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Mealey's Cyber Tech & E-Commerce

  • November 12, 2025

    6th Circuit Vacates Injunction, Remands In Tennessee Age Verification Law Dispute

    CINCINNATI — The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals granted the Tennessee attorney general’s motion to vacate a district court’s preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the Protect Tennessee Minors Act (PTMA), remanding “for proceedings consistent with” the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton.

  • November 11, 2025

    Judge Defers Ruling On Motion To Compel Class Members Who Sued Lender To Arbitrate

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge on Nov. 10 ordered a motion to compel arbitration held in abeyance, finding that genuine disputes remain as to the argument by consumer loan app operators that binding arbitration agreements exist as to more than 235,000 of 250,000 certified class members who sued the app operators for concealing fees while operating as an unlicensed lender in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and California finance laws.

  • November 10, 2025

    PayPal Denied Arbitration Of Content Creators’ Claims Over ‘Honey’ Browser Extension

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California federal judge on Nov. 7 deferred ruling on an administrative motion to relate four putative class actions brought by influencers and content creators active on YouTube and Instagram who accuse PayPal Inc. of interfering with prospective economic relations and violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) by using a popular browser extension to redirect their profits from market affiliate links to itself.

  • November 10, 2025

    S.D. High Court Affirms Auto Coverage Dispute Ruling Involving Social Media Search

    PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling denying judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) to an auto insurer and granting an insured’s request for attorney fees in a dispute over underinsured motorist benefits (UIM) after a jury returned a verdict in favor of the insured, finding that the lower court did not err in denying JMOL because a jury could have found that the insurer did not act reasonably in denying the UIM claim in part because the claim review did not go beyond examining documents supplied by the insured and a review of his social media accounts.

  • November 10, 2025

    High Court Allows Government Participation In ISP Infringement Row

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 10 granted the U.S. government’s motion to participate in oral argument when the high court considers whether it should overturn a Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals finding that an internet service provider (ISP) is liable for contributory infringement for internet users who pirated copyrighted materials of record labels and music publishers; the high court also granted the government’s request for divided argument.

  • November 07, 2025

    Colo. Federal Judge Grants NetChoice Injunctive Relief In Social Media Law Dispute

    DENVER — A Colorado federal judge on Nov. 6 granted a motion for a preliminary injunction by NetChoice, an internet trade association representing multiple social media companies, to prevent the enforcement of a challenged portion of a law requiring social media companies to provide disclosures to minors about the purported health impacts of using social media, finding that NetChoice is likely to show that the provision of the law at issue does not meet the strict scrutiny standard pursuant to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

  • November 07, 2025

    Pa. Panel Affirms Order Denying Settlement Agreement Enforcement In Software Suit

    PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed a lower court order denying enforcement of a settlement agreement between a company that provided its software to a company with which it entered into an equal partnership, finding that because the company providing the software failed to include the software’s historical data to which the receiving company was entitled, the lower court did not err in denying the petition to enforce the settlement agreement.

  • November 06, 2025

    Ransomware Data Breach Class Suit Resolved With $1.9M Settlement

    MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota federal judge entered judgment after granting final approval to a $1.9 million settlement resolving class claims including for violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) against a data hosting vendor on behalf of individuals whose personal data was hacked during a ransomware attack on the vendor’s accounting and health care customers, with the plaintiffs’ counsel awarded more than $633,000 in attorney fees.

  • November 05, 2025

    States Across U.S. Enact Legislation To Fund Quantum Computing Research

    As of Nov. 4, 12 states in 2025 have enacted laws related to quantum computing.  Much of the legislation is centered around additional appropriations for quantum computing research, creating task forces to focus on quantum computing research and providing tax credits for businesses that invest in quantum computing.  Quantum computers, though similar to typical computers in that both have hardware and software, have the capability to solve issues quicker than typical computers. 

  • November 05, 2025

    Trade Association Urges High Court Review Of Google, Epic Games Antitrust Dispute

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — A trade association and a tech-industry coalition, as well as former national security officials and scholars, on Nov. 4 filed amicus curiae briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Google LLC and related entities’ petition seeking review of a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling affirming a lower court’s jury verdict and injunction that Google says targets its “lawfully obtained competitive advantage” in an antitrust suit filed against it by Epic Games Inc. over Google’s removal of Epic’s Fortnite game from the Google Play Store.

  • November 04, 2025

    Parents’ Unlawful Gambling Class Claims Against Roblox Dismissed By Judge

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge granted Roblox Corp.’s motion to partly dismiss a putative class lawsuit brought against it by the parents of minor Roblox players who allegedly lost money gambling with the in-game currency “Robux,” writing that the parents’ claims for violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) under the unlawful prong and for negligence per se did not sufficiently allege that Roblox violated state gambling laws.

  • November 03, 2025

    9th Circuit Reverses JMOL In Trade Secrets Dispute Between Software Companies

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Oct. 31 reversed a district court’s grant of judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) and remanded for the lower court to reinstate a jury verdict awarding an employee feedback software company more than $25 million in its trade secret dispute with an employee survey software and analytics company, finding that the lower court erred in its determination that “the jury did not apportion its unjust enrichment award.”

  • November 03, 2025

    Judge Deems Issue Preclusion Applicable In Google Advertising Antitrust Dispute

    NEW YORK — A New York federal judge granted in part summary judgment to advertisers, publishers and related entities in a Sherman Act violation multidistrict litigation alleging that Google monopolized markets for ad servers, finding that issue preclusion applies because Google had a “fair opportunity” to litigate in a similar case in a Virginia federal court.

  • October 31, 2025

    ISP Maintains Argument To High Court That It Is Not Liable For Piracy

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an Oct. 30 reply brief, an internet service provider (ISP) maintains its argument before the U.S. Supreme Court that it must overturn a Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals finding that it is liable for contributory infringement for internet users who pirated copyrighted materials of record labels and music publishers.

  • October 30, 2025

    9th Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Antitrust Suit Against Apple Over Browsers

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of a putative class suit alleging that Apple Inc. violated the Sherman Act by making agreements with browsers to not use their own engines on the iPhone Operating System (iOS), thereby preventing additional smartphone operating system (SOS) competitors from entering the market, finding in part that the plaintiffs do not “allege antitrust injury.”

  • October 30, 2025

    Microsoft Says Suit Over End Of Windows 10 Tech Support Must Be Arbitrated

    SAN DIEGO — Microsoft Corp. moved in California federal court to compel arbitration of a consumer’s suit accusing it of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) by discontinuing free technical support for users of its Windows 10 operating system (OS), which the plaintiff claims is a tactic to drive users onto newer Microsoft products that use artificial intelligence so it can “monopolize the generative AI market.”

  • October 30, 2025

    Stay Entered After Model Appeals Dismissal Of Unfair Image Use By Adult Websites

    LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge entered an order staying deadlines for defendants to seek attorney fees pending the outcome of a model’s appeal to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, in which she seeks to challenge the court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of defendants that she claims harmed her and caused distress by using her image online to market adult websites in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL).

  • October 29, 2025

    Judge Grants Apple’s Motion To Decertify Class In IPhone App Antitrust Suit

    OAKLAND, Calif. — A California federal judge granted Apple’s motion to decertify the class and to exclude expert testimony in consumers’ suit alleging anticompetitive practices by the tech giant related to apps and in-app purchases (IAPs), finding that the plaintiffs failed to provide a model to accurately calculate damages and that the testimony is not relevant.

  • October 28, 2025

    Judge Won’t Award ‘Premature’ Attorney Fees, Wants Fake Cites Explained

    PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge in Oregon on Oct. 27 found a request for an award of attorney fees based on striking counterclaims without prejudice premature and said the moving party must explain how its brief came to include fake cites likely caused by artificial intelligence.

  • October 28, 2025

    Bettor Sues Horse Racing Betting Companies, Alleges Computer-Assisted Scheme

    BROOKLYN, N.Y.  — A former horse racing bettor filed a putative class action suit against horse racing betting companies and certain computer-assisted wagering (CAW) companies, accusing them of participating in a scheme with a group of privileged bettors by using computer technology and algorithms based upon artificial intelligence to “rig” betting pools and divert money away from average bettors.

  • October 27, 2025

    D.C. Circuit Won’t Stay Injunction In Dispute With FTC Over ‘Antisemitic’ X Posts

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — A split District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel denied the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for an emergency stay pending appeal of a lower court’s preliminary injunction enjoining the FTC’s civil investigative demand of Media Matters for America regarding its reporting alleging in part that advertisements on X, formerly known as Twitter, “appeared adjacent to antisemitic posts,” finding that the FTC did not show the likelihood of overturning the lower court’s finding of a link “between Media Matters’ protected speech and the Commission’s issuance of its sweeping and unexplained Demand.”

  • October 24, 2025

    9th Circuit Reverses Dismissal In Breach Of Contract Row With Software Supplier

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Oct. 23 reversed a lower court ruling that dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction a computer services company’s suit against a software company for its purported failure to comply with bid requirements for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) government in providing Microsoft software, finding that the software company was subject to personal jurisdiction because it “purposely availed itself of the privilege of doing business” in the CNMI.

  • October 24, 2025

    Amici To High Court: Reversing Finding Against ISP Would Reward Infringement

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In one of 10 amicus curiae briefs filed in support of record labels and music publishers, the Copyright Alliance tells the U.S. Supreme Court that it must affirm the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ finding of contributory infringement against an internet service provider (ISP), arguing that the Fourth Circuit was correct in its finding of willful infringement.

  • October 23, 2025

    Counterclaims Dismissed In Suit By Former Reality Show Member Over Instagram Post

    CHICAGO — An Illinois federal judge dismissed counterclaims in a defamation suit by a former cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alleging that she was defamed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Inc. (ASA) when it accused her in an Instagram post of calling herself a medical doctor when she is in fact a certified registered nurse anesthetist, finding that the cast member’s Instagram post in response to the ASA was “nonactionable opinion.”

  • October 22, 2025

    Judge Grants Injunction, Remittitur In Meta Fraud Suit Against Spyware Firm

    OAKLAND, Calif. — A California federal judge granted a permanent injunction to WhatsApp Inc. (now known as WhatsApp LLC) and its parent company Facebook Inc. (now known as Meta Platforms Inc.) to prevent alleged continued violation of California computer fraud laws after a jury found that the defendant, an Israel-based manufacturer of spyware, violated one of those laws.