Vodafone returns to court in India

As expected, Vodafone has gone to India's Supreme Court in a bid to overturn last month's High Court decision upholding an income tax demand of over £1 billion. [Source: Indiatimes.com]

Cashback dealer declared insolvent

First Contact Mobiles, which was based in Leeds but did most of its business online,has been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch of the Insolvency Service. The company encouraged customers to connect mobile phones by promising 'cashback' deals but failed to pay. It also failed to keep records of the amounts involved, which could exceed £250,000. [Press release]

T-Mobile gets German court to ban VoIP software

T-Mobile in Germany has taken VoIP company Sipgate to court, complaining that Sipgate's software only works on 'jailbroken' (unlocked) iPhones. The Higher Regional Court in Hamburg agreed that Sipgate makes use of "unfair business practices" because unlocking the iPhone is a breach of T-Mobile's contract terms, which means Sipgate can't be used in Germany. The ban does not apply in other countries. [Source: TheRegister.co.uk]

Vodafone wins £2 billion tax case

Vodafone has defeated HM Revenue & Customs over a £2 billion tax claim. HMRC had wanted to impose UK tax on Vodafone's Luxembourg subsidiary, which was set up in 2000 when Vodafone took over Mannessman in Germany. Last week the High Court said the UK's tax laws were incompatible with European law in this instance and told HMRC to close its inquiry. HMRC says it'll appeal. [Sources: TimesOnline.co.uk; FT.com]

German truck driver escapes 'driving with a mobile' offence

A German lorry driver has escaped a penalty for driving while holding a mobile phone - because he wasn't making a call, just using it to keep his ear warm. Walter Klein told a court in Hamm that he'd just recharged the phone and was using its warmth to sooth his earache. He produced an itemised telephone bill that showed he hadn't been using the phone when he was stopped by police. [Source: Ananova.com]