Today, in lawsuits: A disgruntled employee is suing Intel, after his (jerk) coworkers at Intel’s New Mexico manufacturing facility allegedly stuck a “Kick Me” sign on his back and, yes, kicked him several times, then “laughed hysterically.” Cool company culture, dudes.
Bad news for cat meme enthusiasts: turns out the people who invented both Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat are pretty hardcore about protecting their “intellectual” property. Geek.com reports that both creators are suing the puzzle action game Scribblenauts for not getting permission to appropriate their respective cats’ likenesses before putting them in the game. Read More
A 20-year-old student named Chad Seegars was visiting someone at Riker’s Island when he was grabbed from behind by a stranger and slashed in the face. The gash, which his mother said split his face “open like a pear,” required 90 stitches. But to add insult to injury, a corrections office on duty at Read More
Litigation is the newest symbol that your startup has made it, as we’re sure Mark Zuckerberg can attest. Now that Snapchat, the “sexting” app that allows users to send photos that disappear after 10 seconds, is all grown up with a fresh $13.5 million raise, it has its very own lawsuit. Betabeat has obtained Read More
Earlier today, news broke that Square’s COO, Keith Rabois, had left the company. It was a strangely-timed departure, considering Square recently raised $200 million in a Series D. Now, the Wall Street Journal has broken the news that Mr. Rabois is embroiled in a sexual harassment claim from a fellow Square employee, and resigned so that the allegations would “not cause a distraction for the company.” Read More
Deja vu? Matthew Inman, creator of the popular comic series The Oatmeal, is being sued again, this time for trademark infringement.
A greeting card company called Oatmeal Studios didn’t take kindly to Mr. Inman’s decision to collaborate with Recycled Greetings to turn his web comics into greeting cards, available for purchase in his online store. Ars Technica reports that the Massachusetts-based company has sued Mr. Inman for trademark infringement, arguing that his crossover into the ever-competitive greeting card market will confuse potential customers, who might not know The Oatmeal and Oatmeal Studios are different properties. Read More
4Chan founder Chris Poole, who has gone by the username Moot since 2003, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Oregon-based startup Moot.It, a yet-to-launch company that promises to reimagine forums and commenting. We initially suspected the letter might be a prank from /b/, but confirmed with Mr. Poole’s lawyer, Martin Schwimmer, that it is indeed real.
Mr. Schwimmer, a partner at White Plains law firm Leason Ellis, writes that because Mr. Poole is so closely aligned with the username Moot, any attempt by Moot.It to use the name could result in confusion from users who may wrongfully believe Mr. Poole is associated with the company. Read More
When last we heard from Time Warner Cable, a corporation so reviled that even Starfleet captains can’t help but voice their discontent, it was devising its latest scheme to become the most hated company ever by charging a modem rental fee. Now, the New York Daily News reports that not one but two class action suits have been lodged against Time Warner, alleging that the $3.95/month modem leasing fee is essentially a money-making racket. Read More
We somehow doubt that Alki David, the irreverent prankster behind Aereo competitor (and hilariously named) website BarryDriller.com, didn’t see this one coming. Today, news broke that IAC chairman and Aereo board member Barry Diller is suing both Mr. David and BarryDriller.com for using his likeness to falsely advertise the business. Read More
Earlier this month, Judge William Alsup issued a demand for both parties in the Google v. Oracle patent dispute: Provide a list of any bloggers, journalists, or other commentators on the payroll. Paid Content reports that the two companies have now filed their responses. Google insists it has not paid anyone for positive coverage, while Oracle admitted to hiring patents blogger Florian Mueller as a “consultant on competition-related matters.”
The case itself is mostly done, with Google emerging largely victorious. At this point, the two parties are arguing over whether Oracle has to pay Google’s court costs.
Google issued this double-pinky swear: Read More
