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Growth in US software patent lawsuits means independent developers are turning away from it as a place to do business - as Indian software company sends warning to tech giants (updated) App developers are withdrawing their products for sale from the US versions of Apple's App Store and...

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UK human rights lawyer leads bid to have John Rizzo arrested over claims he approved attacks that killed hundreds of people Campaigners against US drone strikes in Pakistan are calling for the CIA's former legal chief to be arrested and charged with murder for approving attacks that killed...

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Those responsible for criticising judges should know better, says lord chief justice All of us want to be loved, even judges. The isolation of the raised bench, perhaps, prompts moments of vulnerability. The resilient – if not ebullient – lord chief justice, Lord Igor Judge,...

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High court judges adjourn case to consider Swedish prosecution authority's case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, must be extradited to Sweden to face accusations of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, the high court in London heard. Clare...

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Intelligence services tried to exploit 'closed material procedures' to conceal evidence relating to Guantánamo detainees The supreme court has outlawed the use of secret evidence in court by the intelligence services to conceal allegations that detainees were tortured. The decision will...

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A long-running dispute at an Auckland Samoan church has boiled over into the public arena with dissident elders alleging an abuse of power by church ministers. The elders walked out of the Westmere Congregational Christian Church of Samoa in 2006 after police were called to break up what a...

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The families of 50 Christchurch earthquake victims have been denied government funding for legal representation at hearings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry. The "Quake Families" group last month asked Prime Minister John Key if the Government would fund their legal team to appear...

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State-owned enterprises partly sold and listed on the stock exchange under the National Party's mixed ownership plans will no longer be subject to the Official Information Act. They would be exempt in the same way as 75 per cent taxpayer-owned but NZX-listed Air New Zealand. Read more

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The phone hacking scandal has claimed its most high profile scalp yet, with the resignation of Britain's most senior police officer. Paul Stephenson's resignation came just hours after the arrest of Rebekah Brooks - Rupert Murdoch's former British newspaper chief - on suspicion of phone...

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Foreign Minister Murray McCully sought legal advice on whether he could refuse an application for Richard Worth to become Monaco's consul to New Zealand, then delayed approving it for at least a year. It was revealed yesterday that Dr Worth, a former National Party minister, was appointed...

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Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC said it would appeal a ruling by a United States trade body which found that it had infringed two patents held by US giant Apple. Apple filed a complaint against HTC in March 2010 with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) accusing the Taiwanese firm...

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By ensuring that justice is done, the International Criminal Court (ICC) not only brings hope to the victims of atrocities but can also deter the commission of future crimes, a senior United Nations official said today. “Effective justice is a deterrent,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, the...

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The United Nations-backed court set up to try suspects indicted for war crimes in Sierra Leone today convicted one of five people facing contempt charges for allegedly attempting to induce witnesses to recant their testimonies, with the four others pleading not guilty. In the first case,...

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The Department of Labour is reminding employers that the law now requires them to keep signed written employment agreements for all their staff. Since 1 July all employers are required to keep signed copies of employment agreements or current terms and conditions for all employees, or they may...

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The watering-down of proposals that will fundamentally change the way criminal trials work in New Zealand is being welcomed by the Law Society. But concerns remain over provisions in the Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill, in particular eroding the right to silence and...

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into the collapse of Canterbury clothing manufacturer, Lane Walker Rudkin Industries (LWR), has resulted in criminal charges against its director Kenneth James Anderson (64) and another individual. Mr Anderson faces 61 charges, brought under the...

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Julian Assange's sexual behaviour was "disrespectful, discourteous and pushing the boundaries" - but not rape, the WikiLeaks founder's legal team insists, in a change of strategy they hope will save him from extradition to Sweden. Assange and his new lawyers arrived at London's Royal...

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A High Court judge has threatened to ban television cameras from covering the trial of Rod Petricevic after media followed the failed finance company boss down the street. Petricevic was in court on Tuesday to hear Justice Geoffrey Venning dismiss his application to have charges thrown out....

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As public submissions got under way yesterday on planned changes to credit reporting law, a survey has found few people have ever tried to get a copy of their personal record. The proposed amendment would allow reporting of repayment history, including whether people made payments on time for...

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A Cambodian student is to be kicked out of New Zealand after catching hepatitis B and C while using prostitutes. Immigration New Zealand wants 28-year-old Sopheng Veng deported, but his doctor says he poses a "very limited risk" and he wants to complete his course before leaving....

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Councils are being formally asked if they would support a ban on gang patches at hospitals, schools and local government-controlled buildings. Under a draft private member's bill modelled on a ban Wanganui imposed, gang insignia would be forbidden in all public service departments and other...

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One of New Zealand's major employers is looking at refusing to hire smokers, and Auckland Council bosses will consider banning smoking in central-city streets and at bus stops. The Auckland District Health Board, which employs more than 10,000 people, is developing the controversial but lawful...

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A big shortage of lawyers in smaller Australian communities has prompted the Law Council of Australia to ask the New Zealand Law Society to make its members aware of the opportunity. The latest issue of the Law Society’s magazine LawTalk says lawyers are in such short supply in regional...

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Restrictions on access are being removed for some sections of the New Zealand Law Society’s special my.lawsociety website. My.lawsociety was launched at the end of April 2010 with the objective of providing a range of interactive resources to assist New Zealand lawyers. Since its launch,...

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Rod Petricevic could make a fresh application for legal aid ahead of his High Court trial, a court has heard. The former director of failed finance company Bridgecorp left the High Court at Auckland trailed by a circle of media yesterday after failing in his bid to have Serious Fraud Office...

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From this month drivers have the option of purchasing an additional ‘supplementary’ registration plate – a smaller number plate that can be attached to an object that temporarily obscures a vehicle’s front or rear registration plate. Transport law requires registration...

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Justice Minister Simon Power today welcomed the publication of national guidelines for government agencies, and a new information leaflet for families supporting child witnesses through the criminal justice system. The guidelines have been developed by the Ministry of Justice, Police, Child,...

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Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has confirmed in Parliament that “stronger additional amendments” to drug legislation to deal with synthetic cannabinoids are just weeks away and will be Parliament’s “first item of business” in its next session. He said the...

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WikiLeaks founder claims arrest warrant is invalid as lawyers argue his sexual encounters were 'disturbing but not illegal' He arrived in silence and was told by his lawyer to leave in silence. In between he was humbled. Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks, appeared at the...

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Draft regulations to improve safety in the commercial adventure tourism and outdoor education industries are now available for consultation. Sitting under the Health and Safety in Employment Act, they will require all commercial adventure tourism and outdoor education operators in New Zealand...

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A legislative clamp-down on synthetic cannabis products is just weeks away, associate health minister Peter Dunne says. Mr Dunne said amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, currently in its second reading, would be the first item of business at Parliament's next session. Read...

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today laid eleven charges under the Crimes Act against two current and one former director of Capital + Merchant Finance Limited (C+M). The charges relate to transactions involving just over $28 million that occurred between 2004 and 2006. The SFO...

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The Serious Fraud Office says it has laid a further 11 charges against two current and one former director of failed finance company Capital + Merchant Finance. The charges relate to more than $28 million worth of transactions between 2004 and 2006, and are in addition to six Crimes Act...

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The distinction between desperation and delusion is a fine one but Justice Heath does a neat job of delineating the two emotional states in his landmark Nathans Finance judgment. "By this stage," Heath notes on page 154 of the judgment, "the directors actions were closer to...

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Rod Petricevic was delivered a sharp lesson in the High Court at Auckland yesterday that justice will be served in the Bridgecorp trial irrespective of whether he says he can afford it or not. Justice Geoffrey Venning's blunt refusal to throw the Petricevic case out simply because Petricevic...

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People who owe money to the Ministry of Social Development are being warned they can not escape repayments and will be chased beyond the grave as the organisation looks to sharpen up debt collection. An Auditor General report found about 300,000 people owed money to the ministry through...

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New Zealand companies seeking to raise money are using stringent Australian regulations in the preparation of their financial forecasts because local regulations don't make the grade. Local regulations covering financial forecasts are looser than their Australian equivalents, so companies...

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Rupert Murdoch has lost the support of the British Government in his bid to win control of a lucrative satellite broadcaster. British Prime Minister David Cameron has joined the opposition in calling for the media magnate and owner of the former News of the World newspaper to withdraw his bid...

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Owners of leaky homes which are almost 10 years old should move quickly to register for the Government's $1 billion rescue package which passed into law yesterday. The legislation, which passed its third reading with a unanimous vote, sets up a funding package under which affected homeowners...

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Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC has dismissed fresh patent infringement claims by US giant Apple as the legal battle between the rivals escalates. Apple has filed a complaint against HTC with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) - which is already reviewing three other disputes...

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Consumers may be forced to cover part of the cost of enforcing new copyright laws, the Government has revealed. The "three strikes" copyright regime requires internet companies to issue warning notices to customers suspected of illegally downloading material, if rights holders -...

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The explosion that ripped through Pike River mine last year had its origin in changes to mining regulations in the 1990s, a former chief inspector of coal mines told the Royal Commission into the tragedy today. The commission is inquiring into the disaster at the West Coast coal mine in...

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lane passengers got a sneak peek at confidential redundancy letters as a company administrator sat reading them, leaving them behind when she went to the toilet. The company, AMP, is restructuring after a merger in March, and a spokeswoman said consultations about affected employees had not...

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If a boat of asylum-seekers reached New Zealand shores, the Government has a legal obligation to allow genuine refugees to stay here, experts say. But where they would stay while being processed and what would happen to the cases that were not authentic is known only to the Government - and...

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Prime Minister John Key is being accused of overstating the chances of asylum seekers crossing oceans in boats and arriving on New Zealand shores asking for refugee status. And his statements have been undermined by Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman, who suggested a boat holding 88 Tamil...

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Christchurch police have made their first arrest for false claims over earthquake damage, and suspect hundreds of claims will need investigation. A woman has been charged with obtaining an advantage by false pretences for filing fake invoices and claiming earthquake repair work had been done...

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Pike River Coal Ltd did not have a proper understanding of the geology of its coal mine, a leading geologist told the Royal Commission into the Pike River tragedy today. The commission is inquiring into the disaster at the West Coast coal mine, in which 29 men died last November. Read more

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A mining boss has been accused of trying to drive down the value of Pike River mine by criticising its operation at a royal commission of inquiry. Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder said he took "great offence" at the implication he was trying to influence the mine's value in...

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TVNZ has been released from the "unrealistic dual mandate" of the charter with the passing of the Television New Zealand Amendment Bill last night, Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman says. However opposition politicians believe the move will lead to same "sleazy" media...

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The dual mandate which shackled Television New Zealand (TVNZ) has been removed following the third reading of the Television New Zealand Amendment Bill tonight, says Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman. "The Bill replaces the current TVNZ charter with a less prescriptive list of...

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