Sakura Publishing – OUCH! Don’t miss this one! It’s pretty long. If you’re busy, skip down to the red line that says: “WARNING: DEREK HAS A FILTHY MOUTH.”

Apple and the big five publishers – The Author’s Guild is asking authors to contact the justice department; says the settlement will help Amazon, hurt other stores.

Penguin Group USA and Macmillan – Deny price-fixing. States the lawsuit by the justice department is based “entirely on the little circumstantial evidence it was able to locate” and it “sides with a monopolist.” (Of course, they are referring to Amazon.)

The Central Basin Municipal Water District (California) – Files libel lawsuit against unnamed authors of an email.

Oakland-based Summit Bank – Defamation lawsuit they filed against former V.P. has been dismissed by state appeals court. In doing so, the court struck down a 1917 law that made it illegal “to circulate untrue statements or rumors about the financial condition of a bank.”