NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 19 August
19-08-2009
by Emmet Cole
Record firms threaten legal action | Bing increases search market share
Chorus ntl has received a request from solicitors acting on behalf of the Irish divisions of EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony Music asking that it block access to the popular torrent website The Pirate Bay. According to a statement from UPC Ireland: "UPC has informed the rightsholders that there is no basis under Irish law requiring an ISP to block access to certain websites and that it will not agree to a request that goes beyond what is currently provided for under Irish law." The music companies have threatened legal action if UPC fails to block access to The Pirate Bay, with UPC expressing its intention to defend its position in Court. UPC is currently involved in High Court proceedings brought by the Big Four labels, regarding implementation of a ‘three strikes’ ban on illegal file sharers. Meanwhile, The Pirate Bay is currently in the process of transferring to new owners who will make the site a legal paid-for service.
Former model Liskula Cohen has won a US court ruling asking Google to reveal the identity of an anonymous blogger who called her a 'skank', and may have a delivered a blow to free speech on the internet in the process. Under the pseudonym "Anonymous", Cohen's critic wrote: "I would have to say that first place award for 'Skankiest in NYC' would have to go to Liskula Gentile Cohen." Cohen went to the Manhattan Supreme Court to discover who had attacked her so she could sue for defamation; the court ordered Google to supply the blogger's IP and e-mail addresses to Miss Cohen's lawyers. The blogger is now set to be sued for defamation. In making her decision, the judge quoted a ruling by a Virginia court that said that anonymous online critics should be held accountable when their derision goes too far.
Microsoft's Bing search engine, which launched in early June, has continued making small gains on rivals Google and Yahoo in the US internet search market in July, according to research firm ComScore. Bing garnered 8.9 percent of US internet searches in July, up 0.5 percentage points from June. Meanwhile, Google and Yahoo both lost 0.3 percentage points in July, with a market share of 64.7 percent and 19.3 percent, respectively.
DVD rental company Blockbuster is planning to offer movies for viewing on Motorola mobile phones -- the company's first step into mobile video. Although few details are available -- including cost and launch date -- the plan is expected to include television series as well as movies, and consumers will be able to download the content directly to their mobile phones.
Apple is reportedly investigating reports that a number of iPhones have exploded in Europe, according to a European Commission spokeswoman for the EU executive that oversees the safety of consumer products. In one incident, it's claimed that an iPhone in France made a hissing sound and then shattered. Apple has not commented on the commission spokeswoman's remarks.
Sony Ireland has announced it is to launch a scheme to encourage consumers to trade-in their old televisions. The offer, which will be available in Sony Centres, Expert Stores, DID, Powercity and Harvey Normans outlets nationwide, will see consumers get up to EUR200 for a trade-in of any old TV. According to Sony, the campaign offers consumers the advantages of "swapping old for new, rather than simply throwing away ".
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 