US court overturns ban on publishing DeCCS DVD descrambling code

A California appeals court has overturned a ruling that blocked Andrew Bunner from publishing the DeCCS DVD descrambling code, deeming it unconstitutional. The four-year old injunction was won by the DVD Copy Control Association which alleged that Bunner was distributing its trade secrets by posting the code on the Internet. The appeals court has now found that the order violates Bunner's constitutional right to freedom of speech because the code was already widely available and could no longer be considered a trade secret. ...more

Nokia's mobile wallet

Nokia is piloting a mobile wallet application that, if successful, could put a fire under 3G. With billions having been spent on 3G licences, a popular scheme enabling mobile commerce would see a rush to offer services where it could be used. The Electronic Mobile Payment Services (EMPS) pilot is underway in Finland, where 150 specially adapted handsets have been distributed, allowing users to make purchases from online grocers Ruoka. ...more

Spanish courts order closure of Weblisten downloads store

Spanish courts have ordered the closure of the Weblisten downloads store, following a lawsuit by the country's music royalties collection service, AGEDI. The website had been selling music since 1997 with licences from publishers, but not from record labels, and maintained that it was operating legally. However at the court hearing earlier this week it admitted criminal copyright infringement. ...more

Bluetooth in your ears

The newly formed joint venture, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, has announced one of its first products - an innovative Bluetooth handsfree earpiece. The Bluetooth Handsfree HBH-20 is about half the size of a credit card and some two cm thick. It's designed to clip onto your shirt or be carried on a necklace. ...more

AltaVista: the fall-out

AltaVista's announcement that it is canning its unmetered Internet access service has prompted a flurry of activity. Early this week Andy Mitchell, MD of AltaVista UK, blamed the demise of his company's service on BT's failure to provide flat-rate circuits to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), a claim dismissed by BT as "ridiculous". Oftel, the telecommunications regulator, has now entered the fray in support of BT, insisting that its current offer of a wholesale flat-rate product "provides a sound basis to promote competition in unmetered Internet access. ...more