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From Ars Technica: Google guilty of infringement in Oracle trial; future legal headaches loom


In what could be a major blow to Android, Google’s mobile operating system, a San Francisco jury issued a verdict today that the company broke copyright laws when it used Java APIs to design the system. The ruling is a partial victory for Oracle, which accused Google of violating copyright law.

But the jury couldn’t reach agreement on a second issue—whether Google had a valid “fair use” defense when it used the APIs. Google has asked for a mistrial based on the incomplete verdict, and that issue will be briefed later this week.

 

from Ars Technica

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From Engadget: Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas

Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas

If Amazon’s been your internet safe haven from the ravages of sales tax, you may want to sit down. As part of a settlement with the great state of Texas, Bezos’ baby will start collecting the state’s requisite 6.25-percent sales tax on July 1st. The settlement resolves the online retailer’s ongoing dispute with the Lone Star state, which claimed that Amazon owed $269 million in back taxes. In addition to taking up collection, Amazon has agreed to create at least 2,500 jobs and invest a minimum of $200 million in capital investments, though it admits no fault, and believes “the assessment was without merit,” according to its latest SEC filing. Grouped in with Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota and Washington, this agreement makes Texas the sixth state to collect sales tax from Amazon — and California, Nevada and Arizona will join the collection club in due time. Check out the source links below for the Texas Comptroller’s official statement and more reading on Amazon’s tax agreements across the nation.

Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget

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From Ars Technica: Judge spares Amazon from Colorado sales tax reporting scheme


A federal judge has ruled that Colorado ran afoul of the US Constitution when it passed legislation forcing out-of-state retailers to report their customers’ purchases to the state’s tax authority.

Two decades ago, the US Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot require mail-order retailers to collect sales tax unless the retailer has a physical presence in the state. Under the commerce clause of the US Constitution, only Congress can regulate interstate commerce, and the Supreme Court ruled that forcing retailers to collect out-of-state sales taxes would create too much of a burden on interstate commerce. The courts left the door open for Congress to establish an interstate sales tax collection system. But while Congress has discussed the possibility, no legislation has been enacted so far.

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from Ars Technica