|
|
Four students accused of operating file-sharing networks on college campuses have settled claims against them by the Recording Industry Association of America, agreeing to pay between $12,000 and $17,500 each. The students ---- Daniel Peng of Princeton University, Joseph Nievelt of Michigan Technical University, and Jesse Jordan and Aaron Sherman of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – were said to be responsible for the illegal swapping of some 2.5 million copyrighted files. The RIAA, which represents AOL Time Warner, EMI Group Plc, Bertelsmann AG, Vivendi Universal Music and Sony Corp., originally sought damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars, or $150,000 per infringement. Also this week, the trade group, through a proxy, began sending messages to users of the file-swapping services Grokster and Morpheus, scolding them for sharing copyrighted songs.
FTC fights rising tide of online auction fraud
The Federal Trade Commission concludes a three-day forum on spam today, but the agency has another information age issue on its mind as well: internet auction fraud. The FTC, working with state and local prosecutors in 29 states, has taken steps toward enforcement in 57 cases of auction fraud, it announced Wednesday. About one-third of the cases in what the FTC is calling "Operation Bidder Beware" will result in criminal charges being filed. Most of the cases involved eBay, the leading online auction site, and many arose when successful bidders failed to receive items after making payment. Auction fraud is the No. 1 consumer complaint by internet users, according to the FTC.
Anti-spam sentence is Denmark landmark
It's not just in the U.S. that the authorities are finally cracking down on spam. Denmark's successfully prosecuted its first anti-spam case this week, fining a Danish company $2,200 for sending unsolicited commercial emails and faxes. The company, Fonn Danmark, was found guilty of sending 156 unwanted advertising messages -- a trifle by the standards of American mass-spammers. Denmark banned spam in July 2000. United States Congress is currently considering several anti-spam proposals, and most states already have laws limiting or banning the use of email for unwanted mass advertising.
The Terminator returns in first high-def DVD
With advance buzz beginning to build for the release of "T3: Rise of the Machines" this summer, Artisan Entertainment has chosen this moment to release its immediate prequel, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," as the first DVD formatted specifically for high-definition TV and computer monitors. The two-disc DVD, titled "T2: Extreme DVD," was developed in partnership with Microsoft, which claims that its Windows Media 9 platform is the first to solve the data compression issues necessary to play high-definition movies. Disc one of the set contains the regular DVD version of the movie, and disc two the high-def version; both contain 16 minutes of footage not included in the original film, as well as other special features. "T2: Extreme DVD" arrives in stores June 3.
May 2, 2003© 2003 Media Life
Printer-Friendly
Version | Send
to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact
Us