Warner Bros. has been slapped with a lawsuit from Bethesda over its Westworld mobile game, calling it a "blatant rio-off" of Fallout Shelter. The lawsuit was recently filed in Maryland, and it accuses Westworld developer Behaviour of using "copyrighted computer code," among other things.
A surprise Supreme Court ruling could make your next online shopping spree more expensive, after deciding that states can impose sales tax on internet purchases made from out-of-state retailers. The issue had been pushed to the fore by South Dakota, which had argued that its recent law insisting on applying tax even to purchases made online beyond the state's borders should be upheld.
Brace yourselves, MoviePass customers. The company is about to introduce a big change to the way it works, one that will no doubt upset some subscribers. Starting in July, MoviePass will charge a small fee to see movies that it deems as high-demand, a sort of surge pricing apparently intended to help reduce demand during peak times. The fees will start at $2 and depend on the movie.
Following its recent partnership with Oprah Winfrey, Apple has struck another agreement that underscores its push into original content. The company has signed a deal with Sesame Workshop, the organization behind the popular children's show Sesame Street. Under this deal, Sesame Workshop will create original children's shows for Apple.
Our smartphones have practically become extensions of our bodies and lives, holding the keys not just to our captured memories but, often, also to online accounts and even money. Most users take for granted how much of our data we let companies access through our smartphones but, sometimes, the long arm of the law does finally catch up with the times. Responding to inquiries by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore), AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon all pledged to stop selling phone location data to data brokers. That promise, however, comes with a big “but”.
GameStop, despite its apparent dominance in the realm of brick and mortar games sales, is struggling against a shifting tide. This new era of buying games online and downloading them to your console has taken its toll on GameStop, and now the massive retailer has confirmed that it's in talks for a potential buyout. That, of course, doesn't mean that a buyout is imminent, but the fact that GameStop is even considering selling in the first place is pretty big news.
Alexa is already a mainstay in a lot of homes that use IoT devices, but soon, we'll also see her popping up in hotel rooms and vacation properties. Today, Amazon announced Alexa for Hospitality, opening the door for hoteliers to tap into Alexa to enhance their guests' visits. Alexa for Hospitality will begin rolling out later on this summer, and for the moment, it's only available by invite.
While ZTE is fighting for survival in the US, fellow Chinese company Huawei is also struggling in Australia. While the consequences of losing this battle is less likely to make Huawei fold, it is still a slippery slope that could see Huawei’s foothold in more markets around the world. Just like in the US, Australia’s rivaling political parties seem to be in agreement that allowing Huawei to participate in building the country’s 5G infrastructure would be tantamount to giving China backdoor access to it.
Elon Musk and his companies may always make headlines, but it isn’t always in a good light. Tesla, in particular, is already in hot water for the problematic Model 3 productions. Now it seems that Musk has found one of the causes of its woes, or a scapegoat. In an email sent to employees, the CEO revealed that they have learned of a disgruntled employee who sabotaged operations and leaked confidential data. But, of course, the story doesn’t stop there.
Still don’t think Google is out to get Amazon? Just take a look at its most recent “strategic partnership”. The search giant has just inked a deal with one of China’s biggest e-commerce companies, JD.com. While most of what ‘s involved with the transaction is buried in marketing-speak, one thing is clear: Google wants in on JD.com’s empire, which practically means penetrating markets still free from Amazon’s grasp.
Foxconn is getting serious about its US presence. The electronics manufacturer and Apple supplier has revealed that Milwaukee, Wisconsin will be serving as its North American headquarters. This comes almost a year after the company announced it would be building a new display factory in the state, which will be conveniently located just 30 miles south of the new headquarters building.
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and CEO of blood-testing startup Theranos, will step down from her position at the discredited company that was once a Silicon Valley success. This comes alongside the news that she and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former president and COO, have been indicted by the Department of Justice on charges of wire fraud.