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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2006 British Courts Find in Favor of Recording Industry ISPs in Britain Ordered to Disclose Identities Number of ID Thefts Drops, Costs Rise Debating the Best Way to Spread Technology IBM Joins Free-Database Crowd BRITISH COURTS FIND IN FAVOR OF RECORDING INDUSTRY In the first two cases of illegal file trading that went to trial in the United Kingdom, the High Court has ruled against two men, ordering them to pay damages to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The two defendants and three other individuals were accused of illegally sharing nearly 9,000 songs over the Internet. One defendant argued that there was no evidence against him. The court rejected that position and ordered him to make an initial payment of 5,000 pounds; his fine is expected to rise to at least 13,500 pounds. The other defendant said he did not know that what he was doing was illegal and pointed out that he sought no profit. A judge said that "Ignorance is not a defense" and ordered the man to make an initial payment of 1,500 pounds. The other three individuals have refused to settle and are awaiting trial. Officials from the BPI said the rulings were a "massive step forward" in their efforts to curb illegal file trading. Many of the other defendants in BPI lawsuits have settled out of court, but more than 50 cases remain outstanding. The BPI has given those individuals a deadline of January 31 to avoid court action. BBC, 27 January 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4653662.stm ISPS IN BRITAIN ORDERED TO DISCLOSE IDENTITIES In the United Kingdom, the High Court has ordered 10 ISPs to disclose the identities of 150 individuals suspected of trading copyrighted software. The Business Software Alliance estimates that one-quarter of all software used in the United Kingdom is illicit. The court ruling came after a group called the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) petitioned the court to order the disclosures, noting that software pirates hide behind fake names and bogus e-mail addresses and are notoriously difficult to track down. FAST said that after it has obtained the identities of those suspected of illegally trading software, it will consult with law enforcement authorities. John Lovelock, an official at FAST, said the group intends to make an example of software pirates, and the group's legal counsel said the current court action is "only the first wave of an ongoing strategy." BBC, 30 January 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4663388.stm NUMBER OF ID THEFTS DROPS, COSTS RISE According to a new report from Javelin Strategy and Research and the Better Business Bureau, the number of individuals victimized by identity theft has fallen in recent years, but the amount of money lost to such malfeasance is climbing. Researchers found that about 8.9 million people suffered identity theft last year, compared to 9.3 million the year before. In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that identity thieves successfully targeted 10.1 million individuals. Experts said the decline in the number of victims indicates heightened awareness and better tools to combat identity crimes. Even as the number of victims has dropped, the total losses to such crimes has risen from $53.2 billion in 2003 to $56.6 billion last year. "Criminals are building up more expertise," said James Van Dyke, founder and principal analyst of Javelin, "and they have to soak victims for more money." Wall Street Journal, 30 January 2006 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113858617249559658.html DEBATING THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD TECHNOLOGY Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Laboratory, has sparked an ongoing debate about how best to bring technology to the developing world. Negroponte has created a nonprofit organization called One Laptop Per Child to develop a $100 laptop to be marketed to countries with limited access to technology. His vision is reportedly taking shape, with a manufacturer lined up and project organizers close to signing deals for seven million of the units. Negroponte reportedly talked with both Microsoft and Apple about supplying operating systems for his $100 laptops, but he ultimately settled on Linux, a decision that is said to have riled Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Speaking at the recent Consumer Electronics show, Gates suggested that instead of an inexpensive laptop, modified cell phones are a better way to spread technology. Gates showed a mockup of such a phone, which would connect to a TV and a keyboard. Negroponte said his group considered a similar approach but dismissed it as too impractical compared to the laptop idea. New York Times, 30 January 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/30/technology/30gates.html IBM JOINS FREE-DATABASE CROWD IBM has released a free version of its DB2 database, joining Microsoft and Oracle in offering free database software to developers. The goal of such products is to encourage software developers to use the products and write programs for them and to compete with the growing stable of open source databases, including the popular MySQL. According to research firm Evans Data, nearly three-quarters of software developers have worked with an open source database in the past year. The free version of IBM's database is functionally the same as the paid version, but it cannot run on all hardware. Systems that can run the new database must be limited to two processors or two dual-core chips, and there is a memory limit of 4 GB. CNET, 30 January 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1012_3-6032676.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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