Napster case could get final settlement
Napster returned quietly to business earlier this year, but its legal situation remained in doubt. Now it appears that the file-swapping site is working hard to settle the copyright infringement suit that the recording industry filed three years ago in its effort to end the unauthorized trading of music. Federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel has allowed a 1-month delay in the case so the two sites can continue negotiations. The site shut down in February 2001 after Patel ruled that it should filter unauthorized songs from its system. The Recording Industry Association of America also showed signs Wednesday that it is prepared to wrap up its case against Napster. "Since re-launching a few weeks ago, we understand they have limited their repertoire to licensed music. Resolving the lawsuit may now be feasible," RIAA President Hilary Rosen said in a statement.
Identity theft tops fraud list
Identity theft was the most frequent consumer fraud complaint in 2001, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which released its top ten list Wednesday. About 42 percent of consumer complaints to the FTC in 2001 were about stolen identities, followed Internet auctions at 10 percent and Internet services and computer complaints at 7 percent. The FTC has started a fraud complaint database called Consumer Sentinel that takes information from law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, as well private sector sources. More information can be found at consumer.gov/sentinel.
China launches human rights site
An English-language human rights site launched recently by the Chinese government is not likely to please activists and opponents of China's human rights record, reports Wired News. The site, humanrights-china.org, promises to present China's human rights situation "comprehensively and objectively," but it excludes links to groups such as Amnesty International and the Global Democracy Network, which have been highly critical of Beijing's policies. The site went online Tuesday with a zero-tolerance vow to crush Muslim separatists in western China, according to Wired News. Clicking on a link titled "Ethnic Groups In China" leads to a page that notes the nation has 56 ethnic groups: "The Han ethnic group is the largest. ... All ethnic groups [are] like equal brothers and sisters in a happy family."
Deal to allow rail riders to get online free
Internet portal Yahoo! and computer maker Compaq are teaming up with Amtrak to offer free Internet access to travelers on three popular rail routes. The trains will have wireless links to the Internet, and passengers will use Compaq iPaq handheld computers to get online. The plan is to have the machines either in club cars or on the backs of seats. Yahoo!'s Web properties will act as the home base for the railway's Web surfers. The program is expected to run for six months on the Acela Regional line in the Northeast, the Capitols in Northern California, and the Hiawatha in the Midwest.
Airlines delay high-speed access plans
The downturn in the air travel industry has left many airlines looking for ways to trim costs, and putting high-speed Internet equipment aboard planes appears to be one of the first casualties. Two leading makers of broadband gear for airplanes told CNET News.com that many airlines are delaying projects to equip their fleets. Ed Nicol, chief executive of Tenzing Communications, told the Web site: "Things are tough for all of us. Everybody still wants connectivity, but for some airlines, it's now a low priority." Tenzing and Boeing are the two leading makers of high-speed Internet equipment for airplanes.
Apple co-founder Wozniak returns to startup world
The man who built the Apple I computer in 1976 is returning to the high-tech business world after more than a decade, according to the San Jose Mercury-News. Steve Wozniak, who started Apple Computer with friend Steve Jobs, says he is starting a company called Wheels of Zeus, a play on his nickname, The Woz. The company, which has about $6 million in venture capital so far, plans to design "consumer electronic wireless products to help everyday people track everyday things," according to the Mercury-News. Wozniak, 51, left Apple in 1983 and focused mainly on philanthropy. He worked on building remote-control devices in the 1980s, but hasn't been involved in his own startup since, according to the newspaper.
London sewers offer broadband possibilities
A new British venture plans to create a broadband network in London that won't force it to tear up streets to lay its cables. Unband, created by the Thames Water utility company and the Lattice Group, plans to lay about 50 miles of cable in London's sewers by August, according to the BBC. The plan is to reach about 8,400 buildings, but Unband won't sell Internet access directly to businesses. It will act as a wholesaler for telecom firms and other Internet service providers. Unband chief executive Roger Wilson told the BBC that Britain's major telecom company, BT, can always get broadband to businesses the way that they want it. "Our research suggests that there are limited choices in the last mile, with businesses relying on copper from BT. Most telecom firms are looking for alternatives to leasing from BT," he said.
(Compiled by Joe Warminsky in Washington.)
