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DOJ Cracking Down on P2P
More details, from the San Francisco Chronicle: "The suits, which referred to the defendants as 'John Doe' until their identity can be determined, were filed in cities including Atlanta, New York and Oakland. The recording association also added the names of 152 individuals to existing suits after their identities were uncovered." The RIAA is patting itself on the back for its efforts. "The difference in digital music today and last year is night and day," said RIAA President Cary Sherman, as quoted by the New York Post.
• The San Francisco Chronicle: Federal Online Gangbusters Arrest Dozens
• The New York Post: RIAA Sues 744 Music Pirates
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ISPs: We're Not the Bad Guys
Internet service providers and other technology firms aren't supportive of digital piracy, but some want Congress to lighten its approach for an antipiracy bill, the Associated Press reported. They claim the bill, called the Induce Act, "will make them targets of frivolous entertainment industry copyright lawsuits. The group, which includes Verizon Communications Inc., SBC Communications Inc. [and] MCI Communications Corp, submitted their alternative to the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act to lawmakers Tuesday, said Sarah Deutsch, Verizon's associate general counsel. The companies behind the alternative to the so-called Induce Act want to restrict the scope of the proposed bill, which would essentially make companies liable if their software or technology encourages users to violate copyright laws."
• The Associated Press via washingtonpost.com: Tech Firms Seek to Soften Anti-Piracy Bill (Registration required)
Instant Bullying
The Internet has become a favorite playground for young people, with instant messaging and text messaging supplanting telephone calls as favorite modes of communication. But IMs are also proving to be a tool in the often catty, bullying ways that accompany the growing pains of adolescence. The New York Times writes about this dark side of the Net in a feature article today. An excerpt: "The episode reflects one of many ways that the technology lubricating the social lives of teenagers is amplifying standard adolescent cruelty. No longer confined to school grounds or daytime hours, 'cyberbullies' are pursuing their quarries into their own bedrooms. Tools like e-mail messages and Web logs enable the harassment to be both less obvious to adults and more publicly humiliating, as gossip, put-downs and embarrassing pictures are circulated among a wide audience of peers with a few clicks," the article said. "The technology, which allows its users to inflict pain without being forced to see its effect, also seems to incite a deeper level of meanness. Psychologists say the distance between bully and victim on the Internet is leading to an unprecedented - and often unintentional - degree of brutality, especially when combined with a typical adolescent's lack of impulse control and underdeveloped empathy skills."
• The New York Times: Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar (Registration required)
Is That Really a Kate Spade Bag You Got Online?
Counterfeit luxury items have found a cozy home on the Internet. The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing problem as a backdrop for a suit Tiffany & Co. filed against online auction site eBay in June tied to copycat goods sold through the site. "In the past 10 years, the Internet has overtaken even New York's copycat central, Canal Street, to become the third-biggest market for the sale of counterfeit goods, behind China and Italy. Other industries have launched scare campaigns and sued buyers, but luxury-goods companies hawking such things as diamond tiaras to rasta-striped handbags are training their guns on the sales channel -- and that usually means eBay, though Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. could be future targets," the article said. As for Tiffany's suit, the auction firm's "response to the legal action, due by the beginning of September ... will be the first legal test of eBay's role in the sale of fakes if it goes to trial," the Journal said. "If Tiffany wins, a flood of suits could follow. But a loss could hinder luxury companies' efforts to thrust responsibility on eBay."
• The Wall Street Journal: Luxury-Goods Firms Are Hunting Copycats as Web Market Expands (Subscription required)
Nintendo Betting on Simplicity
It's August and that means Christmas is right around the corner – well, at least if you're a gaming company, eyeing the retail sales bonanza of the holiday season. Nintendo Co. plans to start selling its new handheld gaming device, the Nintendo DS, before Christmas, Dow Jones Newswires reported. "A sneak preview at an exposition earlier this year generated interest because of the device's features such as a touch panel display, voice recognition and wireless connectivity, which allows many players to join one game. Dual liquid-crystal-display screens let users control movements of game characters with a stylus or fingertip on the lower touch screen; a tap on the screen, for example, will make a character jump," the article said. "Nintendo has a lot riding on the new machine. The company hopes to be rewarded for sticking to its belief that game lovers just want a simple, fun and inexpensive gaming experience -- even as Sony and Microsoft Corp. have been pouring money into developing fancier machines able to handle advanced graphics."
The Gizmodo tech gadget blog posted a picture of the Nintendo DS last month. The Game Cube-Europe site posted a manual for the soon-to-be released gaming device on its site today.
• Dow Jones Newswires via The Wall Street Journal: Nintendo Plays for a Comeback With Hand-Held Game Device (Subscription required)
Gates Boosts Stem-Cell Campaign
Microsoft chief Bill Gates is contributing $400,000 to a political campaign in California – a campaign to help support stem cell research. The ballot measure "would make billions of dollars available for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning projects in the state, campaign records show," the Associated Press reported. "Gates is the latest billionaire to contribute to a campaign that has amassed more than $12 million in support of Proposition 71, which would have the state borrow $3 billion to fund the controversial research over 10 years. Cloning projects solely for research would be funded, but cloning programs to create babies would be barred." Bloomberg also picked up the news. The California Secretary of State's office links to a PDF of the ballot summary for the proposition.
• The Associated Press via washingtonpost.com: Bill Gates Contributes To California Stem Cell Campaign (Registration required)
• Bloomberg: Bill Gates Gives $400,000 to California Stem-Cell Bond Measure
If You're Happy and You Know It ...
PC users are happier with their computer purchases, another consumer satisfaction study has found. "The score for PCs in the American Customer Satisfaction Index rose to 74 from 72 a year ago, according to ACSI figures released Tuesday. The uptick was due to lower prices for home computers, upgrades in power and capabilities, and an increase in experience on the part of users," CNET's News.com said. "Apple led the list of PC makers in the ACSI with a score of 81, making a 5 [point] improvement for the second year in a row. Dell ranked second with a score of 79, a slight increase from last year. Gateway's mark jumped from 69 to 74. Despite making slight gains, Hewlett-Packard's two computer brands scored below the industry average of 74, with HP at 71 and Compaq at 69."
• CNET’s News.com: PC Users Happy – Especially With Apple, Dell
Speaking of Dell, the PC maker could roll out more consumer electronics products soon, an analyst told Reuters. "The expectation is that in the next several weeks, Dell would announce an expanded selection of televisions and a greater selection of digital cameras," said Bill Sims, who covers Best Buy Co. Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. for Citigroup Smith Barney.
• Reuters: Dell May Soon Unveil More Consumer Goods -Analyst