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SummarySummary CompaniesCompanies Law firms Getty said Stability scraped millions of images without a licenseNew complaint adds to actions against Stability over images used in AI training(Reuters) - Stock photo provider Getty Images has sued artificial intelligence company Stability AI Inc, accusing it in a lawsuit made public on Monday of misusing more than 12 million Getty photos to train its Stable Diffusion AI image-generation system. Getty declined to comment on the Delaware lawsuit. London-based Stability AI released Stable Diffusion, an AI-based system for generating images from text inputs, and image generator DreamStudio last August. The lawsuit also accuses Stability of infringing Getty's trademarks, citing images generated by its AI system with Getty's watermark that Getty says could cause consumer confusion. The case is Getty Images (US) Inc v. Stability AI Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No.

☆ Nike's battle with Lululemon heats up with new lawsuit over sneakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Danni Santana | Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nike on Monday filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Lululemon over footwear. The case is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed by Nike against footwear competitors. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyNike is suing Lululemon, again. "Nike's claims are unjustified, and we look forward to proving our case in court," a Lululemon spokesperson said in a statement to Insider. Nike has sued a number of competitors over footwear designs in recent months, including Bape, Cool Kiy, and Warren Lotas.

NEW YORK, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Nike Inc (NKE.N) sued Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU.O) on Monday, saying that at least four of the Canadian athletic apparel company's footwear products infringe its patents. Nike in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court said it has suffered economic harm and irreparable injury from Lululemon's sale of its Blissfeel, Chargefeel Low, Chargefeel Mid and Strongfeel footwear. Nike said its three patents at issue concern textile and other elements, including one addressing how the footwear will perform when force is applied. Lululemon, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ YouTube and Twitter are blocking links and videos sharing a BBC documentary in India about its prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

YouTube and Twitter blocked links to a BBC documentary about Indian PM Narendra Modi in India. Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, tweeted on Saturday that the office "issued directions for blocking multiple" YouTube videos showing the first episode of the documentary. The ministry also ordered Twitter to block "over 50 tweets with links to these YT videos," he said. A YouTube spokesperson told Insider in a statement that, "The video in question has been blocked from appearing by the BBC due to a copyright claim." A spokesperson for the BBC said it "has not asked Twitter to remove any content relating to the documentary.

☆ Lawsuits over Stability AI's Stable Diffusion could threaten the future of AI-generated art
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Stability AI, the startup that makes the popular AI art tool Stable Diffusion, faces two lawsuits. The company's most well-known product is the controversial Stable Diffusion (also known as DreamStudio to users). Enter text into a search bar, and Stable Diffusion will, for a lack of a better word, draw an image to match, right on the spot. What's old is new againStability Diffusion released Stability AI in August, a time when the generative-AI market was starting to heat up. Mostaque's tweet added that Stability AI would offer "opt outs" and use alternate datasets and models with content licensed under the more-permissive creative-commons copyright process.

Instagram gives you more control over what you see. Instagram on Thursday launched a new set of features that helps you manage what you see in your feed and silence notifications. The new settings include Quiet mode, which allows users to set a customized schedule to silence Instagram notifications and auto-respond to direct messages (DMs). Instagram announced parental controls in 2021, but the platform is now taking steps to allow further control over user feeds — and to give parents more insight into their children's Instagram habits. Among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, according to the report, 13% of British users and 6% of American users connected the issue back to Instagram.

☆ Wisconsin Republicans block 'conversion therapy' ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Wisconsin Republicans voted Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to try to change LGBTQ clients’ gender identities and sexual orientations — a discredited practice known as conversion therapy. A ban on conversion therapy was passed in 2020 by a state board within the Democratic governor’s administration overseeing licensing for mental health professionals. At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed conversion therapy for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a pro-LGBTQ rights think tank. He said that’s all that’s at issue, not whether conversion therapy is morally or ethically right or wrong. “(The ban on conversion therapy) is necessary to protect the mental health of children in our state,” Herstand said.

☆ Biden admin will use Title 42 to block more Nicaraguans, Cubans, Haitians at border, but also open more legal pathways
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement comes as the Biden administration faces record numbers of illegal border crossings, particularly by migrants from those three countries. Previously Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans have been able to skirt the Covid-19 border restrictions known as Title 42 that have prevented more than 1.4 million border crossings by forcing migrants back into Mexico before they can claim asylum. Citizens of Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua were not subject to Title 42 in part because their home countries, and therefore Mexico, refuse to take them back. Those accepted through the application process must show they have a U.S.-based sponsor to support them, much like Venezuelans and Ukrainians have done through programs the Biden administration established for those countries. NBC News was first to report that the Biden administration was considering opening up an application program for migrants to apply to come to the U.S. from their home countries.

☆ Tech groups ask Supreme Court to rule on hot-button Texas social media law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Two technology industry groups asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review a hotly debated Texas law restricting social media platforms’ ability to moderate content, potentially opening the door to a sweeping reinterpretation of First Amendment precedent. The challenged state law, known as HB 20, would allow for lawsuits against tech companies accused of suppressing user posts or accounts. But Thursday’s petition brings the law back before the Court, this time for a possible ruling on the merits. That is why Texas’ law is unconstitutional, according to the trade organizations petitioning the Court on Thursday. Multiple Supreme Court justices have expressed interest in hearing cases that deal with content moderation, citing the enormous role that social media now plays in democratic discourse.

[1/2] Activists protest in the Indiana Statehouse during a special session debating on banning abortion in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. July 25, 2022. REUTERS/Cheney OrrDec 2 (Reuters) - A second Indiana judge on Friday blocked the state from enforcing its law banning most abortions after Jewish, Muslim and other non-Christian women challenged it in a lawsuit. The plaintiffs have argued that the measure infringes on religious freedom protected by another state law. The law had already been on hold, as another judge in September blocked Indiana from enforcing it while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court. The ACLU said the plaintiffs represented religions including Judaism and Islam as well as "independent spiritual belief systems."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday testified before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible interference in the 2020 presidential election. Graham's office said in a statement he testified for just over two hours and answered the grand jury's questions. “Out of respect for the grand jury process he will not comment on the substance of the questions.”The Supreme Court earlier this month rejected Graham's request to quash a subpoena from the grand jury in the Georgia probe. Willis' office is probing a pair of post-election phone calls Graham made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff. Graham denied having made such a suggestion, saying he was trying to understand the state’s process for verifying ballot signatures.

☆ Treasury Warns Crypto Industry of Money-Laundering Risks in ‘Mixers’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The cryptocurrency industry must follow the U.S. Treasury Department’s anti-money-laundering and sanctions regulations to prevent bad actors from abusing platforms known as “mixers” to launder illicit funds, a senior official said. Crypto-industry participants have raised questions over the sanctions being imposed on Tornado Cash, a platform based on open-source, self-running software protocols. Some in the decentralized finance community have expressed concerns about what they see as excessive government pressure on the industry. Some, including Coinbase Global Inc. and industry advocacy groups, have sued the Treasury, alleging the action against Tornado Cash infringes on Americans’ privacy and First Amendment rights. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance.

☆ Small Business Group Challenges Law Requiring Corporate-Ownership Disclosure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

A small business group is suing to block a law that was designed to stop money-laundering by rooting out the use of anonymous shell companies. The Corporate Transparency Act, the law’s formal name, was passed as part of annual defense spending legislation and signed into law last year. The group filed its lawsuit with Isaac Winkles of Huntsville, Ala., who owns a small business managing real-estate properties. The lawsuit poses a new challenge to FinCEN, which has already missed the mandated timeline for launching the corporate-ownership database. In addition to setting up the corporate-transparency database, the law also requires FinCEN to take a number of other steps—a whistleblower award program, among others—to strengthen the U.S.’s anti-money-laundering safeguards.

Representatives for Impossible Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision. Redwood City, California-based Impossible Foods sued Motif, a Boston-based spinoff of biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks, in March. The court agreed with Impossible Foods that Hemami could still infringe the patents and allowed the claims to continue. Impossible Foods' patents may cover Hemami because it is produced using yeast and does not have any "direct animal provenance," Bryson said. The case is Impossible Foods Inc v. Motif Foodworks Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No.

The House committee investigating the attack of Jan. 6, 2021 had unanimously issued a subpoena for the Republican former president to appear on or about Nov. 14. Lawmakers had also extended through this week their initial Nov. 4 deadline for Trump to turn over any related documentation. In a Nov. 9 letter to the panel attached to the lawsuit, Trump's attorneys said he would "consider" whether providing written responses "would be appropriate." The letter said Trump "voluntarily directed a reasonable search for documents in his possession" but it "found no documents responsive to this request." The panel has not said how it will proceed if Trump disregards the subpoena request.

☆ Trump sues Jan. 6 committee to avoid testifying in the investigation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally to support Republican candidates ahead of midterm elections, in Dayton, Ohio, U.S. November 7, 2022. Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Friday night to avoid cooperating with a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The House select committee voted unanimously on the subpoena and is demanding Trump's testimony under oath as well as records relevant to the probe into the attack. It will be difficult for the panel to secure Trump's testimony before then. Trump's lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida and has not yet been assigned to a judge.

☆ LR-131: Montana could establish law that makes any infant born alive a legal person
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Proponents say that the law is necessary to preserve infant life after birth. Opponents say the measure is misleading and infringes on the right of providers to make medical decisions. Ballot measure detailsThe state of Montana is set to vote on a controversial amendment that would establish any infant born alive, including infants born alive as a result of abortion, must have its life preserved by medical staff. The proposed law would also require medical staff to provide care to keep the infant alive and report the born-alive infant. They also argue that the law will put an unnecessary burden on healthcare providers who try to make the best decisions for their patients.

But unbeknownst to this good Samaritan, he was being watched by an Amazon Ring doorbell camera on the front porch, reported The Washington Post. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. But we have to face reality: Blanketing our neighborhoods in surveillance devices that promote a culture of suspicion makes all of us less safe. It even went so far as to launch an actual TV show, “Ring Nation,” on Amazon-owned MGM, featuring viral video from Ring cameras and other surveillance devices.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to quash a grand jury subpoena in a Georgia prosecutor’s probe into alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Graham’s attempt to avoid answering questions about phone calls he made to Georgia election officials after the 2020 election. The unsigned Supreme Court order said that the lower court already ruled that Graham cannot be questioned on his legislative activities. The order also said Graham is free to litigate further over which issues are off-limitsWillis is investigating a pair of post-election phone calls Graham made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff. On Oct. 24, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles emergency applications that arise from Georgie, temporarily blocked the grand jury subpoena from being enforced while the court determined its next steps.

☆ Removing Sanctions on Crypto Mixer Tornado Cash Won’t Be Easy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

While crypto advocates and companies contend that Tornado Cash’s sanctions infringe on personal rights to privacy—an important issue for the nascent industry—crypto experts said Tornado Cash might not be the best test case for that argument. Tornado Cash, a currency mixer that lets users commingle their funds to obfuscate ownership, was sanctioned in August by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces U.S. sanctions. OFAC accused Tornado Cash of allowing users to launder billions of dollars in virtual currency, including $455 million allegedly stolen by North Korean hackers. The sanctions froze U.S. assets held by Tornado Cash and barred U.S. companies and individuals from doing business with it. Other participants in the decentralized-finance industry have expressed similar concerns about OFAC’s power to sanction Tornado Cash.

☆ Landmark trial begins over Arkansas' ban on transgender youth care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The nation’s first trial over a state’s ban on gender-confirming care for children begins in Arkansas this week, the latest fight over restrictions on transgender youth championed by Republican leaders and widely condemned by medical experts. The families of four transgender youth and two doctors who provide gender-confirming care want Moody to strike down the law, saying it is unconstitutional because it discriminates against transgender youth, intrudes on parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children and infringes on doctors’ free speech rights. Arkansas was the first state to enact such a ban on gender-confirming care, with Republican lawmakers in 2021 overriding GOP Gov. Hutchinson, who had signed other restrictions on transgender youth into law, said the prohibition went too far by cutting off the care for those currently receiving it. Children’s hospitals around the country have faced harassment and threats of violence for providing gender-confirming care.

☆ Crypto Advocacy Group Sues U.S. Treasury Over Tornado Cash Sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

A cryptocurrency research and advocacy group has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. In August, OFAC imposed sanctions on Tornado Cash, a currency mixer that enables users to co-mingle their funds in order to obfuscate ownership. OFAC accused Tornado Cash of laundering billions of dollars in virtual currency, including $455 million allegedly stolen by North Korean hackers. In September, however, OFAC clarified that the sanctions placed on Tornado Cash don’t prohibit U.S. individuals or businesses from interacting with open-source code itself, as long as it doesn’t involve a prohibited transaction with the Tornado Cash platform. The Coinbase suit also argues that these sanctions exceed Treasury’s statutory authority and infringe on the plaintiffs’ constitutional right to privacy.

☆ How JFK customs searches 1 million packages a day for illegal items
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-23 | by ( Steve Cameron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

They're looking for anything that isn't legally allowed in the US; certain foods, animals, drugs, and counterfeit goods. This is where human CBP officers get a little help. Nearby, CBP officers are using another nonintrusive search tool: X-rays. And if all those counterfeit goods had gone on to sell at their suggested retail price, they'd total an estimated $54 million. Well, most of the narcotics and counterfeit goods will be sent to a top-secret incinerator to be destroyed.

Persons: John F, It's, Alex, Michael Lake, he'll, Nathanial Needham, Needham, Murielle, it's, Steve, We'll, I'm, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Steve Nethersole, they're, bing, they'll, Michael, you've Organizations: Kennedy International Airport, US Customs, US Postal, CBP, Homeland Security, FBI, Needham, Rolex, telltale, Burberry Locations: JFK, Needham, Netherlands, New York, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, China

☆ FOUR CHARACTERS UNDER TWO TYRANNIES
▼ + stars: | 1984-04-29 | by ( E.L. Doctorow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

So there is a pattern in the subservience of his characters to Mr. Kundera's will. The elegance lies in the image Mr. Kundera uses to make the observation that both the emigre and the former ruler point their index fingers at whomever they address. In fact, people of this sort, Mr. Kundera tells us, have index fingers longer than their middle fingers. Mr. Kundera is not inclined to dwell on the feel of human experience except as it prepares us for his thought. It is a not unattractive philosophical bent that sends Mr. Kundera into his speculative exercises.

Persons: Kundera's, Antonin Novotny, Kundera, ostentatiously intrudes, Tomas, Sabina, Franz, Tereza, Don Juanism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Garcia Marquez levitations, Michael Henry Heim's, Bernard Shaw Organizations: Communist Locations: Czech, Paris, Czechoslovakia, Prague, New York City, York, Europe

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