Two advocacy groups are calling on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether apps that Google's Play Store labels as safe for children are collecting personal data without parental consent. In a complaint filed to the FTC, the advocacy groups contend Google's labeling is deceptive because some apps are violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, by unlawfully collecting data on underage users.
A district court judge has awarded Peloton Interactive Inc $4.3 million in attorneys' fees against Villency Design Group LLC for the latter's failure to defend Peloton against patent infringement claims Villency brought against Peloton. Peloton had previously hired Villency to design its first stationary bike. Villency agreed the design wouldn't infringe on third-party patents, and they would defend Peloton against any patent infringement claims. Villency subsequently learned of a patent they may have infringed, promptly purchased it, and then sued Peloton for using it in their bikes. Peloton convinced the court the patent was invalid, and the court awarded Peloton attorney fees per the original contract.
President Joe Biden plans to allow certain visa bans enacted by former President Donald Trump to expire. The moratorium affected the H-1 B visas that foreign coders and engineers rely on to enter the country. Technology companies see this policy decision as a big win because it will greatly expand the available workforce.
ZAP Surgical Systems Inc. dealt a blow to a rival’s patent infringement suit over radiation therapy machines, convincing a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal that numerous patent claims are invalid. After rival Elekta sued ZAP for patent infringement, the district court allowed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to review the patent. PTAB concluded the patent was invalid and refused to allow Elekta to amend it.
A federal judge has denied WebMD Health Corporation's motion to dismiss, allowing Medcenter Holdings Inc. to continue its claim that WebMD misappropriated its trade secrets. WebMD originally approached Medcenter in 2014 to discuss possibly acquiring Medcenter's Latin American business. Medcenter now claims the negotiation was a sham designed to allow WebMD to see their database structure and to poach the country manager and the proprietary information she had access to.