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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2002 Copyright Legislation Would Limit Rights House Passes Bill to Fund Study in Science and Technology Senate Postpones Vote on Cybersecurity Bill AND Flaw Exposed in PGP New Package from Oracle Targets Microsoft Customers Stanford President Links Students with Investors COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION WOULD LIMIT RIGHTS Reps. Howard Coble of North Carolina and Howard Berman of California have drafted a bill that could potentially put severe limits on fair use while giving Webcasters something of a reprieve. Currently, the doctrine of fair use allows consumers to make copies of copyrighted content for specific purposes, including educational and other nonprofit activities. The bill, as currently drafted, would end the exemption that allows this copying. But the bill would make legal the temporary copies that Webcasters must use to broadcast files over the Internet. Some groups have complained that these temporary copies violate copyright. Civil rights and academic groups oppose the restrictions on fair use in the bill, and some noted that the exemption for Webcasters would be moot if Congress enacts a royalty schedule, which could force many Webcasters out of business. CNET, 11 July 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-943134.html HOUSE PASSES BILL TO FUND STUDY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The U.S. House of Representatives this week passed the Tech Talent Act, the goal of which is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate educations in science and technology. The Tech Talent Act would provide about $390 million in grants over five years to fund programs in math, science, engineering, and technology at U.S. colleges and universities. Those institutions, then, would be expected to produce more graduates in these fields. The money, which would come from the National Science Foundation, would also be used to cover faculty training and equipment purchased for the program. The bill now goes to the Senate. IDG, 10 July 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_884625_1793_1-1681.html SENATE POSTPONES VOTE ON CYBERSECURITY BILL The Senate has postponed voting on a bill that would fund research on network security because of an amendment requiring federal agencies to adopt computer-security standards. Industry groups oppose the requirement because they worry it will impose limits on which technologies government agencies could use, preventing relationships with some businesses. A spokesman for the Senator who added the amendment, though, said it was intended to be technology neutral. Observers noted that requiring standards of government could lead to the imposition of security standards for colleges and universities, also. This worries some who otherwise support the bill. Eugene H. Spafford of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University said that although security is very important, no one should prescribe how networks are made secure. Chronicle of Higher Education, 11 July 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/07/2002071202t.htm AND ***************************************************** FLAW EXPOSED IN PGP Researchers at eEye Digital Security Inc. have revealed a critical flaw in the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) plug-in for Outlook. Marc Maiffret of eEye said the flaw is fairly inconspicuous, but it could allow a hacker total access to a user's system. The problem is that PGP mishandles certain types of e-mails. By sending an e-mail with the necessary malicious code to Outlook users with the plug-in, hackers could execute harmful programs, read victims' e-mail, access encryption keys for other data, or, as Maiffret said, "do whatever you want." Maiffret noted the irony of the flaw: that it makes vulnerable those who have taken extra steps to be secure. Network Associates, which until recently distributed PGP, has posted a free patch on its Web site (http://www.nai.com/). Wall Street Journal, 10 July 2002 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1026341465826689040,00.html NEW PACKAGE FROM ORACLE TARGETS MICROSOFT CUSTOMERS Oracle has announced new collaboration software that directly targets Microsoft Exchange. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said his company's new software package, which includes e-mail, workflow, calendar, file system support, and voicemail, will cost a fraction of what comparable functionality from Microsoft would cost. Oracle's solution is based on per-user pricing, independent of the number of devices each user has, and includes an option to outsource the service to Oracle for an additional fee. Mark Levitt, an analyst with IDC, praised Oracle for offering an alternative to Microsoft products, but said the answer to whether customers would switch is "maybe." The per-user pricing, he said, is not necessarily cheaper for all customers, and any savings would be offset by the costs of switching. NewsFactor Network, 11 July 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18556.html STANFORD PRESIDENT LINKS STUDENTS WITH INVESTORS John Hennessy has a long history of involvement with technology start-ups and venture capitalists. As the current president of Stanford University, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, Hennessy uses his connections and influence to connect student and faculty projects with potential investors when he sees a project he considers promising. But because Hennessy invests his own money in some of the venture capital firms involved with student and faculty projects, some have complained of potential conflicts of interest. According to critics, even the perception that Hennessy might profit from his position casts a shadow on his credibility. Hennessy and the chairman of Stanford's Board of Trustees dismiss the complaints, saying that Hennessy complies with all of the disclosure regulations. They also said that the potential for conflict is quite small, given that Hennessy's investments are with a diverse portfolio of clients, not tied directly to any specific project. San Jose Mercury News, 11 July 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3647476.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html 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] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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