Legal

Guilty Verdicts in BlackBerry Murder Case

Three British men have been found guilty of killing a man and stealing his BlackBerry last fall.The men hit Saravanakumar Sellapan, 24, over the head when he was walking home from work one day in October. He eventually slipped into a coma and later died. Two 18 year olds ...More
April 23, 2010
Posted in News
The Problem With Web Site References in Contracts

The terms and conditions of the contract are supplemented by and/or subject to the terms of the “service guide,” along with a URL reference to the carrier’s Web site. This language seems innocuous and the explanation sounds logical. Do not believe it, not even for a second. ...More
March 30, 2010 By Neil Ende
Posted in Articles
Illinois Judge Wants to Nix Verizon-Frontier Sale

An Illinois judge on Tuesday recommended that state regulators not approve Verizon Communications Inc.’s (VZ) landline sale to Frontier Communications (FTR). The move could block the pending deal, which stands to impact 600,000 customers in Illinois ...More
March 9, 2010
Posted in News
AT&T Almost Sues Man for Slick Walkway

AT&T has decided not to sue a homeowner after one of the company’s technicians slipped and fell on his icy walkway in suburban Chicago.Steve Czerwein was shocked when he got a notice in the mail from the phone giant, saying they believed he was liable for nearly ...More
March 4, 2010
Posted in News
Apple Sues Nexus One Maker HTC for Patent Infringement

Apple Inc. (AAPL), whose iPhone is facing tougher competition from smartphones released by the likes of rival Google Inc. (GOOG), is suing Taiwan-based phone maker HTC.HTC just happens to manufacture the Google Nexus One.Apple said on Tuesday that HTC is ...More
March 2, 2010
Posted in News
Verizon Sued Over 'Phantom' Internet Access Fee

A complaint to the FCC over a “phantom” mobile Internet access fee has turned into a full-blown lawsuit. The class-action suit was filed against Verizon Wireless in federal court in New Jersey.Several hundred customers who own regular cell phones (not ...More
March 1, 2010
Posted in News
Free Press Lambasts Carriers Over ETF Defense

Google, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile all banded together this week to defend their early-termination fees to the Federal Communications Commission. Some of the penalties to get out of your smartphone contract run up to $350, but the companies say the cost of ...More
February 25, 2010
Posted in News
Copy That, Google, Yahoo!: Xerox is Suing You

Xerox Corp. (XRX) wants Google Inc. (GOOG) and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) to fork over an unspecified amount of money for alleged patent infringement over, you guessed it, search technology. Yes, that Xerox – the one that makes you want to say, ...More
February 23, 2010
Posted in News
Patent Infringement Lovefest: ITC Tackles Apple-Nokia

The International Trade Commission has agreed to look into Apple’s complaint against phone-maker Nokia. The ITC is already looking into Nokia’s complaints about Apple, so we’ve come full circle.Apple says Nokia is violating patents by selling ...More
February 22, 2010
Posted in News
The Danger of Termination Clauses in Agent Agreements

With the deteriorating economy, some carriers have made a business decision to reduce their losses – or widen their margins – by refusing to pay commissions to their agents. ...More
February 17, 2010 By Neil Ende
Posted in Articles