.

"Today, we are announcing we will harness innovation to bring solutions to gun safety, mental health and school … Read more

Apple and Samsung both have to wait a couple more months for the U.S. International Trade Commission to decide whether iPhone and iPad sales should be banned due to patent violations.

One of countless legal disputes between the two companies, this particular case kicked off in August 2011.

Samsung had filed a complaint with the ITC accusing Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch of violating four of its key patents. As such, the Korean phone maker requested that the products be banned from being sold in the United States.

Last September, a judge for the ITC issued a … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission today officially approved the merger between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS. The Department of Justice also gave a green light for the deal.

In a statement, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the merger will strengthen the U.S. wireless market by "moving toward robust competition and revitalized competitors."

The Justice Department, meanwhile, said in its statement that because MetroPCS is a regional provider and T-Mobile is a nationwide carrier, competition should not be harmed at a national level by allowing the companies to combine. And because MetroPCS competes in markets where all four nationwide … Read more

European citizens can breathe a sigh of relief after a vote in the European Parliament has rejected proposals to ban "all forms of pornography" -- including on the Web -- in the region.

Today, 625 members of the European Parliament voted 368-159 in favor of passing a report aimed at stamping out gender stereotypes in the region, with 98 abstaining. However, the controversial "porn ban" section of the proposal was rejected.

This vote forms a majority opinion based on Europe's voting politicians, from which the European Commission can form legislation. Such a law would again … Read more

HTC and Android have both emerged as victors in a patent squabble with Nokia in Germany.

The District Court of Mannheim ruled today that HTC did not violate two Nokia patents in question, according to the IDG News Service.

The two cases stem from last May, when Nokia filed lawsuits against HTC, BlackBerry, and Viewsonic, citing 45 different patent violations among the three sued companies. HTC has been seeking licensing fees from the three companies for using the technologies described in the patents.

Nokia had accused HTC of infringing on its EP0812120 patent, which details a "method for using … Read more

Apple has finally found an ally in its fight for a sales ban of Samsung phones.

On Monday, Nokia filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington backing Apple in its bid for a permanent injunction of certain Samsung phones, Reuters reported yesterday.

Though the brief itself was sealed, a summary from Nokia said that the court was wrong to deny Apple's request.

Nokia attorney Keith Broyles argued that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, Calif., made a mistake when she said that Apple must show a "… Read more

The United States' top arms control official thinks the public can play a vital role in helping to combat international arms control violations and threats.

At South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, this Friday, Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller will take part in a session, to be moderated by CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman, in which she will talk about the U.S. State Department's plans to develop initiatives that utilize technology and public participation in tackling some of the thorniest security problems the United States and its allies face today.

During … Read more

The White House today backed an Internet petition asking the Library of Congress to change its stance on the legality of smartphone unlocking.

In a post on the We The People blog, R. David Edelman, the White House senior adviser for Internet, innovation and privacy, said the administration agrees with those who signed the petition, and aims to support any legislation that would remedy the issue.

"The White House agrees with the 114,000 plus of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties," Edelman wrote. "… Read more

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has customized its Predator drones, originally built for overseas military operations, to carry out at-home surveillance tasks that have civil libertarians worried: identifying civilians carrying guns and tracking their cell phones, government documents show.

The documents provide more details about the surveillance capabilities of the department's unmanned Predator B drones, which are primarily used to patrol the United States' northern and southern borders but have been pressed into service on behalf of a growing number of law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Secret Service, the Texas Rangers, and local police. … Read more