legal disputes Archives

TrendTechie

March 13, 2025

Соучредитель файлообменника The Pirate Bay погиб в авиакатастрофе

Karl Lundström, co-founder of the torrent tracker Pirate Bay, died in a plane crash on March 10 while traveling from Zagreb to Zurich. The Slovenian police reported that poor visibility due to bad weather likely contributed to the accident. Lundström was a Swedish politician and businessman who significantly influenced file sharing since Pirate Bay's inception in 2003. He faced legal issues with copyright holders, receiving a one-year prison sentence that was later reduced to four months, and was fined 32 million Swedish kronor (approximately €3 million).

TrendTechie

March 13, 2025

Создатель легендарного пиратского трекера The Pirate Bay погиб в авиакатастрофе

Karl Lundström, co-founder of The Pirate Bay, died in an aviation accident in Slovenia while piloting a Mooney M20 aircraft from Zagreb to Zurich. The plane crashed in northern Slovenia due to adverse weather conditions, and his body was recovered the following day. He was 64 years old at the time of his death.

AppWizard

March 11, 2025

After suing a Disco Elysium writer to prevent him from making his own game, a tech CEO who’s allegedly banned from the Disco Elysium subreddit is trying to crowdfund a spiritual successor

Hopetown, a psychogeographic RPG reminiscent of Disco Elysium, is set to launch on Kickstarter on March 17. The project is developed by Longdue, which includes new talent from the Disco Elysium team. However, it faces legal disputes involving Moola, the founder of Longdue, who is suing former Disco Elysium writer Argo Tuulik and ex-employee Dora Klindžić over a non-compete clause. An injunction prevents Tuulik and Klindžić from working with their new collective, Summer Eternal. Moola has been banned from the Disco Elysium subreddit for allegedly promoting Hopetown and defending Longdue amid criticism. Despite controversies, Hopetown features narration by Lenval Brown and technical support from Piotr Sobolewski, both associated with Disco Elysium. Longdue, established in November, is in preproduction, raising concerns about its readiness for crowdfunding. The gaming community remains skeptical about investing in a project from an unproven studio, especially with competing indie RPGs emerging and Studio ZA/UM teasing a follow-up to Disco Elysium.

AppWizard

February 28, 2025

Dungeonborne, the game that once threatened to steal Dark and Darker’s crown, is closing in May

Dungeonborne, developed by Mithril Interactive, will officially close, with new account registrations and in-game purchases ending on February 28 and the game going offline on May 28. The game was first revealed in February 2024 but received mixed feedback and struggled to gain traction, peaking at only 22 concurrent players recently. The lack of consistent updates contributed to its decline. In contrast, Dark and Darker, a similar game, has thrived, peaking at nearly 12,000 concurrent players after returning to Steam in June 2024.

AppWizard

February 4, 2025

Perplexity launches an assistant for Android

AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched a new feature called Perplexity Assistant, available for Android devices, which integrates reasoning, search capabilities, and app functionalities. The assistant can perform multi-app actions, such as hailing rides and searching for songs, and can set reminders by creating calendar entries. It utilizes the phone's camera for contextual inquiries and maintains context across various tasks, like researching restaurants and making reservations. The assistant is initially free for users in 15 languages. CEO Aravind Srinivas acknowledged that some features may not perform as expected and improvements are planned. Perplexity has also introduced Sonar, an API service for enterprises, and acquired Read.cv. Founded in 2022, Perplexity has raised over 0 million in funding and processes over 100 million queries weekly. The company faces legal challenges from publishers, including lawsuits from News Corp and a cease and desist order from The New York Times, but emphasizes its commitment to respecting publisher content through a revenue-sharing program.

BetaBeacon

December 12, 2024

Epic’s dream is starting to come true — its store will be preinstalled on ‘millions’ of Android phones

Telefónica has partnered with the Epic Games Store to preinstall it on all new compatible Android phones, including Samsung devices, in an effort to challenge Google's app store dominance.

Winsage

November 11, 2024

Today in Apple history: Microsoft reveals its plans for Windows 1.0

In 1984, Apple launched the Mac, while Microsoft was preparing to release Windows 1.0, which was initially seen as "vaporware." Apple had recently introduced the graphical user interface (GUI) with the Lisa computer, although it did not meet expectations. Both Apple and Microsoft drew inspiration from innovations at Xerox PARC. Bill Gates acknowledged this shared heritage in a 2017 Reddit AMA. Windows 1.0 was limited compared to the Lisa, despite attempts to include similar features. At its launch, Microsoft was known as a developer for the Mac and negotiated a deal with Apple for a license to use parts of Mac technology for Windows. After the release of Windows 2, which resembled Mac OS, Apple took legal action against Microsoft for copyright infringement. Legal disputes continued until August 1997 when Apple dropped all lawsuits against Microsoft. By then, Windows 1.0 was largely forgotten, and Microsoft was gaining power with the upcoming success of Windows 95, while Apple was preparing for its own resurgence.