Articles about Law

It’s fair to say that Avast has been engaging in some rather sketchy behavior over the past couple of years. These include a privacy controversy with CCleaner back in 2018, and then a couple of weeks ago it was revealed that Avast Free Antivirus was sending browser history to marketers.

After attempting to defend its data gathering and sharing practices, Avast finally apologized and shut down its marketing analytics subsidiary Jumpshot with immediate effect. But it seems that isn’t the end of the matter as far as the Czech authorities are concerned.

Continue reading →

Artificial intelligence is a controversial subject in any field -- including practicing the law. Even now, lawyers and law firms weigh the positives and negatives of using AI to dispense legal advice or automate basic tasks.

Here’s a look at both sides of the argument.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has announced that it plans to honor the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) across the whole of the United States, not just in California.

In Europe, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has done a lot to protect people's privacy, and some companies have opted to voluntarily apply similar policies in the US. Microsoft, however, is the first major US company to say it will expand CCPA outside of its home state, bringing greater privacy protection to people across America.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has come to an agreement with the US Justice Department and the SEC because of employee misconduct in Hungary. The company was to face a probe over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

In agreeing to pay this money, Microsoft is neither really admitting guilt nor denying the claims made against it, and company President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has written to all employees saying: "There is no room for compromise when it comes to ethical business practices".

Continue reading →

Apple has become more familiar with controversy than it might be entirely comfortable with in recent times. Once a near-untouchable company that could, in many people's eyes, do no wrong, there have been numerous scandals over the last few years -- legal battles, problematic hardware, canceled products, and accusations of anticompetitive behavior.

Faced with an antitrust legal battle after complaints of "monopolistic" practices in the App Store, Apple has launched a new site that appears to be a very public defense of what it stands accused of. The new "principles and practices" pages find Apple going out of its way, falling over itself to expose just how anticompetitive the App Store isn't. This is a company on the defensive.

Continue reading →

This weekend marks exactly a year since the introduction of the EU's GDPR legislation shook up the world of data protection and sent businesses around the world into a flurry of compliance activity.

So, what has the industry learned over the past year and what are the ongoing challenges we can expect to see? We've gathered the views of some industry experts.

Continue reading →

A US federal judge has ruled that Qualcomm broke antitrust laws, illegally suppressing competition and abusing its dominant position for financial gain.

US District Judge Lucy Koh wrote that "Qualcomm's licensing practices have strangled competition", criticizing the company for threatening to cut off supplies and extracting excessive licensing fees. She ordered the company to renegotiate more reasonable deals, and said that it should be monitored for seven years to ensure compliance. The chip maker plans to appeal.

Continue reading →