House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Chair Howard Berman (D-Calif.) said he plans to introduce legislation shortly to bring more attention to intellectual property rights abroad. The committee plans "to work more closely with other governments to provide the resources, training, legal guidance and tools which they need to alleviate the international piracy that is so devastating to American ingenuity and American jobs," Berman said.
Google Must Defend Rescuecom Keyword Suit, Court Rules
Google should defend a trademark lawsuit by Rescuecom over advertisements linked to keyword searches, a U.S. appeals court ruled. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York rejected a ruling by a U.S. District Court dismissing Rescuecom's litigation against Google.
Critics Question Settlement for Google's Book Project
Google has been scanning the pages of out-of-print books and others as part of its plan to bring a digital library and bookstore, unprecedented in scope, to computer screens across the United States. But a growing chorus is complaining that a far-reaching settlement of a suit brought against Google by publishers and authors is about to grant the company too much power over orphan works.
"m-Spam Act" Would Create Do-Not-Text List
Two Senators are attempting to curb unsolicited text messages with a bill to strengthen government oversight of commercial texts. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced the m-SPAM Act, which would strictly prohibit commercial text messages to wireless numbers listed on the Do Not Call registry.
Digital Rights Advocates Express Concerns to White House
A coalition including prominent digital rights advocates wrote to President Barack Obama to express concern about the appointment of former entertainment industry lawyers to key Department of Justice positions. The groups asked that future appointments to positions related to intellectual property policy "reflect the diversity of stakeholders" affected by such policy.
VoIP Companies in Europe Seek Help from Policymakers
Internet calling companies such as eBay unit Skype have called on European policymakers to adopt policies that let consumers access their services through smart phones on any public network. The Voice on the Net coalition Europe, which also includes Google, Microsoft and Intel, argues carriers are blocking their applications on their cellular or 3G networks, which limits consumer choice.
Senate Committee Approves Patent Reform Legislation
A Senate panel approved a patent reform bill that brings opposing parties from the technology, pharmaceutical, and other industries closer to a compromise on the contentious issue. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 15 to 4 to bring the Patent Reform Act before the full Senate, despite changes to the legislation opposed by one of its sponsors, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
Cuban Officials Accuse Blogger of "Provocation"
Cuban authorities accused blogger Yoani Sanchez of staging a "provocation against the Cuban Revolution" after she and others spoke publicly about censorship during an arts performance in Havana. Sanchez, whose "Generacion Y" blog is critical of Cuba's government and widely read abroad, took the microphone during an event in the Havana Biennial arts festival and read a manifesto saying the Internet was opening a "crack" in government control.
One Month Before Release, "X-Men" Movie Appears Online
In a case of piracy that some analysts called unprecedented, untold thousands of people watched a version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" online, a full month before its scheduled theater release. The film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, said it did not know how the unfinished copy of the comic book adaptation was leaked onto the Internet.
Conficker Worm Fails at Large-Scale Attack
Malicious software that has infected millions of computers across the globe failed to wreak havoc as some feared, but researchers warned the powerful Conficker worm could still strike. The fears of an attack, however, may have been a windfall for anti-virus software makers, who warned consumers about the worm, industry analysts say.
Chinese Officials Calls Online Spy Ring a Lie
China denied a research report's contention that a China-based computer spy ring stole sensitive information from thousands of hard drives worldwide, calling the accusation a lie meant to feed anxiety over Beijing's growing influence. In the government's first reaction to the report, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the conclusions were symptoms of a "Cold War virus" that causes people overseas to "occasionally be overcome by China-threat seizures."
Legislation Calls for New Cybersecurity Adviser
Two U.S. senators introduced legislation that calls for naming a national cybersecurity adviser who reports directly to the president and who would have the authority to disconnect federal or critical infrastructure networks from the Internet if they were deemed to be at risk of attack. This proposed legislation comes amid a review ordered by the Obama administration into the government's policies for defending itself against cyberattacks and follows the resignation of Rod Beckström as director of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Center in response to what he said was a power grab by the NSA for cybersecurity leadership.
Google Agrees to Pay Up to $20 Million in Ad Spat
Google has agreed to a settlement of up to $20 million in a class-action lawsuit on behalf of search marketers who alleged that the company served more ads than they had agreed to pay for. The lawsuit stemmed from a dispute about the meaning of "daily budget" in Google's AdWords contract with search marketers.
YouTube Pulls Music Videos in Germany in Royalty Flap
YouTube has pulled the plug on music videos in Germany as Western Europe starts to look like a hostile environment for Web music services. A YouTube spokesman confirmed that YouTube is no longer playing music videos belonging to the largest music labels after talks with Germany's biggest royalty collections group, GEMA, broke down.
Swedish Antipiracy Law Goes Into Effect
A new antipiracy law went into effect in Sweden, and five audio book publishers have already used it to try to out the person behind an IP address they say is linked to illegal file swapping. The so-called IPRED law requires Internet service providers to reveal subscribers' Internet Protocol addresses to copyright holders in cases where a court finds ample evidence of illegal activity.
Texas Budget Could Restrict Buying Windows Vista
A "rider" in the proposed two-year, $182.2 billion Texas budget would require state agencies to get written approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Windows Vista technology related to an operating system, equipment or licenses. Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, added the provision in committee and said it's meant to block purchases of the technology, which has been targeted by criticism: "Don't buy it, because it's not worth it."
Security Experts Await Attack from Conficker Worm
A malicious software program that has infected millions of computers could enter a more menacing phase, from an outright attack to a quiet mutation that would further its spread. Computer security experts who have analyzed the Conficker worm's code say it is designed to begin a new phase on April 1, and while it's unclear whether it will unleash havoc or remain dormant, its stubborn presence is rattling businesses with multimillion-dollar budgets to fight cyber crime.
Spam Levels Increase to 94% of All E-mail
Spam, that annoying but ignorable scourge of the Web, has finally recovered from the jolt it received last November, when Internet backbone providers cut off McColo Corporation, a California Web-hosting service that spammers were using to coordinate e-mail attacks. The average seven-day spam volume during the latter half of March is now at roughly the same levels as October of last year -- around 94 percent of all e-mail -- according to the antispam company Postini, a division of Google.
Supreme Court Lets Ruling Against Va. Spam Law Stand
The Supreme Court said it is refusing to consider reinstating the Commonwealth of Virginia's junk e-mail law. The court's inaction upholds an earlier ruling of the Virginia Supreme Court that Virginia's Computer Crimes Act violates First Amendment rights.
EU Leader Wants Limits on Use of Personal Data
Some Internet companies are abusing consumers' personal data and this cannot be allowed to continue, a top European Union official planned to warn the industry. Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, in a speech whose text was obtained by Reuters in advance, will threaten EU intervention to set tougher rules on how Internet users' personal data is collected, analyzed and shared by search engines and service providers.
