IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 10 December
10-12-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
LRC wants standards for e-signatures | Bus Eireann enjoys Twitter spike
The Irish Times reports that the Law Reform Commission (LRC) has recommended that an expert group be established to develop standards and guidelines for the verification of electronic and digital signatures. In a 'Consultation Paper on Documentary and Electronic Evidence', the LRC proposes changes in the law to take account of the use of computer-based evidence in civil and criminal trials. Among its recommendations are that there should be a general presumption (subject to certain safeguards) that documents and records, whether manual or electronic, should be admissible in civil and criminal cases. It also recommends that detailed technical standards for using and verifying electronic and digital signatures in certain commercial transactions should be agreed by an expert working group.
The Irish Independent says that Bus Eireann saw a huge increase in its Twitter followers during the recent floods. As water-logged roads wreaked havoc with bus routes and schedules, the state bus company used Twitter first to deliver updates, then to answer queries from customers. Within less than a fortnight, its Twitter follower numbers shot up 30 percent, to 1,300 people. Bus Eireann also has more than 1,500 Facebook fans.
The Financial Times says that Oracle has lined up a number of big corporate and government technology users to appear at the Brussels hearing to decide whether its planned acquisition of Sun Microsystems will harm competition in the database software market. According to a source, users that will lend their support to Oracle's case include Ericsson, Vodafone, Sabre and BBVA, as well as the UK Atomic Weapons Agency and the National Health Service. On Wednesday, Neelie Kroes, EU competition commissioner, said she was "optimistic" that a "satisfactory outcome" to the dispute could be reached.
The paper also reports that US chip firm Rambus has resolved its two-year dispute with European antitrust regulators without paying a fine. The European Commission has accepted legally binding commitments that will cut and cap the company's royalties on key patents. The case, which followed complaints from Infineon and Hynix, among others, had centred on claims that the US firm engaged in deceptive conduct when dealing with an industry standard-setting body.
The same paper says that AOL is to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange as an independent company on Thursday, following its de-merger from Time Warner. "We’re realistic about [Thursday]. We want investors to say 'Show us the results'," said Tim Armstrong, chief executive of AOL, hours before rapper P. Diddy joined him on the floor of the NYSE to celebrate the rebirth of one of the internet's first franchises. Eight years after AOL completed its takeover of Time Warner, it will emerge as a smaller company and compete with Yahoo, Microsoft and Google for online advertising revenue. The new AOL will focus on becoming the web's largest content producer.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Hollywood industry publication Daily Variety plans to resume charging for access to its online content. The Variety website was almost entirely reserved for subscribers until autumn 2006, when it lifted the pay wall to boost traffic. Readership rose, but it did not translate into a spike in advertising revenue. In the test phase of the new plan, Variety will randomly ask one in 10 visitors to its site to pay for content. That phase will likely last two months.
The paper also says that HarperCollins Publishers has decided to delay the electronic version of some of its new titles. Brian Murray, chief executive of HarperCollins, said that starting in January or February, the publisher will delay the e-book publication of five to ten new hardcover titles each month. The delays are expected to range from four weeks to six months, depending on the book. Murray said that if new hardcover titles continue to be sold as USD9.99 e-books, the eventual outcome will be fewer literary choices for customers, because publishers won't be able to take as many chances on new writers.
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