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Gator Agrees to Stop Displaying Some Pop-Up Ads
Gator.com will stop selling online advertisements that block out the ads displayed on other Web sites while the company tries to resolve the complaints of a major trade group. The controversy revolves around a software program that superimposes banner ads sold by Gator over the existing ads of other Web sites.
Dutch Court Orders Kazaa to Stop Infringing
A Dutch court ordered file-swapping software maker Kazaa to prevent people using its product from engaging in copyright infringement or face thousands of dollars in fines. The order takes effect in 14 days and imposes a fine around $45,000 a day.
Sen. Hatch Wants Details on Microsoft Settlement
A senior Republican senator and frequent critic of Microsoft asked the Justice Department for details about the government's antitrust settlement with the software maker. Microsoft President Steve Ballmer, meanwhile, sent a company-wide e-mail to employees explaining the settlement and instructing them how to behave.
Lawmaker Again Pushing Ban on Internet Gambling
Critics of Internet gambling are hoping that a new bill will succeed where past efforts to ban the activity have failed. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia) told the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime that his revised bill resolves disputes that tripped up previous legislation aimed at slowing the growth of online casinos.
Online Hate Sites Grow 70%, Company Reports
Online hate grew 70 percent during the last year, according to Websense Inc., an employee Internet management company. The number of Web pages related to hate is now more than 373,000.
Use Tax Credits to Spur Rural Broadband, Panel Says
A federal research panel recommended tax credits and grants to spur deployment of high-speed Internet services for Americans, particularly in rural areas. The report, by the National Research Council, says the value of "broadband" Internet access for educational and economic uses is worth federal help, even when telecommunications companies have difficulty justifying the expense.
Utah Governor Says Online Taxes About "Fairness"
The Republican governor of Utah, Mike Leavitt , has cut taxes repeatedly in his state. But Leavitt has been outspoken about allowing states to collect taxes on e-commerce sales.
European Officials Divided Over Internet Crime Laws and Privacy
The two institutions that vote on Europe-wide laws are facing a confrontation over how much access law enforcement authorities should have to the digital trails left by phone and Internet users. The two bodies, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, are divided over a proposed law that has been in the works for months but that has gained new urgency since Sept. 11.
FTC Commissioner Warns About Privacy and Anti-Terrorism Law
As federal law enforcers make use of a seeping new anti-terrorism law to obtain suspects' phone, business and Internet records, online companies must take special steps to ensure that they are abiding by their own self-imposed privacy guidelines, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Orson Swindle said. "The true intent of this law is very narrowly tailored. This is not carte blanche to start giving away (confidential) information," Swindle said.
Genealogy Company Will Delete Personal Info Online
One of the nation's largest online genealogy companies decided to remove from its Web site personal information about people born in California -- but only for people who ask. The company, RootsWeb.com, took the action after it was thrown into the spotlight by California lawmakers who demonstrated how easy it is to use the Web site to glean critical information, such as date of birth and mother's maiden name, that can serve as building blocks for identity theft.
Man Indicted for Selling Fake Adobe Software on eBay
A Los Angeles man was indicted for allegedly using Ebay to auction pirated copies of several different Adobe Systems software programs. A federal grand jury indicted Eric Niemi, 35, for allegedly selling copies of Adobe Photoshop 5.0, Adobe Pagemaker 6.5, and Adobe Premiere 5.1 to Ebay users under a number of online aliases.
Vendors Selling Illegal Harry Potter Videos in China
Macau, China, vendors have conjured up a brisk trade in illegal copies of the hit Harry Potter movie, weeks before the film about the English boy wizard is due to open in this Chinese enclave. "Business is great, we sold over 50 VCDs in just an hour last night after we got copies from an agent in Hong Kong," a vendor in Macau's Inner Harbour district said.
Anti-Abortion Extremist Demands E-mail From Workers
An anti-abortion extremist who is also one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted has allegedly threatened to kill 42 abortion clinic workers unless they notify him through the Internet that they have quit their jobs. The fugitive allegedly paid a visit to the Carrollton, Georgia, home of Neal Horsley, who operates several anti-abortion websites, including the controversial Nuremberg Files, which publishes detailed personal information about clinic workers.
Court Upholds Ruling Against DVD-Cracking Code
A federal appeals court upheld an order that prohibits publishing or linking to DVD-cracking code -- a decision with sweeping significance for free speech rights and copyright protection on the Internet. The decision for now upholds a controversial law known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and prevents Web site 2600 and its publisher, Eric Corley, from posting links to computer code known as DeCSS -- a program that allows DVD movies to be decoded and played on personal computers.
Professor's Lawsuit on Music Protection Dismissed
A New Jersey judge threw out a lawsuit brought against the music industry, saying that threatened legal action didn't keep a computer-science professor from publishing research on anti-copying technology. The judge dismissed charges brought by Princeton University professor Edward Felten, who said legal threats stopped him from publishing a paper outlining the weaknesses in the industry's technologies for protecting digital music.
Police Raid Homes of 130 Suspected Internet Pedophiles
Police forces across four continents raided the homes of 130 suspected Internet pedophiles throughout the night. The dawn swoops are reported to have discovered 60,000 images of child pornography.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Child Online Protection Act
A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union told the Supreme Court that the main federal law aimed at keeping children from viewing pornography on the Internet would cripple free speech on the World Wide Web. The law "threatens to transform this dynamic medium into a medium fit only for children," Ann E. Beeson said as the court heard oral arguments in the case of Ashcroft v. ACLU.
Class-Action Advertising Suit Against AOL Proceeds
A class-action lawsuit accusing AOL Time Warner Inc.'s America Online unit of deceptive advertising may proceed after a ruling by a federal appellate judge in Atlanta last week. The lawsuit, filed in February 2000 by AOL customers in Florida and Kansas, claimed the online service misled consumers when it advertised free hours or fixed-rate monthly fees, which started at $19.95 in 1996 but have since risen to $23.90.
Judge Approves Agreement on Online Music Royalties
A New York federal judge has approved an interim agreement over royalties that must be paid to songwriters and music publishers when over-the-air radio stations stream music online. U.S. District Court Judge Louis L. Stanton approved an agreement between radio stations and music-licensing agency Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) that requires radio stations to pay 1.065 percent of revenues generated by online music streaming.
Bush Signs Two-Year Extension of Net Tax Ban
Online shoppers can count on tax-free purchases now that President Bush has signed into law a two-year extension of the ban on Internet-related taxes. Bush, who had wanted Congress to send him a longer tax moratorium, signed the legislation to "ensure that the growth of the Internet is not slowed by additional taxation," he said.
States to Seek Tougher Penalties Against Microsoft
State prosecutors who declined to join an antitrust settlement between Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department are likely to press for tougher penalties against the company in court hearings in March rather than challenge the deal directly, according to lawyers familiar with the case. Although no final decision has been made, this strategy would avoid an awkward confrontation between 10 jurisdictions -- nine states and the District of Columbia -- that are still pursuing the case and nine other states that had been their partners before agreeing to the settlement early this month.
Web Site Offers Personal Info on California Residents
The birth records of more than 24 million Californians have been sold by the state and posted on the Internet, offering easy access to critical information needed to create fake identities. By logging onto a genealogy Web site, people can gain access to such personal data as someone's place of birth and mother's maiden name, which can then potentially be used to access bank records and other sensitive material.
Bertelsmann's Online Chief Resigns
The man responsible for Bertelsmann AG's online strategies, including its alliance with song swapping service Napster Inc., has left the company. Andreas Schmidt left "to pursue new entrepreneurial opportunities," the Frankfurt-based company announced.
Trial Opens in Intel-Broadcom Patent Infringement Suit
Opening arguments got underway in the first day of a jury trial in which No. 1 chipmaker Intel Corp. is accusing competitor and communications chipmaker Broadcom Corp. of infringing Intel patents in "nearly every aspect of its business." The trial, expected to last three weeks, marks the first time the two rivals have taken their grievances before a jury, and both sides declined to comment on the prospects of settlement.
Contract Completed for Availability of ".coop" Domains
Internet addressing authorities this week signed off on a contract that clears the way for a ".coop" Internet domain to be included alongside .com, .net and .org in the Web's worldwide addressing system. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) officials completed the deal with the National Cooperative Business Association, which was selected last year to operate .coop -- an Internet domain that will be reserved for co-op companies.
TV Networks Drop Some Charges in ReplayTV Lawsuit
SONICblue Inc. claimed victory in round one of a copyright battle with three major television networks and forged ahead with plans to ship its controversial ReplayTV 4000 personal video recorder. ABC, NBC and CBS sued SONICblue last month, claiming the company's ReplayTV 4000 and Go-Video Dual-Deck VCR devices violated copyright laws by letting consumers record TV programs sans commercials.
Microsoft Wants "Amicable Way" to Resolve EU Charges
Microsoft said it has decided to forgo a December hearing with European regulators on allegations it abused its dominant power in PC operating systems. Associate General Counsel John Frank, based in Paris, said the company "would welcome an opportunity to meet with (the European Commission) to discuss whether there is an amicable way to resolve this."
Apple Opposes Microsoft's Class-Action Settlement
Apple Computer joined a chorus of critics attacking a proposed settlement that would let Microsoft give schools up to $1 billion in free software, training and services. Lawyers representing the Redmond, Wash.-based company and the consolidated private antitrust cases defended the agreement before U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz during a daylong hearing at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore.
Connecticut Attorney General Criticizes Antitrust Settlement
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal reaffirmed his decision to opt out of an antitrust settlement reached between Microsoft, the federal government and nine of 18 states involved in the landmark case. Blumenthal reiterated earlier sentiments that the settlement announced earlier this month, which must still be reviewed by a federal judge, had too many gaps and ambiguities to sign in its current form.
Playboy Wins Rights to "playboyonline.com"
The publisher of Playboy magazine has wrested the Internet domain PlayboyOnline.com from anti-porn crusaders who appeared to be making money when stray surfers visited a Web site at that address. In a decision released last week, international arbitrators for disputes between trademark holders and domain registrants ordered that PlayboyOnline.com be taken away from an organization founded by Tonya Flynt, the estranged daughter of Hustler publisher Larry Flynt.
European Privacy Official Wants Changes to Fight Terrorism
The European Commission's top privacy official called for changes to European Union laws that would help law-enforcement officials combat terrorism and other crimes. Susan Binns, a director in the commission department that deals with interstate commerce issues, said the EU's current laws on privacy in electronic communications are "extremely chaotic," and cause headaches for law-enforcement agencies and uncertainty for businesses.
Court Ruling in Libel Case Favors Online Comments
A California court of appeal recently issued what legal experts say is a precedent-setting decision on the right to make comments about a public company on Internet message boards. Defendants moved to dismiss the suit by seeking protection from a California law written to protect individuals from retaliatory lawsuits by corporations that feel they have been disparaged
Anti-Virus Company in Flap Over "Backdoors," FBI
Network Associates has been snared in a web of accusations over whether it will place backdoors for the U.S. government in its security software. Since Network Associates makes popular security products, including McAfee anti-virus software and Pretty Good Privacy encryption software, reports of a special arrangement with the U.S. government have drawn protests and threats of a boycott.
Record Labels Ready Online Subscription Services
The world's big record labels are finally rolling out online subscription services smack in the middle of the holiday season that caps the music industry's worst year in at least a decade. In coming weeks, music fans -- who have for years been pulling everything from Radiohead to Madonna off the Web for free from services like Napster -- will be introduced to a new breed of money-for-music services like Pressplay and MusicNet, which have been developed by the major record companies.
Key-Tracking Virus Spreading Rapidly, Experts Warn
An Internet worm that leaves infected computers vulnerable to future hacking by tracking what is typed on the keyboard, including passwords and credit card details, was spreading rapidly, computer security companies warned. The worm, called "Badtrans," spreads through Microsoft Corp. Outlook or Outlook Express e-mail programs and automatically sends itself to unanswered e-mails, several anti-virus companies say.
Infineon Wins Ruling Against Rambus in Chip Patent Case
German chipmaker Infineon Technologies claimed another success in its long-running legal dispute with memory-chip designer Rambus, after a judge barred Rambus from asserting certain of its patents against some of Infineon's memory chips. Specifically, the injunction issued by Judge Robert Payne of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia will prohibit Los Altos, Calif.-based Rambus from asserting its patents against Infineon for standard SDRAM and faster DDR SDRAM memory chips it makes according to open industry standards, Munich-based Infineon said in a statement.
Some Educators Criticize Microsoft's Settlement Proposal
A growing group of educators say that as it stands, Microsoft proposal plan to settle lawsuits from disgruntled consumers by providing computers, software and other high-tech resources to poor schools will further its competitive advantage in schools while doing little to meet the poorest schools' extensive needs. Many have taken their concerns to U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore, who is overseeing the consumer class-action lawsuits and will hold a preliminary hearing on the proposal to settle claims that Microsoft abused its monopoly power and overcharged people for Windows, Office and other software.
Patent Trial Set for Intel, Via Lawsuit
The first trial pitting Intel and Via Technologies, competitors in the PC chipset market, will begin Jan. 22 in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, Intel announced. The companies, which co-operated on previous matters, currently are engaged in a barrage of patent infringement lawsuits filed in different courts on three continents.
Trial Set for DMCA Case Against Russian Programmer
A federal judge in California set a hearing for April 15 to schedule a trial date for a Russian software programmer charged with violating a new U.S. copyright law. Dmitry Sklyarov, who turns 27 on Dec. 18, probably won't face trial until June or later, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Sullivan.
ICANN Rejects Accusations of Improper ".aero" Uses
Internet addressing authorities refuted accusations that the air travel industry is improperly limiting public access to the recently commissioned ".aero" Internet domain. The staff of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) -- the body that administers the Internet's worldwide addressing system -- earlier this month completed a draft registry agreement with the Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA) - the group chosen to operate .aero.
U.S. Copyright Laws Hurting Culture, Professor Says
American copyright laws have gotten so out of hand that they are causing the death of culture and the loss of the world's intellectual history, according to Stanford technology law professor Lawrence Lessig. Copyright has bloated from providing 14 years of protection a century ago to 70 years beyond the creator's death now, he said, and has become a tool of large corporations eager to indefinitely prolong their control of a market.
Samsung Denies Driving Down Chip Prices
Samsung Electronics rejected comments by Germany's Infineon Technologies AG that suggested the world's top memory chip maker had helped drive down chip prices to pressure smaller players. Infineon Chief Executive Ulrich Schumacher told the Financial Times newspaper that a Korean rival had been driving down chip prices.
Enron Sues Microsoft, Delaying MSN Broadband Service
Microsoft Corp.'s plan to expand its MSN high-speed Internet service has been delayed by a lawsuit by Enron Corp., which could cost the software giant customers during the holiday season. Houston-based Enron, which agreed in June to provide the backbone for a nationwide expansion of MSN's service, contends that it isn't required to deliver broadband services if Microsoft hasn't first provided a billing and ordering system.
Council of Europe Passes, Defends Cybercrime Treaty
A European treaty to combat the growing menace of cybercrime will give law enforcers broad international reach but will not be a "Big Brother" type agency, the Council of Europe said. "Contrary to what has been said in certain circles, we are not going to set up a 'Big Brother'," Guy de Vel, CoE's legal affairs director, told a news conference after 30 countries signed the new convention in Hungary's Parliament.
Inventors Challenge Blackberry's Patents in Suit
Research In Motion's patented system of redirecting corporate e-mail to a wireless device came under attack from a group of U.S. inventors claiming patent infringement. A group of inventors, led by Thomas Campana, said in a claim that the sale of RIM's BlackBerry wireless device in the United States infringes on eight patents controlled by a holding company called NTP.
Hynix's Patent Suit Against Rambus Postponed
Rambus Inc. said the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California postponed Hynix Corp.'s patent lawsuit against Rambus. In a press release, chipmaker Rambus said the court deferred the case pending a federal circuit review of the issues in another Rambus case against Germany's Infineon Technologies AG.
Cybersquatting Could Spike as Domain Names Expire
Cyber-squatting was rampant a few years ago, but it slowed down after several squatters lost court cases over their right to register trademarked names. But these Internet pornographers' opportunism could surge in the near future.
Links to al-Qaeda Forces Closure of Somalia Internet Company
Somalia's only Internet company and a key telecoms business have been forced to close because the United States suspects them of terrorist links. The two firms, Somalia Internet Company and al-Barakaat, both appear on a U.S. list of organizations accused of funneling money to the al-Qaeda network.
China Shuts Internet Bars for Failing to Block Sites
Chinese authorities have shut down more than 17,000 Internet bars for failing to block Web sites considered subversive or pornographic, a state-run newspaper reported. The closures came during a nationwide sweep of China's 94,000 Internet bars that was launched in April, the Shanghai-based Wen Hui Bao reported.
Australian Proposal Requires Online Adult ID System
A proposed state law in Sydney, Australia, would make it illegal to upload online content unsuitable for minors without an adult verification system in place. Officials in New South Wales say the law will tighten the screws on pedophiles and pornographers.
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Child Protection Act
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether it will uphold or strike down a 1999 law that requires Web site operators to shield children from viewing "harmful" material online. Based on opposing arguments by the U.S. Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the high court likely will determine the final disposition of the controversial Child Online Protection Act (COPA).
Microsoft Faces Antitrust Hearings in Europe
Microsoft may have fended off a number of restrictions on its business in its settlement with the Bush administration, but the software giant is fighting potentially tougher trustbusters in Europe. Microsoft and its rivals are setting their sights on Europe for hearings next month on expanded antitrust charges the European Union raised against the company in August.
Judge to Decide Merits of Microsoft's Class-Action Settlement
U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz will have to decide whether Microsoft's settlement proposal of private, class-action lawsuits is a creative solution that will put computers in the hands of poor school children or a legal ruse that will further the company's dominant position in the computer business. Microsoft says the private settlement is a civic-minded way to resolve more than 100 lawsuits filed around the country on behalf of customers allegedly overcharged by the company.
Microsoft's General Counsel to Retire
William Neukom, Microsoft's general counsel and head of government affairs, will retire after 22 years with the software giant, Microsoft announced. Neukom, 60, in recent years emerged as one of the key players in Microsoft's antitrust battle with the Justice Department and numerous states.
Pirated Harry Potter CDs Selling on Streets of Hong Kong
Pirated versions of the smash hit Harry Potter movie magically appeared in back street stalls around Hong Kong, weeks before the film about the English boy wizard is due to open in the territory. Street peddlers in the teeming Wanchai district were already offering counterfeit copies of the smash hit for around HK$20 (US$2.56) each, a fraction of what moviegoers will pay.
CD Copy-Protection Technology Generating Backlash
All five of the major record companies are experimenting with technologies that lock songs to their original CDs, preventing people from copying music onto a computer or another CD. The goal is to combat piracy, but one consequence could be depriving consumers of some of the new ways they've found to enjoy the CDs they buy.
SANgate CEO Forced to Resign in Employment Suit
The CEO of storage hardware maker SANgate Systems resigned, after a judge issued a preliminary injunction that the executive's employment violated the terms of a contract with his previous employer, storage rival EMC. EMC filed the suit in October against Doron Kempel, then SANgate's CEO and formerly the general manager of EMC's media solutions group, saying he violated the terms of a contract that said he wouldn't compete against EMC.
FBI Wants More Access Into Telecom Networks
Alarmed by the steady emergence of technologies that do not lend themselves to traditional eavesdropping methods, the FBI is pressuring telecom providers to allow more direct access to their communications networks. Wireless and telephone industry insiders say the changes would require carriers to implement functionality that they do not currently offered to their own customers.
U.S. Officials Predict Cyberattacks from Terrorists
Government officials are warning that cyberattacks are likely as retribution for the United States campaign in Afghanistan, and at the same time, computer security experts are seeing increasingly numerous and more powerful attacks from traditional hackers.Calling cybersecurity the "gaping hole" in the nation's infrastructure defense plans, Frank J. Cilluffo, an expert on terrorism at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said, "It is only a matter of time before the convergence of bad guys and good stuff occurs."
Antiterrorism Law Could Prosecute Foreign Hackers
The recently approved antiterrorism law could be used to prosecute foreign hackers, a move critics say could make the United States the world's Internet policeman. The new prosecutorial powers, which have no parallel in other nations, affect computer hacking cases and take advantage of nation's pivotal role in Internet communications.
Hacking Flaw Report on Microsoft Server Software
Companies with servers running Microsoft's database application should watch out for a new hacker tool that scans and then infects systems, network security experts warned. The hacker tool, named "Voyager Alpha Force," has already been used to infect more than 300 computers, said Elias Levy, chief technology officer at SecurityFocus.com.
Florida Committee Wants Limits on Court Documents Online
Citing privacy concerns, a committee of judges, lawyers, court officials and others has recommended that the Florida Supreme Court impose a moratorium on public access to complete court documents via the Internet. The proposal applies only to documents that might be scanned in their entirety onto the Internet.
FTC Won't Oppose Cadence Acquisition
Antitrust enforcers at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared Cadence Design Systems to go ahead with its acquisition of privately held Silicon Perspectives. The agency said after an initial look at the Cadence-Silicon Perspectives combination that it will not oppose the deal.
Music Industry Files Another Suit Against File-Swapping Services
A group representing music publishers and songwriters filed a federal suit against some makers of file-swapping software, marking the latest in a string of legal tangles over copyright infringement on the Internet. The National Music Publisher's Association, which represents the owners of most songs published in the United States, said it filed suit in Los Angeles federal court against the parent companies of file-swapping services MusicCity, Grokster and Kazaa.
FBI Developing Virus Software to Break Encryption
The FBI is developing software capable of inserting a computer virus onto a suspect’s machine and obtaining encryption keys, a source familiar with the project told MSNBC.com. The software, known as "Magic Lantern," enables agents to read data that had been scrambled, a tactic often employed by criminals to hide information and evade law enforcement.
E-Commerce Unscathed by Terrorism, U.N. Says
Electronic commerce has emerged unscathed from the dot-com crash and the Sept. 11 suicide airliner attacks and can be harnessed by developing nations to help them grow, the United Nations said. "As far as e-commerce is concerned, we can be fairly optimistic. The growth is continuing as though nothing had happened," said Jean Gurunlian, a senior official of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD.
U.N. Technology Task Force to Fight Poverty
A new U.N. task force on technology pledged to fight poverty, improve education and create jobs by expanding access to the Internet and other communications tools in the developing world. The task force joins scores of private and government initiatives already in place -- but differs by tapping the United Nations' reputation and resources, members said during this week's inaugural meetings.
Countries to Sign European Cybercrime Convention
A European convention aims to unite countries in the fight against computer criminals, who have moved on from "innocent" hacking to fraud, embezzlement and life-threatening felonies. Interior ministers and law enforcement officials from Europe, South Africa, Canada, the United States and Japan will sign the milestone cyber-crime convention, which has taken four years to draft, in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
Microsoft Proposes to Settle Private Antitrust Suits
Microsoft Corp. moved toward settling more than 100 private antitrust cases that accuse it of overcharging for its Windows operating system. Under the terms of the settlement plan, Microsoft agreed to provide cash, computers and software it values at more than $1 billion to public schools that poor children attend.
NeuStar Takes Control of ".us" Domain From Government
Washington-based NeuStar Inc. officially took control of America's sovereign ".us" Internet addressing suffix. NeuStar announced that it had successfully moved the ".us" registry onto its own secure servers and was prepared to officially begin managing the .us domain.
German Official Wants Reins on Software Patents
The German Ministry of Economics and Technology has spoken out against the broadening of software patent laws within Europe, on the basis that it would stifle innovation and the open-source movement. A recent government-commissioned study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research and the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and Informational Patent, Copyright and Competition Law advised that Europe should avoid the U.S. model, which allows patents on software that does not have a technical effect.
Playboy Reports Online Theft of Credit Card Info
Playboy.com has alerted customers that an intruder broke into its Web site and obtained some customer information, including credit card numbers. The online unit of the nearly 50-year-old men's magazine said in an e-mail to customers that it believed a hacker accessed "a portion" of Playboy.com's computer systems.
Software Allows Activists to Spoof Web Sites Easily
Responding to a deepening legal dispute over a parody of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Web site, a loose-knit band of Internet activists has created software that will purportedly allow technically savvy users to spoof virtually any Web site in a matter of minutes. Called "YesIWill," the software is being made available to Internet users at no cost by The Yes Men, a self-described group of Internet satirists opposed to the "neo-liberal economic policies" of the WTO and other organizations involved in facilitating broader global trade.
Microsoft Discussing $1.1 Billion Settlement of Private Suits
Microsoft tentatively has agreed to a five-year project to provide software and computers to more than 14,000 of the poorest schools in the U.S., resolving most of its pending private class-action lawsuits, lawyers and academics briefed on the case said. Many details of the complex agreement still were being worked out, but the estimated cost to Microsoft will be about $1.1 billion, with additional support coming from other contributions, these people said.
FTC Warns Web Sites About False Anthrax Claims
The Federal Trade Commission warned about 40 operators of Web sites to stop making what it called false claims that dietary supplements can prevent, treat or cure anthrax, smallpox and other health hazards. The warnings followed a massive "Internet surf" by the FTC, Food and Drug Administration and state attorneys general in more than 30 states, including Maryland and Virginia.
Much Online Health Activity Not Private, Report Says
About 65 million Americans have sought health information on the Internet, but many of their online activities are not protected by U.S. medical privacy rules, a report said. Many probably assume that the personal information they provide to health Web sites is covered by the new regulation, and they are wrong," Susannah Fox, research director for the Pew Internet Project, said in a statement.
CIA-Funded Anonymous-Surfing Site Closes
SafeWeb Inc., the CIA-funded Internet company that allowed Web surfers to browse anonymously, has closed. SafeWeb's technology enabled Internet users to gain access to the World Wide Web and browse sites through its encrypted service, making their online habits and history untraceable.
FTC Tells Web Merchants to Keep Shipping Promises
Federal regulators sent letters to more than 70 e-retailers this week, warning Web merchants not to make quick shipment promises that they cannot keep in the coming holiday shopping season. In its annual enforcement surf of major Internet retailer Web sites, the Federal Trade Commission identified 72 sites that made "quick-ship" claims for their merchandise, a term that means items in stock normally ship within 24 to 48 hours.
Online Shopping Tops List of Consumer Complaints
Internet shopping and services have become a leading source of consumer complaints, joining grievances about auto repair and telemarketing, a survey finds. Problems with auto sales and household goods shared the top spot in the annual list of consumer complaints released by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the Consumer Federation of America.
Broadcom Files Semiconductor Patent Suit Against Intel
Communications chipmaker Broadcom said it had filed a lawsuit charging that certain Intel semiconductors infringe on patents held by Broadcom. In a complaint filed in the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division, U.S. District Court, Broadcom alleges that some of the chips Intel makes to support its microprocessor infringe on patents issued to Broadcom for display technology.
Five Charged with Insider Trading Alleged in Xbox Deal
The government charged five employees of Nvidia Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., with insider trading that netted them hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to court documents and indictments unsealed, the five bought thousands of shares of Nvidia stock last year based on insider information obtained through the workplace.
Utah Officials Criticized for Rejecting Microsoft Settlement
Utah's Republican attorney general is being criticized for rejecting a settlement of the antitrust suit against Microsoft and is bracing for a possible challenge for his party's nomination when he seeks re-election. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff made the decision after fielding dozens of last-minute pleas by Microsoft friends and foes, the culmination of months of an intense lobbying campaign.
OpenTV Gets Patent for Delivering Internet Content
Interactive TV software maker OpenTV announced that it has been issued a patent covering the delivery of Internet content over cable and satellite networks to set-top boxes. The patent improves the management of bandwidth for cable and satellite operators, which will create a better experience for subscribers using Internet content and services via television.
Anti-Copying Technology on CDs Prompts Complaints
Complaints about anti-copying technology have forced a record label to issue CD replacements for angry consumers -- another setback for the music industry's stuttering campaign against record piracy. BMG Entertainment confirmed that it has set up a hotline for consumers in the United Kingdom who are having trouble playing Natalie Imbruglia's latest CD in some CD and DVD players.
Officials Seize $100 Million of Illegal Software, Largest Ever
Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles announced that they had seized counterfeit computer products and software valued at more than $100 million, calling it the largest such seizure in U.S. history. Authorities arrested four people during the past two weeks in connection with the case.
U.S. Considering Secure Network Apart from Internet
The Bush administration is considering the creation of a secure new government communications network separate from the Internet that would be less vulnerable to attack and efforts to disrupt critical federal activities. The idea for such a system, called GovNet, is the brainchild of Richard A. Clarke, a counterterrorism expert whom President Bush recently named his special adviser for cyberspace security.
U.S. Official Warns of "Internet-Savvy" Extremists
The United States faces a new age of terrorism in which "Internet-savvy" extremists will target critical computer-driven infrastructures from afar, a senior U.S. official warned. Paul Rodgers of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center said U.S. enemies would exploit the borderless environment of the World Wide Web to plot new terror against vital infrastructure systems in the United States.
Car Dealer Sues Man For Complaints on Internet
A Cobb County, Georgia, man who took his complaints about a car dealership to the Internet is being sued by the dealer and the dealer's general manager for libel. They are also attempting to sue the company that maintains the Web site.
Many Message Boards Deleting Distasteful Content
Yahoo's message boards are erupting with the kind of free-flowing, impassioned discussions the Internet's creators always dreamed of, with postings about practically every aspect of the hunt for terrorists, the capture of Kabul and mysterious plane crashes. But what's also revealing is what is being deleted.
Judges Consolidate Lawsuits Against Aimster
In a blow against the music file-swapping service, a multi-jurisdictional panel of judges in San Diego ordered that a bevy of lawsuits against the fledgling Albany, N.Y.,-based Aimster should be tried in a Chicago federal district court. The order is aimed at splitting the distance that music and movie industry litigants must travel while suing Aimster.
U.S. Rejected Certain Penalties in Microsoft Settlement
The government considered but rejected penalties against Microsoft Corp. in its antitrust case that would have required the company to reveal the secret blueprints to its flagship Windows software and to distribute products from its fiercest rivals, court records show. The Justice Department also considered forcing Microsoft to sell a stripped-down version of Windows that did not include built-in software for browsing the Internet, reading e-mail, listening to music or sending instant-messages.
Class-Action Status Denied in Microsoft Employment Suit
A federal judge in Seattle denied class certification for employees suing Microsoft over alleged racial and gender discrimination, ruling the software giant's managerial system was sound. Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft had rejected charges that it gave current and former African-American and female employees subpar pay, promotions and evaluations.
NeuLevel Adds Security Measures to ".biz" Domains
NeuLevel, the .biz domain operator, has improved its protection for .biz addresses. The move is to ensure that companies are not at risk of losing their domain names due to administrative oversights.
Bush to Sign Moratorium on Internet Taxes
President Bush will sign legislation that extends a moratorium on Internet-related taxes for two years, even though he preferred a longer period of tax relief. A voice vote in the Senate renewed the tax ban that was enacted three years ago but expired Oct. 21.
Microsoft Offers to Pay Legal Fees if States Settle, Too
For the nine states and the District of Columbia still pursuing the antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., the company has the following special, limited-time offer: Join in the settlement signed last week by the Justice Department and nine other states and the company will pay all litigation costs they have run up so far, including attorneys fees.
Senate Votes to Renew Expired Net Tax Ban
The U.S. Senate voted to renew a ban on Internet taxes, ensuring that the country's 130 million Internet users will not face new taxes for another two years. By a voice vote, the Senate renewed a ban on Internet taxes that expired last month when lawmakers could not agree whether to include a provision that would encourage states in their quest to tax online sales.
ICANN Identifies, Will Reduce Internet Security Risks
The Internet's guardians concluded they can't make the worldwide network immune to terrorism, but they can guard against the most likely risks. Several terrorist-related risks were identified during a three-day meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the organization designated by the U.S. government to oversee the Net's address system.
First ".museum" Domain Names Go Live
A handful of Internet addresses ending in ".museum" went live, marking the official launch of the world's first "sponsored" global Internet addressing code. For now, the only active addresses ending in .museum belong to the Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma) which operates the global .museum registry.
IBM's E-Mail Retraction Tool Could Violate U.K. Law
A new e-mail tool that allows Lotus Notes and Domino users to retract unread e-mails from a person's inbox could be breaking surveillance and data protection laws within the U.K. The Office of the Information Commissioner has warned that the Demailer tool, announced by IBM/Lotus, could conflict with e-mail interception principles set out in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
Government to Hold Hearings on Patents and Antitrust
The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice will hold hearings next month to examine whether a dramatic increase in patents awarded each year has upset the balance between intellectual property and antitrust laws. FTC Chairman Timothy Muris said the hearings would address "overbroad patents," such as controversial business method patents, or those that seek to corner the intellectual property possession of tools that are widely used by many companies on the Internet to engage in e-business.
Zone Labs Files Patent Suit Against Sygate
Zone Labs filed a patent infringement lawsuit against security software competitor Sygate Technologies. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Sygate infringed on a patent awarded to Zone Labs in 1999.
House Votes to Increase Spending on Cybercrime
The House of Representatives passed a spending bill that contains funding for a raft of cyber-security and online crime-fighting initiatives. The House voted 411-15 to approve the Commerce-Justice-State (CJS) appropriations bill, a 2002 spending package that includes funding for programs to fight cyber-crime, child pornography, and intellectual property theft.
American Muslim Council Says Virus Attack is "Criminal"
On the Muslim Sabbath and on the cusp of the holy month of Ramadan, the American Muslim Council's e-mail list was infected with the malicious "Snow White" virus. The council, in a press release, described the infection as a "criminal invasion" by "hackers" in "a deliberate attempt to discredit and to disable e-mail communications to our members."
Senate to Hold Hearings on Microsoft Settlement
The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to hold hearings in December on the landmark antitrust settlement reached between the U.S. Justice Department and Microsoft, provided Congress is still in session at that time. Beryl Howell, legislative counsel to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the hearing would mark the first in a series on antitrust issues and competition in the Internet economy.
EU Official Says Microsoft Antitrust Issues Still Alive
Microsoft Corp. may have resolved its antitrust troubles with federal authorities in the United States, but it still has to deal with someone who could turn out to be a more formidable foe -- Europe's top trustbuster, Mario Monti. The European Union's commissioner of competition signaled that the settlement Microsoft reached with the U.S. Department of Justice may not address all the issues raised on the other side of the Atlantic.
Panel Rejects Two Cases of "Reverse Domain Name Hijacking"
Panelists for the World Intellectual Property Organization's Domain Dispute Resolution Center in Geneva, Switzerland, rejected two recent complaints by corporate entities, calling their domain name transfer requests "reverse domain name hijacking." In separate disputes, WIPO panels ruled against Boston-based Aspen Grove Inc. and Vevey, Switzerland-based Societe des Produits Nestlé which sought transfers of personally held domain names.
Court Lifts Ruling Against Brasil Online in AOL Lawsuit
A Sao Paulo court overturned an injunction brought by America Online Latin America Inc. to force rival Brasil Online to pull a series of ads that the U.S. company said were misleading, anti-American and insulting to its clients. The original court injunction ruled last week that Brasil Online -- the budget arm of Brazil's top Internet Service Provider Universo Online Inc., or UOL -- should pull a television, press and billboard campaign and pay AOLA a symbolic $4,000 in damages.
Web Site Critical of Local Government Shut Down After Threat
A Web site that lampooned Clark County, Nevada, officials was shut down after a county administrator threatened to sue the Internet company that was host to the site. County Public Communications Director Gwen Castaldi wrote Jomax Technologies, a domain registration, e-mail and Web site hosting company based in Arizona, a Nov. 1 letter that said county personnel were concerned the Web site's content "may be considered slanderous."
Internet Companies Celebrate Yahoo's Win in French Case
The U.S. district court decision in a closely watched dispute between Yahoo and French anti-hate groups has Internet companies breathing a collective sigh of relief. Had the decision gone the other way, experts say, it could have paved the way for a global meltdown of the Internet.
European Parliament Votes to Restrict Use of "Cookies"
The European Parliament voted to adopt an amendment to the draft directive on electronic data collection and privacy to restrict the use of cookies. If the vote is ratified, Web sites will have to explicitly ask users if they want to accept cookies -- a move that the advertising industry says could be damaging to business.
Amazon.com, eBay Settle Lawsuit Over Executive's Right to Work
Web retailer Amazon.com, which sued to prevent a former executive from jumping to eBay, has settled the case, Amazon said. Attorneys for Amazon and Christopher Zyda, the e-tailer's former international chief financial officer, struck a deal that allows Zyda to work for eBay, but under several restrictions.
Musicians File Legal Brief Supporting Napster
A group of recording artists led by Don Henley said they recently filed a brief in a San Francisco federal court that may give song-swap service Napster a shot in the arm in its ongoing copyright infringement battle with the recording industry. The artists contended in their brief that the big recording labels may not indefinitely own some of the sound recording copyrights they are suing over in the landmark suit against Napster, said Jay Rosenthal, a lawyer for the Recording Artists Coalition.
TVT Records, MP3.com Settle Copyright Lawsuit
TVT Records, the New York-based independent record label whose artists include Snoop Dogg and XTC, has settled its copyright infringement lawsuit against MP3.com. TVT spokesman Jason Consoli said terms of the deal are not being disclosed, and that there are no plans to reveal them in the future.
Listen.com Signs Music Licensing Agreement
And the beat goes on in the online music sector as Listen.com became the third Web upstart in about a week to sign a key licensing deal by reaching a pact with music publishers for songs on the Rhapsody music subscription service it plans to launch on Dec. 3. Under the deal, Listen will pay the National Music Publishers' Association's Harry Fox Agency licensing arm a $500,000 advance for use of its clients' music over two years until rates are determined.
AOL Latin America Sues Brazilian ISP Over Ads
Upset by what it says are misleading, anti-American ads that insult its clients, America Online Latin America Inc. announced it was suing the budget arm of Brazil's top Internet service provider, Universo Online Inc. Spokesman Fernando Figueredo said that AOLA had won an initial court injunction to force Brasil Online to pull a television, press and billboard campaign and pay a symbolic $4,000 in damages.
Domain System Vulnerable to Attacks, ICANN Told
It would not take much for a malicious hacker to shut down the Internet, researchers at a meeting of the body that oversees Web address allocation warned. An attack designed to flood the Web's master directory servers with traffic "is capable of bringing down the Internet," Paul Vixie, a speaker at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) annual meeting, told Reuters.
Bush Officials Visit VeriSign to Assess Cybersecurity
A pair of high-ranking Bush administration officials visited the Herndon, Va., offices of VeriSign to assess the security precautions being taken by the company that controls the technology at the heart of the Internet's global addressing system. Deputy Commerce Secretary Sam Bodman and White House electronic security advisor Richard Clarke toured the secure VeriSign facility as part of an ongoing effort to gauge the security of the nation's privately operated critical infrastructure, Commerce Department spokesman Trevor Francis said.
EU to Hold Microsoft Hearings, Study U.S. Settlement
European officials will hold hearings in December on Microsoft Corp.'s alleged anticompetitive practices in Europe, and a decision is expected early next year on whether the software giant violated antitrust laws, the EU's competition commissioner said. The commissioner, Mario Monti, said he and other competition officials are studying the proposed landmark antitrust settlement Microsoft reached with the U.S. government and nine states to determine whether its provisions could apply to the European case.
High-Tech Execs to Lobby Against Broadband Deregulation
A coalition of executives from more than 100 telecommunications and technology companies will converge on Capitol Hill, in an effort convince lawmakers that a vote in favor of a pending broadband deregulation bill is a vote to slash jobs in the telecom industry. Executives from KMC Telecom, eSpire, and the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS) -- a lobbying group of small to mid-sized telcos including AT&T Corp. -- will rally against passage of H.R. 1542, "The Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act."
Man Fined for Posting Fraudulent News Release
The ex-securities dealer who posted a fraudulent news release on the Internet that said Singapore Exchange-listed Venture Manufacturing was being taken over was fined nearly $44,000. Kenneth Chan Yen Yau had doctored an earlier news release by U.S.-based Celestica, saying it was taking over Venture, a locally based contract manufacturer.
Europe Moving to Outlaw Hate Speech Online
The Council of Europe is pressing ahead with a protocol to criminalize hate speech on the Internet. After the Cybercrime Convention -- the world's first international treaty on cybercrime -- was approved, the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly voted unanimously to back it with a protocol that defines and outlaws hate speech on computer networks.
Lawmaker Wants Better Information on Domain Owners
Internet domain-name sellers need to keep better track of their customers, a U.S. lawmaker said, or Congress will be forced to step in. California Democratic Rep. Howard Berman said domain-name sellers had an obligation to keep accurate records of their customers to ensure they can be contacted if they are improperly using trademarked names or engaging in other illegal activity.
ICANN Discussing How to Protect Net from Terrorism
The deadly attacks of September 11 didn't just give us tighter airport checkpoints, new wiretapping and surveillance laws, and countless metric tons of explosives air-lifted to Afghanistan. They also prompted the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to toss out its customary agenda and replace it with a three-day special meeting on how to guard the Net's most vulnerable portions from terrorist attacks.
Terrorism Boosts High-Tech Security Industry
Suicide air attacks on U.S. cities delivered a body-blow to an economy teetering into recession, but they've been a big boost to a once tough sell -- the face, fingerprint and eye-scanning biometric industry. Looming fear of further attacks on airports, government agencies, even company offices, has boosted the long-neglected sector in ways that years of steady marketing and backing from big-name tech firms such as Microsoft and IBM never did.
Web Sites Track Copy-Protected CDs
A handful of Web sites are popping up to report sightings of copy-protected CDs, and already it's clear that there is far more confusion than solid information. The sites, located in the United States and United Kingdom, are part of a swelling consumer backlash to record companies' experimentation with CDs that can't be copied or turned into MP3 files.
Publisher, Writers Group Negotiate Online Rights
The National Writers Union and Primedia have begun discussions on the sales and licensing of copyrighted materials from the company's 280 titles, which include Seventeen, Motor Trend and New York. The negotiations follow the June 25 Tasini v. The New York Times case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that free-lance writers can control whether their works that are sold for print publication can also be reproduced in electronic form.
States Face Challenges Continuing Microsoft Lawsuit
Legal analysts say the ability of 10 state attorneys general to work together will be all the more critical now that the Department of Justice has effectively removed itself from any further discussion of remedying Microsoft's monopolistic conduct. Without the federal government's support, the states no longer have ready access to Justice’s antitrust experts or its purse.
Singapore Police Seize 4,000 Illegal Microsoft Products
More than 4,000 copies of Microsoft software products have been seized in recent police raids in Singapore. About 80 percent of these were of the software giant's Windows XP system, which premiered on October 25, and arrived in Singapore a day later.
Pirated Copies of Windows XP Selling in Thailand
Thai computer users are buying thousands of pirated copies of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system a week ahead of its official launch in Thailand, vendors said. Shops at Bangkok's Pantip Plaza -- a multi-story rabbit's warren of computer goods outlets -- said pirates had found ways of getting around the new operating system's security features.
Radio Stations' Parent to Offer Online Music Sales
Radio giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. will offer online music subscriptions through its stations' Web sites in five cities, creating what eventually could become a rival to services planned by the major record labels. Clear Channel stations in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt Lake City will deliver a service on their Web sites provided by FullAudio Corp., a Chicago-based Internet music firm.
Weaknesses Found in Personal Firewalls
Consumers protecting their PCs with personal firewalls should not feel too comfortable in their defense methods, according to a security researcher. PC protection software such as Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm and Symantec's Norton Internet Security fare well against outside attacks, but Trojan horses and worms that infect the machine can easily dodge the firewall's blocks and access the Net, said Robin Keir, chief software engineer for security services company Foundstone.
New Zealand ISP Fined for Misleading "Free" Advertising
Hidden charges associated with a New Zealand Internet service provider's "free" access should have been mentioned in advertising, the New Zealand Commerce Commission said. New Zealand telecommunications company Clear Communications has been fined 15,000 New Zealand dollars ($6,300) for misleading consumers about its free Internet service, Zfree.
Government's Emphasis on Cybercrime Changes After Sept. 11
It was only this summer that Attorney General John Ashcroft and then newly minted FBI Director Robert Mueller III showed up at VeriSign in Mountain View, California, to make the prosecution of cybercrime the first major federal law enforcement initiative of the Bush administration. But that was then, and this is post-Sept. 11th.
Defendants Liable for "Bad Faith Effort to Confuse Internet Users"
A federal judge in Philadelphia awarded attorneys' fees and costs in a trademark infringement suit brought by the makers of a build-it-yourself airplane where the defendants were found liable for a "bad faith effort to confuse Internet users." SNA Inc., based in Kimberton, Pa., accused Paul Array of funding the production and sale of counterfeit aircraft through a newsletter and Web site designed to disparage SNA.
ACLU Protests ICANN's Leafleting Policy
An apparent decision by the body that manages the Internet's worldwide addressing system to prohibit non-paying attendees from leafleting at an upcoming Los Angeles meeting prompted a scathing letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In a letter addressed to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Chairman Vinton Cerf, the ACLU criticizes a policy that would require meeting attendees to pay a $5,000 "sponsorship" fee in order to distribute materials at the meeting.
Bill Would Expand E-Commerce Sales Taxes
The Senate may vote soon on a plan that would permit states to collect Internet sales taxes. The bill, championed by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), abandons Capitol Hill's hands-off approach to online taxation: It would usher in a cavalcade of levies on mail order and Internet purchases.
Council of Europe Adopts First Cybercrime Treaty
The 43-nation Council of Europe adopted a convention on cybercrime, the first international treaty on criminal offences committed over the Internet. The treaty criminalizes activities such as fraud and child pornography committed on the World Wide Web and sets up global policing procedures for conducting computer searches, intercepting e-mails, and extraditing criminal suspects.
U.S. Military Turning to Computers as Weapon in War
Even as it fights in Afghanistan with bombs and guns and allies on horseback, the U.S. military is gearing up to use computers and code as potentially decisive weapons in the next phases of its campaign. The goal would be to disable air defense systems, scramble enemy logistics and perhaps infect software through tactics being honed by a joint task force set up in 1999 under the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based U.S. Space Command.
Tech Companies Form Group to Fight Software Flaws
Microsoft and five security companies announced that they would create an organization to promote the responsible publishing of information about software flaws. While many of the details have yet to be hammered out, the move marks the beginning of what could be the widespread emergence of ethical rules for security research.
Nine States Say They Can Keep Up Microsoft Lawsuit
Antitrust enforcers in the nine states that rejected a proposed settlement with Microsoft Corp. say they will have enough money for a sustained courtroom fight without the resources of the Justice Department and other states formerly involved in the case. "I'm confident the resources will be available to continue our prosecution of this case as effectively as in the past," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.
Digital Watermarking Rivals in Lawsuit Over DVD-Protection
A legal dispute between digital watermark developer Verance and rival Digimarc could complicate efforts to set a standard for DVD copy-protection. Verance filed a lawsuit in federal court in Portland, Ore., charging Digimarc with violating antitrust and unfair competition laws, the latest legal blow in a long-standing intellectual property dispute between the two companies.
Domain Registrar Sues VeriSign for Search Engine Feature
A Bethesda domain registration company is suing Internet addressing giant VeriSign for allegedly infringing on a patent for a search engine feature. In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Maryland in Greenbelt, Rare Domains.com LLC asked the court to stop VeriSign from offering the specific feature and for "undetermined monetary damages and attorney fees," according to the court filing and Rare Domains.com's attorney.
Students Find Way to Hack Into Bank Computers
Two graduate students have found a way to hack into security systems that protect many banking and e-commerce transactions, Cambridge University said. Michael Bond and Richard Clayton, computer science PhD students, developed programs allowing them to hack into an IBM security computer that was previously thought to be impregnable, it said.
Microsoft Warns About Malicious Cookie Use
Users of Microsoft's browser and e-mail programs could be vulnerable to having their browser cookies stolen or modified due to a new security bug in Internet Explorer (IE), the company warned. According to a bulletin, a flaw in the latest versions of IE could enable a malicious Web site or e-mail message to read or alter the contents of a user's browser cookies, the small data files used by many Web sites to store information on a visitor's system.
Iranian Group Opposes Private Internet Services
A conservative council says that private companies cannot provide Internet service in Iran, but some lawmakers and technology experts disputed its right to rule on the matter. An estimated 1,000 Internet service providers throughout Iran could be affected if the ban is enforced, one expert said.
U.S. Judge Says Yahoo Not Bound by French Laws
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Yahoo was not bound to comply with French laws governing Internet content, a decision which could have broad implications for international free speech rights in the Internet age. U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel, weighing in on an international dispute over Yahoo auctions featuring Nazi memorabilia, said French court orders barring such auctions on U.S.-based Web sites would not be enforced.
Senators Want PC Tax Credit in Economic Package
Seven months have passed since Sen. George Allen, R-Va., introduced a bill that would give families a tax credit of up to $2,000 for purchases of computers and related products. Now Allen and the measure's only co-sponsor from the Democratic Party, Barbara Boxer of California, want President George W. Bush to include the tax credit in the economic stimulus plan put forth by the administration in the wake of September's terrorist attacks.
FTC Chairman Answers Questions About Privacy Issues
At his first hearing on Capitol Hill since taking office, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy Muris was peppered with questions from House lawmakers pressing for more details of the chairman’s recent stance on a range of consumer privacy issues. Muris told a House Energy & Commerce subcommittee that the competition and consumer agency is working hard to implement the major themes of the privacy agenda he announced last month, including a national do-not-call telemarketing list, and a crackdown on identity theft and on- and offline scams.
Cyber-Security Chief Doesn't Support National ID Card
As technology companies promote the idea of a national identification card, the president's special adviser on cyber-security said the idea has little support within the Bush administration. Richard Clarke said he couldn't name one official who supports the idea as proposed, although conceding that the administration doesn't yet have a formal position on the concept.
EU Again Considering E-mail Surveillance Law
The European Union is again becoming a battleground over legislation that would permit some secret surveillance of e-mails, Internet and phone usage without a warrant. The new legislation -- which privacy groups say is simply revamped old legislation already rejected by the European Parliament and European Commission last summer -- is being pushed by law enforcement supporters following the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Publisher Kills Deal with E-Book Company in Suit
Simon & Schuster helped kill a deal between a client publisher and a start-up e-book publisher being sued by Random House for copyright infringement. Simon & Schuster supports Random House in the lawsuit.
Mitsubishi Loses, Porsche Wins Cybersquatting Decisions
Lawyers for Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. may be scratching their heads after failing to outmaneuver the alleged cybersquatter behind the Internet address Mitsubishi-Motors.com at the same time that Germany's Porsche AG was rolling home with two wins over holders of Porsche- related domains -- one of which wasn't even spelled correctly. For Stuttgart-based Porsche, it was just another day in the race against online trademark infringers, having already notched two victories -- encompassing five Internet addresses - under a dispute- resolution procedure established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
Government Wants More Online Self-Regulation, Lobbyist Says
The computer and Internet industries need to work together to promote better security online, or lawmakers are likely to regulate the Web, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist said at the Trusted Computing conference. Congress has become impatient with the perceived lack of progress by industry, said Michael O'Neill, a partner with lobbyist firm Preston Gates Rouvelas Ellis & Meeds, adding that government-mandated security guidelines may be coming.
Advocates Still High on Peer-to-Peer Technology
Napster is moribund, MusicCity and Grokster are fighting for their lives in court and entertainment industry lawyers seem to be just getting started. Yet peer-to-peer's future is cheery and perhaps eventually profitable, say devotees who gathered at the industry's biggest conference.
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