p2pnet headline roundup, August 14, 2008
What’s Behind the iPhone 3G Glitches – BusinessWeek
Complaints over dropped calls and choppy Web connections on Apple’s iPhone 3G have sparked a wave of debate in the blogosphere over the root cause of the problems. Two well-placed sources tell BusinessWeek.com the glitches are related to a chip inside Apple’s music-playing cell phone. The sources add that Apple plans to remedy the problems through a software upgrade rather than through a more disruptive step, such as a product recall.
»»»
Court: violating copyleft = copyright infringement – Ars technica
A federal appeals court has overruled a lower court ruling that, if sustained, would have severely hampered the enforceability of free software licenses. The lower court had found that redistributing software in violation of the terms of a free software license could constitute a breach of contract, but was not copyright infringement. The difference matters because copyright law affords much stronger remedies against infringement than does contract law. If allowed to stand, the decision could have neutered popular copyleft licenses such as the GPL and Creative Commons licenses. The district court decision was overturned on Wednesday by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The copyright holder in the case is Robert Jacobsen, the lead developer of the Java Model Railroad Interface, a software package used by model railroad enthusiasts. A firm called Kamind Associates downloaded parts of Jacobsen’s project, stripped out the copyright notice and other identifying information, and began redistributing the modified version without Jacobsen’s approval.
»»»
Ex-Apple general counsel settles backdating suit for 2.2 million – AppleInsider
Former Apple general counsel Nancy Heinen has accepted a series of sanctions and agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle backdating charges filed against her, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday. Heinen, who was charged at the federal level by the Commission last year, also agreed to be barred from serving as an officer or director of any public company for five years, and be suspended from appearing or practicing as an attorney before the Commission for three years. In its April 2007 complaint, the Commission charged the former top Apple legal aid with fraudulently backdating two large options grants to senior company executives and altering records to conceal the fraud. As a result, the complaint alleged that Apple was forced to underreport its expenses by nearly $40 million.
»»»
Phelps makes biggest splash at Games and online – Reuters
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is not only the hottest competitor the pool in the first week of the Beijing Olympics but also the athlete causing the biggest buzz online. An analysis of online discussions on blogs and message boards by market researcher Nielsen Online found Phelps, 23, was the most discussed of 50 high-profile athletes competing in Olympic swimming, basketball, gymnastics and beach volleyball.
»»»
UK] Government publishes new, wider Data Retention Regulations – Out-Law.com
The Government has published a draft law that mandates the retention of data by internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies. The proposed Regulations will replace an earlier law that applied to non-internet data only. If approved by both Houses of Parliament, the Electronic Communications Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2008 would come into force on 15th March 2009. They will revoke the 2007 Regulations of the same name and complete the UK’s implementation of an EU Directive. The new Regulations were published on Tuesday as part of a Home Office consultation. According to the Home Office paper, the cost of compliance will reach almost £50 million over eight years. The EU passed the Data Retention Directive in 2006 as a security measure ordering telecoms companies and ISPs to keep records of all communications so that law enforcement agencies can retrieve information about suspects’ use of these systems.
.
.Stumble It!
New York Times – xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, August xx, 2008
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details. Download here.
