Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service =
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday =
through Friday, this service provides updates on important industry =
developments, policy issues, and other related news events. Headlines =
are compiled this week by Norris Dickard (norris( at )benton.org) -- we =
welcome your comments.
INDUSTRY NEWS
EU Regulators Meet Microsoft's Balmer
Microsoft Documents Reveal Tough Tactics
Oracle Hands Over Documents Too
Vivendi Universal Entertainment Doing Well
COMPUTING
Beware Phatbot: Swiss Army Knife of Attack Software
INDUSTRY NEWS
EU REGULATORS MEET MICROSOFT'S BALMER
Trying to reach a settlement with European regulators, Microsoft's =
chief, Steven Ballmer, met with Europe's top antitrust official, Mario =
Monti, over a week before EU regulators are expected to find that =
Microsoft abused its dominance in operating software. It is reported =
that the biggest obstacle to a settlement concerns the bundling of =
Microsoft's audio and video playing program, Media Player, into its =
dominant Windows operating system. The EU believes the practice is =
anticompetitive because it puts rival players like Real Networks and =
Apple at a disadvantage.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Paul Meller]
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/17/technology/17soft.html
MICROSOFT DOCUMENTS REVEAL TOUGH TACTICS
Meanwhile, Microsoft documents to be made public this week in a =
Minnesota antitrust trial offer an inside look at the company's tough =
tactics. Richard Hagstrom, an attorney for Minnesota consumers, says the =
documents reveal a "war-like culture" within Microsoft. Available at WSJ =
online is a Microsoft executive's e-mail to legendary investor Warren =
Buffett and Buffett's response (the Microsoft executive writes: although =
I would never write down the analogy of a "toll bridge," people outside =
our company might describe this business in that way).
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107947771352857209,00.html?mod=3Dhome=
_whats_news_us
ORACLE HANDS OVER DOCUMENTS TOO
Oracle has agreed to hand over documents that the U.S. government was =
seeking in its case against the company's proposed $9.4 billion =
acquisition of rival PeopleSoft. The U.S. Justice Department filed suit =
to block the hostile takeover Feb. 27 on antitrust grounds, saying the =
merger would eliminate one of only three players in the market for =
software sold to business customers to manage finances, human resources, =
sales forces and other duties.
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Reuters]
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-03-16-oracle-paperwork_x.htm
VIVENDI UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT DOING WELL
Vivendi Universal SA reported smaller losses for the fourth quarter and =
all of 2003, thanks to a program of divestments and stronger =
performances at its telecommunications and entertainment units. Vivendi =
Universal Entertainment - scheduled to merge with General Electric Co.'s =
NBC unit in the second quarter to form NBC Universal - saw operating =
profit jump to EUR239 million in the fourth quarter from EUR91 million a =
year earlier.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal]
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107950862355657797,00.html?mod=3Dhome=
_whats_news_us
COMPUTING
BEWARE PHATBOT: THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF ATTACK SOFTWARE
Computer security experts in the private and public sector are =
monitoring the emergence of a new, sophisticated hacker tool that uses =
the same peer-to-peer (P2P) networking abilities that power =
controversial P2P networks. The tool, dubbed "Phatbot," would allow its =
authors to gain control over computers and link them into P2P networks =
sending out spam and knocking sites offline. Experts fear hundreds of =
thousands of computers running Microsoft Windows are already infected. =
Phatbot is "a virtual Swiss Army knife of attack software," said Vincent =
Weafer, senior director of security response at Symantec.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Brian Krebs]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A444-2004Mar17.html
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