A little-known Swedish software firm has snapped up file-sharing website The Pirate Bay with the hope of turning the source of legal controversy into a money-spinner that appeals to both users and content providers. Global Gaming Factory X AB, which operates Internet cafes and provides software, said that it had agreed to buy Pirate Bay for 60 million Swedish crowns ($7.7 million).
Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Fraud Over iTunes Gift Cards
Illinois residents Daniel and Barbara Owens are suing Apple, accusing the company of fraud related to its iTunes gift cards. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in southern Illinois, shows that the couple is seeking monetary damages for Apple's "wrongful, illegal, improper and fraudulent acts."
Amazon's Tax Struggle Hits Affiliates in Hawaii
Amazon.com Inc. has informed its marketing affiliates in Hawaii that it is ending its business with them to avoid collecting sales tax in the state. Lawmakers in Hawaii, following in the footsteps of North Carolina and Rhode Island, have passed legislation that would require companies to collect sales tax if they have marketing affiliates in the state.
Online Sellers to Pay $765,000 in Bait-and-Switch Case
Seven online merchants operating more than 40 Web sites have agreed to pay a $765,000 settlement following an investigation by the New York State Attorney General's office, the AG's office said. "These companies engaged in the worst kinds of consumer fraud, from classic bait-and-switch schemes to blatant lies and bullying sales tactics," New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.
Amazon Stops Affiliate Program in Two States in Tax Spat
Amazon has shuttered its Associates affiliate programs in North Carolina and Rhode Island, a move enabling it to avoid having to collect state sales taxes through new laws likely to go into effect within days. However, the decision also means that the states' Amazon affiliates -- Web site operators who place links to Amazon merchandise on their pages in return for a percentage of sales -- will be left out in the cold.
Child Porn Hidden in Swiss Hip-Hop Music Site
Child pornography was downloaded from a Swiss hip-hop music website to around 2,300 computers in 78 countries, Swiss police said. Jean-Christophe Sauterel, a police spokesman in the Vaud canton of Switzerland, said videos of minors engaged in sexual acts were hidden in a Swiss site where the principal content was "perfectly legal."
Mitnick's Website Compromised in Hacking Attack
A website belonging to security expert Kevin Mitnick was compromised after hackers managed to access a domain name server maintained by the site's webhost and redirect visitors to pages that displayed pornographic images. It was the second time in the past few years that a security lapse at hostedhere.net has allowed hackers to redirect the site, Mitnick told The Register.
Pirate Bay Announces Video-Sharing Website
The world's most high-profile file-sharing website, The Pirate Bay, has lifted the lid on its new video sharing website, The Video Bay. Billed as a rival to YouTube, the service will offer unrestricted video content, in violation of copyright law.
U.S., Russia Debate Need for Cybersecurity Treaty
The United States and Russia are locked in a fundamental dispute over how to counter the growing threat of cyberwar attacks that could wreak havoc on computer systems and the Internet. Russia favors an international treaty along the lines of those negotiated for chemical weapons and has pushed for that approach at a series of meetings this year and in public statements by a high-ranking official, while the United States argues that a treaty is unnecessary.
PC Makers Preparing for Internet Filters in China
Less than a week before a deadline for PC makers to install censorship software on all computers sold in China, some say they are prepared to implement it even as they quietly continue to lobby against it. Sources at PC makers said while they were prepared to implement the ruling, they would probably wait until the last minute before sending the software to their distributors.
Ex-Cybersecurity Leader Leader Named CEO of ICANN
Former U.S. cybersecurity official Rod Beckstrom has been named the new CEO and president of ICANN. As director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center, he oversaw a large, disparate agency spanning civilian, military and intelligence communities.
News of Jackson's Death Slows Some Traffic Online
The biggest showbiz story of the year -- the death of Michael Jackson -- saw the troubled star take a good slice of the Internet with him, as the ripples caused by the news of his death swept around the globe. "Between approximately 2:40 p.m. PDT and 3:15 p.m. PDT today, some Google News users experienced difficulty accessing search results for queries related to Michael Jackson," a Google spokesman told CNET, which also reported that Google News users complained that the service was inaccessible for a time.
Swedish Court Rejects Retrial for Pirate Bay
A Swedish court has thrown out a request for a retrial by the four men behind The Pirate Bay website. The four were found guilty of promoting copyright infringement in April and face jail sentences and hefty claims for damages.
China Limits Online Access to Health, Sex Material
The Chinese Health Ministry ordered sharp restrictions on Internet access to medical research papers on sexual subjects, the latest move in what it calls an anti-pornography campaign that many China experts see as a harbinger of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent. In the past month, central government officials have cited a need to control pornography in ordering that filtering software be installed on all new computers sold in China starting July 1.
British Government Plans to Create Cybersecurity Agency
The U.K. government plans to form a cybersecurity agency, with functions including cyberattack capability. The Office of Cyber Security, dedicated to protecting Britain's IT infrastructure, will be created with a model proposed -- and in part practiced by -- the U.S.
Apple Approves iPhone App with Nudity
Apple has finally allowed pornography, or at least nudity, into the iTunes App Store. The change in Apple’s porn policy is likely a result of expanded parental controls in the new iPhone 3.0 OS software.
Increase in Copyright Fees Prompts Hike from Sirius XM
The Copyright Royalty Board has raised music royalty fees and Sirius XM will pass those costs on to customers starting next month. Royalty rates have risen steadily since 2007 when the CRB established performance royalty rates for satellite radio.
U.S. Officials Urge China to Drop Internet Filtering Mandate
Top U.S. officials urged China to abandon its proposal to require Internet filters installed on personal computers starting next month, warning the step could violate world trade rules. "China is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them, with virtually no public notice, to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement.
Venture Capitalist Inadvertently Spreads Malware on Twitter
Guy Kawasaki, a venture capitalist and avid Twitter user, inadvertently sent followers to a malware-infected site from an update posted to his account. The tweet appeared because his account is configured to show updates from NowPublic, a user-contributed news site, where, he said, a "story that shouldn't have gotten into the feed" appeared.
Blogger Arrested for Threatening to Kill Judges
A blogger and Internet radio talk-show host in New Jersey was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill three federal appeals court judges in Chicago, Illinois. The judges had recently upheld a ban on handguns in Chicago and suburban Oak Park.
