Research In Motion Ltd. warned BlackBerry users in the United Arab Emirates that a software upgrade recommended by their wireless carrier was actually surveillance software that could enable unauthorized access to the popular smart phone. RIM, which makes the BlackBerry, said it didn't authorize the upgrade.
Antitrust Approval Expected for Amazon-Zappos Deal
Amazon.com's purchase of shoe seller Zappos.com, known for attentive customer service, will likely race through an antitrust review unscuffed, antitrust experts said. While Amazon.com is buying a rival to its disappointing Endless.com site, the nearly $1 billion deal will likely be approved since neither Amazon nor Zappos is a major shoe distributor, despite their online fame, experts said.
AP Plans Way to Track Use of Stories Online
The Associated Press, taking a hard line against Web sites that run stories without permission, said it is creating a way to track and control the distribution of its articles online. The AP and its 1,400 member newspapers fret about how and where their articles are repurposed online, noting that bloggers and Web portals sometimes run stories without permission.
Federal Government Called at Risk of Cyberattack
The federal government is at risk of being unable to fight off attacks on the nation's computer networks unless it strengthens its cyber-security work force, according to a report. The nation's security could be in jeopardy because not enough workers are sufficiently trained to protect computer systems from hackers, criminals, terrorists and foreign governments, the Partnership for Public Service and consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton found after studying 18 federal agencies and interviewing experts inside and outside government.
Amazon's Deletion of E-Books Raises Legal Questions
Legal experts are divided on whether Amazon broke its own contract with consumers by removing some e-books. The fine print in the company's terms of service gives consumers the "right to keep a permanent copy" of purchased titles, but also reserves Amazon's "right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the service at any time."
Google's Spending on Lobbying Increases 30%
Google spent $950,000 lobbying lawmakers, regulators and the White House on issues ranging from cloud computing to copyright in the second quarter, according to public lobbying disclosures. The sum tops the $880,000 it spent in the first quarter and represents a 30% increase from the second quarter of 2008, when it spent $730,000.
Qualcomm Faces $208 Million Antitrust Fine in S. Korea
South Korea's antitrust agency imposed a $208 million fine on Qualcomm and ordered the U.S. wireless chip and technology company to stop discriminating against companies using competitor's products.
Intel Appeals Record Antitrust Fine in Europe
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, filed an appeal challenging the European Commission's record €1.06 billion fine and ruling in May that it had abused its dominance in computer processors by offering rebates to computer makers who used more of its chips.
Suicide Reported in China Over Missing iPhone
News media in China are reporting that a 25-year-old employee of Foxconn, which manufactures products for Apple there, committed suicide after being interrogated about a missing prototype for a new iPhone. The reports said the employee, who had been tasked with sending iPhone prototypes to Apple, had been under suspicion for stealing after one of the handsets went missing.
Spam Traffic Reaches Record Levels, Report Says
TRACElabs just issued this mid-year report noting that spam volumes have spiked to the highest levels ever recorded. Spam volumes are now higher than the previous highest levels recorded in July 2008.
Steven Madden Sues eBay for Selling Fake Watches
Footwear and accessories maker Steven Madden Ltd. sued eBay over purportedly fake watches being sold on the online marketplace's website. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan claimed that unlicensed watches bearing the Steven Madden brand name made by former licensee Vestal Watch were being sold on eBay.
Police Departments Using New Technology to Fight Crime
Police departments that once treated information technology as an internal tool for tracking crime are opening up to the public, inviting them to join online discussion groups, participate in social networking and even help solve crimes.
Kazaa, Pirate Bay Plan Legal Models, Like Napster
Peer-to-peer download sites Kazaa and The Pirate Bay are set to return with a new, legal subscription model. Both services are following the example set by Napster, which was the subject of several lawsuits that eventually shut down and bankrupted the service.
U.K. Court Says Google Not Liable for Defamation
A court in the United Kingdom has ruled Google isn't on the hook for defamatory information in its search results, saying the company facilitates access to the information but isn't a direct publisher. The High Court judge, David Eady, offered his conclusion in a case pitting Metropolitan International Schools, a distance learning company, against Google UK and its U.S. headquarters.
Europe Plans Hearing on Google Books Database
The European Commission is to hold a hearing on September 7 for interested parties to comment on Google's deal with publishers to make millions of books available online and its impact on EU writers' rights. The European Union executive had said in May it would study Google's book deal after Germany complained the company had scanned books from U.S. libraries to create its Google Books database without prior consent of rights holders.
Falun Gong Wants U.S. Help to Defeat Censors Online
Ten years after a government crackdown drove it underground in China, Falun Gong is trying to position itself to get U.S. government funds to help defeat Internet censors worldwide. The spiritual group's efforts to stay in contact with its members in China spawned a sophisticated effort to evade Chinese censors, which has now expanded enough that it was used by Iranian protesters to get around government controls in June.
Amazon Deletes Two Books from Users' Kindle Devices
In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books "1984" and "Animal Farm" from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them. An Amazon spokesman, Drew Herdener, said in an e-mail message that the books were added to the Kindle store by a company that did not have rights to them, using a self-service function.
Online Forum Racist, Police Officers Say in Suit
A group of black Philadelphia police officers filed a federal lawsuit against their department, alleging an online forum geared toward city police is "infested with racist, white supremacist and anti-African-American content." The suit alleges white officers post on and moderate the privately operated site, Domelights.com, both on and off the job.
BlackBerry Maker to Pay Visto $267.5 Million
Research In Motion agreed to pay rival Visto $267.5 million to license and buy patents, settling a long-running legal battle. As part of the deal, RIM received a perpetual and fully paid license on all Visto patents and acquired some Visto intellectual property.
Computer Companies Sued Over Patent on Touchpad
Apple, LG, Microsoft, and 20 other companies are being sued for patent infringement by a Texas firm that claims to have invented the touchpad. Tsera LLC, a Texas business that's apparently named after a defunct Native American tribe, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court, Eastern Texas Division.
