Alex Veiga

January 22, 2007 | Law.com

A hung jury forced a mistrial on Thursday in the cases of two men who blamed their heart attacks on Vioxx, the painkiller made by Merck & Co. that is now the subject of thousands of lawsuits. It wasn't clear when there might be a retrial of the lawsuits brought by Lawrence Appell and Rudolph Arrigale who argued that Merck failed to give sufficient warning of potential safety hazards of the drug. The company says the two men's heart problems were caused by pre-existing coronary heart disease, not Vioxx.

By Alex Veiga

4 minute read

June 24, 2005 | Law.com

Four years after shuttering the original Napster with a legal assault, recording companies are taking steps to legitimize the peer-to-peer technology that lets computer users share songs, video and other files online. The industry's actions reflect a new approach to the file-swapping: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Says one analyst: "There's only two options... find a way to license it and monetize it -- or you don't license it and it gets traded anyway."

By Alex Veiga

5 minute read

September 13, 2006 | Law.com

MetaMachine Inc., the firm behind popular online file-sharing software eDonkey, has agreed to pay $30 million and cease distribution to avoid potential copyright infringement lawsuits from the recording industry, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The operators of BearShare, i2Hub, WinMX, Grokster and Kazaa have reached similar agreements. Because many users still have functional versions of eDonkey or its open-source sister eMule, the shutdown of operations is unlikely to have much impact.

By Alex Veiga

3 minute read

July 13, 2007 | Law.com

Warner Music Group Corp. said Thursday it dropped a copyright infringement lawsuit against the social networking Web site imeem and agreed to license its music and video content to the site for a slice of its ad revenue. Under the agreement, imeem can carry music and videos from all of the record company's artists, who include Madonna, Linkin Park and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

By Alex Veiga

3 minute read

November 14, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

Top homebuilder KB Home announced Sunday that an options backdating problem had prompted the resignations of chairman and CEO Bruce Karatz and executive VP and chief legal officer Richard B. Hirst, as well as the company's firing of its human resources head. Karatz, who started at precursor Kaufman & Broad as an associate legal counsel, agreed to repay $13 million, according to KB Home. An internal report found that only Karatz and the former HR head had selected grant dates for the stock options.

By Alex Veiga

5 minute read

November 11, 2004 | Law.com

A merger to create the nation's largest health insurance company can proceed after California's insurance regulator dropped his objections to a $16.4 billion deal following an agreement by the two companies to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for state health care improvements. In the proposed deal, Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. would acquire Blue Cross Life & Health, a California subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc.

By Alex Veiga

5 minute read

June 27, 2005 | Legaltech News

Four years after shuttering the original Napster with a legal assault, recording companies are taking steps to legitimize the peer-to-peer technology that lets computer users share songs, video and other files online. The industry's actions reflect a new approach to the file-swapping: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Says one analyst: "There's only two options... find a way to license it and monetize it -- or you don't license it and it gets traded anyway."

By Alex Veiga

5 minute read

February 05, 2004 | Law.com

A 9th Circuit judge on Tuesday questioned whether distributors of online file-sharing software should be held responsible for copyright infringement just because some people use the programs to swap copyrighted materials. The outcome of the Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc. case could determine whether music and film companies can hold distributors of file-sharing software liable for illegally swapped music and movies.

By Alex Veiga

4 minute read

November 09, 2004 | Law.com

A disparate group made up of dozens of state attorneys general, professional sports leagues and others urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to hear the recording and film industries' claim against two Internet file-sharing firms. The filings are designed to support a petition that asked the Court to reverse lower court decisions clearing Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc. of liability for their customers' online swapping of movies and music.

By Alex Veiga

3 minute read

July 21, 2008 | Legaltech News

Several Web sites turn government data into interactive guides of criminal activity. For lawyers on the lookout for new real estate, these sites can help discern whether a neighborhood is rife with crime or a place to raise kids. But how accurate are the pictures they portray?

By Alex Veiga

5 minute read