IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 19 February
19-02-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Motorola and Research In Motion in patent spat | Toshiba confirms plan to drop HD DVD
The Irish Times reports that more than half of senior technology executives are confident about prospects for the sector this year. Read more on this story on ENN.
The paper also says the sale of mobile phones online is set to surge to 21 percent of the total market by 2012, according to Informa Telecoms and Media, as noted by ENN on Monday.
The same paper reports that Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin is finally to announce details of a EUR510 million programme for research funding on Tuesday, after university presidents expressed "grave concern" about the long delay. The seven university presidents this month signed a letter complaining about the delay in announcing funding for the Strategic Innovation Fund, saying that it has "serious consequences for us" and "runs the risk of causing a substantial loss" of EU funding. The presidents are angry because universities were put under intense pressure to make applications for funding before last October's deadline.
The Financial Times says that Japan's Toshiba confirmed on Tuesday that it would stop promoting its HD DVD format for the next generation of DVD players, after losing the support of key studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony. The decision ends a war between rival consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for high-definition movies on DVDs. Toshiba said it would begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders and aim to end the business by the end of next month.
The paper also says that a patent dispute has broken out between BlackBerry maker Research in Motion and handset manufacturer Motorola. Motorola sued RIM on Saturday, claiming the BlackBerry violates seven US patents covering mobile communications technology. The suit claims RIM "willfully" infringed the patents, causing "irreparable harm." Meanwhile, RIM filed a suit accusing Motorola of "anti-competitive conduct" by demanding "unreasonable" royalties for several patents Motorola owns and RIM currently licenses.
The same paper says that Microsoft is to give away some of its core software to university and high school students around the world in an effort to win over the next generation of software developers. The free software plan is due to be spelled out by Chairman Bill Gates in a speech on Tuesday at Stanford University. As many as 40 million students around the world who study maths or science-related subjects will eventually have access to the software, Microsoft executives estimated.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the BBC plans to sell some television shows in the UK through Apple's iTunes shop, according to a source. Initially only about 10 different drama and comedy shows will be sold on iTunes, which doesn't currently have any TV shows from British studios. It is not clear which shows will be available. If the move is successful, the BBC might expand the arrangement, the source said.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 