IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 16 June
16-06-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Film-makers collect payphone anecdotes | TCD, UCD team up with ITLG for spinoffs
The Irish Times reports that film-makers Aideen O Sullivan and Ross Whitaker are travelling around the country collecting anecdotes about public phones. The Dubliners plan to film a short documentary for the Irish Film Board on the huge, but often understated, role played in Irish society by the phone box. The project comes as the number of public phones around the country is being slashed as part of an Eircom rationalisation plan which will see the removal of more than 1,800 public payphones.
The paper also says that 20:20 Logistics Ireland is suing businessman Emmet Memery for EUR5.7 million allegedly due to it for mobile phone handsets and other accessories supplied to another company. The case arises from a guarantee and indemnity allegedly executed by Memery in July 2005 under a contract between 20:20 Logistics and Cellular Services for the supply of Vodafone-approved mobile handsets and other mobile accessory products. It is claimed some EUR5.7 million is owed by Cellular for products supplied between July and December 2008 and that, under a guarantee and indemnity, the plaintiff is entitled to seek such sums from Memery.
The same paper reports that TCD and UCD have formed a new partnership with a group of Silicon Valley-based technology experts in a bid to boost the number of spinout companies from the two universities. This will be achieved through a combination of mentoring and venture capital investment. The partnership between the Innovation Alliance -- a joint TCD/UCD research initiative -- and the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) aims to create a Silicon Valley-like environment that will facilitate not just the commercialisation of research, but the creation of technology companies and jobs.
The paper also notes that 32 new jobs are to be created in Antrim as part of an expansion by biotechnology company Randox, which produces diagnostic equipment for hospitals and laboratories. The company says the new jobs are "high-value" positions, with most of the jobs aimed at graduates and PhD holders.
The Irish Independent says that a teenager spoke on Monday of the pressure many young people find themselves under to impress friends and classmates on social networking sites. Many used Bebo and Facebook and were sometimes the subject of abusive comments. "Bullying goes on 24/7 in all different ways," said teenager Danny Costello, speaking to ministers and health experts at the launch of the study 'Teenage Mental Health: What Helps and What Hurts?'.
The paper also says that online retail giant Amazon has agreed to pay USD51 million to Toys "R" Us, settling a five-year-old lawsuit with the US toy-store chain. The settlement will be paid in the third quarter. Toys "R" Us will then dismiss all claims, Amazon said. Toys "R" Us sued Amazon in 2004 for allegedly breaking an exclusive contract, saying it allowed third parties to sell toys on its website.
The same paper notes that Facebook says more than 3 million people registered user names in the first 12 hours after the social networking site offered members the chance to claim a personalised internet address. Facebook says the new feature is designed to make it easier to find people. Users who have claimed their names can direct friends to a simplified web address, such as www.facebook.com/username. Previously, those addresses had strings of letters and numbers, making them difficult to remember.
According to the Financial Times, a fresh round in the bidding war for data storage firm Data Domain looked likely on Monday as the company rejected an all-cash USD1.9 billion bid from EMC. Wall Street does not expect the snub to deter storage giant EMC from pursuing the smaller company, in competition with NetApp, a rival storage group that has already won Data Domain's backing for its own cash-and-stock takeover offer for the company.
The paper also says that UK cable operator Virgin Media has teamed up with Universal Music to launch an 'unlimited' music download subscription service in an effort to combat online piracy. Virgin's broadband customers will pay an additional monthly subscription fee of "less than the cost of downloading a couple of digital albums", said Neil Berkett, chief executive of Virgin Media. Listeners will be able to download or listen to as much music as they want from Universal's catalogue. The service also requires Virgin Media to take the toughest stance of any UK broadband provider against illegal file-sharing. It has promised to suspend internet access for persistent offenders.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against three people whom it alleges committed a form of 'click fraud' by improperly manipulating Microsoft's online advertising service for profit. Microsoft filed the suit in federal court in Seattle against three people and several corporations under their control. The suit seeks at least USD750,000 in damages for an alleged scheme last year to drive up advertising costs for legitimate Microsoft advertisers while creating an advantage for the defendants' own businesses. Microsoft's complaint alleges that three defendants in Vancouver made more than USD250,000 in profits through the scheme.
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