iPhone News Updated

Tech Ticker: Apple, Google, Zillow

Tech Ticker: Apple, Google, Zillow

iPhone fan sues

A South Korean lawyer who is an avid user of the iPhone is waging a legal privacy battle against Apple (AAPL) over the device’s tracking capabilities. Kim Hyeong-seok said Friday that he has gotten at least 16,000 people in South Korea to join him in a class-action lawsuit he plans to file against the Cupertino company in a Seoul court in early August. His complaint was that the iPhone’s tracking of users’ locations violates South Korea’s constitutional right to privacy and caused him “mental stress.” That hasn’t stopped him from continuing to use his iPhone 4 as well as an iPad. “I like Apple,” Kim said in a phone interview. But he adds that his legal fight is about “right or wrong.” An Apple spokesman in Seoul declined to comment.

– Associated Press

Belgian papers yelp

Google (GOOG) blocked several Belgian newspapers from its Web search results Friday in what the papers called retaliation over a copyright infringement lawsuit. Google said an order issued in the case required it texclude the newspapers’ websites. The newspapers filed a lawsuit against Google in 2006 claiming the Internet giant had no right to post links to their articles on Google News without payment or permission. They won, and a Belgian appeals court upheld their victory. Google searches Friday showed that the websites of the newspapers who sued Google did not appear in search results, as they have in the past. Google spokesman William Echikson said the court decision applied to Web search as well as Google News and the company faced fines if it allowed the newspapers’ websites to keep appearing.

– Associated Press

Hikes IPO price

Zillow, the real estate listing and information service, said Friday it now hopes to raise up to $71.6 million through an initial public offering, up from its original expectation of up to $55.7 million. In an SEC filing, the Seattle company said it expects to offer about 3.5 million shares at $16 to $18 apiece. It’s giving underwriters the option to buy up to 519,300 additional shares to cover any over-allotments. Zillow plans to use the funds for general corporate purposes, including a possible acquisition. No date has been set for the offering, but the company expects to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol Z.

– Associated Press

[Thanks: http://www.mercurynews.com]

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