US puts South Korea on piracy 'watch list'

The US has warned South Korea that unless it takes steps to cut the amount of music and film piracy it could face sanctions. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) says that piracy in Korea, which has the highest broadband coverage in the world, cost copyright holders $572mn in 2002. Korea has been placed on the USTR's Priority Watch List, and is required to 'make significant progress in bilateral or multilateral negotiations to provide adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights'. ...more

Ofcom is go... next year... perhaps

The Government has passed a bill to combine five regulators of the media and communications industry to form OFCOM (the Office of Communications). Oftel, the Independent television Commission, the Radio Authority, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Radio-communications Agency will combine to form OFCOM, which could begin regulating in 2003. The exact timing of this will depend on the Bill itself being passed, which in turn depends on there being time available to get it passed in next year's parliamentary session. ...more

Carphone Warehouse on brink of free broadband launch

Carphone Warehouse is about to offer free broadband with its TalkTalk landline telephone service, according to reports by several UK national newspapers and TV stations. The company's Internet ambitions are no secret, since it began investing in local loop unbundling (LLU) - installing its own broadband kit in BT exchanges - last October. The introduction of free ADSL services will almost certainly start a price war which is likely to claim several victims among the smaller ISPs. ...more

Intel rolls out film tournament

Intel is launching its Digital Home Short Film Competition for aspiring film makers. In conjunction with Dolby Laboratories and Pinewood Shepperton Studios, Intel is looking for a budding Scorsese or Fellini to make an 8-minute movie masterpiece and win ?5,000. First, filmmakers are invited to submit a 500 - 1,000 word proposal for their short film. ...more

Microsoft and HP settle over misleading ads

Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have settled with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges of making misleading claims for PocketPCs. As we reported, the dispute centred over the HP PocketPC-based Jornada. Adverts ran in major US newspapers proclaiming "built-in wireless access to the Internet and e-mail at any time and from anywhere". ...more