From the ACCC, the DBCDE and the Australian Financial Review: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued its draft decision on the the revised Special Access Undertaking (SAU) lodged by NBN Co. The SAU is to form a key part of the framework to determine the cost and other terms under which NBN […] Read more »
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California introduces ‘right to know’ data access bill
From ZDNet: California Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal has introduced a bill that may force companies operating in the state to follow EU-style data and privacy rules. The Bill follows intensive lobbying by two major US privacy groups, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Northern Californian branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The […] Read more »
Key EU nations take legal action against Google
From TechNewsWorld: 6 key EU nations have joined forces to take legal action against Google over the privacy protections of its user data. France, Spain, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany have announced that they will take joint legal action against Google over its privacy policies. The action will include investigations, and possible fines. […] Read more »
Case Note: Rana v Google Australia Pty Ltd [2013] FCA 60
From the Federal Court, Inforrm’s Blog and Defamation Watch: The Federal Court has issued its decision in Rana v Google Australia Pty Ltd [2013] FCA 60. The decision has been described as a win of sorts for Google, though not entirely in the terms that they would have preferred. Facts/Background Mr Rana sought damages from […] Read more »
Microsoft Launches Patent Monitoring Service
From Forbes and Microsoft: Microsoft has launched a service designed to enable anyone to determine which of its patents are owned and by whom. The internet based patent monitory service tracks changes to a variety of Patent Registers in Europe and North America to help with its cause. The Patent tracker can also track changes to patent families and […] Read more »
New NBN Co Chair Announced
From the DBCDE: The Federal Government has announced the appointment of Siobhan McKenna as the new Chair of NBN Co. Ms McKenna has served on the board of NBN Co for three years. She is also a director on the board of Ten Network Holdings, DMG Radio Australia, Illyria Pty Ltd and the Australian Ballet. […] Read more »
UK Information Commissioners Office issues BYOD (‘bring your own device’) guidance
From the ‘Law in the Cloud’ Blog: The UK’s Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has issued a document providing guidance for businesses to remain compliant with data protection laws where they allow their employees to use their personal computing devices for work. ‘Bring your own device’ or BYOD provides a number of benefits to businesses in […] Read more »
Groupon warned by ACMA about its email unsubscribe process
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has formally warned online retailer Groupon Australia Pty Ltd after determining that they had sent daily email newsletters to people without their consent. Consumers complained that the unsubcription service offered by Groupon only ubsubscribed them from one of several Groupon daily newsletters, and that they continued to receive […] Read more »
ACCC – Draft Report on Telstra FAD
From the ACCC: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a draft report today on making a Final Access Determination (FAD) for the declared wholesale ADSL service. This service is used to provide users with broadband internet and other services over Telstra’s copper network. The draft FAD sets out proposed price and non-price […] Read more »
What Australian businesses need to know about cloud compliance
From ZDNet: Australia often draws up regulation based on tried and tested laws from around the world. But there are times when the country pushes for bold new legislation that may be out-of-step with our technology-centric modern society. Prime examples of these include changes to its Privacy Act, which have taken four years to reach […] Read more »
Damages slashed in Apple v Samsung
A US Judge has slashed the US$1.05 billion in damages awarded to Apple in their ongoing patent dispute with Samsung, and a new trial has been ordered. The original order against Samsung was handed down on August 31 2012 and was Apple’s single largest victory in their numerous suits against Samsung for alleged violation of […] Read more »
Samsung questions Apple patents
From ZDNet: In the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Samsung in the Australian Federal Court, Samsung counsel Richard Cobden has questioned the validity of the Apple gesture patents that Samsung is alleged to have infringed, stating that a “beautiful or elegant” gesture is not something that can be patented. The long-running case kicked off […] Read more »
Closer ties across the Tasman as ACCC and NZCC sign cooperation agreement
From the ACCC: A cooperation agreement was signed today allowing the New Zealand Commerce Commission to share compulsorily acquired information and provide investigative assistance to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The cooperation arrangement is required under NZ law before the NZCC can consider whether compulsorily acquired information should be shared with another international agency. […] Read more »
ACCC Telecommunications Reports: Prices fall, interest in broadband grows
From the ACCC: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Telecommunications Reports 2011–12, tabled today in Parliament, show consumers continue to benefit through falling prices for telecommunication services. Prices paid by consumers for telecommunications services fell by 2.2 per cent in real terms in 2011 12. Prices are now almost 20 per cent lower than they […] Read more »
U.S. Ups Ante for Spying on Firms
From the Wall Street Journal: The White House threatened China and other countries with trade and diplomatic action over corporate espionage as it cataloged more than a dozen cases of cyberattacks and commercial thefts at some of the U.S.’s biggest companies. Top administration officials painted a pervasive portrait of the far-reaching costs of espionage—competitive disadvantages, […] Read more »