AOL wins instant messaging patent 
America Online has been awarded the patent for instant messaging, the most popular online tool to emerge in the past 10 years. Although the patent was issued in September, it wasn't revealed until this week. The technology allows users to chat in real time across online connections. AOL has always been protective of the innovation, for years not allowing users of Microsoft and Yahoo's IM services to communicate with its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) users. Israelis working for Mirabilis developed the instant messaging technology in the 1990s as ICQ, the first widely-used chat application. AOL acquired the company in 1998 for $287 million. AOL now boasts 180 million AIM users and 140 million ICQ users who send more than 2 billion messages per day. Both Microsoft and AOL have cashed in on the largely free software recently by marketing secure versions to corporations. An AOL spokesman told Reuters that there are no plans to do anything with the patent yet, but the company may eventually decide to enforce it. America Online also holds patents for internet browsing memory tags (cookies) and secure sockets layer (SSL), which guards online transactions.

Match.com finds $150M companion in uDate
USA Interactive, owner of the U.S. personals site Match.com, acquired the European equivalent Thursday, buying Britain's uDate.com Inc. for $150 million in stock. Match.com is the leading online dating service in the U.S. and ranks in the top five in Britain. Udate’s nine-month revenue of $29.2 million through September doubled its takings from the same period the year before. Profits will probably reach $12 million to $13 million this year for uDate and the uDate-owned kiss.com. Personals sites are among the fastest-growing destinations on the web, according to an Online Publishers Association/comScore Networks report. In the first quarter, subscription revenues at those sites grew by 549 percent compared to a year ago. Match.com accounts for about one-quarter of personal site traffic in the U.S., according to comScore’s Media Metrix.

Chinese poet detained for web writings
A Chinese poet who posted inflammatory articles on the internet has been detained in southwestern China, the U.S. human rights group China Labor Watch said. Police roused Liao Yiwu, a scholar who has published a book on grass roots issues, from his Sichuan province home Wednesday. According to CLW, Laio signed a petition asking Beijing to renounce its damning verdict of the Tiananmen Square uprising of 1989. He also published several articles on the internet addressed to the 16th Party Congress, held in November. Chinese authorities banned his articles from being printed, so Liao began posting to Chinese web sites instead. Three other people who signed the petition are also being held. After the U.S., China has the second-largest volume of online traffic. Chinese internet users are prohibited from surfing certain political sites, though. Amnesty International says that at least 30 Chinese citizens have been detained this year for using the internet to express views or share information.

White House's doggie-style cam draws surfers
What about White House pets that so fascinates Americans? In the wake of Millie, Socks and Buddy, the latest four-legged Oval Office dweller, Scottish terrier Barney, has become a web sensation. The new “Barney-cam” on whitehouse.gov drew 24 million hits this week, giving viewers a dog's-eye glimpse of the White House's Christmas decorations. Barney helped the site to its third-biggest audience ever, behind those for Sept. 11 (44 million hits) and last month’s “Life in the White House” (38.5 million hits). White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer couldn't resist seizing on his boss's pooch's newfound celebrity as the occasion for some truly awful puns. “Barney is what you might call a ‘publicity hound.’ But he was unable to watch his own video because he hit the ‘paws’ button.”

Beckham boots Anna K. as top athlete search
The only singles title tennis superstar Anna Kournikova has ever managed to win has been taken from her. British soccer star David Beckham displaced the blond Russian hottie as the most-sought athlete on Google.com this year. Beckham undoubtedly got a boost from this year’s World Cup, where he captained the British team. Beckham plays for legendary booters Manchester United back home. Another World Cup star, golden boot winner Ronaldo of Brazil, finished third behind Kournikova. Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant was fourth, one of three NBA players to make the top 10.

December 20, 2002© 2002 Media Life


Printer-Friendly Version |  Send to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact Us