Microsoft has until Wednesday to respond to the US government's proposal to split the company in two as a sanction for monopolistic practices. Microsoft said it will respond to the deadline but made it clear it needs a major extension to prepare for a related hearing scheduled for the end of the month.
The company may ask Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson to disregard break-up plans, arguing the government improperly based its proposal on evidence that wasn't presented at trial, according to people close to the antitrust case. Microsoft objects to the statements of five outside experts in the plan submitted by the Justice Department because it contends those experts addressed issues not brought up in the trial.
Rating Surfers: The first month of full Irish data has been released by Nielsen/NetRatings, the global Internet audience measurement service and it shows that in March nearly 22 per cent of Irish people had home Net access although just under half were active.
Seek And Destroy: Metallica, currently suing music-swapping company Napster for what they say are massive copyright violations, say they have identified more than 335,000 individuals who have allegedly shared the band's songs online in violation of copyright laws. The band delivered 60,000 pages of documents to the software company last week, asking that it block all named individuals from the service.
Illegal Elian: A weathered boat which was apparently used to carry Elian Gonzalez from Cuba to the US was withdrawn from e-Bay's auction site last week after a raft of complaints had been received. Bids for the vessel were halted after e-Bay users complained that the items were fake or non-existent. Other Elian-related items removed from e-Bay included a toothbrush "like the one Elian would have used", a jar of air containing scents from Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood and one offer to sell Elian himself.
Dot What: Tonight a programme aimed at people who know little or nothing about the Internet debuts on RTE. The series, dot.what, made in conjunction with the Information Society, should be of interest to anyone who feels that the Information revolution is passing them by.
E's At The Hub: Esat Telecom is to invest $25 million in three proposed Internet exchange centres in Dublin. Based at the City West business campus, the new centre will operate as a "hub" allowing companies to offer web hosting and provide application services throughout Europe without having an on-the-ground presence in the region.
MP Threats: MP3.com is cautiously optimistic that the Net-based music service will resolve a record companies lawsuit with "a monumental licensing deal". The comments come after a judge ruled that MP3.com is liable for offering music online without permission.
Net Markets: Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and 10 other companies are to speed up their supply chains by creating an Internet marketplace for electronics and computer components. The exchange will let participants buy and sell chips, hard drives and other parts. The companies said they expect the exchange to reduce their costs and inventories and allow them to deliver products faster.
Get Offline: William Woods University is offering students $5,000 to eschew cyberspace in favour of the real world. Concerned that students spend too much time online, the school will offer first year students a tuition rebate for attending campus cultural events or joining organisations as opposed to surfing the Net.
Houses For £25: An initiative offering the chance to win a house in the village of Churchtown in North Cork has generated over £25,000 of online ticket sales, over 90 per cent of which have come from the US. The draw, which will take place in August, is limited to 5,000 participants. Information is available from www.churchtown.net.
Expo Sure: A series of 50 free business seminars is expected to bring more than 10,000 people to e-XPO Windows World in the RDS on Wednesday and Thursday. The event includes a series INFO 2000 case studies on strategic issues for Irish companies hoping to capitalise on the successful use of information technology. Attendees can plan their visit in advance at www.techcentral.ie/2000.
GPS For All: The US Government has switched off the selective availability function of the Global Positioning System allowing civilian GPS receivers get the same signal and 10-20 metre accuracy as US military equipment. Until the beginning of this month civilian signals contained a random error which brought the accuracy down to 100-200 metres to prevent `rogue states' using the signal to direct missile attacks against the US.
In Brief...Billy Huggard of the CPG Group has been elected Chairman of the Irish Software Association. . . Coca- Cola and America Online have announced a marketing alliance designed to support each other's brands online and off. . .