settlement

Settlement will stand in Netflix 'throttling' case

The terms of a 2006 settlement in a lawsuit against Netflix will be allowed to stand over the objections of four Netflix subscribers, according to a report by Reuters.

In the initial lawsuit, the customers accused the company of "throttling." They alleged that Netflix held up delivery of DVDs to customers who were heavier users of the service--and therefore less profitable--in order to fill orders for new customers and less frequent users.

In 2006, Netflix reached a settlement agreement, but the four Netflix subscribers challenged it, saying the attorneys' fees awarded by the trial court were "excessive&… Read more

Online advertiser to settle spam charges for record $2.9 million

An online advertising company accused of luring customers with deceptive offers of "free" iPhones, laptop computers, plasma televisions, and other goods has agreed to pay a record $2.9 million fine as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

According to a federal court filing (PDF) released Monday, since at least early 2005, Westlake Village, Calif.-based ValueClick and its subsidiary Hi-Speed Media have been attempting to lure consumers to their Web sites through e-mails and Web-based ads bearing slogans like "Free PS3 for survey" or "let us buy you a 42 inch … Read more

Transmeta receives $150 million payment from Intel

Microprocessor technology supplier Transmeta said it has received the initial payment of $150 million from Intel toward the $250 million settlement that the two companies agreed upon back in October. The payment was received on January 28, according to Sujan Jain, Transmeta's chief financial officer. Mr. Jain also said that Transmeta is evolving its business model to generate a more constant revenue stream.

Transmeta, previously a supplier of low-power x86 processors, now develops and licenses microprocessor technologies and related intellectual property. The company filed a lawsuit against Intel in October 2006 alleging that the latter infringed upon Transmeta's … Read more

TJX agrees to settlement in class action suits

Editors' note: This blog initially misstated the number of years of credit monitoring that TJX is offering in the proposed settlement. It is offering three years, or two additional years if the customer is already signed up for a credit monitoring service.

The TJX Companies announced on Friday a yet-to-be-finalized settlement for several class action suits resulting from various data breaches over the last few years.

TJX, which operates such discount retail chains as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the U.S. and Winners and HomeSense stores in Canada, is offering claimants three years of credit monitoring (or two … Read more

Alleged pop-up scammers settle with feds

If you're one of the hundreds of consumers who reportedly complained to the feds about a less-than-pleasant experience with the media search sites MovieLand.com, Moviepass.tv or Popcorn.net, this piece of news may provide a little vindication.

The Web operations, which allegedly bombarded unsuspecting users of its software with a sequence of large, music-accompanied pop-ups that demanded payment of up to $99, have reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency said in a news release Thursday.

Last August, the FTC filed a court complaint against the operators of those sites, accusing them of violating … Read more

Sun and Azul reach accord in patent spat

After more than a year of court battles, Sun Microsystems and Java hardware maker Azul Systems said Tuesday they have settled a dispute related to allegations of trade secrets misappropriation and patent infringement.

The financial terms and other settlement details were not disclosed, as is typical, but both sides said they were pleased. Sun chief legal counsel Mike Dillon described the terms as "favorable" to his company in a blog entry reflecting on the news.

"We certainly view that this is fair on both sides," Azul co-founder and chief operating officer Scott Sellers said in a … Read more

Microsoft sues Immersion for contract breach

Microsoft said on Monday that it has filed suit against Immersion, a company whose technology adds tactile feedback to joysticks and other controllers.

Immersion had originally sued Microsoft, along with Sony, back in 2002., but the two companies reached a settlement in 2003. Under that deal Microsoft agreed to pay Immersion $26 million for licensing rights and for a stake in the company. However, Microsoft said Monday that Immersion has not lived up other terms of that deal, including a provision that requires Immersion to pay Microsoft "based on certain business and IP licensing arrangements."

"We entered … Read more

Feds: IT firm owes $2.4 million to H-1B workers

An India-based company that counts itself among the largest recipients of controversial H-1B visas has agreed to pay $2.4 million in back wages to 607 allegedly underpaid computer professionals employed through that avenue.

The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday it had found that Patni Computer Systems Inc., which is headquartered in Mumbai but centers its North American operations in Cambridge, Mass., did not pay the required wages to those temporary foreign workers between January 2004 and December 2005. Patni specializes in global IT outsourcing services.

In this case, Patni was not fined or barred from participating in … Read more