IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 3 July
03-07-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Google books settlement to be probed | Oracle plans European job cuts
The Irish Times reports that the EU commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities is meeting workers made redundant from the Dell plant in Limerick on Friday. Vladimir Spidla confirmed that two weeks ago the European Commission received an application for assistance from the European Globalisation Fund for workers made redundant by Dell and its suppliers. "I can't tell you yet what the outcome of this application is," he said, "but I am committed to processing this application as quickly as possible. And as I've said before, as long as the application meets the criteria set out in the regulations, we will look at it favourably."
The paper also says that entrepreneurs are getting the chance to develop their own high-quality start-ups with the support of a new initiative. The pilot project is the brainchild of Pearse Coyle, who has already been involved in the early commercial development of successful Irish tech companies such as Eurologic, Iona Technologies and Peregrine/Exceptis. Coyle said the intitiative aims to "flush out" those who have developed a technology or service that could be applied to other firms and sold on. Targeting the insurance and banking sectors initially, the scheme will investigate and test the market for technologies and help spin them out into new companies.
The paper also notes that five students from Trinity College Dublin are taking part in Microsoft's Imagine Cup 2009 World Final in Egypt, as reported by ENN on Thursday.
The same paper says that new 'eco-innovation' technologies being developed in Ireland and abroad offer a major opportunity for the EU economy, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has published a review of its science, technology, research and innovation for the environment (Strive) programme, outlining 18 projects that offer solutions to general environmental problems and to issues faced by business and industry in dealing with the environmental impact of their activities. An investment by the EPA of EUR4.7 million in these projects led to the filing of five patents, with seven more at preparation stage. The investment also led to a spin-off company, Bioplastech Ltd.
The Irish Examiner reports that a robot submarine is being tested in Limerick. The Mobile & Marine Robotics Research Centre at the University of Limerick gave a demonstration of its new Remotely Operated Vehicle, an underwater robot that has been developed for ocean exploration and commercial operations. Built at a cost of EUR1 million, the robot can be used in in-shore waters and as far as the edge of the continental shelf at depths of 1,000 metres or more.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Justice Department is investigating a settlement between Google and authors and publishers, saying that antitrust issues raised by the deal warrant scrutiny by the agency. Deputy Assistant Attorney General William Cavanaugh disclosed the investigation in a letter to US District Court Judge Denny Chin, who is scheduled to review the settlement. Cavanaugh wrote that the Justice Department hasn't yet reached any conclusions on "what impact this settlement may have on competition." Judge Chin said the court will maintain an October hearing date and invited regulators to present views in writing by 18 September or to appear in person during the hearing.
The paper also says that Oracle is planning to cut up to 1,000 jobs in Europe, according to a French labour union. A note on the website of the CDFT union says it has been informed by the company of plans to cut between 850 and 1,000 in Europe, from a total of 17,000 staff. Around 250 positions will be lost in France, the union claims, just over 15 percent of its French workforce. The apparent move by the software giant comes shortly after the company said it detected signs of improvement in its North American business for its fiscal fourth quarter, but indicated that the business environment in Europe remains challenging. An Oracle spokeswoman declined to comment.
The same paper notes that a Los Angeles federal judge has tentatively thrown out the convictions of a Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old girl who ended up committing suicide. In the ruling, US District Judge George Wu acquitted Lori Drew of misdemeanour counts of accessing computers without authorisation. Judge Wu said his ruling will become final when he issues it in writing. Drew was convicted in a trial, but the judge says that if she is to be found guilty of illegally accessing computers, anyone who has ever violated the social networking site's terms of service would be guilty of a misdemeanour.
The Financial Times says that Deutsche Telekom is looking for an asset swap deal with any would-be bidder for T-Mobile UK, to cushion the blow of pulling out of a big market. Two sources said that DT executives saw a swap for an asset in another country as the "preferred option" to either selling the business or merging it with a UK rival. But they warned that the unwillingness of a would-be bidder to part with another asset and the complexity of dealing with regulators in two countries could make this "dream deal" difficult to clinch. Rival operators Vodafone and Telefonica are considering whether to bid for T-Mobile UK.
Free! "In the papers" email newsletter -- get the full text to your in-box every business day. Email itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject line.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 