uNYC Will Start Fining Businesses That Blast AC Out Into The Streetsr

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  There’s nothing quite like walking down the street on a hot, muggy day in the middle of August in New York City, only to walk past a store with its doors open and feel a quick blast of arctic air. But as nice as that might feel, it’s not so great for the environment. To combat all that leaking air, come summer, NYC is going to enforce a new law that require stores to keep their doors shut when the AC is on.

  Business owners who break the new law will face fines ranging from $250 for the first offense, to $1,000 for repeat violations. Restaurants with outdoor space are exempt, as are sidewalk cafes and walk-up counters.

  “I know I’m not the only one who has walked past open doors to feel a blast of cold air pouring out. We don’t need to be cooling our sidewalks!” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press release. “By requiring businesses to simply close the door, this bill is a win on multiple fronts, and is a small, but important part of our efforts to fight climate change.”

  Gothamist points out that this new law is actually an expansion of an older rule that said chain stores had to keep their doors shut when their cooling systems were on — a law that we can’t say we’ve noticed has had any effect on some stores, just based on those summer strolls.

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uGroup Suing FDA For Failing To Cut Excess Sodium In The Food Supplyr

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  A nonprofit food safety and nutrition watchdog group is taking the Food and Drug Administration to federal court, claiming the agency hasn’t reduced sodium in packaged and other foods. This puts Americans at risk for stroke, heart disease and other health problems, the lawsuit claims.

  The Center for Science in the Public Interest says in its complaint [PDF] that the FDA failed to cut down on salt — the main source of sodium — in the food supply, despite a 10-year-old petition asking it to do so.

  “For more than 35 years, FDA has dragged its feet and refused to do anything to protect Americans from excess sodium in the food supply,” said CSPI President Michael F. Jacobson. “The government’s inaction condemns hundreds of thousands of Americans to early deaths due to preventable strokes and heart attacks.”

  In the 2005 petition, CSPI asked the FDA to put the kibosh on salt’s status as a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), substance, and to treat it as a food additive under the law. It also urged the agency to require food manufacturers to eventually reduce how much sodium is used in different categories of food, and to require health messages on packages of table salt sold at stores that are a half ounce or larger.

  CSPI notes that some food products have cut down on sodium in the last 10 years, but others have simply added even more back into their recipes. Though individual companies have made efforts to reduce sodium, CSPI says that because the FDA isn’t acting, we’re still eating too much salt as a population.

  “The Food and Drug Administration has been promising results on sodium reduction since the Reagan Administration and our petition has been pending since the George W. Bush Administration,” Jacobson said. “It is our hope that the court will tell the Obama Administration that it is breaking the law and causing needless deaths and medical expenses by stalling on salt.”

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uVerizon Announces $20/Month Bill Increase For Few Remaining Unlimited Data Plan Customersr

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  If you’ve been bragging to everyone you know that you’re still part of Verizon’s $29.99/month unlimited data plan, you might want to quiet down just a bit. That’s because the wireless provider is increasing your monthly bill by $20.

  Verizon customers, who were grandfathered into the plan back in 2012, can expect to see their unlimited data portion of the bill increase to $49.99 starting on Nov. 15, CNNMoney reports.

  Verizon says the price increase affects just 1% of its customer base.

  When the wireless company stopped offering the unlimited data plan, it said anyone wishing to hold on to their unlimited status would have to pay full price for a new device.

  Spokesman Chuck Hamby tells CNNMoney that the company will use the new revenue to reinvest in strengthening its cell phone network.

  “You’re getting access to the Verizon network, and that’s where the real value lies,” he said.

  Major wireless carriers have done away with unlimited data plans in recent years as customers have used their phones for data-gobbling tasks like steaming TV and playing games.

  Verizon to add $20 to grandfathered unlimited data plans [CNNMoney]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uAmazon Reportedly In Talks To Create Live Pay-TV Servicer

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  Amazon already offers users a variety of ways to get on-demand television programing: Amazon Prime Video allows Prime subscription members the ability to download or stream a number of shows and movies for free. Now, the company is reportedly in talks to expand its video offerings with a live online pay-TV service.

  Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that the e-commerce giant has been in talks with major media companies about the creation of a live over the top service.

  Sources caution that the deliberations are still in very preliminary stages, but say that talks with CBS Corp. and Comcast’s NBC Universal about offering their channels date back several months.

  A spokesperson for Amazon declined to provide comment on the issue.

  Still, analysts say that offering the service isn’t far-fetched for the company, as they recently agreed to acquire Elemental Technologies, a platform that delivers live TV over over the Web.

  “Those I have spoken with haven’t disclosed how far along Amazon is with regards to a live OTT service,” Frost & Sullivan analyst Dan Rayburn wrote on his StreamingMediaBlog. “It’s possible Amazon is simply looking at the economics of the business, which would involve them talking with content owners about costs.”

  If the rumors of a pending live-TV option come to fruition, Amazon would be just the latest company to offer such a service.

  Dish, Sony, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and others have already started experimenting with bundles of channels delivered to consumers over the internet.

  Amazon Said to Weigh Creating a Online Pay-TV Service [Bloomberg]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uLumber Liquidators Settles With Federal Governmentr

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  Discount flooring superstore Lumber Liquidators has found itself under two separate federal investigations this year: one alleging that some of their products give off potentially dangerous chemicals, and another alleging that the company illegally imported hardwoods. They’ve now settled the latter charge by pleading guilty, and will pay $10 million to the federal government and a wildlife charity.

  The company agreed that it will plead guilty to the Lacey Act, a law that bans illegally-harvested animal and plant products, including trees, from sale in the United States. Pleading guilty settles this case, but means that the company will pay finds, donations to relevant charities, and forfeiture of money that the company made from selling the affected hardwoods.

  While the company has pleaded guilty to a felony, you can’t imprison corporations. Instead, Lumber Liquidators will pay a $7.8 million fine to the federal government, contributions of $880,825 and $350,000 respectively to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation fund, and a forfeiture payment of $969,175.

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uGM Wants Your Help To Figure Out How Hackers Could Take Over Its Carsr

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  Following the very public hacking of Jeep that eventually led to the recall of more 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles, rival General Motors is trying to take a proactive stance to potential hack attacks, asking vehicle owners and hackers to give them a heads-up if they discover a vulnerability in the company’s cars. 

  In its request, GM asked consumers to provide any and all information about possible software issues that could allow a ne’er-do-well access to the vehicle’s takeover, Mashable reports.

  “If a researcher has facts related to any vulnerability in one of our products or services,” a GM representative said, “we want them to report those to us.”

  Anyone who finds a susceptible area in a GM vehicle can contact the company via email at cybersecurity@gm.com.

  GM’s request comes just three months after a hacker claimed to have commandeered any of the company’s vehicles as long as they come with the OnStar system.

  In that incident, the hacker named Samy created a gadget – he called “OwnStar” – that allows anyone to locate, unlock, and start a car using the OnStar system.

  Samy points out in the video that the vulnerability actually lies in the mobile software utilized by the service and not the actual General Motors vehicle.

  Additionally, he noted that both General Motors and OnStar have been receptive of his concerns and have already started working on a resolution.

  A spokesperson for the carmaker said at the time that a remedy had already been put in place.

  “GM Product Cybersecurity representatives have reviewed the potential vulnerability recently identified by [Samy], and a fix has already been implemented to address this concern. No additional action is required by our customers,” the spokesperson said.

  Companies have increasingly been asking for the public’s help in identifying hack vulnerabilities in their products.

  Back in May, United Airlines unveiled a Bug Bounty program that rewards independent researchers with airline miles for discovering and reporting issues that affect United’s websites, mobile apps and online portals in a way that could put customer data at risk.

  Two months later, the company handed out its first bounty of one million miles – worth about $25,000 – after a researcher found an issue that would have allowed someone to execute code remotely on one of the company’s systems. He was unable to provide additional details on the bug.

  GM wants hackers to report any ‘vulnerabilities’ they might discover [Mashable]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uBeyoncé, Jay Z, Others Claim Retailer Is Selling Products Bearing Their Likenesses Without Permissionr

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  When you’re as famous as Beyoncé, Jay Z, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams or Rihanna, your face is literally your fortune — and fans are most definitely willing to pay to get a piece of their favorite artists. That’s why those musicians are jointly suing a Paris clothing company, alleging that it’s been peddling products using their likenesses without having the right to do so.

  The group of artists says ElevenParis has been “brazenly” ripping off their images to sell shirts, hats, backpacks, mobile phone cases and other items, reports Reuters.

  In the complaint filed in federal court in New York this week, the artists say the Paris retailer has ignored their warnings to stop selling the items, including in a store in Manhattan, as well as on its website. They’re accusing Eleven Paris and its affiliates of being “habitual, willful intellectual property infringers that, without authorization, usurp the trademarks, copyrights and other rights of A-list celebrities.”

  The artists are seeking to recoup profits and triple damages over the allegations of trademark infringement and violations of their rights of publicity.

  ElevenParis said in a statement that it’s been working on deal with the celebrities for almost a year, and those talks are ongoing.

  “ElevenParis is determined to find a fair and balanced agreement with them and their advisers,” the statement said.

  Beyonce, Rihanna, others sue Paris firm over clothing knockoffs [Reuters]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist