A coalition of civil-rights and disability groups in favor of Google's book-scanning project held a press conference to marshal support for improving access to knowledge, the key benefit of Google's deal with authors and publishers to create a new kind of digital library. They fear that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain digital access to knowledge previously stored in libraries at expensive universities or rich communities could be hampered by the opposition to the settlement from some authors and privacy advocates.
Europe Extends Investigation of Sun-Oracle Merger
European regulators delayed the proposed takeover of Sun Microsystems by the software company Oracle, indicating that the combination could squelch the growth of a popular, free corporate database program owned by Sun. The decision by the European Commission to extend its investigation into the deal, worth $7.4 billion, is especially sensitive because the Justice Department has already approved the merger.
Trojan Horse Can Record Internet Calls, Symantec Says
Along with keyloggers that track what you type, now we have to worry about malicious software that listens in on our voice over Internet Protocol conversations. A Symantec security blog disclosed a new Trojan horse "that records VoIP communications, specifically targeting Skype."
Microsoft Lawyer Urges Global Patent System
A senior lawyer at Microsoft is calling for the creation of a global patent system to make it easier and faster for corporations to enforce their intellectual property rights around the world. In a blog posting, Microsoft's Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez said that a backlog of patent applications internationally was needed to tackle the 3.5 million pending patent applications around the world -- including around 750,000 in the United States.
ISPs Want FCC to Set Low Limits for "Broadband" Definition
The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of "broadband," arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations. The submissions were filed with the Federal Communications Commission which had sought comments by August 31 on how the agency should define broadband for a report to be submitted to Congress early next year.
Amazon Opposes Google's Book Copyright Settlement
Lawyers for Amazon.com Inc. blasted Google Inc.'s copyright settlement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers as an anticompetitive agreement that would increase how much consumers pay for digital books and undermine Congress's role in amending copyright law to address changes in technology. The Seattle e-commerce giant filed a legal brief with the U.S. District Court in New York, formally intervening in the settlement that has drawn a wide range of critics and supporters from across the publishing industry.
Azerbaijan Bloggers Face Jail for Satire on YouTube
Two bloggers from Azerbaijan are facing up to five years in jail after posting a video of a donkey giving a news conference on YouTube. Shortly after the video was released, Andnan Hajizade and Emin Milli were held on hooliganism charges following a scuffle in a restaurant.
Google Obtains Patent on Home Page's "User Interface"
After a five-and-a-half-year fight, Google and its attorneys have obtained a patent on the company's iconic home page, as an innovative "graphical user interface."
Domain Consulting Firm Sues Wolfgang Puck Over .food
New TLD consulting firm Minds+Machines is suing Wolfgang Puck and his wife. The lawsuit claims that Wolfgang Puck and his wife tried to interject themselves into all new TLDs Minds+Machines is working on and that Puck ceased to jointly promote .food as agreed.
NFL Bans Players from Using Twitter During Games
The National Football League announced that it had modified its social-media policy to limit Twitter and social-networking use by players, coaches, league officials, and even the media. They will be prohibited from using Twitter and from updating profiles on Facebook and other social-networking sites during games.
Appeals Court Upholds Ban on Internet Gambling
A U.S. appeals court upheld an Internet gambling ban, rejecting a challenge from an association of off-shore bookies that the federal prohibition was too vague and violated privacy rights. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia rejected arguments from Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association in New Jersey, which had filed the lawsuit hoping to legalize online betting in that state.
Privacy Advocates Push Laws on Behavioral Advertising
Privacy advocates released a series of guidelines for legislators considering regulations on behavioral advertising, calling for greater transparency and giving Web surfers more control over how the data is used. Ten groups, including the Center for Digital Democracy and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, are pushing the debate ahead of the return of Congress in September, when certain members have hinted they'd be receptive to ideas for legislation.
German Court Says Google Must Change Terms of Service
A German court has ruled that Google must change terms of service that could be interpreted to compromise a user's rights, a decision the consumer advocacy group that brought the suit welcomed as a victory for online transparency. The suit filed by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations charged that the terms of service for opening an account through Google Mail, Google Documents and other programs could be interpreted as giving the Internet search giant the right to review and even delete a user's information.
British Parliament's Website Vulnerable, Hacker Says
A vulnerability in the website of the UK Parliament appears to be exposing confidential information, including unencrypted login credentials, a Romanian hacker wrote on his blog. The SQL injection vulnerability is on this page, the hacker, who goes by the moniker Unu, told The Register.
U.S. Users Tops for Malware Infections, Microsoft Says
Windows users based in the United States are the most likely to benefit from Microsoft's malicious software removal tool, which has removed malware from nearly 2.2 million US machines, more than the other nine top countries combined. Over the same period, the MSRT has disinfected 383,378 machines in China, 282,152 in Brazil, 278,207 in the UK, and 262,539 in Korea, according to statistics Microsoft published.
Man Guides Police to Suspects Via GPS in Stolen iPhone
Using a computer to tap into the GPS function of his cell phone, a man directed police to the location of the men he said robbed him. The man used his computer to track the location of his iPhone to a Wal-Mart, where police said the suspects purchased items with his stolen credit card.
Google Says It May Disclose IP Addresses in Libel Suit
Google has reportedly sent a letter to a high-profile Caribbean investigative website called The TCI Journal saying it will supply the IP addresses used to access the Journal's primary GMail account unless the Journal supplies a legal counter-motion within the next two weeks. A libel suit filed against the Journal in Santa Clara, California Superior Court concerns its reporting of government corruption in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Arrested Microsoft Pirate in China Seen as Martyr
Hong Lei and his partners were the biggest pirates of Microsoft Corp. software in China, but since his arrest last December, the 30-year-old creator of a popular Chinese clone of Windows called Tomato Garden Window XP has become something of an Internet hero. The phenomenon underscores the challenges faced by Microsoft and other technology companies as they battle rampant piracy in China, despite official efforts to crack down.
Microsoft Investigating Reports of FTP Security Flaw
Microsoft said it is looking into a report of a flaw in some versions of its Internet Information Services product that could allow an attacker to gain control of a system. In a statement, a Microsoft representative said the company "is investigating new public claims of a possible vulnerability in IIS 5 and IIS 6 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)."
Computer Hacker to Plead Guilty, Serve 25 Years in Prison
A computer hacker accused of masterminding one of the largest cases of identity theft in U.S. history agreed to plead guilty and serve up to 25 years in federal prison. Albert Gonzalez of Miami was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal courts in New York and Boston.
