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AT&T to throttle data speeds for 'unlimited' hogs (AP) : Technet |
- AT&T to throttle data speeds for 'unlimited' hogs (AP)
- Extremists flocking to Facebook for recruits (AP)
- Fire-breathing Lego dragon might not be parent approved, but it sure is cool (Yahoo! News)
- Obama spams Republican Twitter handles to urge debt compromise (Yahoo! News)
- Jackass Movies Come to Facebook (Mashable)
- Senator supports online sales tax reform (Reuters)
- Phone companies present rural broadband plan (AP)
- GameStop to start selling digital downloads in stores (Digital Trends)
- Gamers don’t need an iPad 2 with these five Android tablets (Appolicious)
- Pregnancy announcements added as a new option on Facebook (Digital Trends)
- Cops used cell records to link dad to missing girl (AP)
- Groupon, Foursquare join forces to bring deals to check-ins (Appolicious)
- Nokia 3rd in smartphone sales (Investor's Business Daily)
- Hulu accused of infringing program guide patent (Reuters)
- Apple Fan Snaps Photo of Possible iPhone 5 Prototype (NewsFactor)
- Gates sells 5 million shares of Microsoft (AFP)
- Google buys about 1,000 IBM patents (AP)
| AT&T to throttle data speeds for 'unlimited' hogs (AP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:40 PM PDT NEW YORK – AT&T Inc. said Friday that it's going to start limiting speeds for the 5 percent of its customers with "unlimited" data smartphone plans who clog the airwaves the most. The measure will take effect Oct. 1, AT&T said, and is intended to alleviate congestion on the network. T-Mobile USA already throttles users who go over certain limits for data consumption. AT&T stopped signing up new customers for "unlimited" plans last year. Instead, it now lets heavy users pay extra when they go over a certain data allotment. Verizon Wireless also recently stopped signing up new customers for unlimited service. AT&T says it will warn users when they are approaching joining the top 5 percent, and anyone subject to the speed limits will experience them until the next billing cycle starts. The Dallas-based phone company says that what puts someone in the top 5 percent is usually streaming video or playing some online games. AT&T won't count data use over Wi-Fi, just usage over the cellular network. ___ Online: AT&T statement: http://bit.ly/r4JTVp ___ Peter Svensson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/petersvensson |
| Extremists flocking to Facebook for recruits (AP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 08:13 AM PDT LONDON – When the English Defense League sprang to life two years ago, it had fewer than 50 members — a rough-and-tumble bunch of mostly white guys shouting from a street corner about what they viewed as uncontrolled Muslim immigration. Now, the far-right group mentioned by confessed Norway gunman Anders Behring Breivik as an inspiration says its ranks have swollen to more than 10,000 people, a spectacular rise its leaders attribute to the immense global power of Facebook and other social networking sites. "I knew that social networking sites were the way to go," EDL leader Stephen Lennon told The Associated Press. "But to say that we inspired this lunatic to do what he did is wrong. We've never once told our supporters its alright to go out and be violent." A Facebook page under Breivik's name was taken down shortly after the attacks last week. A Twitter account under his name had only one Tweet, on July 17, loosely citing English philosopher John Stuart Mill: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests." Norwegian investigators have pored through data on Breivik's computer and say they now believe he was acting alone. They have also said they haven't found any links of concern between Breivik and far right British groups such as the EDL. In addition to Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, the Internet hosts thousands of forums for far-left, far-right and other extremist groups. In Germany alone, far-right groups ran some 1,000 websites and 38 online radio stations as of late last year with many aimed at recruiting followers. Social networking sites, complete with politically charged music, are particularly drawing younger audiences who increasingly get their information outside of traditional media. Extremists "still favor online chat platforms — often with several hundred participants — but they are increasingly turning to social media," said Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which called the danger of recruitment "considerable." Intelligence and law enforcement officials have mixed feelings about the sites. On one hand, they recognize the potential for recruiting groups or individuals into violent movements. On the other, the sites allow officials to track and catch perpetrators. Germany's interior minister, Hans-Peter Friedrich, told local media this week that he's more worried about extremists who go underground and "radicalize in secret." Most agree that the most violent criminals often give little to no clear warning of the deadly acts they are about to commit, and that sometimes it's difficult to know when a person is simply boasting or whether their online activity suggests they could become killers. What's undeniable is the social media's power to bring together people with like-minded views. "Fifty years ago, if you believed that the Earth was populated by spies from Jupiter, it would have taken you quite some time to find someone else who shared the same belief," said Bob Ayers, a London-based former U.S. intelligence official. "That's not the case today. Social networking sites have changed the mathematics of things, and with that change, comes both pros and cons." Several of the email addresses to which Breivik sent his 1,516-page manifesto hours before the Oslo bombing matched Facebook profiles of people flaunting neo-Nazi or ultra-nationalist symbols. Those profiles, in turn, were set up to connect with like-minded people. One apparently Italian addressee — whose profile picture shows a swastika, the SS-symbol, and a skull — linked to Facebook groups representing "Fascist Music," the biography of former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, as well as firearms. His list of 462 "friends" showed several people with similar profiles, including some with the symbols or illustrations of the Knights Templar, a group that Breivik said he joined after meeting with a group of right-wing men in London. Another addressee, showing off his pumped up torso and shaved head, lists the anti-immigration British National Party as his political views. The British National Party, which won its first seat in European parliamentary elections last year, recently encouraged its members to use social media outlets. It even suggested that supporters use hashtags such as (hash)nationalist and (hash)BNP — techniques designed to capture a larger audience on a specific topic. "Social networking is an important way of keeping in touch with the British National Party, and taking small, easy actions to promote our fight for our identity and culture," the BNP said on its site. "It's just one way you can make a difference and show you care about the cause we all believe in." The group recommended its supporters post pro-nationalist quotes on Facebook to inspire friends to take action. Some analysts say that although it's clear social media plays an important role in strengthening the far-right's sense of identity and solidarity, it's too early to say how much Facebook and Twitter have helped contribute to extremist violence. "The fact that we have more blogs, more online forums, doesn't mean we have a greater risk of terrorism," said Matthew Goodwin, a politics lecturer who recently published a book on the far right in Britain. "Even if they hold radical, extreme views, it doesn't mean they're pro-violence." Facebook says it relies on its community to police the site and usually only steps in when individuals or groups are inciting violence or hate. It would not comment on whether it was cooperating with law enforcement agencies looking into the Norway massacre. "Facebook has a team of professionals that removes content that violates our policies, which includes content that's hateful, makes actionable threats, or includes nudity and/or pornography," said Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes. Daniel Hodges, a spokesman for Searchlight, a UK magazine that campaigns against far-right extremism, said the Internet has allowed "all sorts of appalling viewpoints" to be read by anyone. "How many people over the world today have now read Breivik's manifesto?" he said. The Internet often lets groups like the EDL come across as more powerful than they really are, he said. "(The Internet) allows them to reach their membership relatively speedily, relatively anonymously. It enables them to give a perception of a significant critical mass. But many far right activists live online, not in the real world," Hodges said. During a recent British election, the BNP suffered from a lack of grassroots support on the ground, even though its website received massive online traffic. The definition of what counts as hate speech also varies from one country to another, and in the U.S. much of it is protected under the First Amendment. Denying the Holocaust, for example, is illegal in many European countries but not in the U.S. U.S. laws also protect Internet companies from being held responsible for the content on their sites. Rather than automatically take down pages that are in the gray area, some civil libertarians think it's better for social media sites to "err on the side of caution" and let the community handle it. "Facebook and social media in general tend to be very self-correcting," said Jillian York, director of International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil-liberties group in San Francisco. "A lot of times you see people who oppose the hate speech taking over the (hate) groups. That tends to be more effective than taking the page down." The Czech Republic's counterintelligence service called the Internet the "No. 1" propaganda tool for extremists in their terrorism report last year. "There is a significant increase in activities of far right extremists in social networking sites, especially on Facebook. In connection with that, a relatively new phenomenon has appeared of groups which are joined, besides the extremists, also by common citizens ... As a result, the extremist views are becoming popular and spread among the public." Germany viewed the threat in a similar way. "The use of the Internet has become a fixture for German right-wing extremists in spreading their ideology, preparing their activities, campaigns and other events as well as the communication with their followers and sympathizers," Germany's domestic intelligence agency said in its latest report published earlier this month. Lennon, meanwhile, may find himself spending even more time in the virtual far-right world. The 28-year-old newlywed with a handful of missing teeth is banned from going anywhere near protests. He also claims to have had his assets frozen pending a police investigation. Despite the setbacks, Lennon said his group is growing — and even moving beyond the need for social media. "We'll keep talking to people about what the EDL stands for, but we don't actually need places like Facebook anymore. We've already built our network and it's growing." ___ Also contributing to this report were Barbara Ortutay in New York, in Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels, Karel Janicek in Prague, Juergen Baetz in Berlin and Sylvia Hui in London. |
| Fire-breathing Lego dragon might not be parent approved, but it sure is cool (Yahoo! News) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 06:32 PM PDT |
| Obama spams Republican Twitter handles to urge debt compromise (Yahoo! News) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:41 PM PDT |
| Jackass Movies Come to Facebook (Mashable) Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:08 PM PDT The complete Jackass series of films is now available to rent directly on Facebook. Paramount Pictures has made Jackass The Movie, Jackass 2, Jackass 3, along with the digital-only features Jackass 2.5 and Jackass 3.5 available on Facebook. The films can be rented with Facebook Credits. [More from Mashable: Roger Ebert Defends Controversial Tweet About Ryan Dunn's Death] It's another sign that Facebook is gaining ground as a movie rental platform. Warner Bros. started making its films available on the social network earlier this spring and has continued at a steady clip.
[More from Mashable: Friends & Fans Post Ryan Dunn Remembrances on Twitter]
Along with the rentals, Paramount Pictures also released a new Jackass ClipApp that allows fans to assemble their own Jackass experiences, using over 100 pre-selected scenes from all five movies. The resulting clips can then be shared with friends over Facebook. As a film franchise, Jackass already has strong digital roots. Jackass 2.5 was the first digital release from a major studio. It generated more than 20 million views in its first week. This story originally published on Mashable here. |
| Senator supports online sales tax reform (Reuters) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 07:40 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cash-strapped states seeking to collect billions in taxes from online transactions gained an ally in Washington on Friday when a senator introduced a bill for a federal solution to the problem. Struggling with weak economies, states will lose an estimated $10 billion this year and $11.4 billion next year in sales taxes that go uncollected on online purchases, according to studies by three professors at the University of Tennessee. Although the fate of the bill by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin was uncertain given the anti-tax environment on Capitol Hill, his measure is backed by the National Governors Association and the National Retail Federation and even earned a pledge of cooperation from giant online retailer Amazon. "It's being brought to a head by actions at the state level," said Indiana state Senator Luke Kenley, who heads the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board, a group of 24 states that has been lobbying Congress to enact a uniform sales tax for all retailers -- online and bricks and mortar alike. Also pushing the issue to the forefront has been the sheer size of the online retail market -- $165 billion last year, according to Bernstein Research, which predicts 15 percent annual growth over the next decade. "Online sales are growing exponentially and this loophole is creating winners and losers based on the tax code," says Jason Brewer of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group in favor of federal rules. Durbin argued his bill involved no new taxes and applied only to taxes already imposed by the states that are not being collected. His goal is to provide states with the clear authority to require retailers to collect sales taxes already owed, treat all retailers equally regarding sales tax collection, and release consumers, currently expected to calculate and send in the taxes themselves, from that responsibility. AMAZON Amazon, the largest e-retailer, has been locked in a series of state-by-state battles over the non-collection of taxes. Amazon declined comment on Durbin's bill. But in a letter to Durbin, the company's vice president for global public policy, Paul Misener, supported returning discussion of the interstate collection of sales tax to Congress and pledged to cooperate. On a state level, Amazon has been less accommodating. It is backing a referendum to end California's new tax collection policy and has pushed for and gotten incentives in Tennessee and South Carolina tying sales tax holidays to putting Amazon facilities and jobs in those states. The company argues the current sales tax system is too complex for it to handle reasonably. A recent study by analysts at William Blair & Co of more than 2,000 items for sale at 24 retailers found more than half the products were also available on Amazon.com at an average of 11 percent below store prices. If Amazon collected all state sales taxes, that price discount would drop into a "mid single-digit" range, the analysts said. Amazon warned in a recent SEC filing that if states or foreign countries succeeded in forcing the company to start collecting taxes where it did not do so already, it "could result in substantial tax liabilities, including for past sales, as well as penalties and interest." Brick and mortar retailers have been waiting for federal action for nearly two decades since a Supreme Court decision encouraged Congress to come up with some kind of national framework for remote sales taxes. (Reporting by Nanette Byrnes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; additional reporting by Alistair Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Cooney) |
| Phone companies present rural broadband plan (AP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 03:33 PM PDT WASHINGTON – AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and four other telecom companies are offering a proposal to overhaul the $8 billion federal phone subsidy program to pay for high-speed Internet connections in rural and other underserved areas. They say the plan, which was filed with the Federal Communications Commission Friday, would bring broadband service to nearly all Americans within five years. The proposal is one of dozens that the FCC will likely receive as it seeks to bring the federal program, called the Universal Service Fund, into the digital age. The agency voted unanimously in February to begin drafting a blueprint to modernize the fund. But the new plan is particularly significant since it has the backing of six key telecommunications companies that are some of the biggest recipients of Universal Service dollars. In addition to AT&T and Verizon, the nation's two largest phone companies, the plan is supported by CenturyLink Inc., Fairpoint Communications Inc., Frontier Communications Corp. and Windstream Corp. "To truly bring broadband services to all Americans, the rules of the road for the black rotary phone desperately needed to be updated for today's competitive, high-speed communications networks," said Hank Hultquist, vice president of federal regulatory at AT&T. The Universal Service Fund was created to ensure that all Americans have access to a basic telephone line. It is supported by a surcharge on long-distance phone bills. The program subsidizes phone service for the poor and pays for Internet access in schools, libraries and rural health clinics. But more than half the money goes to pay phone companies that provide voice service in rural places where phone lines are unprofitable. The FCC now wants to tap the rural program, called the High Cost Fund, to pay for broadband too. It envisions gradually transforming the High Cost program into a new Connect America Fund that would underwrite the cost of building and operating high-speed Internet networks in places that are too sparsely populated to justify costly corporate investments. The agency's actions could have profound consequences not just for rural Americans still stuck with dial-up links or painfully slow broadband connections, but also for rural phone companies that rely heavily on Universal Service funding. The telecom company proposal takes aim at several key criticisms of the Universal Service Fund, including complaints by Republicans that the program promotes waste by subsidizing multiple rural phone companies in places where the free market doesn't support even one and by giving telecom carriers little incentive to keep their costs down. The telecom company plan would cap the size of the new Connect America Fund at $4.5 billion annually, provide subsidies for only one provider in an area and target funding at places where there is no business case for companies to provide service on their own. In addition, it would create an Advanced Mobility/Satellite Fund to provide mobile broadband access in some of the hardest-to-serve areas. The new proposal also seeks to overhaul the multibillion-dollar "intercarrier compensation" system, the Byzantine menu of charges that phone companies pay each other to connect calls and link their networks. Any changes to the Universal Service Fund would also require changes to intercarrier compensation because rural phone companies tend to rely heavily on both funding sources. The existing intercarrier compensation program is widely seen as outdated and irrational since phone company payments vary widely based on the type of carrier involved, the type of network traffic being exchanged and the distance that the traffic travels. The new telecom plan would set one low, uniform rate for these payments. The FCC welcomed the companies' proposal and the industry's efforts to tackle Universal Service reform. "We're pleased that many have taken up that challenge, and we will consider those proposals as we finalize reforms," the agency said in a statement. That was echoed by the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. "I am pleased to see such a diverse group of small and large telecommunications providers working together to find consensus, which is no small feat on this complex and difficult issue," she said. "I urge the FCC to continue the momentum generated by this proposal and to keep our nation's rural communities in mind as it moves forward with the reform process." |
| GameStop to start selling digital downloads in stores (Digital Trends) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 07:22 PM PDT
With the upcoming launch of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms, GameStop is starting up a program to sell digital versions of PC games within the physical locations of the company. While visitors to the GameStop can accomplish the exact same task on the website, customers interested in the game can apply store credit from trade-ins to the purchase of the digital title. This service is being powered by technology from a recent acquisition, Impulse Inc. The Impulse digital distribution platform is a response to the popularity of Steam as well as the move by Electronic Arts to sell games within a proprietary distribution system called Origin. In order to download Deus Ex: Human Revolution on the release date of August 23, users have to download the Impulse client similar to clients from Steam and EA. Publishers that use Impulse can include digital rights management options to protect its software, but PC gaming consumers are often disparaging against any form of DRM. Similar to Steam, the Impulse software allows publishers to include achievements, chat, friends lists, cloud storage and multiplayer lobbies within games. Publishers also have the ability to add more downloadable content to the game through Impulse as well as have access to analytics around consumers and purchase behavior. |
| Gamers don’t need an iPad 2 with these five Android tablets (Appolicious) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 11:30 AM PDT |
| Pregnancy announcements added as a new option on Facebook (Digital Trends) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 08:09 PM PDT
Earlier this week, Facebook added an option to user profiles that allows expectant mothers to add their upcoming child to the family circle. Mothers or fathers can add the chosen name for the unborn baby as well as the due date under the "Friends and Family" tab. While a new profile isn't created or needed to add the upcoming child, the standard non-picture Facebook avatar appears on the user page along with information about the child. After adding the information, it appears in the Facebook news feed for all friends to view. Since December 2010, Facebook has allowed users to link pages with family members and added options for "domestic partnership" as well as "civil unions" a couple months later. Family members appear underneath the main profile picture in addition to other groups created to show off specific relationships. Facebook did not announce the addition of the expected child feature to the public and there's no indication that these additions to the family can eventually be turned into official Facebook accounts. Critics of the new feature are quick to point out the impersonal nature of the announcement within a Facebook news feed. |
| Cops used cell records to link dad to missing girl (AP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 04:33 PM PDT BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Investigators have linked a Bakersfield father to the disappearance of his 8-year-old daughter after tracing his cell phone to the same area where the girl was found, Kern County officials said Friday. The man, 29, was arrested Thursday after a seven-hour standoff with authorities, who responded to reports that he was suicidal and armed. He was booked on charges of kidnapping with the act of rape, kidnapping with intent to commit rape, sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and attempted murder, said Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood. The girl's disappearance prompted a citywide search Thursday. The girl's stepmother, who put the girl to bed around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, reported her missing at about 4 a.m. the next morning when she found a teddy bear under her blankets instead of the child, Youngblood said. The father claimed he was at work when the stepmother called him to report his daughter was missing, he said. A passerby found her six hours later walking alone in her pajamas, about nine miles from home. The child had a black eye, bruises and other serious injuries, Youngblood said. Investigators used the stepmother's phone call to trace the man's cell phone to the same area where his daughter was found. "We're absolutely convinced that we have the right person," Youngblood said. The father is being held on $1 million bail. No court date has been set for him yet. The girl is being cared for at a hospital. The Associated Press previously identified both the girl and her father, but has withdrawn their names because police are now saying she is the victim of a sexual assault. |
| Groupon, Foursquare join forces to bring deals to check-ins (Appolicious) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:00 PM PDT |
| Nokia 3rd in smartphone sales (Investor's Business Daily) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 03:31 PM PDT Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - News) and Samsung in Q2 ended Nokia's (NYSE:NOK - News) 15-year reign at or near top of smartphone sales rankings. Apple sold 20.3 mil iPhones in the quarter. Analysts estimate Samsung sold 19 mil Google (NASDAQ:GOOG - News) Android-based smartphones vs. Nokia's 16.7 mil. IDC said smartphone sales slowed but still rose 11.3% to 365.4 mil units. Overall cell phone sales dropped for the 1st time in 7 quarters. Nokia shares rose 1.6%. Apple fell 0.3%. |
| Hulu accused of infringing program guide patent (Reuters) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 09:28 AM PDT WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – Rovi Corp sued Hulu, accusing the online video site of infringing patents that cover electronic program guides. Rovi, created from Macrovision Corp's acquisition of Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc in 2008, provides technology that powers the streaming services provided by Blockbuster On Demand and Best Buy Co Inc's CinemaNow, according to the complaint, filed on Friday . Rovi licenses its technology to Apple Corp, Microsoft Corp and Comcast Corp, among others, and said Hulu's infringement "presents significant and ongoing damages to Rovi's business." Rovi said it is seeking compensation for lost license revenue and treble damages. Hulu did not immediately reply to a request for a comment. Hulu has been put up for sale by its owners, which include Walt Disney Co, News Corp, Comcast Corp's NBC Universal and Providence Equity Partners. A dozen potential buyers have entered preliminary sale talks, including Google Inc and Microsoft, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The case is Rovi Corp et al v Hulu LLC, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, No. 11-00665 (Reporting by Tom Hals; additional reporting by Paul Thomasch in New York; editing by John Wallace) |
| Apple Fan Snaps Photo of Possible iPhone 5 Prototype (NewsFactor) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 01:50 PM PDT The iPhone 5 rumor mill got a boost Friday with what could be a sighting of an actual prototype by an eagle-eyed fanboy. A commuter in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Apple fan said he saw what may be an Apple employee on a train using a device that doesn't match previous iPhones or an iPod touch, thin and with rounded edges. Because 9to5Mac previously featured photos of an iPhone case believed to be intended for the refresh model, he sent a photo to the blog with the user's face blocked out. The device has a black back with the Apple logo. Bigger Screen? The cases obtained by 9to5Mac suggest a thinner design with a larger display and a larger home button for the popular smartphone. The case suggests an "almost EVO-like" screen size, which would be a big change from the 3.5-inch iPhone touchscreen that has gone unchanged since 2007. HTC's EVO 4G for Sprint Nextel has a 4.3-inch display. Apple is likely to be extremely careful with its prototypes after last year's embarrassing incident involving an iPhone 4 that was left in a California bar and sold to Gizmodo. Apple called the cops to get it back, but not before photos of the refresh were all over the tech media. If there is a new iPhone due in September, Apple would be beyond the beta-testing stage and well into final testing, said consumer-devices analyst and Apple watcher Avi Greengart. "They would be dotting the I's and crossing the T's," he said. "The assumption is, and Apple has confirmed, that there is a product transition coming this fall. The likelihood is that it's the iPhone." Leaks Happen He said that while Apple is always protective with its prototypes, mistakes happen. "They are super careful each time around," he said. "The poor guy [who lost his iPhone 4] got an earful, but I don't think he was fired. He was supposed to use it outside; he just wasn't supposed to leave it in a bar." Could Apple be deliberately flashing the devices around before launch to build buzz? "Positively not," said Greengart. "There is no need to stoke buzz for the product because their whole MO is to have everything secret, which generates buzz." If anything, he speculated, it would make more sense to leak false information in order to find out where the leaks are. Greengart believes the iPhone 5 will have a multi-core processor but not Long Term Evolution 4G capability, with a larger screen, but probably not as big as the EVO. "They don't want it to be too big to comfortably fit in your hands," he added. "If they go to 3.7 inches or 3.9 and eliminate the bevel, you'll have a phone that fits in your hand and still gives you more space for web browsing and apps." |
| Gates sells 5 million shares of Microsoft (AFP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 03:22 PM PDT NEW YORK (AFP) – Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has sold five million shares in the US software giant, less than one percent of his holdings, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gates, Microsoft's chairman, sold the shares on Wednesday at prices ranging from $27.20 to $27.98, the SEC filing said, which would amount to nearly 138 million dollars. No reason was given for the sale. According to the SEC filing, Gates holds nearly 551 million shares of Microsoft following the transaction. Gates stepped down from day-to-day duties at the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft in June 2008 to concentrate on global health care through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. |
| Google buys about 1,000 IBM patents (AP) Posted: 29 Jul 2011 02:55 PM PDT NEW YORK – Google Inc. has bought about 1,000 pending and issued patents from IBM Corp. in its quest to shore up its defenses against suits by other technology companies, according to documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Google and IBM spokesmen wouldn't comment Friday on the purchase. The patent transfers were recorded two weeks ago and cover a range of technologies, many of which have little to do with Google's Internet search and advertising business. One covers ways of automatically adjusting a clock, another deals with surface treatments for electrical contacts. But even patents that have little do with Google's business can be useful ammunition in the hyper-litigious technology world. If it's sued over patents by a company whose business relies on technologies covered by Google's patents, Google can file a retaliatory lawsuit. Phone makers that use Google Inc.'s Android software are being sued by Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. As a young company, Google has few patents of its own to counter with. Kent Walker, Google's general counsel, wrote in a blog post in April that the explosion in patent litigation threatens to stifle innovation. "But as things stand today, one of a company's best defenses against this kind of litigation is (ironically) to have a formidable patent portfolio, as this helps maintain your freedom to develop new products and services," Walker wrote. Earlier this month, Google participated in an auction for a collection of 6,000 patents from Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment. It was outbid by a consortium including Apple that paid $4.5 billion. In the past year, Google has also bought patents from Verizon Communications Inc. and Motorola Inc. The patent sale was first reported by the blog SEO by the Sea, which follows Google. |
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