Kalakshar US

The internet is so core to how modern life operates that it’s easy to forget how much of the technology that went into building the world wide web has patent protections. And some of those patents are still being enforced today. Zynga may be learning that the hard way, as a court ruled last week that the gaming company infringed on IBM patents dating back to the pre-internet telecom platform Prodigy from the 1980s. As a result, Zynga could be facing damages of $44.9 million. IBM’s “Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service” patent from 1993 accounts for $40 million of the recommended damages.

For anyone still playing the once-ubiquitous Zynga games, this decision shouldn’t interrupt your game time. The company said in an SEC filing that it would not have to modify or end operation of its games as a result of the court decision. Intriguingly, not every game in the Zynga catalog was found to be infringing on the patents. For instance, Crosswords with Friends was deemed an offender, but none of the Words With Friends titles were. A representative from Take-Two told Ars Technica that the company would appeal the ruling.

IBM has a long legacy of collecting intellectual property rights. Zynga, which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in 2022, isn’t its first target for potentially infringing on these Prodigy patents, and it’s likely not the last. The computer company has had many online businesses in its crosshairs over the years, from the long-time giants (like Amazon and X, formerly Twitter) to the flashes in the pan (like Groupon). But some defendants, like pet retail platform Chewy, have successfully fended off IBM’s legal charges.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/zynga-says-it-will-fight-45-million-fine-for-infringing-decades-old-ibm-patents-214316611.html?src=rss 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleges that SpaceX committed three safety violations by failing to follow its license requirements during two of its space launches in 2023. If the full fines are imposed, SpaceX faces a bill of $633,009, according to an FAA statement.

The license violations are related to two separate SpaceX’s launches. The first two happened on June 18, 2023 as part of the PSN Satria Mission that launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The second violation happened on July 28, 2023 involving plans for the EchoStar XXIV/Jupiter mission.

Across the two cases, SpaceX requested to revise part of its communications and explosive site plans respectively. SpaceX allegedly went ahead with its revised plans even though the FAA did not approve or issue modifications to its license, according to letters written by the FAA.

In May 2023, SpaceX requested the addition of a new launch control room and the removal of the T-2 hour readiness poll from its procedures for its June 18, 2023 launch. The FAA informed SpaceX on June 15 and 16 that it would not approve the modifications to SpaceX’s license before its scheduled June 18 launch, but the launch went ahead with its unauthorized control room and without a T-2 hour poll. Two months later, SpaceX submitted a request for a newly constructed rocket propellant farm for its launch on July 28, 2023 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once again, the FAA did not approve the modification but the farm was used anyway during its scheduled launch.

SpaceX is facing two $175,000 fines for the June 18 violations and a $293,009 fine for the July 28 violation. SpaceX has 30 days to respond to the accusations in writing. The space company can choose to hold an informal conference with an FAA attorney or submit additional information to the FAA to plead its case. A full list of the FAA’s fine enforcement procedures are available on the administration’s website.

That hasn’t stopped SpaceX CEO and self-appointed “Technoking of Tesla” Elon Musk from sounding off about how he plans to address the FAA’s proposed fines. Musk posted on X that “SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/faa-wants-to-impose-more-than-630k-in-fines-for-spacex-launch-violations-223408990.html?src=rss 

An attack in Lebanon reportedly killed eight people and injured over 2,700. Hundreds of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously on Tuesday, leading the Iran-backed militant organization to blame Israel.

A day after Israeli leaders warned of escalating its military campaign against Hezbollah, pagers belonging to the Lebanese group’s members exploded at once. Witnesses reported seeing smoke emanating from the victims’ pockets, followed by sounds reminiscent of fireworks or gunshots.

Lebanon’s health minister said 200 of the injured were in critical condition. He added that many victims had facial injuries, especially to the eyes. Hand and stomach injuries were also common, according to the health minister. Among those wounded was Mojtaba Amini, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, according to Iranian state media.

The New York Times says Israel’s military declined to comment.

It’s unclear how the perpetrators orchestrated or carried out the attacks. It’s also unknown whether the pagers were tampered with physically or if the attacks were somehow carried out using software. The latter, as far-fetched as it sounds, could lead to widespread panic about the safety of any battery-containing mobile devices. NYT reports some in Lebanon were scared to use their phones after the attacks, with one resident crying out, “Please hang up, hang up!” to their caller.

The Times reports that Hezbollah, long suspicious of cellphone use near the Israeli border due to the devices’ geolocation capabilities, recently switched from mobile phones to pagers. In February, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah reportedly warned the group that their phones were dangerous and could be used by Israel as spy tools. He advised the group that they should “break or bury them.”

Experts reportedly don’t yet know precisely how the pagers were distributed to Hezbollah’s members. They say that Iran, given its history of supplying Hezbollah with arms, tech and other military aid, would have been pivotal to their adoption and delivery.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/pagers-explode-simultaneously-in-hundreds-of-hezbollah-members-pockets-190304565.html?src=rss 

Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of misleading pricing practices. The suit alleges that Amazon deceived shoppers by showing inflated list prices for Fire TVs, thus making discounts seem more significant than they actually were.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington and claims that the company regularly adopted this practice, calling it a “persistent and uniform scheme.” The suit alleges that Amazon created “fake list prices” for its own Fire TVs, making the apparent “discounts” deceptive.

It goes on to accuse the company of tricking its customers into buying Fire TVs by omitting “critical information” concerning the length of the sale and when the list price was actually in use. This allegedly led to Amazon customers spending “more money than they otherwise would have if not for the purported time-limited bargains.” The suit claims that “many of the Fire TVs have not been anywhere near the advertised list prices for a year or more.”

The lawsuit alleges violations of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, which bans “unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.” Plaintiff David Ramirez seeks compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to an injunction to stop Amazon from continuing the alleged practices. The suit seeks compensatory damages “in amounts determined by the court and/or jury” and prejudgment interest on everything awarded. 

The lawsuit references a similar case in California from 2021 in which Amazon was barred from using false or misleading list prices in its advertising. The company also agreed to pay around $2 million in penalties and restitution as part of that settlement. As for this case, it’s still early days. 

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Seattle-based news organization KIRO 7. We reached out to the company for our own comment and will report back when we get a response. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-accused-of-deceptive-sales-of-its-own-products-in-lawsuit-193027775.html?src=rss 

California has given the go-ahead to a landmark AI bill to protect performers’ digital likenesses. On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2602, which will go into effect on January 1, 2025. The bill requires studios and other employers to get consent before using “digital replicas” of performers. Newsom also signed AB 1836, which grants similar rights to deceased performers, requiring their estate’s permission before using their AI likenesses.

AB 2602, introduced in April, covers film, TV, video games, commercials, audiobooks and non-union performing jobs. Deadline notes its terms are similar to those in the contract that ended the 2023 actors’ strike against Hollywood studios. SAG-AFTRA, the film and TV actors’ union that held out for last year’s deal, strongly supported the bill. The Motion Picture Association first opposed the legislation but later switched to a neutral stance after revisions.

The bill mandates that employers can’t use an AI recreation of an actor’s voice or likeness if it replaces work the performer could have done in person. It also prevents digital replicas if the actor’s contract doesn’t explicitly state how the deepfake will be used. It also voids any such deals signed when the performer didn’t have legal or union representation.

The bill defines a digital replica as a “computer-generated, highly realistic electronic representation that is readily identifiable as the voice or visual likeness of an individual that is embodied in a sound recording, image, audiovisual work, or transmission in which the actual individual either did not actually perform or appear, or the actual individual did perform or appear, but the fundamental character of the performance or appearance has been materially altered.”

Meanwhile, AB 1836 expands California’s postmortem right of publicity. Hollywood must now get permission from a decedent’s estate before using their digital replicas. Deadline notes that exceptions were included for “satire, comment, criticism and parody, and for certain documentary, biographical or historical projects.”

“The bill, which protects not only SAG-AFTRA performers but all performers, is a huge step forward,” SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told the The LA Times in late August. “Voice and likeness rights, in an age of digital replication, must have strong guardrails around licensing to protect from abuse, this bill provides those guardrails.”

AB2602 passed the California State Senate on August 27 with a 37-1 tally. (The lone holdout was from State Senator Brian Dahle, a Republican.) The bill then returned to the Assembly (which passed an earlier version in May) to formalize revisions made during Senate negotiations.

On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher celebrated the passage, which the union fought for. “It is a momentous day for SAG-AFTRA members and everyone else, because the A.I. protections we fought so hard for last year are now expanded upon by California law thanks to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom,” Drescher said. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/california-passes-landmark-regulation-to-require-permission-from-actors-for-ai-deepfakes-174234452.html?src=rss