News of the Week; March 9, 2916

GAMES

1. Nintendo fends off Wii Remote patent suit appeal
2. Rage Against The Convoluted ‘Rage’ Trademark Dispute
3. Developer alleges China-based Eyogame Studio stole his iOS game
4. Microsoft wants to monopolise games development on PC. We must fight it: Microsoft is looking to dominate the games industry ecosystem with its aggressive new UWP initiative. Developers must oppose this, or else cede control of their titles
5. Epic CEO: “Universal Windows Platform can, should, must, and will die” – UWP first step towards “locking down the consumer PC ecosystem,” says Tim Sweeney.
6. An upgradable Xbox One? Think this one through, Microsoft: Despite what it says, the rules of the PC market won’t fly on console.
7. Lionhead shutdown shines a light on Microsoft Studios: First-party development for Xbox One has slowed to a trickle; does Microsoft’s third-party focus see Xbox as part of the Windows 10 ecosystem
8. EA’s Ultimate Team earning around $650 million a year
9. Yahoo launches eSports site
10. Most gamers not interested in VR in 2016 – report
11. Superdata cuts VR forecast by 30%
12. HTC warns: Don’t sit on imaginary VR furniture when using the Vive – Also, have a friend on hand so you don’t trip over your cat. Seriously.
13. Activision won’t have an E3 booth this year
14. No E3 booths for Disney, Wargaming
15. Why are some of gaming’s biggest publishers abandoning E3?: Wargaming, Disney join EA and Activision in sitting out the show.
16. Activision, Riot among Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”
17. Can a new CEO fix Zynga, which has lost nearly $1 billion since 2008?
18. Valve notifies Steam users affected by Christmas breach…
19. Steam user reviews can be bought for $5 – Report
20. Kickstarter funded Bear Simulator abandoned by its creator
21. Successful $100,000 Kickstarter Dev Calls It Quits Due To Drama
22. Feminist Frequency and Crash Override Network announce partnership
23. Iran Joins The Using Video Game Footage To Pump Up Your Own Military’s Reputation Arms Race
24. Publisher Hachette launches gamebook format: “Our first gamebook utilizes gameplay from the BAFTA winning New Star Soccer”
25. SEC goes after principals in 38 Studios loan deal
26. Wells Fargo Sued For Being A (Shady) Shill For Curt Schilling

DIGITAL

1. CSS and HTML Code May Be Copyrightable–Media.net v. Netseer
2. Apple must pay $450 million as Supreme Court rejects e-book antitrust appeal: Appeals court ruled that Apple knowingly conspired with publishers to keep prices high.
3. Reviewing the Fight Against ‘Astroturfing’
4. These are the most hate-filled places in America, according to their tweets
5. New Emmy Rules Open Categories to YouTube and Other Streaming Shorts
6. YouTube Funds Women Video Creators, Teams With U.N. and Geena Davis
7. Supreme Court Refuses to Provide Clarity on Discipline for Off-Campus, Online Student Speech 
8. Using Scraper to Harvest Records Isn’t Fraudulent Access Under CFAA–Fidlar v. LPS
9. Can Software Be Created As a Work-for-Hire? 
10. Biggest patent troll of 2014 gives up, drops appeal: East Texas judge tossed out eDekka’s 168 cases, and it must pay attorneys’ fees.
11. IBM sues Groupon over 1990s patents related to Prodigy: Big Blue also says it “owns” the idea of signing into an app with Facebook.
12. ‘Made in America’ 2015? The TPP and the Future of Canada’s Digital Economy
13. As 4th trial nears, Samsung asks judge: Make Apple stop talking about Korea: Judge refuses “overly broad” request but issues a warning to Apple lawyers.
14. Canadian tech unicorn Hootsuite gets written down by Fidelity
15. Whole lotta onions: Number of Tor hidden sites spikes—along with paranoia – What’s driving the surge in hidden services—is it government tampering?
16. DRM Is Evil, Part 8,492: Nook Pulls Out Of UK, Exploring Options To Let People Retain Access To At Least Some Books
17. Google Asked To Remove 100,000 ‘Pirate Links’ Every Hour
18. Biggest patent troll of 2014 gives up, drops appeal: East Texas judge tossed out eDekka’s 168 cases, and it must pay attorneys’ fees.
19. PewDiePie could win an Emmy someday thanks to new Academy rules: New and revised Emmy categories make room for short-form, online video content.
20. We calculated the year dead people on Facebook could outnumber the living
21. Facebook is eating the world (Columbia Journalism Review)
22. Five Ways Machine Learning Is Shaping The Future of Advertising

CREATIVITY

1. Kanye West caught using Pirate Bay to download music software
2. Adam Levine’s Songwriter Competition Show Under Fire for Requiring Contestants to Waive All Royalties
3. Copyright Suit Alleges Huckabee Campaign Lacks “Eye of the Tiger”
4. The Donald Sends Cease And Desist Threat To Band Over The Use Of His Name In Music And Video
5. Copyright and the US primaries: From Adele to Neil Young, why do artists keep getting Berned by politicians? 
6. She should be so lucky: Kylie Minogue opposes Kylie Jenner’s bid to trade mark “KYLIE”
7. Jimi Hendrix Estate Sues Distillery for “Purple Haze Liqueur”
8. Author Sues Google For Copyright Infringement For Copying His ‘Philosophy’ In A TV Ad
9. Fox News & Fair Use: How Transformed Does Reposted Content Need to Be?
10. Copyright History: The Strange Case Of A Book Authored By Mark Twain Via A Ouija Board
11. Bob Marley copyrights: decision of the Court of Appeal: What do words mean? Back to basics
12. Why the Oscars’ Diversity Issue Matters to All Employers
13. Former N.W.A. Manager Seeks to Save ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Lawsuit: Jerry Heller argues against the idea that he’s a public figure.
14. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Implications for Canadian IP Law
15. Texas Court of Appeals Chops Machete’s Hope for Texas Film Production Incentives 
16. Desperation Shows As Critics Argue That Nominated Librarian Of Congress Is ‘Pro Obscenity
17. Producing in Canada – A guide to Canadian film, television and interactive digital media incentive programs (Dentons)

COMMUNICATIONS

1. Study: Netflix is a major reason people don’t watch network TV – But there are still some broadcast channels that Netflix users watch.
2. Viacom International’s CEO explains why he’s not worried about cord-cutting
3. Canadian Cablecos Dodge Government Demand For Cheaper TV Bundles — By Hiding Them From Consumers
4. Giving Pick-and-Pay a Chance: Why Skinny Basic Is Just the Start of More Competitive TV Pricing (Michael Geist)
5. Public Knowledge: Comcast’s Usage Cap Shenanigans Violate Neutrality, NBC Merger Conditions
6. AT&T to sell DirecTV online—no satellite dish or set-top box required – Still TBD: Which channels are available and whether the service will be zero-rated.
7. AT&T Buying Missouri State Law Ensuring Broadband There Continues To Suck
8. Comcast gets big tax break that was designed for Google Fiber: Oregon law was designed to help Google Fiber, but Comcast benefits, too.
9. Verizon’s “supercookies” violated net neutrality transparency rule: Verizon agrees to $1.35M fine and will make it easier to avoid tracking cookies.
10. Poor Americans will get $9 a month to buy broadband or mobile data: Lifeline program shifting from phone subsidies to Internet service.

SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY

1. Apple files appeal in ‘All Writs Act’ San Bernardino case
2. San Bernardino DA says seized iPhone may hold “dormant cyber pathogen”: He says iPhone might be “a weapon” to trigger some nefarious worm of some sort.
3. What is a “lying-dormant cyber pathogen?” San Bernardino DA says it’s made up: He now says there’s no evidence of cyber doom, wants iPhone unlocked to be sure.
4. Full Brief From San Bernardino District Attorney Even More Insane Than Application About ‘Dormant Cyber Pathogen’
5. Congress Seems Pretty Angry About The FBI’s Belief That The Courts Can Force Apple To Help It Get Into iPhonesSurprise: Pro-Surveillance WSJ Editorial Board Sides With Apple Over FBI
6. We Read All 20 Filings In Support Of Apple Against The FBI; Here Are The Most Interesting Points
7. Feds: New judge must force iPhone unlock, overturning ruling that favored Apple – Prosecutors claim All Writs Act can compel Apple to help unlock an iOS 7 iPhone.
8. Secret court approves classified rule change on how FBI can use NSA data: Sources speaking to The Guardian say privacy measures are enacted.
9. Bye, bye Canadian P.I.?: What Apple’s fight against the FBI means for the protection of personal information in Canada
10. FBI v Apple – how might this play out in Australia? 
11. France votes to penalise companies for refusing to decrypt devices, messages
12. French Parliament Votes For Law That Would Put Tech Execs In Jail If They Don’t Decrypt Data
13. Brazil frees imprisoned Facebook exec who couldn’t decrypt WhatsApp messages: With the help of US tax dollars, WhatsApp upped its security back in 2014.
14. Different Brazilian Judge Orders Facebook Exec Released After Arrest
15. Russian Parents Can Now Get Text Message Alerts if Their Kids Search for ISIS Online
16. Reflections on Bruce Schneier’s talk, titled “Security and Privacy in the World-Sized Web”,
17. These researchers tracked Banksy like a serial killer to reveal his identity
18. Hacker who exposed Bush family e-mails, photos will be extradited to US: “Guccifer” leaked George W. Bush’s amateur paintings, among other things.
19. French Parents Face Fines, Lawsuits And Prison For Posting Pictures Of Their Own Children Online
20. Germany launches antitrust probe over Facebook data harvesting: Data-hoarding giant’s biz tactics could be unfair for users, says cartel office.
21. Google extends right-to-be-forgotten rules to all search sites: That includes Google.com for the first time—blocked via geolocation data.
22. Broadband Industry ‘Studies’ Claim Users Don’t Need Privacy Protections Because ISPs Are Just Harmless, Innovative Sweethearts
23. Interesting Research on the Economics of Privacy (Bruce Schneier)

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