Mindful of what happened to the music industry at a similar transitional juncture, book publishers are about to discover whether their industry is different enough to be spared a similarly dismal fate. Adam Rothberg, vice president for corporate communications at Simon & Schuster, said: "Everybody in the industry considers piracy a significant issue, but it's been difficult to quantify the magnitude of the problem."
Court Dismisses Two eBay Claims Against Craigslist
A Delaware court dismissed two of eBay's claims against classified website Craigslist and its two biggest shareholders, but five key claims remain to be heard in an upcoming trial. The case, expected to go to trial in December after two delays, stems from an April 2008 lawsuit filed by eBay in which the online giant claimed Craigslist's two majority shareholders approved a "coercive plan" that diluted eBay's minority share in the company from 28.4 percent to 24.85 percent.
Secret Service Identifies Juvenile in Facebook Threat
The Secret Service has determined that a juvenile was behind the online survey that asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be assassinated, an agency spokesman said. No criminal charges will be filed against the juvenile or the juvenile's parents, spokesman Edwin Donovan said.
Amazon Settles Suit Over E-Book Deletion on Kindle
Amazon.com has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a high school student over the online retailer's deletion of an e-book he bought for his Kindle electronic reader. Justin D. Gawronski, 17, sued Amazon after it erased copies of the George Orwell novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" from customers' Kindles in July.
British Court Orders Injunction Against Twitter Page
Britain's High Court ordered its first injunction via Twitter, saying the social website and micro-blogging service was the best way to reach an anonymous Tweeter who had been impersonating someone. Solicitors Griffin Law sought the injunction against the micro-blog page arguing it was impersonating right-wing blogger Donal Blaney, the owner of Griffin Law.
Payroll Processor Investigating Breach, Malware
Payroll processor PayChoice said it is investigating a breach in which customers received targeted e-mails purporting to be from the company but were designed to trick people into downloading malware. Workers received e-mails that directed them to download a browser plug-in or visit a Web site so they could continue accessing the Onlineemployer.com PayChoice portal.
NHL May Limit Players' Facebook, Twitter Activities
North America's professional sports leagues are all a twitter over tweeting and have pushed through guidelines to ban player access to social networking sites during games. Following the lead of the NFL and NBA, the NHL said it was close to making recommendations that will prohibit players from using communicational devices for social media activity -- including Twitter and Facebook -- 30 minutes before and after games, practices, meetings and media access periods.
ICANN Enters Into New, Looser Agreement with U.S.
The U.S. government said it had ended its 11-year contract with the nonprofit body that oversees key aspects of the Internet's architecture, after demands from other countries for more say in how the Web works. The move addresses mounting criticism in recent years that no one country should have sole control over important underpinnings of the Internet, such as determining domain name suffixes like ".com."
Study Finds Wide Objection to Online Ad Tracking
About two-thirds of Americans object to online tracking by advertisers -- and that number rises once they learn the different ways marketers are following their online movements, according to a new survey from professors at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley. The professors say they believe the study is the first independent, nationally representative telephone survey on behavioral advertising.
Court Reverses $388 Million Microsoft Patent Ruling
A federal court reversed an earlier ruling that Microsoft's product activation technology infringed on another company's patent, overturning a $388 million verdict in the case. In a ruling, the court vacated the earlier decision and decided the case in Microsoft's favor.
Hate Speech Growing on Social Networking Sites
Complaints against groups on social networking sites that call for threats, violence and hatred toward people who are Jewish, black, gay or have disabilities are on the rise as Americans celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the country rallies around its first black president, and gay marriage is legalized in some states.
Google Asks EU to Force Browser Choices on Microsoft
Google is among Web-browser makers asking the European Union to force Microsoft to make it easier to choose alternatives to Internet Explorer under terms of an EU antitrust settlement, a person familiar with the matter said. Google joined Opera Software ASA and Mozilla Corp., maker of the Firefox browser, in protesting aspects of Microsoft's proposal for a "ballot screen," said the person, who declined to be identified because the complaints aren't public.
Google Employees on Trial in Milan Over Video
The trial of four Google employees has begun in Milan with an engineer from the search giant giving evidence. The employees are accused of breaking Italian law in allowing a video of a teenager with Down's Syndrome to be posted online.
59% of PCs Infected by Malware, Security Firm Says
A rise in malware has caused the number of infected PCs worldwide to increase 15 percent just from August to September, says a report released from antivirus vendor Panda Security. Across the globe, the average number of PCs hit by malware now stands around 59 percent, an all-time high for the year.
Trojan Horse Steals Money from Online Bank Accounts
Researchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just steal your bank log in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance.
Expanding U.S. Broadband Usage Could Cost $350 Billion
Expanding broadband usage throughout the United States will require subsidies and investment in infrastructure upgrades of as much as $350 billion, a regulatory panel said. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is crafting a national broadband plan aimed at increasing usage in rural and urban areas.
EU Seeks to Limit Hearing Loss from Music Players
The European Union said it wants makers of popular digital music players to recommend users turn the volume down to preserve their hearing. The EU's Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said experts and industry will together draft tougher standards to limit hearing loss.
Websites Using .yu Getting Replaced by .rs and .me
Websites using the .yu domain extension will cease to be available online from 30 September. The extension -- assigned to the former Republic of Yugoslavia -- has been replaced by .rs (for Serbia) and .me (for Montenegro).
Cybercriminals Get Trickier, Forcing Users to Get Smarter
Cybercriminals have gotten craftier, often looking toward popular trends and events -- such as tax season, the mortgage meltdown and the growth of social media -- to scam people into giving them sensitive information. To protect their privacy online, computer users need to stay informed about the criminals' methods and to learn basic principles of caution.
U.S. Relaxes Control Over ICANN in New Agreement
The U.S. government is expected to relax control over how the Internet is run when it signs an accord with net regulator ICANN. The "affirmation of commitments" will reportedly give Icann autonomy to run its own affairs for the first time.
