Two companies settle software copyright claims
608715
Two companies, a door manufacturer and a dental laboratory network, have agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to settle Business Software Alliance (BSA) claims that they had unlicensed software on their computers.TruStile Doors, a manufacturer of residential and commercial doors based in Denver, has agreed to pay $92,500 to settle BSA claims that it had unlicensed copies of Microsoft and Symantec software on its computers, the BSA said Monday.The company has developed a software license management program, according to a BSA news release.Sentage, a national network of dental laboratories and provider of other dental services, based in Minneapolis, has agreed to pay $80,000 to settle claims that it had unlicensed copies of Microsoft and Symantec software on its computers.Both companies also agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software installed on their computers, acquire any necessary replacement licenses, and implement stronger software license management practices, the BSA said.BSA wants the settlements to &quot;remind businesses of all industries about the high price of infringement and the importance of software compliance,&quot; Jenny Blank, BSA&#39;s senior director of legal affairs, said in a statement.BSA offers rewards of up to $1 million for qualifying reports of unlicensed software, although actual awards are often much less.
583852
Arguments were heard today in a case whose outcome could require software companies to pay fines for patent-infringing software assembled in other countries.
12700
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a settlement with one of its disc replication partners, after the company admitted it had breached agreements with Microsoft by unlawfully producing the Redmond company's server software.
169106
Microsoft Corp. settled legal disputes yesterday with two of its largest remaining antagonists, ensuring that its antitrust deal with the Justice Department will not be appealed to the US
593557
(InfoWorld) - Sony BMG Music Entertainment will pay $1.5 million in penalties to settle lawsuits with two U.S. states over its controversial use of copy protection software. The settlements with the California and Texas attorneys general were announced Tuesday, seven months after theÂ music giant settled a class-action lawsuit in the matter. Sony's trouble began in late 2005, when a computer science researcher disclosed that Sony's had beenÂ shipping CDs with a copy protection program that used dangerous "rootkit" techniquesÂ to cloak itself after installation. Sony licensed this software from First 4 Internet Ltd., based in Banbury, U.K., but problems were also found with a second copy protection program used by Sony. That software, called Media Max, was developed by SunnComm International Inc. of Phoenix. Until Tuesday, Texas had been the only state with an outstanding lawsuit related to the rootkit fiasco, but other state's attorneys general and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had also been looking into the matter, according to Jeff McGrath, deputy district attorney, with Los Angeles County, which participated in the California lawsuit. Sony has now reached tentative settlements with more than a dozen other states, including Massachusetts and Nebraska, as well as the FTC, McGrath said. The FTC declined to comment on the matter. The California lawsuit was both filed and settled on Tuesday. Sony's rootkit software shipped on an estimated 15 million CDs, bundled with music from artists such as Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and Earl Scruggs. Consumers were offered refunds as part of the May class-action agreement, but Tuesday's settlements take additional steps by compensating them for damages caused by the rootkit code and "ensuring that this type of thing will not happen again," McGrath said. California and Texas consumers who believe that their computers were damaged by Sony's software can receive up to $175 to cover repair costs. The agreements also force Sony to submit any software it ships with music CDs to third-party audits for the next five years. Sony has created a Web site to address its rootkit settlement. That site is eventually expected to include instructions for consumers seeking refunds for their PC repairs. These refunds will, for example, compensate users who had their CD drives trashed when AOL's antispyware software tried to remove the First 4 files, said Paco Felici, a spokesman with the Texas Attorney General's office. Since the rootkit fiasco, Sony has stopped shipping digital rights management software with its music CDs. However, if it does add this capability to future CDs, it must make this clear to customers. "They're requiring disclosures to consumers before sale on the CD packaging," said Corynne McSherry, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "I think that's really crucial. Part of the whole background of the rootkit fiasco was that consumers just didn't know what they were getting into." A Sony spokesman declined to comment on investigations by the FTC and other states. "We are pleased to have reached agreements with the offices of the California and Texas Attorneys General," he said, reading from a statement.
73268
Companies agree to incorporate software interoperability tools in e-commerce partnership.
248222
The Business Software Alliance has collected a record settlement of nearly $3.5 million from an international media firm that was usingÂ unlicensed software, the trade group announced Tuesday.
110071
Companies say they have "resolved" dispute over three voice over Internet protocol patents. Precise amount of settlement depends on whether appeals court agrees to review case.
509974
Blog: One of the many companies defending itself against a patent lawsuit filed by Visto has settled for an undisclosed amount.
51648
Computer peripheral maker Belkin said Friday it has settled a patent infringement complaintÂ brought against it by software giant Microsoft.
673130
Company says it paid for the code that was contributed, against contract, to free Mambo publishing software.
584253
Corporate licences make for happy software vendors
581864
Microsoft last week announced antitrust settlements with Novell and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), ending years of legal wrangling.
224522
InfoWorld - Sun on Thursday announced that it settled the lawsuit Eastman Kodak had brought against it, but the charge that Sun&#8217;s Java violated software patents held by Kodak brought to light the major impact patents can have on software techniques.
742544
The software giant settles one legal claim with Novell over NetWare, but can't reach a deal over a second issue involving WordPerfect.
438126
The founders of peer-to-peer file-sharing service eDonkey and its parent company, MetaMachine, said theyll pay $30 million to record companies to settle a copyright infringement case.
49092
A pair of software companies linked with the Kazaa peer-to-peer network are claiming that they hold patent rights to technology behind much of the world's Internet song-swapping and are demanding that several smaller file-sharing networks obtain licenses in order to continue operating.