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A federal appellate court ruled last month that self-service movie kiosk company Redbox did not violate the Video Privacy Protection Act by giving an outside customer-service vendor access to its customer database.

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Federal Circuit Applies <i>Alice</i> to Invalidate Online Transaction Patent <br>Federal Circuit Finds 'Unobtrusive' and 'Does Not Distract' Indefinite<br>Federal Circuit: In Hatch-Waxman, Infringement Based Only on Final ANDA Product

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Copyright trolls are in the business of acquiring the right to bring lawsuits against alleged infringers and threatening to file copyright infringement claims in order to induce rapid settlements against large groups of defendants.

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Recently, multiple media outlets reported that Google plans to offer accounts for their wide array of services to children under 13 years of age. While the details regarding this alleged plan have not been publicized, it has already created a lot of concern with multiple privacy advocates.

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Over the past 10 years, government investigations have become increasingly sophisticated in analyzing electronically stored information (ESI). Federal executive departments and agencies have made substantial investments in advanced analytical systems that help investigators and prosecutors filter voluminous amounts of incoming ESI. Respondents to Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) must recognize that the information provided will be analyzed using these powerful tools.

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The Home Depot data breach may be the largest in the U.S. yet, affecting not only millions of customers in the U.S., but also shoppers at its 180 stores in Canada. Home Depot said customers who shopped at its U.S. and Canadian stores as far back as April were exposed, meaning the breach extended for more than four months including the busy summer season.

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In the first half of 2014, at least 96 significant data breaches were reported, compromising more than 2.2 million records. Of these breaches, at least 46 involved records that may have contained Social Security Numbers (SSNs). What the affected businesses may not know is that the mere collection of SSNs may have put them in violation of state laws, in addition to the liability they may now face for having failed to protect the SSN information.

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For employers, social media sites present a potential treasure trove of information on applicants, but mining this information for use in recruiting, hiring, firing and monitoring of employees is fraught with risk. Nonetheless, some studies show that 40% of employers search social media during the hiring process. While there are not currently any laws in the United States forbidding employers from gleaning information from social media, improper use can get them into trouble.