CNET News - Politics and Law

Lawsuit over Yelp review settled

Elinor Mills — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:38:00 PST

The lawsuit filed by a San Francisco chiropractor against a patient who wrote a negative review of him on Yelp was settled on Friday, according to the attorney for the defendant.

Christopher Norberg reached a settlement with the chiropractor who sued him for libel over a negative Yelp review.

(Credit:

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Originally posted at News - Digital Media

Police Blotter: Judge rejects Feds' attempts to snoop on touch tones

Declan McCullagh — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:00:00 PST

Police Blotter is a regular CNET News report on the intersection of technology and the law.

What: Feds want to eavesdrop on touch tones pressed during phone calls without obtaining a court-authorized wiretap order first.

When: U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in the Eastern District of New York rules ...

Obama urges Congress to postpone DTV transition

Stephanie Condon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:22:00 PST

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team on Thursday asked Congress to consider postponing the upcoming national switch to digital television, warning that more congressional action is needed to address potential problems.

In a letter sent to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ...

'New York Times' API tracks congressional votes

Stephanie Condon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:00:00 PST

The New York Times on Thursday rolled out its latest political application program interface, just as members of the 111th Congress are settling into their new offices.

The Congress API will enable developers to keep close eye on their elected representatives with data on specific congressional roll call votes and ...

Smart grid companies want stimulus cash from feds

Stephanie Condon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:00:00 PST

WASHINGTON--When politicians are doling out trillions of tax dollars in bailouts and so-called stimulus spending, nobody should be surprised if the line of businesses queuing for cash snakes all the way around the Capitol building. The latest idea: more spending on smart grids.

The idea of a smart grid is ...

Tech lobbyists: Spend $30 billion in tax dollars, get a million jobs

Stephanie Condon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:13:00 PST

With President-elect Barack Obama set to argue for urgent, massive government spending, and what is likely to be a $1.2 trillion deficit, lobbyists for technology firms are saying that any stimulus should be directed at, well, technology firms.

A report released Wednesday by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation ...

U.S. Chamber seeks climate solutions from tech sector, not EPA

Stephanie Condon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:07:00 PST

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday it is optimistic about the stimulus package currently in the works yet warned that the group may butt heads with Democratic leaders over issues like climate change regulation and energy policy.

"The chamber is very encouraged by the direction the President-elect is ...

Yelp user faces lawsuit over negative review

Elinor Mills — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:52:00 PST

Christopher Norberg, defendant in a lawsuit accusing him of libel for a negative review he posted on Yelp.

(Credit: Christopher Norberg)

San Franciscan Christopher Norberg went to a chiropractor after being injured in a car accident in 2006. After a disagreement with the chiropractor over billing, he posted a negative ...

Originally posted at News - Digital Media

Obama picks RIAA's favorite lawyer for a top Justice post

Declan McCullagh — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:55:00 PST

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama won applause from legal adversaries of the recording industry. Stanford law professor Larry Lessig, the doyen of the "free culture" movement, endorsed the Illinois senator, as did Google CEO Eric Schmidt and even the Pirate Party.

That was ...

Obama supporters downplay CTO's near-term role

Stephanie Condon — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:16:00 PST

As supporters of President-elect Barack Obama in Washington try to downplay near-term expectations for his administration's chief technology officer, an Obama aide on Tuesday said reports of an imminent announcement are incorrect.

With nearly of all Obama's cabinet named, recent speculation has swirled around whether news about the ...