Sony has reached a preliminary $7.85 million settlement in Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, a class-action lawsuit accusing it of eliminating competition in digital game sales by discontinuing vouchers that let PlayStation users buy games from other retailers. The case claims this forced customers to overpay by shopping only through the PlayStation Store. A final court hearing is set for Oct. 15 to approve the payout and distribution plan, though Sony denies any wrongdoing.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-16
Sony plans to resolve a Sherman Act class action by depositing PlayStation Store credit directly into eligible US PSN accounts, with no claim form required. Accounts that bought qualifying digital games between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023 were automatically enrolled, but payouts await final approval from a federal judge at an October fairness hearing.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-13
Disney has agreed to pay $50 million to settle Biddle v. The Walt Disney Company, a lawsuit accusing it of using ESPN's leverage to force streaming services into pricier bundled channel packages. The settlement covers anyone who subscribed to YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream (including DirecTV Now or AT&T TV Now) between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026, and claims must be filed by Sept. 8. Disney denies wrongdoing, and payout amounts will vary based on subscription length and total number of claims submitted.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-07
As payments begin from Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement over pirated training data, some authors say publishers and literary agents are wrongly claiming their share of the $3,000-per-book payouts. Writers including April Henry report publishers claiming full payments or rights to books whose rights had reverted to the author years earlier. Watchdog Victoria Strauss says the pattern likely stems from sloppy recordkeeping rather than deliberate wrongdoing, and some publishers have already asked Anthropic to correct the errors.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-06
AI companies have started purchasing used physical books in bulk to feed data into their large language models. This practice follows a copyright settlement earlier this year in which courts determined that buying books and destroying them during the digitization process for AI training qualifies as fair use.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-03
A Mother Jones investigation found 19 police agencies in ten states spent nearly $1 million of opioid settlement money on automatic license plate readers from companies like Flock and Axon. The funds were originally allocated to help communities devastated by the opioid crisis, but state distribution agencies instead routed portions to police departments, which pitched surveillance tech as a crime-fighting tool.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-30
A recent legal settlement involving Meta imposes new regulatory obligations on the company even as authorities argue it wields excessive market power. Critics note the compliance requirements demand significant resources, which larger firms can absorb more easily than smaller rivals.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-28
The Vergecast team discussed Apple's refreshed Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and new M6/M5 Ultra chips, questioning whether Apple's AI inference claims are more marketing than substance. They also previewed Apple's newly announced event, expecting no iPhone 18 but debating whether the foldable form factor is ready for an iPhone Fold, and examined Meta's settlement imposing new restrictions on teen accounts.
theverge.com
· 2026-08-28
Meta has reached a settlement with attorneys general from 52 states and territories that ends a years-long lawsuit accusing the company of failing to protect children on its platforms. The deal requires Meta to pay a capped amount of roughly $16.68 billion and to roll out a series of new safety features, while also pledging to push YouTube and TikTok to adopt similar measures, even though that would raise Meta's own payout under the settlement's terms.
techdirt.com
· 2026-08-27
Meta has agreed to roll out new safety restrictions for teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook within six months, as part of an $18 billion settlement reached with 48 states. The agreement follows scrutiny over how the platforms have handled minors' safety and mental health concerns.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-27
Meta has reached a $16.7 billion settlement with 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and several territories over allegations tied to its addictive user experience design. As part of the agreement, Meta committed to making specific changes to features that regulators say were built to keep users, particularly minors, engaged for longer periods.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-26
Jim Cramer said Meta's $18 billion settlement with attorneys general over youth social media addiction claims is a favorable outcome for the company, ending a federal trial that could have exposed Meta to $200 billion in fines. Under the deal with 48 states, D.C., and three territories, Meta agreed to daily time limits, better parental controls, age-verification tools, and fewer notifications during school hours for young users.
cnbc.com
· 2026-08-26
GoKawiil