IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 13 March
13-03-2008
by Sylvia Leatham
Broadband providers to face advertising restrictions | EA bid for Take-Two turns hostile
The Irish Times reports that broadband operators will have to significantly alter their promotional material from the beginning of April to more accurately reflect the actual download speeds available to subscribers. At present, many broadband providers use their advertising to stress the maximum connection speed available and only include the phrase "up to" in a font which, critics say, is all too easy to miss. The new code will take effect from 7 April, after which operators advertising maximum speeds will also have to tell potential customers the average broadband speed attained by their service during "the busiest hour" of the week, averaged over the previous quarter.
The Irish Examiner reports that the Dublin Business Innovation Centre and Baltimore City's Emerging Technology Centres have signed a deal to collaborate in encouraging the growth of tech firms. Read the full story on ENN.
According to the Financial Times, mobile handset maker Nokia faces legal action in Germany next month in a battle over EUR60 million in investment subsidies it received for a factory it now plans to close. Nokia's decision in January to cut more than 2,000 jobs by closing its factory in Bochum, western Germany, and move it to Romania caused a political outcry. North Rhine-Westphalia, the regional state that includes Bochum, this week set Nokia a deadline of 31 March to return "almost EUR60 million", the economics ministry said.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Electronic Arts is taking its battle for Take-Two Interactive Software directly to the videogame publisher's shareholders. Following the rejection of its unsolicited bid to acquire Take-Two, EA plans a tender offer to acquire all of Take-Two's outstanding shares for USD26 each, the price it offered the company last month, sources say. The move signals that EA's attempt to gain control of Take-Two, publisher of the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto game, is turning hostile.
The paper also says that Google plans to announce a new service that web publishers can use to manage their online ad sales and serve up ads each time a consumer pulls up a webpage. The offering is an early sign of Google's plans to broaden its ad offerings following the completion of the DoubleClick acquisition this week. The new Ad Manager service, which a limited number of websites are testing, will provide the ad serving free. Google is hoping Ad Manager users will agree to carry some ads Google sells in ad spots on their sites they haven't filled themselves. Google would take a commission on revenue from any ads it sells.
The paper also says that Activision has sued Gibson Guitar Corp, saying its popular video game "Guitar Hero" does not infringe on a Gibson patent. The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the video game does not infringe on the musical instrument maker's patent for a "system and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience" and that Gibson's patent is invalid. "Despite being aware of the Guitar Hero game for many years, Gibson has encouraged Activision to manufacture and sell devices it now alleges infringe the patent," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit alleges that Gibson notified Activision in January that it believed the "Guitar Hero" software and its guitar-shaped controller were covered by Gibson's patent.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 