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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2004 Universities Face Patent Issues for Online Testing USC to Offer Degree in Video Game Design Task Forces Show Plans for Improving Cybersecurity Watchdog Group Says Program is a Success ICANN Mulls over New Domains UNIVERSITIES FACE PATENT ISSUES FOR ONLINE TESTING An undisclosed number of colleges and universities have received letters from a company called Test Central saying that it holds a patent on online testing and that the schools are in violation of that patent. Ellen K. Waterman of Regis University, one of the institutions threatened by the company, called the letter extremely broad, potentially covering any type of testing online. An official from Test Central rejected that characterization but said he believes "that other people are profiting at our expense." Test Central's patent, for which it applied in February 1999, was granted in early 2003. According to Rita S. Heimes, a visiting assistant professor of law at Suffolk University Law School, a patent can be effectively challenged by showing prior use of the patented technology. Many institutions engaged in online testing prior to 1999, but, said Heimes, because the cost of fighting the patent in court could be extremely expensive, many institutions will simply opt to pay licensing fees. Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 March 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i29/29a03101.htm USC TO OFFER DEGREE IN VIDEO GAME DESIGN Electronic Arts, one of the largest makers of video games, announced a donation of $8 million to the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California. The university will use the money to create a master's degree program in video game design and to fund an endowed faculty chair. The donation highlights the growing need among video game manufacturers for skilled job candidates as the field of programming video games matures to a level that warrants formal academic training. The degree program at USC is expected to start this fall and accept fewer than 15 students a year. Wall Street Journal, 22 March 2004 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107988471925261088,00.html TASK FORCES SHOW PLANS FOR IMPROVING CYBERSECURITY Two task forces of the National Cyber Security Partnership have released plans for improving cybersecurity. The National Cyber Security Partnership is an effort involving public- and private-sector organizations that includes five task forces. The plan from the Awareness and Outreach Task Force is focused on educating computer users about cybersecurity and includes an ad campaign and a cooperative effort with ISPs to educate their customers. Some voiced criticism that such educational efforts are a poor use of resources and that security efforts should be focused on making computer hardware and software more secure out of the box. The Cyber Security Early Warning Task Force said it intends to create an Early Warning Alert Network by the end of the year. According to Doug Pearson of Indiana University, a member of the task force, the new network will be a closed group, unlike many existing early-warning networks. Pearson said the new network "will be a vetted, trusted community." InformationWeek, 18 March 2004 http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18400890 WATCHDOG GROUP SAYS PROGRAM IS A SUCCESS A British Internet watchdog group said it has been successful in its efforts to drive online pornography sites outside the United Kingdom. According to an annual report from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the amount of potentially illegal content hosted by British Web sites fell from 18 percent in 1997 to less than 1 percent today. The group also said the figure for Europe as a whole fell from 18 percent to 6 percent. The IWF was established in 1996 as a self-regulating body of ISPs, designed to address the problem of illegal content online and avoid intervention by law enforcement. According to Stephen Timms, e-commerce minister, "The IWF has contributed to a dramatic reduction in potentially illegal content in Britain." He said the British government encourages other countries to "follow this very successful model." BBC, 22 March 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3558965.stm ICANN MULLS OVER NEW DOMAINS The Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN) said applications for nine new Internet domains were received by last week's deadline and will be considered for inclusion with the existing top-level domains, such as .com and .net. Among those to be considered are .xxx for adult-content sites, .mail for spam-free communication, and .mobi for mobile devices. The .mobi domain was sponsored by leading telecommunications companies as an area of the Web tailored specifically for mobile devices including Web-enabled cell phones and PDAs. The approval process for the proposed domains includes a month-long public comment period, which begins April 1. Accepted domains could be added by the end of the year. Reuters, 22 March 2004 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=4622230 ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ 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/ ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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