A judge has ordered a computer engineer to stand trial on tampering charges for allegedly taking over the cyberspace network he designed for the city of San Francisco and refusing to reveal the passwords to access the system. After an eight-day preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Paul Alvarado ruled that prosecutors had produced enough evidence of Terry Childs' probable guilt to hold him for trial on four felony charges of tampering with a computer network, denying other authorized users access to the network and causing more than $200,000 in losses.
Apple Faces Patent Suit Over Apple TV Technology
A maker of wireless set-top boxes has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company hired away three employees with knowledge of technology that would be included in Apple TV. In a six-page complaint filed with the Illinois Northern Federal District Court, EZ4Media claims that Apple TV, AirPort Express, and Macintosh computers infringe on patents owned by the set-top box maker.
Vietnamese Ministry Bans Subervise Blogs
Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communication, which regulates the Internet in the country, has banned blogs that are subversive or reveal state, security or economic secrets, a newspaper reported. Blogs should facilitate connectivity and information sharing, follow the traditions and laws of Vietnam, and be written in "clean and wholesome" Vietnamese, the newspaper Hanoi Moi quoted a ministry circular issued as saying.
Sex Offenders Must Disclose Passwords Under Ga. Law
A new law in Georgia requires registered sex offenders to hand over Internet passwords and screen names. While federal law requires authorities to track Internet addresses, Georgia goes further and wants passwords too.
Pro Sports Leagues Fighting Pirated Games Online
After years of focusing on the pirating of highlight clips and photos on the Web, the major professional sports leagues are finding that pirated feeds of live games are now common and becoming a menace to their businesses, especially at a time when leagues are trying to build their own businesses offering live games on the Internet for a subscription fee.
Hate Group Uses MLK's Name in Popular Website
A website at martinlutherking.org is run by a white supremacist group called Stormfront, described by one watchdog organization as the largest "hate group" online. It has used King's name for its Web address since 1999.
Judge Denies RIAA's Appeal in Copyright Case
A federal judge has denied the Recording Industry Association of America's request for an appeal of an earlier decision to grant a retrial in its copyright infringement case against Jammie Thomas. A jury had found that the Minnesota woman had violated copyright laws by illegally sharing more than 1,700 songs.
Chinese Woman in Porn Video Detained
A Chinese woman who became an online sensation after posting a homemade pornographic film of herself on the Internet has been detained in Shanghai, according to state media. The 12-minute-video showed the woman, surnamed Huang, performing "sex acts," the official China Daily said, without elaborating.
Judge Fines Belize Company in Malware Case
A federal judge has fined a Belize-based company $8,000 for each day it continues to flout his order to halt a major internet operation alleged to have duped more than 1 million computer users into buying bogus malware protection. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett wrote in a ruling that Innovative Marketing is in civil contempt for failing to comply with a temporary restraining order to stop its scareware campaign and turn over financial records.
Study Finds Increase in Amount of Personalized Spam
A new study by Cisco Systems Inc. found an alarming increase in the amount of personalized spam, which online identity thieves create using stolen lists of e-mail addresses or other poached data about their victims, such as where they went to school or which bank they use. Unlike traditional spam, most of which is blocked by e-mail filters, personalized spam, known as "spear phishing" messages, often sail through unmolested.
Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent Settle Six Patent Suits
Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent settled most of their patent litigation, officials of the two companies said. The agreement covers six lawsuits, including one that resulted in the largest patent verdict in U.S. history before it was thrown out by a judge.
Microsoft Settles Patent Case with Mouse Maker
Microsoft announced it has reached a settlement agreement with Primax Electronics, a mouse maker the software company sued in July for patent infringement. As part of the settlement, Primax has entered into a nonexclusive licensing agreement that covers Microsoft's patents for U2 and Tilt Wheel technology, for both past and future sales of relevant Primax products in the United States.
Yahoo to Limit How Long It Retains Personal Data
Yahoo, the Internet search company, said that it would limit the time it holds identifiable personal information related to searches to 90 days to address the growing concerns of privacy advocates and government regulators. Yahoo's new data retention policy is the most restrictive among major search engines in the United States and is certain to put pressure on rivals like Google and Microsoft to shorten the time they keep information about their users.
Engineer Gets 15 Months for Taking Software to Iran
An Iranian-born engineer who worked at the nation's largest nuclear power plant was sentenced to 15 months in prison for taking computer software that he obtained at the plant to Iran. Officials at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix have said the software did not contain enough information to pose a security threat.
Top Intellectual Property Lawyer Leaves Yahoo
Joseph Siino, the lawyer who built Yahoo Inc.'s intellectual property department, is leaving the struggling search giant. Siino, who wasn't part of the cuts, said he's leaving to join the growing patent monetization industry, which includes businesses like patent brokerages.
Pirated Software Sold Openly in Vietnam
In where pirated software -- and virtually any other kind of digital content -- is sold indiscriminately at many local shops for about $15,000 dong (90 cents) per DVD, or half of that for a CD. These shops are open, just like any legitimate business.
Companies Oppose ICANN's Plan for New Domain Names
A controversial proposal to create hundreds of new generic top-level domains is generating harsh criticism as corporations and individuals question the need for additional competition in the domain name marketplace and expense for businesses. Although the ICANN plan would allow companies to run their own domains -- such as .microsoft or .ibm -- the idea has been panned by most corporations that have commented on it so far.
China Blocking Websites Again After Olympic Reprieve
The Chinese government has quietly begun preventing access again to Web sites that it had stopped blocking during the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, Internet experts said. Liu Jianchao, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said at his twice-weekly news conference in Beijing that the Chinese government had a right to censor Web sites that violated the country’s laws.
Privacy Groups Seek Support from FTC Under Obama
About a dozen leading privacy and consumer groups met with members of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team to discuss the Federal Trade Commission's role in protecting consumer privacy. While participating organizations addressed a range of problems and potential solutions, the underlying message was clear: the FTC has for too long allowed industries to self-regulate their online privacy practices -- to the detriment of consumers.
Onling Gambling Tycoon Agrees to Plead Guilty
An Internet tycoon who made billions of dollars building an online gambling empire has agreed to forfeit $300 million after pleading guilty to violating the U.S. Wire Act. Anurag Dikshit, co-founder of Gibralter-based PartyGaming, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
