ROUNDUPS
In the papers 11 July
11-07-2003
by
Media Lab Europe has signed partnership deals worth just under EUR1 million | Baltimore takes itself off the block
The Irish Times reports that Media Lab Europe has signed partnership deals worth just under EUR1 million with two European public bodies. MLE's two new public sector investors are the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Agency and the Portuguese State Science agency. MLE is thought to have recently experienced difficulty in attracting funding from the private sector. Thursday's move, which will diversify the educational and research facility's list of contributors, came on the same day that U2 guitarist, the Edge, was formally made a member of the Media Lab Europe board, after Bono stepped down.
The paper also says that the government must avoid taking a "stop-go" approach to funding research and address an EUR80 million funding gap caused by its decision to "pause" investment in capital projects last year. This suggestion came from Forfas division the Irish Council for Science and Technology Innovation, which also said in a report that the government should introduce a 20 percent tax credit for research in the 2004 budget. Furthermore, the Forfas body said that the government's prior commitment to the Higher Education Authority's programme for research in third-level institutions should be reinstated in 2004.
The once high-flying e-security firm Baltimore Technologies, which had put itself up for sale only weeks ago, took itself off the market on Thursday, citing a lack of realistic offers, the Irish Times reports. The employer of 100 in Ireland said it would now concentrate on supporting customers of its main authentication business. Separate negotiations regarding the sale of certain managed service-related offerings would continue, Baltimore added.
As noted by ElectricNews.Net on Thursday, the latest TechPulse survey by Ion Equity says that private equity investment in the Irish technology sector was down 29 percent to EUR68.4 million in the second quarter of 2003, with further declines expected in the second half of the year, the Irish Independent reports.
The paper also reports on figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which say that global sales of pirate CDs are estimated to have exceeded 1 billion units for the first time last year and to have generated USD4.6 billion in revenues, as noted by ElectricNews.Net on Thursday.
Also in the Irish Independent is a story about the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators, which issued a statement expressing "strong disappointment" at ComReg's failure to take action on mobile termination rates, as noted by ElectricNews.Net.
The Financial Times reports that demand for broadband Internet products enabled Juniper Networks to post slightly better-than-expected second quarter results on Thursday. The networking equipment maker offered a tepid third quarter outlook, however. During the second quarter, Juniper reported net income of USD13.6 million, or USD0.03 per share, compared with a profit of USD6.2 million, or USD0.02 per share, during the same period last year. Sales were USD165 million, compared with USD117 million last year, an increase of 41 percent. CEO Scott Kriens said Juniper's second quarter was "strong" but growth would be flat in Q3.
The Wall Street Journal says that several record companies are suing Madrid-based Sakfield Holding, the operator of Puretunes.com, accusing it of illegally selling copyrighted songs over the Internet. The music companies, including Arista Records, BMG Music, Capitol Records and Sony Music Entertainment, are seeking up to USD150,000 per copyrighted song and other financial damages. Ten unnamed individuals were listed as defendants in the suit, which was filed on 3 July with the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The paper also says that Dell Computer, after becoming the target of angry environmental and workers' rights groups, has launched a recycling campaign aimed at businesses and public customers including governments, schools and health-care institutions. The big computer maker will charge customers about USD49 to dispose of computers safely -- without dumping hazardous materials in landfills in the US or in developing countries. As part of an "asset recovery" program, Dell executives reiterated their promise to stop using prison labour to recycle computers, which contain dangerous, brain-damaging chemicals.
Creating successful email surveys: Denise Cox of email specialist Newsweaver argues that you can tap into your readers' likes or dislikes by surveying them.
