Apple to dominate music labels in new contract negotiations

Apple will re-negotiate its contracts with the major record companies next month, and is likely to be looking for further moves towards selling music without copy protection. The owner of the market-leading iPod digital media player and iTunes online music store has already cut an early deal with EMI, the third-largest record company, and enters talks with the other labels from a position of strength, according to music industry executives. That leaves Vivendi's Universal Music Group; Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which is a joint venture of Sony and Bertelsmann; and Warner Music Group in a tough spot. ...more

SCO pulls IBM's Unix licence

SCO has filed an injunction against IBM, revoking its right to use or sell its AIX Unix-based operating system. The injunction also contains an amendment that seeks damages with regard to revenues IBM earned from sales of AIX post the 100-day deadline that expired last Friday. 'IBM has chosen to continue the actions that violate our source code and distribution agreements,' said Darl McBride, President and CEO of The SCO Group. ...more

Yahoo! upgrades search marketing

Yahoo! has revealed details of its long awaited overhaul of its search marketing arm. The new system introduces a new set of targeting features and a new API which will allow Yahoo to compete with rival products from Google and Microsoft. Among the improvements that have been announced is a more user friendly version of its control panel to analyse the sales data. ...more

One address fits all

UK trials of a technology that could replace all your phone and fax numbers, email addresses and instant messaging names with a single number will begin in November. ENUM technology works by mapping telephone numbers to Web addresses (URLs). Effectively your phone number is converted into a DNS (domain name system) address and this is then used to handle all your communications. ...more

Apple has no designs on 'podcast' licensing

Apple has categorically stated that it does not license the term podcast, contradicting considerable talk on the Web that it would seek to exercise the same tight controls over use of the term that it exercises over iPod and its derivatives. The clarification was made in a letter to ThePodcastNetwork. 'Apple does not object to third party usage of the generic term "podcast" to accurately refer to podcasting services,' the company's Trademark Department wrote. ...more