MPAA sues Torrent and Usenet search sites

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has opened up a new front in its war against illegal downloaders. The Hollywood studios' trade association has started legal proceedings against search engines and Usenet news groups. Among the sites on the receiving end of the MPAA writs are Torrentspy. ...more

The recriminations start over the new domain names

The new high-level domain names have not long been announced, but already the recriminations are beginning. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already expressed disappointment at the ICANN rejection of its ".health" proposal and has made noises about contesting the decision however possible. ...more

Disney backs Blu-ray in battle of high-capacity disc formats

In the battle between the competing standards for the next generation of DVD, the Blu-ray group has raised the stakes again with the announcement that the Walt Disney Corporation is backing the Sony Corp led group and has joined as the 15th member of the Blu-ray Disc Association. The move follows the announcement two weeks ago by the rival consortium led by Toshiba that Warner Brothers, New Line, Paramount and Universal Pictures would be backing the rival HD-DVD format. Disney, currently riding high with Pixar-made movie 'The Incredibles', says it will begin shipping its library of classic childrens' films on Blu Ray DVD as soon as the players begin shipping in the US and Japan. ...more

MuVo moves up

Creative is making a 128Mb version of its lightweight MP3 player available in the UK. It should be on shop shelves in a couple of weeks. Previously, the MuVo - aimed at those listening music on the move - was only available with 64Mb of memory. ...more

BT abolishes 6km limit on 512K broadband

BT Wholesale is to remove the distance limit on 512Kbps ADSL connections and extend the range of 1Mbps services. From 6 September, anyone connected to an ADSL-enabled exchange will be able to get broadband. Previously connections were limited to properties within 6km of the exchange when measured along the phone line. ...more