legal issues

Amazon targets authors and marketers for alleged abuse of Kindle Direct Publishing system

by Todd Bishop on September 7, 2017September 7, 2017 at 6:43 amComment

Amazon has filed arbitration demands against several book authors, publishers and marketers, alleging that they abused the Kindle Direct Publishing system to artificially inflate their profits and sales rankings. The… Read More

Microsoft calls DOJ’s Supreme Court appeal in email case ‘backward’ given progress on new law

by Todd Bishop on June 24, 2017June 24, 2017 at 6:59 am1 Comment

The U.S. Justice Department petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday to overturn a ruling that blocked its warrant to obtain email from a Microsoft customer stored in the company’s… Read More

Washington state’s tougher distracted driving law to take effect this year, ahead of schedule

by John Stang on May 17, 2017May 17, 2017 at 8:13 am 6 Comments

TACOMA, Wash. — Cody Meyer, 23, was a flagger in bright yellow clothes for a private company installing fiber-optic cable on a road in Issaquah, Wash. on Dec. 15, 2015. A man… Read More

Avvo sued for sexual harassment, ex-employee claims she was fired after rebuffing ‘unwanted advances’

by John Cook on May 6, 2017May 6, 2017 at 3:22 pm 5 Comments

A former employee at Avvo, the Seattle-based online legal directory, says she was fired after rejecting advances from a co-worker, according to a suit filed this week in U.S. District… Read More

Take the tablet off the steering wheel: Tougher distracted driving law set to pass in Washington state

by John Stang on April 13, 2017April 13, 2017 at 7:36 am 2 Comments

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Using a smartphone or other device in almost any form while driving is on its way to becoming illegal in Washington state. Only a couple minor steps remain.… Read More

In new immigration twist, U.S. suspends option to pay for faster H-1B visa processing

by Todd Bishop on March 4, 2017March 5, 2017 at 3:33 pm1 Comment

Companies that bring software engineers and other highly skilled workers into the U.S. under H-1B visas will not be able to pay for faster processing of their petitions, under a temporary suspension of… Read More

Bill would let public utilities team with private companies on electric vehicle charging stations

by John Stang on February 10, 2017February 10, 2017 at 8:32 am1 Comment

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Representatives of Seattle City Light and other public utilities spoke Thursday in favor of a bill by Rep Gael Tarleton, D-Seattle, that would let public utilities seek private-sector… Read More

The U.S. House just passed an act requiring a warrant to search your old email

by Jillian Stampher on February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 at 4:21 pm1 Comment

The government needs a warrant to search your home or listen to your phone calls and, soon, it may also need one to view your old email. The U.S. House… Read More

White House: DOJ to seek emergency stay after Seattle contingent blocks immigration order; Trump calls ruling ‘ridiculous’

by Todd Bishop on February 3, 2017February 6, 2017 at 8:20 amComment

Updated below with President Trump’s response and statement from Department of Homeland Security. After losing the first round in a court battle with Washington state’s attorney general, the White House tonight… Read More

Tech startups PetHub and Pebblebee settle lawsuit over pet tracking tags

by Todd Bishop on January 20, 2017January 20, 2017 at 2:31 pmComment

Pet ID tag company PetHub and tracking technology startup Pebblebee have settled a contract dispute over a deal to develop pet tracking tags and a companion smartphone app, according to court records. A Jan.… Read More

Oculus engineering leader pleads not guilty to accusations of soliciting sex from undercover cop posing as 15-year-old girl

by Nat Levy on January 5, 2017January 5, 2017 at 1:58 pm1 Comment

Dov Katz, head of the computer vision and machine learning group at Facebook-owned Oculus, appeared in court Thursday to plead not guilty to charges of attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor.… Read More

Amazon Alexa search warrant in hot-tub murder case shows why smart homes require smart laws

by Bob Sullivan on December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 at 10:36 am 9 Comments

Could Amazon’s Alexa be a tattletale? Yes, as could any Internet-connected device in your home, we were all reminded this week. News outlets lit up on Tuesday with news that… Read More

Judge denies Comcast’s bid to throw out $100M suit by Washington state AG

by Todd Bishop on December 23, 2016December 23, 2016 at 4:03 pm 9 Comments

Updated at 4 p.m. with Comcast comment. Comcast on Friday lost an initial attempt to dismiss a $100 million lawsuit filed by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, accusing the company… Read More

Apple claims Amazon sold counterfeit products in suit against manufacturer Mobile Star

by Clare McGrane on October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm 11 Comments

Amazon is again embroiled in a conflict over counterfeit products, this time counterfeit Apple chargers and power cords that were sold directly by the digital retail giant. In a suit… Read More

Lawsuit alleges Amazon executives discriminated against and fired Muslim tech manager

by Nat Levy on October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 at 5:32 pm 14 Comments

A former Amazon.com manager in Michigan is suing the online retail giant, alleging that he was discriminated against, subjected to falsified performance reviews and later fired, primarily because he is a… Read More

Microsoft unveils 217-page book in bid to influence global cloud policy

by Dan Richman on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 at 5:24 amComment

Microsoft this morning unveiled a book titled “A Cloud for Global Good,” which CEO Satya Nadella called “a set of policy considerations to help guide technologies in the future.” Nadella and Microsoft… Read More

Comcast battles Washington AG’s lawsuit, citing ‘profound’ flaws and $3.6B in possible damages

by David Bowermaster on October 2, 2016October 2, 2016 at 6:00 pmComment

Two months after Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a $100 million lawsuit accusing Comcast of 1.8 million violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act, the company has fired… Read More

Judge: Brother of Gravity Payments CEO on the hook for $1.3M in legal fees

by Todd Bishop on August 30, 2016August 30, 2016 at 7:35 pm1 Comment

A King County Superior Court judge has awarded Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price $1.3 million in legal fees from his brother and business partner, Lucas Price — the latest development in… Read More

Comcast sued for $100M by Washington state AG, alleging 1.8M violations of consumer protection law

by Todd Bishop & Taylor Soper on August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 at 12:23 pm 14 Comments

Post updated below with news conference video and copy of complaint. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson this morning announced a $100 million consumer protection lawsuit against Comcast. “The lawsuit accuses… Read More

Hackathon-inspired app aims to help renters avoid and resolve payment disputes with landlords

by Lisa Stiffler on July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 at 8:23 amComment

With the housing rental market so tight in many cities, the last thing a tenant wants is to get evicted. So what happens if your landlord says that you didn’t pay… Read More

Dan Price, the ‘$70k CEO,’ prevails in lawsuit filed by his brother and Gravity Payments co-owner

by Todd Bishop on July 8, 2016July 8, 2016 at 8:29 pm 6 Comments

A judge ruled in favor of Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price on all counts today in a suit filed against him last year by his brother and business partner, Lucas Price — capping, at… Read More

Gravity Payments trial culminates in battle between brothers over potential buyout

by Todd Bishop on June 16, 2016June 16, 2016 at 7:31 pm 3 Comments

A lawyer for Lucas Price, the minority shareholder in Gravity Payments, asked a King County Superior Court Judge on Thursday to mandate a buyout of his stake in the company, based on… Read More

Zillow reaches $130M settlement with Move to end dispute over trade secrets and executive poaching

by Todd Bishop on June 6, 2016June 6, 2016 at 3:27 pm 4 Comments

Zillow has reached a $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. and the National Association of Realtors to resolve a legal dispute that once threatened to impose as much as $2 billion… Read More

Gravity Payments co-owner testifies that he should have been involved in $70k salary decision

by Todd Bishop on June 1, 2016June 2, 2016 at 6:23 am1 Comment

Lucas Price, the minority shareholder and board member of Gravity Payments, testified today that he wasn’t informed, let alone involved, prior to his brother Dan Price’s high-stakes decision to raise… Read More

Trial begins in Gravity Payments case as Price brothers dispute CEO pay and company control

by Todd Bishop on May 31, 2016May 31, 2016 at 3:38 pm 4 Comments

Updated below with initial details from Dan Price’s testimony. Opening arguments began Tuesday in a civil trial between brothers Dan and Lucas Price, the owners of Seattle-based credit card processing company Gravity Payments,… Read More

Judge sides with Zillow over destroyed evidence in Move dispute, but rules against a Zillow exec

by Todd Bishop on May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 at 11:47 am 4 Comments

A King County Superior Court Judge has denied Move Inc.’s motion for sanctions against its real estate rival Zillow after a lengthy hearing on allegations that two former Move executives… Read More

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: Why the U.S. needs better laws to balance privacy and national security

by Todd Bishop on May 2, 2016May 2, 2016 at 4:16 pmComment

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is calling for the U.S. government to establish a better framework of laws to create a “new equilibrium” between the privacy of personal data and the need for national security.… Read More

Interview: Why Microsoft is suing the U.S. Justice Department over cloud secrecy

by Todd Bishop on April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 at 1:45 pm 2 Comments

Microsoft this morning filed suit against the U.S. Justice Department, seeking to overturn a provision of U.S. law that allows the government to prevent tech companies from informing their customers… Read More

Microsoft sues U.S. Justice Dept., asks court to declare secrecy orders unconstitutional

by Todd Bishop on April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 at 1:36 pmComment

Microsoft is suing the U.S. Justice Department, asking a federal judge to declare unconstitutional a provision of U.S. law that lets the government keep Microsoft and other tech companies from informing their customers when… Read More

Gravity Payments dispute intensifies as Dan Price, the $70k CEO, challenges his brother’s suit in court

by Todd Bishop & Taylor Soper on April 1, 2016April 7, 2016 at 7:50 amComment

Updated below with details of judge’s ruling. Lawyers for Gravity Payments CEO Dan Price and his brother and business partner, Lucas Price, squared off in court Friday in a dispute that… Read More