All posts by admin

Blog, Business Law, Legal News

What’s AMD after with Its Patent Lawsuits?

By Paige Tanner | Feb 28, 2017 12:54 pm EST

AMD eyes licensing revenue

In the previous part of the series, we discussed how Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is looking to improve its profits by entering high-end markets and expanding its licensing business. AMD secured a net licensing gain of $31 million in fiscal 4Q16 from its server joint venture with THATIC (Tianjin Haiguang Advanced Technology Investment).

AMD expects to gain $50 million from this licensing in fiscal 2017. It’s also looking to secure more licensing deals in 2017 and has filed patent lawsuits for the same.

Details of AMD’s patent lawsuits

In January 2017, AMD filed civil lawsuits against LG, Vizio, MediaTek, and Sigma Designs for infringing three generic-looking graphics patents owned by ATI which AMD acquired in 2006. The three patents relate to GPU (graphics processing unit) architecture, unified shaders, and parallel pipeline graphics.

AMD claims that the above four companies are using its technologies in the following products:

  • MediaTek’s Helio P10 SoC (system on chip) features the Mali T860MP2 GPU it licensed from ARM. This SoC is used in some of LG’s smartphone models.
  • Sigma’s SX7 SoC features an ARM-developed quad-cluster GPU. This SoC is used in Vizio’s advanced TVs.

Read full – http://marketrealist.com/2017/02/whats-amd-after-with-its-patent-lawsuits/

Blog, Criminal, International, Legal News, Organized Crime

Italian police break mafia ring exporting fake olive oil to U.S.

By Umberto Bacchi

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Italian police said they have busted a crime ring exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the United States, highlighting the mafia’s infiltration of Italy’s famed agriculture and food business.

Twelve people with links to the ‘Ndrangheta, the organized crime group based in the southern Calabria region, were arrested on Tuesday on a series of charges including mafia association and fraud, police said in a statement.

The gang shipped cheap olive pomace oil to the U.S. where it was re-labeled as the more expensive “extra virgin” variety, prized for its rich taste and health benefits, and distributed as such to retail stores in New Jersey, they said.

Italian crime syndicates earned an estimated 16 billion euros ($16.85 billion) in 2015 through illegal activities in the agriculture sector, up from 15 billions in 2014, according to Italy’s agricultural association, Coldiretti.

Besides counterfeiting products, gangs make money seizing control of farmland and firms, fixing prices, controlling distribution and through labor exploitation, studies say.

In 2015, crime groups forced more than 100,000 Italians and migrants to work long hours for little pay in fields across the country, according to a report by Italian General Confederation of Labor union (CGIL).

Read Full – http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-crime-food-idUSKBN1602BD

Blog, Legal News, Supreme Court

South Dakota Considers Creating Government Watchdog Board

A government watchdog board would help investigate statewide officeholders and executive branch employees in South Dakota under a bill endorsed by a legislative panel.

By JAMES NORD, Associated Press

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A government watchdog board would help investigate statewide officeholders and executive branch employees in South Dakota under a bill endorsed by a legislative panel on Wednesday.

The move comes after Republican lawmakers repealed a voter-imposed government ethics overhaul that included an ethics commission. The proposed State Government Accountability Board, which would be attached to the attorney general’s office, would review and investigate allegations including bribery and theft of public funds.

Democratic Rep. Karen Soli, the bill’s sponsor, said it would help preserve the integrity of South Dakota government. The governor’s office supports the plan, and Attorney General Marty Jackley called it “good government.” The bill heads to the full House after receiving approval Wednesday from the chamber’s State Affairs Committee.

Soli said the board offers an opening to people who believe they see wrongdoing in the executive branch.

Sourced From – http://www.usnews.com/news/south-dakota/articles/2017-02-22/panel-advances-plan-to-create-government-watchdog-board

Blog, Civil Rights, Legal News, Supreme Court

South Dakota: Bill Attempting to Silence NRA Passed by House Committee

Today, the House Judiciary Committee heard and passed House Bill 1200 by a 9-3 vote.  HB 1200 would severely limit your NRA’s ability to communicate with its membership in South Dakota.  HB 1200 now heads to the House floor where it will await full consideration.

If enacted, HB 1200 would require the NRA to disclose a list of its members if certain contributions are made to a ballot question committee or used for an independent communication expenditure.  These contributions are made so that NRA can inform its membership as well as Second Amendment supporters about legislation or other issues affecting their Second Amendment rights, and HB 1200 seeks to limit that ability.

It is critical that you contact your state Representative, and urge them to OPPOSE House Bill 1200.

HB 1200 is in conflict with the First Amendment.  It seeks to limit the free speech of organizations like the NRA unless they first disclose their members’ private information in the process.  Donors to organizations, regardless of their views on public policy matters, should be free to support causes they believe in without fear of retaliation, harassment, or intimidation by powerful government figures.  Because free speech is the right of every American, this legislation must be defeated.

Again, please click the “Take Action” button above or call (605) 773-3821 to contact your Representative, and urge them to OPPOSE House Bill 1200.

Sourced From – https://www.nraila.org/articles/20170222/south-dakota-bill-attempting-to-silence-nra-passed-by-house-committee

Blog, International, Legal News

Germany working on nationwide corruption ‘black list’: draft law

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German Economics Ministry want to create a nationwide database aimed at making it easier to block companies found guilty of fraud and other violations from receiving federal, state and local government contracts.

A legislative draft viewed by Reuters calls for companies found guilty of major violations to be blocked from government contracts for five years, with less serious charges to result in a three-year ban.

“The goal of the legislation is to ensure that government contracts are only awarded to companies that have not incurred major legal violations and that have competed fairly,” according to the draft.

Read Full – https://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2017/02/22/germany-working-on-nationwide-corruption-black-list-draft-law-n2289300