May 9, 2008
Microsoft Appeals EU's Mega-Fine
Microsoft has decided to appeal the over $1 billion fine that the European Commission levied against the software company in late Febraury (a.k.a. the EU's largest-ever penalty against a company).
The company filed the challenge with the European Union's Court of First Instance, stating that it's doing so "in a constructive effort to seek clarity from the court." The UK's Guardian newspaper called the decision to appeal "surprising" but spoke with a group of antitrust lawyers who suggested that Microsoft's approach is that it has nothing (more) to lose.
You can read more here.
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Tags: Antitrust, European Union, Microsoft, Neelie Kroes
International News
May 9, 2008
Microsoft Appeals EU's Mega-Fine
Microsoft has decided to appeal the over $1 billion fine that the European Commission levied against the software company in late Febraury (a.k.a. the EU's largest-ever penalty against a company).
The company filed the challenge with the European Union's Court of First Instance, stating that it's doing so "in a constructive effort to seek clarity from the court." The UK's Guardian newspaper called the decision to appeal "surprising" but spoke with a group of antitrust lawyers who suggested that Microsoft's approach is that it has nothing (more) to lose.
You can read more here.
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Tags: Antitrust, European Union, Microsoft, Neelie Kroes
Interent Taxation
May 9, 2008
TX May Ask Amazon for Millions in Tax Dispute
Amazon.com may have to pay the state of Texas millions of dollars in uncollected sales taxes.
Federal law allows states to collect sales taxes from out-of-state retailers with a "physical presence" and, according to The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Comptroller's Office is investigating whether or not Amazon.com owes taxes because it operated a distribution center in Irving, Texas.
The newspaper explains: "The issue came to light last month after Amazon.com Inc. sued the state of New York over whether it should begin charging customers state sales taxes, citing the federal law it appears to be breaking in Texas."
No official response yet from Amazon.com, but you can read the full article here.
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Tags: Amazon.com, ecommerce, Internet tax, Texas
Social Media
May 8, 2008
Like MySpace, Facebook Strikes Net Safety Deal with AGs
TechCrunch broke the news this morning that Facebook is adopting a set of "Key Principles Of Social Networking Safety" as part of an agreement with attorneys general from 49 states and the District of Columbia that will require the social networking site to take steps to better protect kids (Texas is the only state not signed on). You may remember that MySpace made a similar announcement last January.
The policy was announced by Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal as part of the ongoing efforts of a coalition called the Multi-State Attorney General Executive Committee. Mr. Blumenthal gave the following statement in a press release:
"We are raising the safety bar, first for MySpace and now Facebook, and soon for other sites as we fight for an industry gold standard. Facebook and MySpace are showing how to aim higher and keep kids safer. Our ultimate goal is age and identity verification technology -- safeguards against child molesters and inappropriate material. Checking ages and identities is vital to better shielding underage users from predators and pornography."
It's that last point about using age verification technology that concerned Internet safety expert Adam Thierer when the MySpace agreement was made earlier this year. As he wrote in this January post on the Progress and Freedom Foundation blog, "even assuming we could find a way to make it [age verficiation] work, there are many other considerations that must be taken into account, such as the burden it might impose on freedom of speech or individual privacy."
More details on Facebook's agreement are available at TechCrunch.
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Tags: Adam Thierer, age verification, attorneys general, Facebook, Internet safety, MySpace, social networking
Internet Regulation
May 7, 2008
Trying to Bring DOPA Back
If sites like Second Life won't protect kids from obviously inappropriate content, the Congress will.
That quote is from Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who held a press conference in his Illinois district yesterday to "call for federal action to protect kids from child predators and registered sex offenders" on social networking sites and in virtual worlds. Internet safety continues to be a hot-button topic, especially since it's an election year, and Congressman Kirk seems to have set his sights on Linden Lab's Second Life.
In February of last year, Congressman Kirk reintroduced the infamous Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), a version of which passed the House in July 2006 by a vote of 410-15 but died in the Senate. As you may recall, DOPA sought to restrict minors' access to social networking sites and chat rooms in libraries and schools that received federal funding, unless the sites were being used for an educational purpose with adult supervision.
In renewing his call for DOPA-like measures, Rep. Kirk also sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission chairman William Kovacic, urging him to advise parents about the "dangers and sexually explicit content found on Second Life." The full text of that letter can be read in the Congressman's press release, and Anne Broache of News.com has this report.
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Tags: Congress, DOPA, Internet Regulation, Internet safety, Mark Kirk, Second Life, Virtual Worlds
