Patent system in desperate need of overhaul - analyst

Analyst group Ovum claims that the patent system is in desperate need of overhaul, with the onus falling to vendors to ring the changes. The six-month long project concluded that while the current patent system has allowed software giants to grow fat on overcharging, squashing competition and choice, and making little in the way of progress, the actual economic case for continuing with the status quo is doubtful. Ovum's stance mirrors exactly what the Free and Open Source Software community has been saying for years: that difficulty of developing new ideas under a proliferation of patents hobbles innovation, favours the large companies over the small, and results in end-users paying over the odds and having less choice in software. ...more

Apple stomps up the brand charts

Every year Business Week and Interbrand try to put a value on the brands of the world's biggest corporations and see how they compare. It is a ranking of 'The 100 Best Global Brands' by dollar value. For 2004, Apple and Samsung (as last year) are among those measured as being the fastest growing brands. ...more

First dot-com success for unions?

American media are reporting what they believe to be a first: the unionisation of dot com companies. It seems that a petition to certify union representation for 36 new-technology workers has been filed with the National Labour Relations Board, with a final vote on certifying union representation expected to happen within a month. The companies involved are etown. ...more

Call for health warning on vibrating game controllers

A report in the British Medical Journal has asked for consideration of health warnings after boy gets too shaken for his own good. A newly published report in the British Medical Journal has warned that due to increasing numbers of children playing games with vibrating controllers, statutory health warnings should be considered. The move comes after a 15 year-old boy suffered two years of major discomfort after spending up to seven hours a day hammering games using a vibrating controller. ...more

A third of businesses fail to report cybercrime - survey

Businesses often weigh up the damage to their reputations before going to the police, according to a new survey, which finds a third of UK businesses fail to report cyber crimes and security breaches. The research, carried out by Infosecurity Europe on 285 companies as well as more in-depth interviews with 20 chief security officers found that companies face being the victim of this type of crime on a daily basis. According to law experts, in reporting such crimes, firms often think the news of a breach could tarnish the reputation of the victim and cause more damage than the crime itself. ...more