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Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Landmark File-Sharing Copyright Case

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 8:10am.
Washington -- Oral arguments were presented to the Supreme Court on Tuesday in MGM v. Grokster, the landmark copyright infringement case pitting the entertainment industry against makers of peer-to-peer file-sharing software. CNET News.com reported that while the justices "were critical of the entertainment industry's proposal, which would hold companies 'predominantly' supported by piracy liable for copyright infringement," they also "showed little sympathy for the file-swapping companies' business model." The Associated Press reported that justices "wondered aloud whether such lawsuits might have discouraged past inventions like copy machines, videocassette recorders and iPod portable music players," while also asking "whether profits from trafficking in stolen property can rightfully be used to help finance a young technology business." The Los Angeles Times reported that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor "suggested a software firm could be sued and put out of business if it drew customers by touting its system as a way to obtain free copies of copyrighted music," a compromise short of allowing lawsuits against any peer-to-peer software company. Outside the court, a group of Nashville musicians protested on behalf of the entertainment industry, while file-sharing advocates carried signs with messages such as "Save Betamax."
tags: Law | Landmark | Supreme Court | File-Sharing Copyright Case |

Internet Entrepreneur Takes Apple to High Court Over iTunes.co.uk

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 8:08am.
London -- Benjamin Cohen, a 22-year-old Internet entrepreneur, announced on Tuesday that he has applied to the U.K. High Court for a judicial review of a case concerning the iTunes domain name. Earlier this month, Nominet, the U.K. domain name registry service, awarded the itunes.co.uk domain name to computer giant Apple, despite the fact Cohen registered it three years before Apple launched its online music shop. The registry said that, by offering to sell the domain name and continuing to re-direct people from itunes.co.uk, Cohen had abused his registration. "The domain name, in the hands of the respondent (Cohen), is an abusive registration on the grounds of its use in a manner taking unfair advantage of, and being unfairly detrimental to, the rights of the complainant (Apple)," Nominet said. Cohen, however, accused Nominet of being biased against small businesses. "The procedure that Nominet utilizes to settle disputes is unfair and biased towards big business at the expense of legitimate small British companies," he said.
tags: Law | Apple | iTunes.co.uk | Internet Entrepreneur | High Court |

Blockbuster Settles With States Over "No Late Fees" Consumer Confusion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 8:06am.
Lemoyne, Penn. -- Blockbuster has agreed to pay 47 states and the District of Columbia a total of $630,000, and refund customers who claim they were misled by the company's recently implemented "No Late Fees" rental policy. Blockbuster announced its "No Late Fees" program last year in a national promotional campaign, in part to counter competition from online services like Netflix that do not charge late fees for rentals; some consumers said they were misled because Blockbuster's program does in fact charge a restocking fee, or the full price of a movie, if it is returned seven days after the due date. Terms of the settlement also call for Blockbuster to alter the way it advertises its "No Late Fees" policy in the future. Blockbuster said it will not drop the fees, but will change its marketing to explain the terms more clearly. "We think it was pretty well communicated from the beginning, but we are happy to make it even clearer," said Blockbuster CEO John Antioco.
tags: Blockbuster | No Late Fees | Consumer Confusion |

EU Approves Name for Stripped-Down Version of Windows

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 8:04am.
Brussels -- Microsoft announced this week that it has reached an agreement with the European Commission that will allow the software giant to sell a stripped-down version of its Windows operating system in the EU under the name "Windows XP Home Edition N". The Commission recommended the name after rejecting 10 suggestions by Microsoft. The "Windows XP Home Edition N" or "Windows XP Professional Edition N" editions will be sold in a matter of weeks, Microsoft said. In a landmark ruling last year, the Commission ordered Microsoft to offer customers a version of Windows without its multimedia player. The two have been butting heads ever since over a name for the operating system that would not put off consumers.
tags: Windows | EU | Stripped-Down Version |

Google Acquires Web Analytics Firm Urchin Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 8:00am.
Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine giant Google announced that it has acquired Urchin Software, a San Diego-based Web analytics company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Urchin provides services to website owners and marketers that help them better understand their users' experiences, optimize content and track marketing performance. "We want to provide website owners and marketers with the information they need to optimize their users' experience and generate a higher return-on-investment from their advertising spending," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president of product management. Google expects the acquisition will close before the end of April.
tags: Deals | Google | Web Analytics Firm | Urchin Software |

Atari, Parsons School of Design Hold Retro Game Development Content

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 7:56am.
New York -- Video game publisher Atari announced on Tuesday that it is collaborating with the Parsons School of Design in New York City on the school's first 24-hour game design event, "Retro Redux." The event will pit teams of students from New York-area colleges in a challenge to design a game for the original Atari 2600 game console, for which such classic titles as "Asteroids," "Pong" and "Missile Command" were developed. The top overall game will be featured in an upcoming version of Atari's Flashback game console, a plug-and-play TV system that includes a suite of embedded game titles. "At Parsons, students learn to think critically about the role technology plays in the design, production, dissemination, and use of games," said Colleen Macklin, chair of the Design and Technology Program at Parsons. The school added that it plans to launch a game design concentration at the BFA level, to complement its MFA-level concentration, during the coming fall semester.
tags: Atari | Parsons School of Design | Retro Game Development |

META Group Shareholders Approve Acquisition by Gartner

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 7:53am.
Stamford, Conn. -- META Group, a provider of IT research and advisory services, announced that its shareholders have approved the proposed acquisition of the company by Gartner Inc., a technology market research firm, for $10 a share. The deal is still subject to certain other customer conditions. It is expected to close in April.
tags: Gartner | Shareholders | META Group |

U.K.-Based Caspian Learning Limited Secures VC Financing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2005 - 7:51am.
London -- Caspian Learning Ltd., a U.K.-based 3D games-based learning firm, recently announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital financing from Enterprise Ventures. Caspian Learning said the investment package from the RisingStars Growth Fund and the Coalfields Enterprise Fund, both managed by Enterprise Ventures, would allow it to develop and market its suite of 3D learning-based applications aimed at the education and corporate training markets. Caspian Learning said the investment would also allow it to move its software and content development division to larger premises in Sunderland and open its sales headquarters in the Manchester Business Park.
tags: U.K | Caspian Learning Limited | VC Financing |