January 2005 Archives

By Bruce Perens -

The latest tactic in the software-patenting battle is the granting of patent rights to open-source developers. But are the grants really the equivalent of wolves in sheep's clothing?

That's not the only movement on the patent front. The possible approval of a software-patenting measure in Europe this Wednesday could bring a barrage of lawsuits on both sides of the Atlantic, affecting proprietary software as well as the open-source community.

Let's take a closer look.

By Aloysius Choong -

SINGAPORE--Singapore's amended Copyright Act came into effect this January, but not before sparking an eleventh hour rush for legit software.

The new law makes it a criminal offence for a person or company to obtain a commercial advantage from unlicensed or pirated software. Offenders face a fine of up to S$20,000 (US$12,250) and six months in jail.

By Kimberly Hill -

Microsoft's new policy of limiting Windows updates to users who have authenticated their copies of its software may create new problems, some observers say, because unauthorized -- but vulnerable -- copies of the OS will not get patched and could help spread viruses.

The expansion of Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage program, announced this week, presents some security concerns regarding fast-spreading worms and viruses on the Internet.

By Networking Pipeline Staff -

McAfee has introduced new network Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) products designed to protect large and mission-critical networks operating at multi-gigabit speeds against known, zero-day, encrypted and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

The McAfee IntruShield 4010 and McAfee IntruShield 3000 IPS sensors are targeted at large-scale enterprises and service providers who need highly scalable, multi-Gigabit security deployments.

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) The Intellectual Property Office under the Ministry of Economic Affairs will shift its focus from cracking down on pirated compact discs to intellectual property rights infringements on the Internet, according to an official from the office. Encouraged by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's decision to remove Taiwan from its "Special 301 priority watch list," the official said his office is planning to recruit a team of computer experts to crack down on Web sites that illegally provide copyrighted music and software for downloading.

Adobe Systems Incorporated have announced the immediate availability of Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server. Tightly integrated with Adobe Acrobat 7.0 and Adobe Reader 7.0, LiveCycle Policy Server enables organizations to apply policies to electronic documents for added assurances of persistent confidentiality, privacy and accountability inside and outside the firewall.

“Increasing requirements to meet compliance and regulatory mandates for protecting individual privacy and corporate confidentiality have left organizations with a huge dilemma of determining the best way to control and protect information,” said Andrew Lindstrom, Regional Manager Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, Adobe Systems. “And, as organizations continue to extend business beyond the network perimeter, they must look for solutions that help them protect data throughout the information lifecycle, as it moves from secure enterprise systems to documents delivered inside and outside the network.”

During the month of December the value of counterfeit items sold and seized was $875,252,592,693 USD from 227 incidents involving more than 14,987,023 items. As reported by Gieschen Consultancy, the 8 most aggressive countries that pursued counterfeiters were Malaysia (6 incidents worth $875 Billion), USA (112 incidents worth $93,561,943), Canada (4 incidents worth $54,110,000), Japan (7 incidents worth $35,244,200), UK (12 incidents worth $24,581,300), Taiwan (1 incident worth $9,460,000), China (12 incidents worth $8,499,900) and India (27 incidents worth $6,837,900).

By Faultline

ContentGuard has followed the traditional development path of most intellectual property businesses. First it thought is was a product company with dreams of building a DRM monopoly on the back of technology leadership, then it found the going tough and the pickings too small and finally it dropped back to pushing intellectual property with a handful of key staff.

by Jian Zhen -

According to a survey by Accenture Ltd., approximately 60% to 80% of your company's assets are represented by intangible assets such as intellectual property, or IP.

IP includes things such as patents, trademarks, brands, trade secrets, designs, architectures, copyrights, algorithms, software code, hardware schematics, inventions, business processes and many other assets. These are properties that may or may not have a physical presence. They exist mostly in the digital world.

By M. Eric Johnson -

Business integration, once accomplished by physically co-locating legions of employees in large vertically integrated firms, has been unshackled by information technology (IT). The rise of cheap computing linked together via the Internet has so rapidly changed the way work is organized and conducted that executives, management theorists, and policy makers are all struggling to understand the full spectrum of opportunities and consequences. Opportunities, such as outsourcing, are enabling huge cost reductions and the creation of many new business models. Consequences, such as the fight to maintain information private and secure, cost firms billons of dollars and create risks unimagined ten years ago.

DAYTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2005--LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of legal, news and business information services, today introduced LexisNexis(R) PatentOptimizer(TM), a new software application for the drafting and analysis of patent applications and granted patents. Designed specifically for Corporate Counsel and Intellectual Property lawyers, this powerful new tool enables patent practitioners to draft better applications and analyze patents at issue in litigation in a more efficient, automated manner than previously available.

By Anthony Jongwe -

The recent smashing of an alleged “spy ring” of individuals who received state secrets in confidence and subsequently sold them to foreign agents is a wake-up call to the business world on the reality of corporate espionage.

Espionage is not confined to the political sphere only but also extends to the corporate world. While espionage in the political realm involves what are classified as “official secrets”, in the corporate world it typically revolves around “trade secrets”.

by Robert W. Smith -

The French student Guillaume Tena is facing breach of copyright charges in a French court because he discovered and revealed security loopholes in an anti-virus program. The French public prosecutor claims that in doing so the student had violated the Law on Intellectual Property and is hence calling for him to be fined 6,000 euros and given a four-month suspended jail sentence. The damages claimed by Tegam, the manufacturer of the software, amount to as much as 900,000 euros.

By Marguerite Reardon -

A company’s biggest security threat isn't the sinister hacker trying to break into the corporate network, but employees and partners with easy access to company information.

Just ask Apple Computer, which filed two lawsuits in December accusing insiders and partners of leaking proprietary information. In one case, Apple is suing two men it says distributed prerelease versions of Tiger, the next iteration of Mac OS X. In a separate action, it is suing unnamed individuals who leaked details about a forthcoming music device code-named Asteroid.

By Jamie Cowper -

In a few short years, e-mail has become a business-critical tool of communication. However, while companies have been more than willing to embrace the business benefits of e-mail, they continue to remain oblivious to many of the responsibilities this new form of communication brings, particularly as it affects their employees.

It is a commonly held misconception, due to the informal traditions of electronic communication, that e-mails carry less weight than letters on headed notepaper. But this is not the case. The law treats e-mails as ‘discoverable documents’ in exactly the same way as all other forms of written communication, and as such, just as much care and attention should be taken regarding the content of e-mails as with other forms of business communication.

By Ariana Eunjung Cha -

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Stealing the merchandise was the easy part. The ring of young men and women had become pros at snatching cashmere sweaters, perfumes and other expensive items from the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret and Pottery Barn.

The problem was how to turn the goods into cash. Hocking the wares on the black market was out. They didn't have the contacts. And any attempt to return the goods for refunds would probably be rebuffed without some proof of purchase.

Soon they hit upon a solution: eBay.

ATLANTA --(Business Wire)-- Jan. 6, 2005 -- Will Advise Federal Government on Security of Critical Information and Economic Infrastructure

Internap Network Services Corporation (AMEX: IIP), the leading provider of performance-based routing services over the Internet, announced today that President George W. Bush has appointed Internap President and Chief Executive Officer, Gregory A. Peters, to serve on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC).

By Nick Brigman -

Computer security professionals grumble that government regulations mean more work, but admit they help secure networks — 20% are still willing to "accept the risk," and leave networks unprotected from potential attack.

A new survey of computer security professionals reveals that while many of them believe that the time they need to comply with increased government regulations has cut into their ability to secure their computer networks, they also admit that those networks are safer as a result.

By Edwin Meese, III -

If John Adams and James Madison were alive today, they surely would marvel at how swiftly information can be exchanged via the Internet. But they also would be alarmed, I believe, to see ordinary citizens using this extraordinary technology in growing numbers to shoplift copyrighted intellectual property. The Founders possessed, after all, a keen understanding of the threat this type of theft poses to a free society.