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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 02, 2004 Congress Looks at Broadening Antipiracy Legislation Accenture Wins US-VISIT Contract Sony Puts Handhelds on Hold CONGRESS LOOKS AT BROADENING ANTIPIRACY LEGISLATION Congress is currently considering two bills that could have significant impacts on those involved in file sharing on P2P networks. The Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation (PIRATE) Act of 2004 would give the Justice Department the authority to bring civil lawsuits against alleged copyright infringers. Critics of the bill, including Adam M. Eisgrau of P2P United, a trade group for file-sharing networks, said it would "turn the Department of Justice into the entertainment industry's lawyers and prosecutors." The other bill, the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2004, would lower the bar for prosecuting alleged infringers. Under current law, prosecutors must show that those accused "willfully" violated the law, intending either to profit from the actions or to share more than $1,000 worth of music. The bill would change the requirement such that individuals who shared at least 1,000 songs with "reckless disregard" for copyright could be prosecuted. Critics of the laws argue that Congress is moving them through the system quietly, without public hearings, which are common for controversial legislation. Chronicle of Higher Education, 2 June 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/06/2004060101n.htm ACCENTURE WINS US-VISIT CONTRACT Accenture has been named the prime contractor by the Department of Homeland Security for the US-VISIT program, which is intended to increase border security in the United States. Under the contract, which is worth as much as $10 billion, the company will initially work with the federal government to bolster security at the nation's 50 busiest land ports by the end of this year. The program also aims to integrate at least 19 large government databases in an effort to coordinate currently disjointed security efforts. Critics of the contract award pointed to the fact that Accenture is incorporated in Bermuda. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) said, "If companies truly want to contribute to our nation's security, they can pay their fair share of taxes." Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.) called the decision "outrageous." Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary in charge of border security, defended the decision, saying that Accenture, which has an office in Virginia with 25,000 employees, is a U.S. company. Cindy Shaw of Schwab SoundView Capital Markets noted that Accenture helped the Transportation Security Agency implement airport security measures after September 11 and that the company "showed well under pressure there." New York Times, 2 June 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/02/technology/02secure.html SONY PUTS HANDHELDS ON HOLD Sony has announced it is "reassessing" its handheld computers that use the Palm operating system. According to the company, users are increasingly drawn to more powerful devices that offer more features than Sony's line of Clie devices. Sony, which is the second-largest maker of devices that run the Palm operating system, said it will not introduce any new models while it explores its options. Sony's statement did not say it would discontinue the devices, and the company did reiterate its support for the Palm operating system, saying that the Clie would continue in the Japanese market. The conspicuous lack of details about the Clie's future in the U.S. market, however, was a blow to PalmSource, the maker of the Palm operating system. After the announcement from Sony, PalmSource's stock price fell 12 percent. San Jose Mercury News, 2 June 2004 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/8818846.htm ***************************************************** 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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