Appeal filed in WikiLeaks probe of Twitter accounts

Attorneys representing WikiLeaks volunteers today asked a Virginia judge to overturn an earlier ruling and bar the U.S. Department of Justice from gaining access to their clients' Twitter accounts.

The appeal, which was expected, seeks to throw out a magistrate judge's ruling on March 11 that granted prosecutors access to the accounts, including information about what Internet and e-mail addresses are associated with them. The government sought the court order as part of a grand jury probe that appears to be investigating whether WikiLeaks principals, including editor Julian Assange, violated U.S. criminal laws.

In a 41-page brief (PDF) filed today, attorneys for the Twitter account holders said prosecutors' request violates federal law, "intrudes upon" their clients' First Amendment right to freedom of association, and "threatens" their right to privacy.

The accounts at issue include Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a member of the Icelandic parliament who helped with WikiLeaks' release of a classified U.S. military video; Seattle-based WikiLeaks volunteer Jacob Appelbaum; and Dutch hacker and XS4ALL Internet provider co-founder Rop Gonggrijp. The order also sought records relating to Assange and suspected WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, who did not contest the request.

The order approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan would require Twitter to divulge "all" direct messages, even ones unrelated to WikiLeaks, argue the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a host of private attorneys representing the Twitter account holders. It "has a chilling effect not only on the parties' speech and association rights," they say, "but on the rights of Twitter users in general."

US panel says Apple did not infringe Nokia patents

Apple Inc won a round in its patent battle with Nokia on Friday as a US trade panel ruled that the US company did not violate any of five Nokia patents .

The patents were for electronic devices, including mobile phones, portable music players and computers.

A judge at the International Trade Commission, which hears many patent cases, said that Apple did not violate the Nokia patents.
Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us

New iPad most expensive in Denmark, cheapest in US

Apple's new iPad went on sale in 25 countries internationally on Friday, but the United States is still the cheapest place to buy the latest version of the tablet computer .


Prices in the United States, where the iPad 2 has been on sale since March 11, start at $499 for the most basic model -- with 16 gigabytes of storage and Wi-Fi only connectivity -- while the same model in Denmark costs the equivalent of $702.

Customers lined up in their hundreds outside Apple stores in Europe and Asia, many waiting overnight or longer, to get their hands on an iPad 2 amid fears of shortages.

In Hong Kong, where the iPad 2 will not officially go on sale until next month, enterprising Chinese businessmen were already selling devices bought in the United States for up to HK$ 15,000 ($1,900).

In the United States, sales tax varies from state to state between zero and 13.725 percent, giving a maximum price to the consumer of $567 and an average of $547.

In the euro zone, the basic iPad 2 is selling at 479 euros ($678) in most countries, although it is slightly more expensive in France and cheaper in Luxembourg.

Unusually, it is cheaper in Britain than in continental Europe, selling for 399 pounds ($642).
Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us