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Technological advancements that benefited legal practitioners

Legal frameworks and procedures continually evolve to align with the dynamic world we inhabit. These processes naturally adjust to enhance efficiency and productivity, particularly with advancements in technology. The significant technological progress witnessed over the centuries, especially in recent times, has profoundly influenced the practice of law, transcending geographical boundaries and impacting legal systems globally. This infographic shows some of these revolutionary technological changes and the impact they have had on the legal system. These include: 

Technological advancements that benefited legal practitioners #Infographic



Apple is briefly halting sales of its Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models December 21 onwards. The event that has resulted in this move is a conflict between the company itself and medical device maker Masimo over its SpO2 sensor technology.

 

Apple is therefore taking necessary measures to protect itself from any potential consequences from the ITC import ban that affects the flagship Series 9 and Ultra 2 models. The ITC ban is concerned with the sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 within the US only, therefore the watches will still be available for purchase in other regions.

 

Masimo filed two distinct cases against Apple: one with the US District Court in the Central District of California and the other with the ITC. In the latter, Masimo argues that Apple committed a breach of its pulse oximetry tech. The current import ban is a result of the latter.

Apple is Under Fire for Allegedly Breaching Masimo’s Pulse Oximetry Tech

 

In Which Countries Is ‘Conversion Therapy’ Still Legal?


According to data aggregated by the Global Equality Caucus and The International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), Conversion therapy is banned in several countries around the world, including Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Spain, Germany, France, Malta and New Zealand.

In Which Countries Is ‘Conversion Therapy’ Still Legal? Infographic



Elon Musk has filed a motion with the SEC to put an end to the $44 billion takeover deal that he had signed with Twitter, because of the company’s inability to provide accurate information on the number of fake accounts on the platform.

 

According to Musk’s team, they made repeated requests to Twitter for access to accurate information, but the company failed to comply with the contractual requirements and offered only limited access to the required data, which resulted in violation of the terms.

 

As per Musk’s filing, the information was meant to be provided by Twitter for business purpose related to the consummation of the transaction. However, Twitter made multiple moves to keep the information to itself, such as by ignoring Musk’s requests, rejecting them for unjustified reasons, and other times, even claiming to comply, but actually providing incomplete or unusable information.

 

Elon Musk Decides to Pull Out of the Twitter Takeover Deal

 


Facebook has been involved in the ongoing battle between Apple and Epic Games, and the social media company has been arguing with Apple over document requests as Facebook executive Vivek Sharma is set to testify on behalf of Epic.

 

Sharma plans to testify about Apple's restrictions on iOS app distribution, the App Store process, and Facebook's interactions with Apple. Apple, on the other hand, is asking for a "limited set of documents" required for a fair cross examination in relation to the procedure. Facebook has, however, refused to comply.

 

According to Facebook, producing tens of thousands of documents is an "untimely, unfair, and unjustified request to redo fact discovery," as Apple requires over 17,000 documents that it finds relevant to the case. Even though Facebook has already provided Apple with a total of more than 1,600 documents, 200 out of which are apparently relevant to Sharma, the tech giant has objected that they are not sufficient.

Court Denies Apple’s Demands to Compel Facebook to Produce Additional Documents Amidst the Epic Vs. Apple Battle

 


Apple opposed a trademark application by the creators of Prepear, a recipe and meal-planning app, back in August. The company claimed that Prepear’s logo was similar to Apple’s own logo.

 

According to Apple, Prepear's logo consisted of a “minimalistic fruit design with a right-angled leaf, which readily calls to mind Apple's famous Apple Logo and creates a similar commercial impression."

 

This was followed by Prepear’s parent company Super Healthy Kids launching a petition to convince Apple to drop its opposition. The petition has gained over 250,000 signatures by now.

Apple and Prepear may be Negotiating for a Settlement for the Logo Dispute


Google has just been faced with one of the largest antitrust cases in the U.S. history after the Justice Department filed a suit against the tech giant for illegal monopolization of the search and ad markets. 


The complaint stated that countless advertisers must pay a toll to Google’s search advertising and general search text advertising monopolies and that American consumers are forced to accept the company’s policies, privacy practices, and use of personal data. The complaint further argued that new companies with innovative business models can not emerge from Google’s ‘'long shadow’'. 


Justice Department officials demanded that google stop its illegal conduct which is against the traditional antitrust principles. Their main focus was on the magnitude and power of Google’s control over the search market - the fact that the company controls search distribution channels accounting for about 80% of general search queries in the U.S. 

Google Faces Serious Antitrust Charges from the Justice Department


Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg received a lot of criticism and controversy after he stated in 2008 that Facebook would not ban holocaust deniers from its platform. He later explained that such content would not be removed or blocked, but its distribution across the platform would be limited, so as to stop the spread of misinformation.  


Today, 12 years later, Zuckerberg seems to have changed his belief and stance on the matter as he has announced a revised policy regarding holocaust denial. According to the updated policy, Facebook will be completely removing such content from its platform now.  


Zuckerberg explained that his own thinking has evolved during this time as he has observed a rise in anti-Semitic violence, which has resulted in increased ignorance towards the Holocaust, especially among young adults.  


According to a survey recently conducted in the U.S., about a quarter of adults aged between 18-39 years said that the Holocaust was a myth or that it had been exaggerated, or they had no knowledge of the event.  


Zuckerberg's change in the policy was much needed, as Facebook is being constantly highlighted as a potentially damaging platform with respect to promoting the spread of incorrect, misleading, and violent content.  

Facebook’s Revised Policy for Holocaust Denial Content Supports Banning of the Content


Uber has been granted a license by the UK court, which had been denied for renewal. The duration of the renewal is 18 months only, however. The judge took the decision after being assured of the improvements made by Uber, especially those relating to its communication with London's transport regulator, TfL.


There are 21 conditions stated in the new license, suggested by both Uber and TfL to the Magistrate. 


While the judge still isn't a hundred percent satisfied with Uber's performance, he still believes that the company is doing a ''reasonable business'', as expected. 


Uber has been struggling to have its license reinstated for several years ever since TfL announced to the company in 2007 that it would not renew its license, due to safety concerns and considering that Uber was not fit to hold a private hire operator license.


Uber did manage to win a provisional appeal in 2018 after being granted a 15-month license by a U.K. court, while it was given the chance to work on meeting TfL's requirements. Last November, TfL denied a full license renewal to the company once again and highlighted new safety concerns.

Uber has been Finally Granted License by U.K. Court for 18 Months


President Donald Trump proposed a ban on both Chinese-owned apps, TikTok and WeChat, after labelling the apps as a ''national security threat'' in the U.S. Amidst the ongoing legal issues regarding both the apps, the Justice Department has stated that users of WeChat will not face civil or criminal penalties even if the app is banned in the U.S. by next week.


Users of WeChat filed a motion in U.S. District Court in S.F., in an attempt to prevent the Government from prohibiting WeChat from being used by users, businesses, and groups. In response, the Justice Department clarified that individuals or groups who only download the app or use it for personal or business purposes do not have to face civil or criminal penalties.

WeChat Users will not be Penalized, Says the U.S. Justice Department

The ongoing deal talks between ByteDance and Microsoft regarding selling TikTok's U.S. operations seem to have come to an end and Oracle has confirmed that it would be partnering with ByteDance. Oracle has shown interest in a structured partnership instead of entirely acquiring TikTok. 


The Trump Administration's executive order gave ByteDance 90 days to either divest TikTok in the U.S. or sell its operations to an American company. The order came after the U.S. government raised concerns over TikTok being a ''national security threat'', accusing the company of helping the Chinese government spy on the U.S. citizens through the data collected by the app. The claims were denied by TikTok.


Furthermore, China revised its rules around tech export in August, hence making the matter for ByteDance to sell TikTok difficult. It was reported that the Chinese government has been attempting  to have TikTok entirely shut down instead of letting its operations be sold; an act of submission that it did not want to go with.


ByteDance submitted a proposal to the U.S. Treasury Department over the weekend and Oracle was included in it as TikTok's ''trusted technology provider'''. According to Oracle, its shares mentioned were up to 6.3%. Under the same proposal, Oracle is now assuming management of TikTok's U.S. user data, which is currently stored in Alphabet's cloud, with a backup in Singapore.

Oracle Shows Interest in Partnership with ByteDance to Save TikTok from Shutting Down in U.S.


Apple and Epic Game's battle over legal issues is still going on as Apple has recently made a move against Epic for allegedly breaching its contract with the iOS App Store. Apple made some counterclaims on Tuesday, accusing Epic for threatening Apple’s relationship with its customers and its iOS ecosystem, hence causing ''significant harm'' to the company.


Apple's counterclaims came after Epic sued the company for removing its popular game Fortnite from the App Store over in-app payment issues. Epic's complaint stated that Apple has violated the antitrust law as its used its control over iOS to extract a commission for all software that passes through the App Store.

Apple Enters a Filing of Counterclaims Against Epic Games for Suing Apple

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