INTERNET
Lawyer For Moscow Firm Says Internet Outside U.S. Law (SJM)
Internet Use Starts to Reflects Offline Demographics (NYT)
INTERNATIONAL
India To Build Grid Of Supercomputers (SJM)
Digital Avatars As Sign Language Translators (BBC)
WIRELESS
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear NextWave Case (WP)
INTERNET
LAWYER FOR MOSCOW FIRM SAYS INTERNET OUTSIDE U.S LAW
Issue: Intellectual Property
A Moscow company that sold a program enabling people to use Adobe Systems
Inc.'s eBook Reader to copy and print digital books and transfer them to
other computers to be read aloud using speech technology is facing charges
of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The Act bars the
creation or distribution of technology that can be used to circumvent
copyright protections. The defense lawyer for the Russian company is arguing
that activities occurring on the Internet are outside the jurisdiction of
United States Law and that the "Congress did not authorize the DMCA to have
extra-territorial impact." The U.S. District Attorney's office has not ruled
on the request to dismiss jurisdiction. The Moscow software company
maintains that the program was created for the personal use of paying eBook
customers. The case is one of several recent lawsuits between content
providers and those who believe the DMCA has left consumers with few online
rights.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/2792579.htm)
INTERNET USE STARTS TO REFLECT OFFLINE DEMOGRAPHICS
Issue: Internet
Two recently released studies, one from Pew Internet and American Life
Project (PIP) and one from Jupiter Media Matrix Inc., suggest that Internet
use is starting to reflect what happens in the offline world. According to
the Pew report, as people become more experienced with the Web, they become
more likely to shop or conduct other financial-related activities online.
Jupiter's report suggests that, in the near future, online commercial
transactions will more closely resemble real-world demographics. An
interesting forecast from Jupiter predicts that the number of online
shoppers will grow faster than the number of overall Internet users.
Currently, there are 67 million online shoppers and Jupiter expects that
number to grow to 132 million over the next four years. Meanwhile, the
number of overall Internet users is expected to show only single-digit
growth during the same period.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bob Tedeschi]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/04/technology/ebusiness/04ECOM.html)
(requires registration)
Full PIP report available at:
(http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=55).
Further trend information from Jupiter Media Matrix is available at
(http://www.jmm.com).
INTERNATIONAL
INDIA TO BUILD GRID OF SUPERCOMPUTERS
Issue: Digital Divide
After 10 years of U.S. technology export restrictions, an India state-run
agency is laying plans to build a nationwide grid of supercomputers that
will aid in environmental modeling, analyzing satellite images, synthesizing
capital market data and more. "Increasingly, there is a need for people to
access high performance computing rather than owning it...We are going to
get into developing in India what we call an I-Grid (information grid)..."
said R. K. Arora, Executive Director of the Centre for Development of
Advanced Computing. This computer grid structure would resembles the Napster
peer-to-peer file sharing system but with increased scale and a far more
intricate design. India is currently among the world's high technology
performers and seeks to match the computing power that has been developed in
the United States.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/2795402.htm)
DIGITAL AVATARS AS SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS
Issue: Digital Divide
UK post offices are about to pilot an innovative technology: digital sign
language avatars. Avatars are computer animations designed to look and move
like real people. In a country with only 80 trained sign language
interpreters for 8.6 million deaf and hard of hearing people, the
possibility of having a real time digital interpreter is more than just
intriguing. Current post office avatars are only able to translate a limited
set of text-based phrase, but future avatar translators are expected to have
the capacity to translate fluently from either text or voice. A perfectly
fluent avatar on a computer, PDA or cell phone could reshape communication
for the deaf community.
[SOURCE: BBC News, AUTHOR: Jon Wurtzel]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1848000/1848431.stm)
WIRELESS
SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR NEXTWAVE CASE
Issue: Wireless
In a surprise move, the US Supreme court agreed yesterday to review the
long-running legal battle between the FCC and wireless company NextWave
Telecom Inc. Since 1996 the two parties have been fighting over airwave
licenses awarded to NextWave, but never paid for as the company filed for
bankruptcy protection in 1998. Last year, the FCC seized and resold
NextWave's licenses to other telecom companies, but the sale was nullified
by a lower court on the grounds that the FCC had illegally seized assets
protected under bankruptcy law. The Supreme Court did not disclose its
reasons for taking the case, but it is suggested that the court accepted the
case due to the large amount of money involved. If the lower court's
decision stands, the FCC will be required to return billions of dollars
raised in the auction of Nextwave's licenses.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38500-2002Mar4.html)
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