ENDED AGAIN

4 seconds ago:
You died, losing 77 experience points. [delete]

4 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Zeus Shahar
You won the fight, taking 26 damage and dealing 39 damage to your enemy. [delete]

5 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Zeus Shahar
You won the fight, taking 29 damage and dealing 36 damage to your enemy. [delete]

5 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Zeus Shahar
You won the fight, taking 21 damage and dealing 44 damage to your enemy. [delete]

6 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Zeus Shahar
You won the fight, taking 26 damage and dealing 39 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by take_u_there
You won the fight, taking 4 damage and dealing 43 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Natey No Neck
You won the fight, taking 0 damage and dealing 29 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by miah1122
You won the fight, taking 6 damage and dealing 38 damage to your enemy. [delete]

7 seconds ago:
You were attacked by take_u_there
You won the fight, taking 4 damage and dealing 43 damage to your enemy. [delete]

7 seconds ago:
You were attacked by BOSS MAN AL CAPONE
You won the fight, taking 9 damage and dealing 50 damage to your enemy. [delete]

8 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Antonio Tony
You won the fight, taking 23 damage and dealing 45 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by BOSS MAN AL CAPONE
You won the fight, taking 13 damage and dealing 46 damage to your enemy. [delete]

8 seconds ago:
You were attacked by FritzMeister
You won the fight, taking 19 damage and dealing 25 damage to your enemy. [delete]

9 seconds ago:
You were attacked by BOSS MAN AL CAPONE
You won the fight, taking 11 damage and dealing 48 damage to your enemy. [delete]

9 seconds ago:
You were attacked by littlebigmac
You won the fight, taking 7 damage and dealing 49 damage to your enemy. [delete]

9 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Antonio Tony
You won the fight, taking 27 damage and dealing 41 damage to your enemy. [delete]

10 seconds ago:
You were attacked by littlebigmac
You won the fight, taking 9 damage and dealing 47 damage to your enemy. [delete]

11 seconds ago:
You were attacked by FritzMeister
You won the fight, taking 21 damage and dealing 23 damage to your enemy. [delete]

1 minute ago:
Firestorm Dziekan has added you to the hit list for $193,029,160. [delete]

Blogged with the Flock Browser

California judge rules early cell phone termination fees illegal : Christopher Null : Yahoo! Tech

In one of the most significant legal rulings in the tech industry this year, a Superior Court judge in California has ruled that the practice of charging consumers a fee for ending their cell phone contract early is illegal and violates state law.

The preliminary, tentative judgment orders Sprint Nextel to pay customers $18.2 million in reimbursements and, more importantly, orders Sprint to stop trying to collect another $54.7 million from California customers (some 2 million customers total) who have canceled their contracts but refused or failed to pay the termination fee.

While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that's enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T's two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It's highly probable.

Of course, the carriers aren't going to take this lying down. Early termination fees are seen as critical to business, so carriers are expected to look for ways to reclassify the fees (such as by calling them "rates," part of the arcane set of laws that covers the telecommunications industry). The industry is also pushing for the federal government to step in and claim oversight over the early termination fee issue, which would invalidate any state ruling. The FCC is generally more tolerant of such fees, though Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed a plan whereby the fees are decreased the closer you are to the end of your contract.

The FCC may also buy the argument that, since carriers are nationally based (and consumers can use their phones anywhere in the country), that a single policy should apply across the nation, rather than creating a patchwork of legislation that could lead to confusion and chaos caused by having 50 different policies.

Is the early termination fee dead? Not yet, but it's looking a little haggard.

Facebook | Mob Wars

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You died, losing 75 experience points. [delete]

6 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Bait the Shark
You won the fight, taking 25 damage and dealing 55 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Bait the Shark
You won the fight, taking 22 damage and dealing 58 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by foooey
You won the fight, taking 31 damage and dealing 49 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Andybashem
You won the fight, taking 3 damage and dealing 77 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by shigeru urozaki
You won the fight, taking 0 damage and dealing 38 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by woodstas
You won the fight, taking 1 damage and dealing 49 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Saskwach
You won the fight, taking 30 damage and dealing 50 damage to your enemy. [delete]

12 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Saskwach
You won the fight, taking 35 damage and dealing 45 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by LigerZRow
You won the fight, taking 0 damage and dealing 32 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Gundecker
You won the fight, taking 7 damage and dealing 25 damage to your enemy. [delete]

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You were attacked by Gundecker
You won the fight, taking 7 damage and dealing 25 damage to your enemy. [delete]

20 seconds ago:
You were attacked by Gundecker
You won the fight, taking 8 damage and dealing 24 damage to your enemy. [delete]

46 seconds ago:
Dry Cleaner has added you to the hit list for $187,728,980. [delete]