legal issues

American lawyers have filed nearly 200 lawsuits against BP.

Among Thursdays legal news, Amazon launches a war against sales tax compliance by suing the state of North Carolina over divulging customer lists, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission sets its sights on ratings agencies, specifically Moody's, and the G-20 considers regulating credit default swaps on sovereign debt.

Chip designer Elan Microelectronics is planning to include the iPad in its patent suit against Apple. The Taiwanese company says that Apple's touchscreen technology violates its intellectual property.

Microsoft wins right to shut down a vast network of computers that spread spam and viruses across the Internet.