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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2004 PeopleSoft Shareholders Show Confidence in Board Britain Steps Closer to File-Trading Lawsuits WTO Says U.S. Anti-Gambling Law is Illegal Using Nanoscale Storms to Cool Computer Chips PEOPLESOFT SHAREHOLDERS SHOW CONFIDENCE IN BOARD Indicating strong support for the PeopleSoft Board of Directors--and by implication the board's efforts to fight off Oracle's hostile takeover bid--shareholders this week overwhelmingly reelected four members of the PeopleSoft board. As part of its attempt to acquire PeopleSoft, Oracle had offered its own slate of nominees for the board election but withdrew those candidates after the U.S. Department of Justice said it opposed the takeover. In Thursday's election, Craig A. Conway, CEO and chairman of the company, and three other board members were reelected with 95 percent of votes. Executives from PeopleSoft were upbeat about fending off Oracle's takeover bid and about building on their market position, improved by PeopleSoft's acquisition last year of J.D. Edwards. Internet News, 25 March 2004 http://www.internetnews.com/fina-news/article.php/3331561 BRITAIN STEPS CLOSER TO FILE-TRADING LAWSUITS Following the lead of the Recording Industry Association of America in the United States, representatives of the British recording industry have issued a statement threatening lawsuits against individuals accused of illegally sharing music files. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) did not indicate when lawsuits would begin, noting that it hopes the warning would convince some users to stop trading copyrighted files, but said file traders who "continue with their activities ... risk court action." The BPI developed an application that determines the country where a file trader is located and has started sending instant messages to users in Britain, warning them of potential legal action. In addition to the announcement in Britain, in January an official from an entertainment-industry trade group in France said that lawsuits against file traders in that country were inevitable. Reuters, 25 March 2004 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=4660335 WTO SAYS U.S. ANTI-GAMBLING LAW IS ILLEGAL In a dispute brought by the nation of Antigua and Barbuda, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that a U.S. law against online gambling violates international trade laws. The island nation, which is home to a number of online gambling operations, had argued to the WTO that the United States does not have the authority to ban gambling over the Internet, especially if it supports land-based and online gambling from American companies. Ronald Sanders, a government official from the country of Antigua and Barbuda, accused the U.S. government of hypocrisy, saying "[the United States] only wants free trade when it suits the U.S." The Bush administration has said it will appeal the ruling, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) called the situation "appalling." Sanders said his country would be within its international rights to impose tariffs on U.S. companies doing business in the nation if the WTO ruling is upheld and the United States continues to forbid online gambling. New York Times, 26 March 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/26/technology/26gamble.html USING NANOSCALE STORMS TO COOL COMPUTER CHIPS Faced with the growing problem of adequately dissipating heat generated by computer chips, researchers at Purdue University have developed technology that theoretically could create lightning storms and wind on a microscopic level. Such "storms" could be used in future computer processors to fan away the heat they generate. The Purdue technology, for which its creators have applied for patents, would place nanotubes near computer chips and apply a negative charge to some of the tubes. The resulting emission of electrons interacts with surrounding air, causing lightning and a microscopic breeze that would cool the chip. Because computer chips can be damaged by static electricity, however, researchers must resolve the problem of how to create tiny electrical storms without damaging the chips they are meant to cool. CNET, 25 March 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-7337_3-5179422.html ***************************************************** 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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