A Paris court found U.S. Internet giant Google guilty of violating copyright by digitizing books and putting extracts online, following a legal challenge by major French publishers. The court ruled against Google's French unit after the La Martiniere group, which controls the highbrow Editions du Seuil publishing house, argued that publishers and authors were losing out in the latest stage of the digital revolution.
"Iranian Cyber Army" Briefly Blocks Access to Twitter
Hackers briefly blocked access to the popular Internet messaging service Twitter, steering traffic to another website where a group reportedly calling itself the "Iranian Cyber Army" claimed responsibility. Users trying to reach Twitter were redirected to a Web page that CNN reported had a picture of a green flag and a message that said, "This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army."
Company Files Trademark Suit Against Microsoft Over "Bing"
A small St. Louis company is suing Microsoft for using the name "Bing" without permission for its recently launched search engine. The small company claims it has been using the Bing name since 2000 and has applications pending to register the trademark, while Microsoft only launched Bing in May 2009.
Companies Aim to Protect Smartphones from Hackers
Mobile phones are becoming ever more like personal computers. That means they are also becoming more vulnerable to traditional computer menaces like hackers and viruses.
Privacy Group Files Complaint Over Facebook's Changes
In a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission, a privacy organization is charging that Facebook's recent changes to its privacy policies constitute "unfair and deceptive trade practices." The Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, says that Facebook's recent changes "violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook's own representations."
White House to Release $2 Billion for Broadband Access
The Obama administration released details of a $2 billion program in grants and loans to help dramatically expand Americans' broadband Internet access and create tens of thousands of jobs. The funds, to be released over the next 75 days, are among $7.2 billion set aside in President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic recovery package to bring broadband access to unserved or underserved U.S. communities.
China Imposes New Limits on Internet Usage
China's government censors have taken fresh aim at the Internet, rolling out new measures that limit its citizens' ability to set up personal Web sites and to view hundreds of Web sites offering films, video games and other forms of entertainment. The authorities say the stricter controls are intended to protect children from pornography; to limit the piracy of films, music, and television shows; and to make it hard to perpetuate Internet scams.
FCC Unveils Proposals to Expand High-Speed Internet
The Federal Communications Commission unveiled a laundry list of proposals to meet a congressional mandate to give every U.S. home access to high-speed Internet service. The recommendations, which come just two months before the agency must present its final national broadband plan to Congress, include revising a rural phone subsidy program, revamping the market for television set-top boxes and redirecting more airwaves to wireless services.
New York Man Charged with Uploading X-Men Movie
FBI agents arrested a New York man on charges that he uploaded a copy of the movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to the Internet before its May theatrical release, a spokeswoman said. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the probe continues into how Gilberto Sanchez, 47, of New York City obtained the copy he posted to Megaupload.com in the spring.
Apple Gets Permanent Injunction Against Mac Clone Maker
After a long legal battle, the company won a permanent injunction against Psystar. According to the ruling, the Mac clone manufacturer is no longer allowed to sell systems running Apple's OS.
FTC Sues Intel for Stifling Microchip Competition
The Federal Trade Commission sued the chipmaker, Intel, accusing it of using its dominant market position to stifle competition and strengthen its monopoly. In its complaint, the agency accused Intel of a systematic campaign to prevent rivals from selling their microchips by cutting off their access to the market.
Europe Drops Antitrust Case Against Microsoft
European regulators dropped their antitrust case against Microsoft after the software maker agreed to offer consumers a choice of rival Web browsers. The agreement, announced in Brussels by the European competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, calls for Microsoft to give Windows users a choice of up to 11 other browsers from competing companies, including Mozilla, Apple and Google.
Australian Internet Filters to Block Criminal Content
Australia intends to introduce filters which will ban access to websites containing criminal content. The banned sites will be selected by an independent classification body guided by complaints from the public, said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
AT&T Says "Open Character of Internet Critically Important"
AT&T tried to convince federal regulators that it's part of a broad coalition supporting an open and free Internet, but cautioned that new government rules currently being crafted would stifle innovation. The letter attempts to position AT&T as a champion of user rights, and make it seems that its position on the volatile issue of "net neutrality" is not far from its nemesis Google, which champions openness as a way to increase its profits.
Microsoft Says Blogging Program Copied Code
Microsoft said that a blogging application posted to its MSN China site did in fact copy code from a rival. Microsoft has said a third party and not it or its Chinese joint venture partner wrote the Juku program.
Microsoft Software to Help Identify Child Porn
Microsoft is contributing new image-matching software, PhotoDNA, that promises to automate and streamline online child-pornography monitoring. "It's a terrific tool for us, law enforcement and ISPs," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Malicious Adobe Acrobat File Identified
Symantec confirmed a vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader and said it was being exploited by a Trojan hidden in e-mail attachments. The malicious Adobe Acrobat PDF file is distributed via an e-mail attachment that "drops and executes when opened on a fully patched system with either Adobe Acrobat or Reader installed," Symantec said in a statement.
Rumored Google Phone Name May Create Conflict
Isa Dick Hackett, a daughter of the late Philip K. Dick, said in an interview that she was "shocked and dismayed" by reports indicating that the Google phone would be named after her father's famous characters. "We were never consulted, no requests were made, and we didn't grant any sort of permissions."
"Operation Holiday Hoax" Nabs $26 Million of Fake Goods
More than $26 million worth of counterfeit clothing, electronics, DVDs, holiday ornaments and other consumer goods are now in the hands of authorities after a nationwide series of raids. The coordinated raids were aimed at cracking down on major rings selling "knockoff" products, federal authorities announced.
Supreme Court Agrees to Hearing Text-Messaging Case
The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a police department violated the constitutional privacy rights of an employee when it inspected personal text messages sent and received on a government pager. The case opens "a new frontier in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence," according to a three-judge panel of an appeals court that ruled in favor of the employee, a police sergeant on the Ontario, Calif., SWAT team.
