Australia may make changes to its copyright laws that, according to Google, would cause the Internet to "promptly grind to a halt." The Federal Government, which proposed the changes, maintains that it is only "modernizing" the laws.

"At present, Australian citizens technically break the law whenever they record their favourite television program or copy or download music for their own use," the Sydney Morning Herald reports. "The new laws will create an exemption for ‘fair use' and give effect to Australia's intellectual property obligations under the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA)."

"Fair use" is a subjective term, though. In an interview with ABC News Online, Dr. Matthew Rimmer, a copyright law expert, pointed out the potential problem. The copyright law changes would "protect libraries, archives and research institutions but leave commercial entities like Google out in the cold," he said.

Google's legal team is already on the move, and has submitted a warning to the Australia's senate. TODAY online relayed that statement. "Given the vast size of the Internet, it is impossible for a search engine to contact personally each owner of a web page to determine whether the owner desires its web page to be searched, indexed or cached," the company wrote.

Andrew McLaughlin, Google's senior counsel and head of public policy, also blasted the proposed changes. He claimed that, if implemented, they will "condemn the Australian public to the pre-internet era and will place them at a serious competitive disadvantage with those in other countries who have such access."

Google supporters aren't the only ones unhappy with the situation. ABC News Online reported that the changes may also "make it illegal to download music onto MP3 players."

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Tag: Google

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Microsoft has announced plans to offer up video content to Xbox users in standard and high definition formats beginning November 22, the one-year anniversary of the Xbox 360 launch. This move makes the Xbox 360 the first gaming console to offer television and movie content as a direct download to users.

CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have all signed on to provide video content for the venture.

Xbox 360 users will have access to the full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent via download from the Xbox Live® network.

"This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone," says Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

"It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it."

Content that will be available on the network by the end of year includes the following:
• "Robot Chicken" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" from Adult Swim
• "CSI," "Survivor" and "Star Trek" from CBS
• Emmy and Peabody award-winning "South Park" and "Chappelle's Show" from COMEDY CENTRAL
• "The Real World" and "Pimp My Ride" from MTV
• "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "SpongeBob SquarePants" from Nickelodeon
• "Skyland" and "The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival" from Nicktoons Network
• "M:i:III," "Nacho Libre" and "Jackass: The Movie" from Paramount Pictures
• "Carpocalypse" and "Raising the Roofs" from Spike TV
• "Race Rewind" provided by NASCAR.COM
• Select episodes of the original season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series and the "UFC: All Access" shows from the UFC
• "Breaking Bonaduce" and "Hogan Knows Best" from VH1
• "The Matrix," "Superman Returns" and "Batman Forever" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
This move reflects the growing trend of blending traditional media with new venues of delivery and consumption of content.

If the availability of television and movies becomes more prevalent among handheld and home entertainment devices, it will be interesting to see how cable companies respond to the competition.

Perhaps a move such as Microsoft's will compel Comcast, Insight and other cable providers to offer more "On Demand" content to customers as part of their basic packages, rather than requiring additional subscriptions to download popular movies and television programs.

If not, the Xbox could become a viable alternative to the cable box.

Tags: Microsoft, Xbox

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Yahoo has launched a new "graphical advertising platform for its Mobile Web service," and - don't get too excited, now - "the first advertisements on this beta platform will go live later this week."

An Associated Press article hints that Google may have something similar in the works, but the company's Press Center has been quiet so far this morning. Yahoo, however, was quick to put out an official statement about its new advertising push.

The company "has established itself as an early leader in mobile advertising and is continuing to help drive the growth of this emerging market," claimed Steve Boom, Yahoo's senior vice president, mobile and broadband. "As the only company with clear leadership in all forms of Internet advertising and a leading provider of mobile Internet services, we are uniquely able to create and deliver innovative, interactive marketing solutions to a targeted audience of engaged consumers."

Google and Microsoft might challenge that use of the phrase "clear leadership," but Yahoo is apparently "the #1 mobile Web destination in the U.S, according to M:Metrics." The search engine company wants everyone to know that it "already works with a large majority of the AdAge Top 100 advertisers to provide brand advertising services," as well.

A ZDNet article confirms that "it's a potentially lucrative market. Because consumers carry mobile phones with them around town, advertisers are willing to pay several times more for wireless ads as they for standard computer ads over the Internet." Graphical ads will probably allow Yahoo to command even higher prices.

Yahoo's trial ads should be fairly small, at least, measuring only "150 pixels by 21 elements."

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Tag: Yahoo

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Virtual Earth 3D launched from Microsoft as a response to Google's Earth program, with Microsoft's version running in the browser as a plug-in instead of as a separate program.

Live Search received an update from Microsoft, enabling users of the new Virtual Earth 3D to closely explore a number of places. But with only 15 US cities available at launch from Live.com, Microsoft has a lot of ground to cover to match the highly popular Google Earth.

By visiting Live.com, entering a query, and clicking on Maps, the visitor can see these three dimensional models where available. Here's a list of the cities Microsoft announced at launch that will have this functionality: San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Fort Worth.

The company expects to add more cities continually, and also noted terrain imagery in 3D is available globally. This new service will be destined for more than just its looks, though.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said in a statement Virtual Earth 3D would take search "to an entirely new level. The immersive 3-D experience provides a more powerful and engaging interface that delivers better experiences not only for consumers, but also for developers and advertisers."

It is easy to envision what Gates means with that last sentence. Someone using local search on Live.com could be taken to the location of a business and see that storefront. Add a click to call button to the image, powered by Microsoft's partnership with Ingenio, and the visitor could connect to the business immediately.

Nathan Weinberg posted a selection of images, which will be useful for people to get an idea of what Virtual Earth 3D can do before performing the plug-in install. He noted an issue that could catch some people off-guard:

If your default browser is not Internet Explorer, the install may try to launch in the other browser, and you may not notice what the hell is going on, clicking and clicking and clicking until you are ready to go insane. Not that I did…
Googling Google blogger Garett Rogers also took Microsoft to task over its IE-only focus for Virtual Earth 3D, and its substantial hardware requirements:

Besides the Internet Explorer limitation, the performance of Virtual Earth 3D is incredibly bad on average computers. Having a high-end gaming computer is the only way to truly enjoy what this product offers.
Microsoft's minimum and recommended specs for Virtual Earth 3D have a substantial range between the low and high ends, as Rogers showed:

• A 1.0 GHz processor (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
• 256 MB of system memory (1 GB recommended)
• 32 MB video card (256 MB recommended) that supports Microsoft DirectX 9, with 3D hardware acceleration enabled

Virtual Earth 3D and whatever Google's response proves to be should escalate the battle for local search dollars. We don't expect Google to wait too long before they roll out something new to match Microsoft.

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Tag: Virtual Earth 3D

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The Smart Answers team at the Ask search engine have put together some helpful sections for voters seeking more information about the US elections taking place today.

Many voters will be grateful for the respite that comes the day after Election Day, when negative political advertising takes a break until we get closer to the 2008 Presidential elections. We're anticipating an all-out assault on sensibility when that event nears.

For those of you looking for more information about Election Day, Ask has assembled some Smart Answers to assist. The Smart Answers feature appears atop the search results for a given query and offers details and links to more specific information about the searcher's issue.

The Ask blog noted how a site visitor can enter the word election into the search engine to trigger the Smart Answer. There they list link to political analysis on key races and issues, and resources for evaluating initiatives and learning about campaign funding.

That last bit can be very instructive. If you look at a given Congressman's vote on an issue, and then do a funding check at OpenSecrets.org from the Ask link, you shouldn't be surprised to see political contributions from organizations benefiting from the Congressman's position on the issue.

The Smart Answer for election also provides a drop-down link to Voter Info by State. When I select Kentucky, I find another Smart Answer about the 2006 Kentucky Elections. We get to vote for our House Representatives this year.

(In WebProNews land, we have a mayor to choose. The mayoral race offers us one of those choices you find in board games that challenge you to pick what you would rather do from a pair of unappealing options. Our picks for mayor can be likened to either selecting a painful rash that itches in one place, or a full-body rash that can't be concealed from people but doesn't itch as much.)

A list of resources from Ask would not be complete without a selection of links provided by their Director of Online Information Resources, Gary Price. That list compiled by Shirl Kennedy from ResourceShelf allows voters to learn about candidates' voting records, special interest group ratings, and other details from Project Vote Smart.

Polls open early in the US. Ask gives even the most uninformed voter enough data to make a reasonably informed choice at the polls, so why not take a look at their Smart Answers and make a smart choice in the voting booth today?

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Tag: General

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It's not anytime minutes and SMS they want, but they would like to find and reward the winner of a contest for the best business plan in the Web-2-Mobile Business Plan Competition.

The contest sponsored by global mobile phone maker Nokia, with FinNode, a business technology connector, and Red Herring magazine acting as organizers, was announced today. Prospective entrepreneurs who want to take the challenge can sign up at the contest site.

A FinNode representative said the Web-2-Mobile Business Plan Competition is seeking entrepreneurs who have innovative ideas about how to harness the power and ubiquity of mobile devices. Those who want to compete need to sign up by December 10, and finalists will be revealed on January 2, 2007.

The lucky finalists will present their plans to judges on January 24, 2007, with winners selected that day in Santa Clara, California. Winners then receive invitations to visit Nokia's research labs, where they will try to implement their business plan.

FinNode also said the winning entrepreneurs will get profiled in Red Herring, along with the valuable exposure to investors and venture capitalists who can help get a business plan off the ground.

If you're interested in taking a shot at the title, they recommend the advice from Garage Technology Ventures in completing the entry. Here's what the competition's judges want from entrepreneurs in their business plans:

1. The statement - What is your great idea?
2. The problem - What is the current or emerging problem that you will solve.
3. The solution - What do you offer and for whom?
4. The opportunity - What is the market for your solution?
5. The competitive advantage - What is your sustainable real competitive advantage?
6. The business model - How will you make money?
7. The team - Why will your team win?
8. The money - What are your financial projections?

Mobile services have become a focal point for big Internet players. Google recently debuted an application that gives a mobile phone user access to Gmail with an interface that replicates the desktop experience. Ask,Yahoo, and AOL all have designs on connecting people with their services, while Microsoft wants to own the mobile platform and the applications with its products.

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Tags: Nokia, FinNode, Red Herring, Web-2-Mobile

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Fictional super spies like James Bond may have to retire from all the action, sizzle and international intrigue of days past if the recent trend in stealing company secrets through computer hacking in Silicon Valley continues.

Everything from computer chip information, cutting edge military equipment plans, and company trade secrets are being pilfered in a lowkey manner by a variety of hackers, usually initiated by countries competing with the United States in worldwide markets, including allies like France and Israel.

China seems to be the most prominent player in this illegal game due the results of numerous ongoing FBI investigations. These cases have led authorities to shut down a slew of operations setting up in Silicon Valley which were allegedly financed by Beijing venture capital firms linked to the Chinese military and government.

In June 2006, two ritzy Silicon Valley homes were raided by FBI Agents and two engineers, Lan Lee and Yuefei Ge, were arrested on computer espionage charges, which included the charge that they stole copyrighted software from NetLogic Microsystems of Mountain View and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, based out of San Joes, CA.

Economic espionage is an emerging and continual problem for the United States, especially in today's globally competitive marketplace.

To stay on top of the developing problems in Silicon Valley, the FBI added the San Jose economic espionage and counterintelligence unit in September '06. It's sometimes very difficult to weed out the bad guys, though, because they don't stand out in a crowd. As opposed to being obvious ‘heavy' types with scowls, leather jackets and questionable citizenship, espionage criminal masterminds are recruiting students, businesspersons, and even employees working within the infrastructures of U.S. companies to get what they want.

If left unchecked by authorities and internal computer security watchdogs, these types of crimes can be potentially dangerous for the U.S. government. Recent pending cases have allegedly involved subjects like nuclear secrets being transferred to the Chinese government.

Surprisingly, money is sometimes not a major motivation for spies committing these espionage crimes. More times than not, it's someone's ‘loyalty to a cause or a nation' that inspires them to steal information for a foreign government. Authorities, however, are quick to point out that ‘money is a factor behind the scenes, more than likely.'

"America's being robbed blind. ... We simply don't want to believe it," said John Tkacik Jr., of the conservative operation Heritage Foundation, who headed China intelligence analysis at the State Department in the early '90s.

Naturally, the Chinese government denies its part in all computer espionage cases, downplaying it to a "few overzealous radicals" when they're caught.

It's interesting to note that despite the seriousness of these thefts, the economic espionage units usually end up charging alleged perpetrators with a lighter charge of ‘trade secret thefts' as opposed to heavier espionage charges. In the meantime, most corporations that are victimized by such crimes handle the problem internally and don't end up prosecuting perpetrators to the full extent of the law, fearing that bad publicity and tumbling public stock prices will hurt them far more than what has already been stolen by spies.

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Tag: Silicon Valley

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Microsoft abrubtly ends its popular year long endeavor known as the Codename Max project, leaving some users puzzled.

Photo paper burns, but software is forever. At least that is what the subscribers of the photo sharing software known as Microsoft Codename Max thought. After only a year of allowing its members to create and share photo albums online, Microsoft suddenly pulled the plug on the project.

Codename Max was a photo sharing program which used a direct connection to other program users, as oppesed to being web-based. Aspects of the program, such as the speedy creation of photo lists and 3D space displays, were well received by users.

Microsoft put a halt to the Codename Max project after a year, as explained in an October 31st blog, because they had "accomplished the goals of the project". Max's goals were to gain customer feedback on approaching their software and services.

The goal of the project was reached due to "fantastic feedback that we've incorporated not only into Max, but into the platform layer with the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)".

Users of Max do not seem to be as thrilled by the fact that Microsoft achieved its goals, in fact most users seem to be rather upset by the termination of the program. The general feeling toward the program's demise seems to be reflected in the blogs on the Microsoft Max page.

A blog written by program user Wouter Schut on November 1st stating, "This is Microsoft not caring about customers and progress.", summarizes the majority of the users's sentiments.

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Google Video used to feature official NBA videos, but the deal that made this possible seems to have run its course. Sports fans aren't entirely out of luck, though, because the NHL will be providing content to fill the void.

"Not only can you watch a ton of current season hockey games, plus some great classic games, full length and commercial free on Google Video," wrote WebProNews contributor Nathan Weinberg, "but you can also download the videos for permanent ownership as an iPod/PSP MP4 file, or a .GVI/AVI freako hybrid video. The only thing I don't like is that the videos can't be embedded on other sites."

There's still the question of what happened between Google and the NBA, however. Google Watch's Steve Bryant surmised that it might have "something to do with the maturation of the NBA's Web video strategy." He provided an old quote from NBA Commissioner David Stern that supports that theory.

"Those are, in the short run, experimentation to say that we're there and to test it," Stern said in reference to the Google deal and a partnership with iTunes. "I don't think the story is yet written on the long-term strategy of those endeavors . . . . We haven't to rest on this one yet."

Garrett Rogers also suggested that the split "probably wasn't the result of a heated dispute between the two companies," noting that "the original deal only spoke about the 2005 and 2006 seasons to begin with."

It's still kind of sad to see the NBA left with "empty" Web pages like this one, but Google's arrangement with the NHL should be great for hockey fans.

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Tag: Google, NBA, NHL

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Google has plans to test the concept of selling print ads in 50 major newspapers. Some of the companies involved in the 3-month test are Gannet, The Tribune Company, The New York Times Company and The Washington Post Company.

Google will begin testing the system with 100 advertisers later this month. They hope to reach small businesses as well as online retailers. Earlier this year Google began selling ads in magazines such as PC World and Motor Trend.

According to an article by Wendy Davis for MediaPost Publications the magazine venture has not been as successful as planned. Jonathan Rosenberg, Goggle's senior vice president for product management said this about the print ad sales program "probably hasn't taken off as fast as we would like."

With their latest venture into print media Google is hoping to generate more revenue while helping the struggling newspaper business. During the test Google will not earn any revenue. They usually keep around 20 percent of the revenue for the Internet ads they place.

An article from the New York Times had this to say "Some newspapers see Google's proposed system as a way to increase sales. ‘Every day in the newspaper we have a fair amount of space we set aside for ads that we are unable to fill,' said Owen Youngman, a vice president for development at The Chicago Tribune. "Google says they can bring us thousands of small advertisers for space we would otherwise fill with house ads, and we say ‘Great.' "

With newspapers struggling to compete with the online media while maintaining their circulation is this really going to be an effective venture for Google? If readership is declining then who will be viewing these ads in the print media?

The issue of succeeding in print advertising must be something Google has thought about. Why else would they test this for 3 months instead of implementing the program now?

The print media is becoming something of a dinosaur. Why would Google not target online newspapers for advertising instead of a medium that can barely keep its head above water?

We will know the results in about 3 months from now. Google is willing to experiment with a concept that seems to be a backward and risky notion. Where will people read the results? From their local newspaper or an online media source?

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Tag: Google

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