ABC Loses First Crack at Halting Dish’s AutoHop
Dish Network has claimed another early court victory for its AutoHop technology, which makes it easy for subscribers to automatically skip over many commercials, but how it will all finally shake out remains unclear. The Dish win came when a federal judge in New York denied ABC’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
One Publisher’s Social Media Strategy: Outright Rejection
Enamored with social media’s ability to funnel traffic to their websites, publishers have leaped headfirst onto Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit and others. But Monocle, a niche but thick global affairs and lifestyle magazine, isn’t close to sold. The magazine does not participate in social media at all.
Aereo Subpoena of Syncbak, CBS Docs Dismissed
Controversial streaming company Aereo suffered its first loss in court. A federal judge in Iowa Tuesday dismissed a subpoena by Aereo for documents and testimony about CBS’s minority investment in Syncbak, in addition to how Syncbak’s technology works and any documents that might mention Aereo.
Nielsen: Most Video Streamers Are Binge Viewers
Nielsen says that a large share of subscribers to over-the-top video streaming services are binging on the programming they want to see. According to a recent study by the research company, 88% of Netflix users and 70% of Hulu Plus users said they streamed three or more episodes of the same TV show in one day.
MPAA Study: Search Engines Facilitate Piracy
Search engines are a critical link between would-be infringers and pirate TV and movies sites, according to a new study from the Motion Picture Association of America. Search engines begged to differ. The study found that search engines “influenced 20% of the sessions in which consumers accessed infringing TV or film content”
Court Gives a Victory to Pandora Over Licensing Streaming Music
A federal judge ruled against ASCAP, saying it must make its entire publishing catalog available for licensing by Pandora.
Tablet Users Often Switch Between Devices
The vast majority of consumers who use tablets also own a host of other Web-enabled devices. From laptops to game consoles to smart TVs, tablet owners overindex in tech device usage — particularly smartphones — compared to the average consumer, according to a new eMarketer report, “Tablet Users’ Multidevice Habits.”
US PHONE COMPANIES NEVER ONCE CHALLENGED NSA DATA REQUESTS
None of the phone companies that handed over communications metadata in bulk to the National Security Agency ever challenged the agency on its data requests, a newly declassified government document shows.
None of the phone companies that handed over communications metadata in bulk to the National Security Agency ever challenged the agency on its data requests, a newly declassified government document shows.
Verizon has big plans for the Internet. And if that doesn’t worry you, it should. The company is trying to overturn the FCC’s Open Internet Order, which prevents Internet service providers from blocking, throttling or otherwise discriminating against online content. In court, Verizon made the company’s intentions all too clear.
COURT: FACEBOOK ‘LIKE’ IS PROTECTED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT
“Liking” something on Facebook is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled, reviving a closely watched case over the extent to which the Constitution shields what we do online. In doing so, the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a former deputy sheriff in Hampton (VA).
“Liking” something on Facebook is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled, reviving a closely watched case over the extent to which the Constitution shields what we do online. In doing so, the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a former deputy sheriff in Hampton (VA).
Fugitive document leaker Edward Snowden’s role as a systems administrator provided easy access to classified NSA documents sitting in a file-sharing location on the spy agency’s intranet portal.
Facebook CEO: No Plans to Enter News Business
While Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is buying the Washington Post, fellow digital icon Mark Zuckerberg has no plans to get into the news business. “I can’t see us getting into producing our own content,” said the Facebook CEO, since so much “awesome” material is already available.
While Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is buying the Washington Post, fellow digital icon Mark Zuckerberg has no plans to get into the news business. “I can’t see us getting into producing our own content,” said the Facebook CEO, since so much “awesome” material is already available.
Virgin’s ‘Blinking’ Software to Skip Ads on YouTube
Virgin Mobile has unveiled new software in the U.S. that tracks users eyes and allows them to blink to skip over ads on YouTube. “Blinkwashing” connects to users’ webcams and registers when they blink. So far, the test is limited to Virgin Mobile’s own YouTube page.
Virgin Mobile has unveiled new software in the U.S. that tracks users eyes and allows them to blink to skip over ads on YouTube. “Blinkwashing” connects to users’ webcams and registers when they blink. So far, the test is limited to Virgin Mobile’s own YouTube page.