Tech Update Archives

Exclusive: EU Commission to intervene in tech, carmakers’ patent dispute – document

Posted on December 8, 2020January 15, 2021

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission plans to step into the patent dispute between tech companies and carmakers and may set up a system to check whether some patents are essential to a technology standard as claimed, according to a Commission document.

The move by the EU executive comes as Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia and German automaker Daimler battle in German courts over the level of royalties for key navigation and communications technologies and who should pay them.

The proposals are outlined in the Commission’s Intellectual Property Action Plan, seen by Reuters, which European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and

Ticketmaster explores tech to provide fans’ COVID status

Posted on December 7, 2020January 8, 2021

The claim: Proof of vaccination will be required to attend Ticketmaster events

With the announcement that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have developed a 90% effective COVID-19 vaccine, misinformation surrounding vaccine requirements has resurfaced on social media.

While some insiders have questioned whether live events like sporting events and concerts willoccur before 2021 at the earliest, users have already taken to social media to make claims about what large events will be like post-pandemic.

“Ticketmaster to require negative COVID-19 test or vaccination to attend concerts,” reads a Nov. 12 Instagram post with the caption: “Another tactic

Tech Talk With Sean Burch and Alex Kantrowitz: The Looming Antitrust Case Against Facebook

Posted on December 6, 2020

Should Facebook be broken up?

Regulators could soon be asking that very question. As Alex Kantrowitz, author of the Big Technology newsletter, recently reported, the FTC is weighing an antitrust case against Facebook. The New York Times and The Washington Post followed up on Thursday, reporting federal officials were moving closer to suing Facebook, claiming the company had built a social media monopoly.

On this week’s episode of Tech Talk, Kantrowitz and TheWrap’s Sean Burch discussed the government’s potential case against Facebook. (Hint: Facebook’s 2012 acquisition of Instagram could play a key role.)

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Flows rise into U.S. healthcare and tech funds in November

Posted on December 5, 2020

(Reuters) – U.S. healthcare exchange traded funds (ETFs) have led inflows in November, bolstered by the progress in development of coronavirus vaccines.

FILE PHOTO: A U.S flag is seen on the New York Stock Exchange in the Manhattan borough of New York City, following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, New York, U.S., November 6, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Data from Morningstar showed U.S. healthcare ETFs have lured $1.7 billion in the first two weeks of this month after witnessing outflows in the past three months.

Graphic: Breakdown by sector for fund flows into U.S. equities –

The news that Pfizer PFE.N

Socialists complain of Big Tech censorship of its articles about 1619 Project

Posted on November 24, 2020

The World Socialist Web Site continues to complain that Google has suppressed its articles as conservatives also cry out against censorship by tech giants.

As far back as January, the World Socialist Web Site has criticized Google for suppressing its articles about the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which has also been criticized by conservatives like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who argues it wrongly centers slavery as the “defining moment” of America.

CONSERVATIVE GROUP LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO BATTLE BIG TECH COMPANIES OVER ONLINE CENSORSHIP

“In a statement before a Senate hearing on Oct. 28, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of

Tech Leads Stock Advance With Lockdowns Widening: Markets Wrap

Posted on November 22, 2020

(Bloomberg) — Tech shares led U.S. equity indexes higher, with the stay-at-home trade gaining appeal as investors weighed the impact of tougher virus restrictions on economic growth along with the outlook for widespread vaccine distribution within months.

Advances for Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Adobe Inc. lifted the Nasdaq 100. Tesla Inc. rose to a record as investors bet that the global car market will be dominated by electric cars in decades ahead. The S&P 500 Index edged higher, but underperformed the tech-heavy gauge as investors sought out shares of companies poised to do well during lockdowns.

Treasury yields slipped

Investors Weigh In: Will Tech Stocks Deliver Big Returns Over the Next 5 Years?

Posted on November 20, 2020

Tech stocks have delivered for investors in a big way in 2020. But it’s not justa one-year blip on the radar: The tech industry has deep roots in just about every other sector now. As a result, tech stocks have delivered market-crushing returns for many years now. For example, the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLK) and tech-heavy NASDAQ-100 index have returned almost 500% over the past decade, versus 272% for the S&P 500 index.

But with valuations stretched, can investors continue to expect tech to deliver? Host Jason Hall recently put that question to Motley Fool Contributors Danny Vena

D’Eriq King leads Miami to comeback win over Virginia Tech

Posted on November 18, 2020

After coming precariously close to not being able to play Virginia Tech because of COVID-19 issues, No. 9 Miami came away with one of its gutsiest victories of the season.

D’Eriq King threw for 255 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, rallying the Hurricanes to a 25-24 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Miami announced it had 13 players unavailable before the game, including three starters and several offensive linemen. There were 15 games called off this week across major college football because of COVID-19, the most of any week both by number and percentage of the