Eminem
raps Apple for using his song
Eminem has charged someone else with acting shady.
Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers III, is suing Apple Computer for using
the lyrics from his song “Lose Yourself” in a television commercial
without his permission, claiming that his endorsements are worth upwards
of $10 million (though he has never nationally endorsed any products). His
music publisher, Eight Mile Style, filed the 15-page copyright
infringement lawsuit last week in a U.S. District Court in Detroit, naming
Viacom, subsidiary MTV and TBWA/Chiat/Day advertising agency as
plaintiffs. Apple’s ad for its iTunes pay-per-download music store
featured a boy with an iPod singing along with the lyrics to "Lose
Yourself," the Academy Award-winning theme song from Eminem’s movie
“8 Mile.” The ad aired on MTV last year and was posted on Apple’s
website without “authorization or permission to record, reproduce,
perform, transmit, copy, use or otherwise exploit the composition
("Lose Yourself") for any purpose.”
Study:
66 percent OK with email marketing
There are many things that annoy consumers. Apparently
email marketing is not among them. A poll released yesterday by Bigfoot
Interactive found that of the 40 percent of active internet users who
subscribe to retailer emails, 66 percent were generally with the
communications. The poll, which covered the past three months, also found
that half found the emails targeted to their needs, though an additional
40 percent said retailers could do better to target their interests. Those
who subscribe to retailer emails were generally more satisfied
with the retailer than
those who didn’t, 90 percent to 83 percent, and were
more likely to buy from the retailer in the future, 91 percent to 84
percent.
Brit
companies lose billions to cybercrime
London’s e-Crime Congress in London estimated Tuesday
that cybercrime cost British companies hundreds of millions, and possibly
even billions, of pounds in lost business last year, and the next wave of
internet attacks will probably be even worse. Eighty-three percent of 201
large British companies said that they had experienced some form of
cybercrime in 2003, costing more than 195 million pounds in business
downtime, lost productivity and perceived damage to their brand or share
price. Cybercrime’s biggest victim was the financial sector, with three
UK financial services firms alone reporting damages totaling more than 60
million pounds last year. “Phishing" has become increasingly
popular, with customers being asked to divulge credit card or banking
details through scam emails and even fake websites. Police blame organized
crime gangs in Eastern Europe and Asia for the outbreak.
Super-secure
cell reads your fingerprints
Do you fear that the expensive phone you bought with 5
million features you don’t know how to use might get stolen? Worry no
more. Startup firm Atrua Technologies has announced its first product this
week, a cell phone touchpad with built-in fingerprint recognition as a
security feature. Atrua, funded by the venture capital arms of Ericsson,
Nokia and Intel, says Atrua Wings works much like the laptop touchpads
that allow users to scroll through menus and choose items with the touch
of a finger. The same sensor also acts as a fingerprint reader, which
increases the security of wireless transactions and simplifies the sign-in
process on secure Web sites. The company will begin manufacturing in the
second quarter.
Gossip
to go for the busy tabloid devotee
Gossip: it’s not just for the grocery line any more.
Sprint and American Media Inc. have teamed up to launch wireless editions
of The National Enquirer and Weekly World News on Sprint PCS’s Vision
service. The Tabloid News service will include daily breaking news
updates, features and celebrity scoops from the National Enquirer, plus
stories from the Weekly World News. Tabloid News is powered by 1KTV, and
may be downloaded onto select Java-enabled PCS Vision Phones. For $3.95 a
month, you, too, can be the first to know when Justin proposes to Cameron.
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