Stagflation warning as Fed resists Trump's pressure and holds interest rates
The US Federal Reserve, led by Chairman Jay Powell (pictured), left rates at a range of 4.25-4.5% as it cut its forecasts for economic growth.
Napster and Sonos Sued For Millions In Unpaid Music Royalties
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Napster, the brand synonymous with the music piracy boom of the early 2000s, has a new copyright challenge. Together with audio giant Sonos, Napster faces a lawsuit demanding over $3.4 million in alleged unpaid copyright royalties. Filed by collective rights management organization SoundExchange, the complaint (PDF) centers on missed payments related to the "Sonos Radio" service, which until 2023 was powered by Napster's music catalog. [...]
Sonos Radio launched in April 2020 with Napster as the authorized agent, submitting the required royalty reports and royalties to SoundExchange. While all went well initially, payments stopped around May 2022. At the time, Napster had been acquired by venture capital firms Hivemind and Algorand, with a focus on "web3" technologies, including cryptocurrencies and blockchain. According to the complaint, the takeover resulted in a "complete breakdown of reporting and payment for the Sonos Radio service." The alleged payment problems eventually came to light during an audit initiated by SoundExchange in 2023, which concluded that Sonos and Napster owed millions in unpaid royalties.
Sonos and Napster are no longer partners in the radio service, as the audio equipment manufacturer switched to Deezer around April 2023. That appears to have solved the royalty issues, but SoundExchange still believes it is owed more than $3 million. "In total, Sonos, and its agent Napster, have failed to pay at least $3,423,844.41 comprising royalties owed for the period October 2022 to April 2023, interest, late fees, and auditor fee-shifting costs, and subtracting Sonos and Napster's payments made to date. "Late fees and interest continue to grow," SoundExchange adds, while requesting compensation in full. The complaint lists one count of "underpayment" of statutory royalties, and one count of "non-payment" of royalties, as determined by the audit. For both Copyright Act violations, SoundExchange requests damages of at least $3.4 million.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Primark's £7 joggers shoppers say have 'answered their prayers'
They are available in a range of different colours
Jeremy Clarkson suffers another health setback six months after a heart scare left him 'days from death'
The former Top Gear presenter, 65, has already begun filming for series five of Clarkson's Farm following the success of the recently released fourth installment.
Zara Tindall and Lady Gabriella Windsor greet each other with kisses in candid show of affection at Ascot - and there's hugs for Prince William too
Zara Tindall and Lady Gabriella Windsor shared a very warm royal welcome as they greeted each other on the second day of Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
Voltron Data throws its weight behind AMD for GPU-accelerated SQL
In case you forgot AI isn't the only thing GPUs are good for
Exclusive Support for AMD's Instinct GPUs is coming to Voltron Data's accelerated SQL engine Theseus in the latest sign Nvidia's CUDA moat is getting shallower.…
Brain activity much lower when using AI chatbots, MIT boffins find
EEG and recall tests suggest people who use ChatGPT to write essays aren't learning much
Using AI chatbots actually reduces activity in the brain versus accomplishing the same tasks unaided, and may lead to poorer fact retention, according to a new preprint study out of MIT.…
PETER HITCHENS: Everyone agrees Putin's invasion of Ukraine is abhorrent. So why does the West give Israel free rein to smash Iran - and commit political murder?
Everywhere in the media and politics people are adopting stern expressions and pious voices about the various wars we now confront. But their moralising just does not make sense.
Bryan Kohberger faces crushing Idaho murders trial blow as judge responds to 11th hour move from defense
With the trial looming, Bryan Kohberger's defense had made a series of last-ditch efforts to shape its strategy - and to upend proceedings altogether.
Anne Burrell's friend breaks silence on 'shock and sudden' death... claiming chef was in 'decent shape'
Anne Burrell's friend, Chef Elizabeth Falkner, speaks exclusively with Daily Mail about the TV chef's 'shock and sudden' death and how she appeared days before she was found 'unresponsive.'
Listen to Diddy trial audio of Cassie threatening to kill man over freak-off video leak
A distraught Cassie Ventura threatened to kill a man who claimed to have seen a video of a 'freak-off' in one of the audios played in Diddy 's trial.
Facebook Now Supports Passkeys
Facebook now supports passkeys for login, offering users a more secure, phishing-resistant alternative to passwords by using biometrics or a PIN stored on their device. The feature is rolling out to iOS and Android "soon," while Messenger will get the feature "in the coming months." Lifehacker reports: Meta seems pretty excited about the news -- and not just because the company happens to be a member of the FIDO Alliance, the organization that developed passkeys. Aside from logging into your Facebook account, Meta says you'll be able to use passkeys to autofill your payment info when buying things with Meta Pay. You'll also be able to use the same passkey between both Facebook and Messenger, and your passkey will act as a key to lock out your encrypted Messenger chats.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Fed chief Powell's stubborn defiance on interest rates risks an avoidable downturn, says ALEX BRUMMER
The Federal Reserve's rate hold should come as no surprise. Chairman Jay Powell is determined to preserve the US central bank's independence.
Latest petty snub shows who is REALLY to blame in Brooklyn and Nicola's feud with Beckhams, writes CAROLINE BULLOCK
Another day and another olive branch from David Beckham is snubbed by his increasingly absent son Brooklyn.
Kieran Trippier reveals he split from his wife Charlotte a YEAR ago as he speaks out after months of speculation about his marriage
Former England footballer Kieran Trippier has revealed he split from his wife Charlotte more than a year ago.
Minecraft cheaters never win ... but they may get malware
Infostealers posing as popular cheat tools are cropping up on GitHub
Trojanized Minecraft cheat tools hosted on GitHub have secretly installed stealers that siphon credentials, crypto wallets, and other sensitive data when executed by players.…
German insurer Allianz slashes 650 British jobs amid 'higher claims costs and softening market conditions'
Allianz employs around 6,000 people in the UK at sites including its Guildford headquarters and a legal protection office in Bristol.
Santander eyes TSB takeover after rival Sabadell puts the British lender up for sale
Sabadell has put TSB, which has 175 UK branches, up for sale and said it had received preliminary expressions of interest.
BP's £7.4bn boost for UK: Oil giant pays billions in taxes and supports 60,000 jobs
A report from Oxford Economics reveals that BP generated the equivalent of £1 of every £380 of value added to the economy in 2024.
Strictly Come Dancing in talks with married reality TV star as BBC bosses back him to resist show's 'curse'
The so-called 'Strictly curse' has been a tabloid staple for over a decade - rooted in the idea that taking part in the show often spells trouble for contestants' relationships.