London. Mar 3 (ANI): Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, has unveiled a new add-on for the popular web browser that gives web users an instant view of which companies are "watching" them as they browse.
The move comes the same week that Google pushed ahead with its controversial new privacy policy, built to provide even more data for Google's 28-billion-dollar advertising business, despite concerns that the massive harvesting of private data might be illegal in many countries.
According to Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs, the Collusion add-on will allow users to "pull back the curtain" on web advertising firms and other third parties that track people's online movements.
Mozilla's Firefox is the world's second most popular web browser, a position under threat from Google's own Chrome browser.
The Collusion add-on is an official Mozilla product, and was unveiled at the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference this week by Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs.
"Collusion is an experimental add-on for Firefox and allows you to see all the third parties that are tracking your movements across the Web," the Daily Mail quoted Mozilla as saying.
"It will show, in real time, how that data creates a spider-web of interaction between companies and other trackers," it said.
Mozilla aims to build up a database of the worst offenders and make the data available to privacy campaigners.
"When we launch the full version of Collusion, it will allow you to opt-in to sharing your anonymous data in a global database of web tracker data.
"We'll combine all that information and make it available to help researchers, journalists, and others analyze and explain how data is tracked on the web," it added. (ANI)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/LkLuu
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Zynga to set up its own gaming service outside Facebook
London, Mar 3 (ANI): American game maker company Zynga, which has made games like FarmVille and CityVille is setting up its own gaming service.
It means people will be able to play on a platform outside Facebook, Google+ and Myspace.
Zynga makes its money through advertising and from the sale of virtual items such as tools paid for with real cash.
Most of the company's games have to be played through Facebook, which takes a 30 percent cut from each sale.
Zynga, whose titles have more than 200 million active monthly users, makes 95 percent of its money through Facebook.
It publishes four of the top five games played on the social networking site.
UK games editor at IGN.com Keza MacDonald has said that moving away from Facebook could have significant effects down the line.
"If Facebook game powerhouses like Zynga launch their own platforms rather than hosting games exclusively on Facebook itself, it undermines Facebook's credibility as a gaming platform, which could shift the emphasis on social gaming," the BBC quoted MacDonald as saying.
"The money in social gaming could shift further towards mobile platforms," the games editor said.
The San Francisco-based firm says its re-designed website, which will be launched later this month, will make it easier to play games more quickly with access to live chatting and message board features.
Five of Zynga's top games will be on the new Zynga.com, including CastleVille, CityVille and Words with Friends.
Users will still need to log in using their Facebook IDs and sales from virtual goods in games, such as houses, coffee or other items, will be traded using Facebook Credits, the social website's payment system.
Manuel Bronstein, general manager of Zynga.com, said that the new website did not intend to move users away from Facebook.
"It will help users keep their Facebook profiles separate from their gaming habits while bringing Zynga closer to users," he said.
"If they want to play on Facebook, if they play on mobile, if they play on the web, I want them to be connected to Zynga and it cannot be constrained to one single destination," he added. (ANI)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/UNvNF
It means people will be able to play on a platform outside Facebook, Google+ and Myspace.
Zynga makes its money through advertising and from the sale of virtual items such as tools paid for with real cash.
Most of the company's games have to be played through Facebook, which takes a 30 percent cut from each sale.
Zynga, whose titles have more than 200 million active monthly users, makes 95 percent of its money through Facebook.
It publishes four of the top five games played on the social networking site.
UK games editor at IGN.com Keza MacDonald has said that moving away from Facebook could have significant effects down the line.
"If Facebook game powerhouses like Zynga launch their own platforms rather than hosting games exclusively on Facebook itself, it undermines Facebook's credibility as a gaming platform, which could shift the emphasis on social gaming," the BBC quoted MacDonald as saying.
"The money in social gaming could shift further towards mobile platforms," the games editor said.
The San Francisco-based firm says its re-designed website, which will be launched later this month, will make it easier to play games more quickly with access to live chatting and message board features.
Five of Zynga's top games will be on the new Zynga.com, including CastleVille, CityVille and Words with Friends.
Users will still need to log in using their Facebook IDs and sales from virtual goods in games, such as houses, coffee or other items, will be traded using Facebook Credits, the social website's payment system.
Manuel Bronstein, general manager of Zynga.com, said that the new website did not intend to move users away from Facebook.
"It will help users keep their Facebook profiles separate from their gaming habits while bringing Zynga closer to users," he said.
"If they want to play on Facebook, if they play on mobile, if they play on the web, I want them to be connected to Zynga and it cannot be constrained to one single destination," he added. (ANI)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/UNvNF
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Microsoft hires ex-FTC Google expert as lobbyist
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp hired as one of its lobbyists a former Federal Trade Commission lawyer who had access to "thousands" of confidential Google Inc documents, according to a source close to the situation.
The software maker took on Randall Long, who led the FTC's investigation into Google's acquisition of AdMob, to be a lobbyist in its Washington office, according to both Google and Microsoft.
The hiring, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is the latest salvo in Microsoft's ongoing battle with Google for dominance of the high-tech world.
During his work on Google mergers, Long, who was a deputy assistant director of an FTC section that assessed mergers for antitrust violations, read thousands of confidential documents ranging from sales figures and emails to internal strategy memos, the source said.
The FTC is currently looking into complaints that Google's search results favor the company's other services.
An FTC spokesperson said that agency rules would prohibit Long from appearing before the agency to discuss any matter that he worked on "personally and substantially."
He would have to obtain clearance from the FTC to discuss any Google matter that was pending when he still worked for the agency. But Long had not worked on the current antitrust probe of Google's business practices, according to an FTC source.
The problem for Long will be to ensure that he never discusses confidential Google data as part of his new job, which could be difficult because he has seen so much, said a Washington antitrust attorney who asked not to be named because he practices before the FTC.
"It smacks of ethical problems all over. It smells bad," he said.
But another attorney said lawyers often work for different companies, sometimes rivals, and are trained to not use confidential information from one case in another.
The head of Microsoft's Washington, D.C. office, Fred Humphries, said that Microsoft was looking forward to Long's arrival.
"His deep legal experience will provide important perspective on a range of issues that affect both consumers and the broader technology industry," he said in an email statement.
(Reporting By Diane Bartz; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/abo2M
The software maker took on Randall Long, who led the FTC's investigation into Google's acquisition of AdMob, to be a lobbyist in its Washington office, according to both Google and Microsoft.
The hiring, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is the latest salvo in Microsoft's ongoing battle with Google for dominance of the high-tech world.
During his work on Google mergers, Long, who was a deputy assistant director of an FTC section that assessed mergers for antitrust violations, read thousands of confidential documents ranging from sales figures and emails to internal strategy memos, the source said.
The FTC is currently looking into complaints that Google's search results favor the company's other services.
An FTC spokesperson said that agency rules would prohibit Long from appearing before the agency to discuss any matter that he worked on "personally and substantially."
He would have to obtain clearance from the FTC to discuss any Google matter that was pending when he still worked for the agency. But Long had not worked on the current antitrust probe of Google's business practices, according to an FTC source.
The problem for Long will be to ensure that he never discusses confidential Google data as part of his new job, which could be difficult because he has seen so much, said a Washington antitrust attorney who asked not to be named because he practices before the FTC.
"It smacks of ethical problems all over. It smells bad," he said.
But another attorney said lawyers often work for different companies, sometimes rivals, and are trained to not use confidential information from one case in another.
The head of Microsoft's Washington, D.C. office, Fred Humphries, said that Microsoft was looking forward to Long's arrival.
"His deep legal experience will provide important perspective on a range of issues that affect both consumers and the broader technology industry," he said in an email statement.
(Reporting By Diane Bartz; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/abo2M
Frenchman sues over Google Views urination photo
NANTES, France (Reuters) - A Frenchman took Google to court on Thursday over a photo published online by its Street View application showing him urinating in his front yard which he believes has made him the laughing stock of his village in rural northwest France.
The man, who is aged around 50 and lives in a village of some 3,000 people in the Maine-et-Loire region, is demanding the removal of the photo, in which locals have recognised him despite his face being blurred out.
He also wants 10,000 euros in damages.
"Everyone has the right to a degree of secrecy," his lawyer, Jean-Noel Bouillard, told Reuters. "In this particular case, it's more amusing than serious. But if he'd been caught kissing a woman other than his wife, he would have had the same issue."
Google Inc.'s Street View, covering some 30 countries and available in France since 2008, enables users of Google Maps to also view photos of streets taken by its camera cars, which have cameras hoisted on frames on their roofs.
The man thought he was hidden from view by his closed gate as he relieved himself in November 2010. But Google's lens caught him from above his gate as it passed by. Bouillard did not explain why the man chose to urinate outside.
Google's lawyer in the case, named by local daily Ouest France as Christophe Bigot, was not immediately reachable, but the newspaper said he was pleading that the case should be declared null and void.
The court, in the nearby city of Angers, is due to give its verdict on March 15.
(Reporting by Guillaume Frouin; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/VrzDA
The man, who is aged around 50 and lives in a village of some 3,000 people in the Maine-et-Loire region, is demanding the removal of the photo, in which locals have recognised him despite his face being blurred out.
He also wants 10,000 euros in damages.
"Everyone has the right to a degree of secrecy," his lawyer, Jean-Noel Bouillard, told Reuters. "In this particular case, it's more amusing than serious. But if he'd been caught kissing a woman other than his wife, he would have had the same issue."
Google Inc.'s Street View, covering some 30 countries and available in France since 2008, enables users of Google Maps to also view photos of streets taken by its camera cars, which have cameras hoisted on frames on their roofs.
The man thought he was hidden from view by his closed gate as he relieved himself in November 2010. But Google's lens caught him from above his gate as it passed by. Bouillard did not explain why the man chose to urinate outside.
Google's lawyer in the case, named by local daily Ouest France as Christophe Bigot, was not immediately reachable, but the newspaper said he was pleading that the case should be declared null and void.
The court, in the nearby city of Angers, is due to give its verdict on March 15.
(Reporting by Guillaume Frouin; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
SOURCE:
http://goo.gl/VrzDA
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Apple's Chinese legal woes over iPad surface at home
(Reuters) - The Asian firm trying to stop Apple Inc from using the iPad name has now launched an attack on the consumer electronics giant's home turf, filing a lawsuit in California that accuses the iPhone-maker of employing deception when it bought the "iPad" trademark.
Proview International Holdings Ltd <0334.HK>, a major computer monitor maker that fell on hard times during the economic crisis, is already suing the U.S. company in multiple Chinese jurisdictions and requesting that sales of iPads be suspended across the country.
Last week, it filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County that brings their legal dispute to Silicon Valley as well. Proview accuses Apple of creating a "special purpose" entity - IP Application Development Ltd, or IPAD - to buy the iPad name from it, concealing Apple's role in the matter.
In its filing, Proview outlined how lawyers for IPAD repeatedly said it would not be competing with the Chinese firm, and refused to say why they needed the trademark.
Those representations were made "with the intent to defraud and induce the plaintiffs to enter into the agreement," Proview said in the filing dated February 17, requesting an unspecified amount of damages.
Apple, which has said Proview is refusing to honor a years-old agreement, did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The battle between a little-known Asian company and the world's most valuable technology corporation dates back to a disagreement over precisely what was covered in a deal for the transfer of the iPad trademark to Apple in 2009.
Authorities in several Chinese cities have already seized iPads, citing the legal dispute.
Proview, which maintains it holds the iPad trademark in China, has been suing Apple in various jurisdictions in the country for trademark infringement, while also using the courts to get retailers in some smaller cities to stop selling the tablet PCs.
China is becoming an increasingly pivotal market for Apple, which sold more than 15 million iPads worldwide in the last quarter alone and is trying to expand its business in the world's No. 2 economy to sustain its rip-roaring pace of growth.
The country is also where the majority of its iPhones and iPads are now assembled, in partnership with Foxconn.
A Shanghai court this week threw out Proview's request to halt iPad sales in the city, averting an embarrassing suspension at its own flagship stores. But the outcome of the broader dispute hinges on a hearing of the higher court in Guangdong, which earlier ruled in Proview's favor.
The next hearing in that case is set for February 29.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Gary Hill)
Source:
http://goo.gl/AX4mr
Proview International Holdings Ltd <0334.HK>, a major computer monitor maker that fell on hard times during the economic crisis, is already suing the U.S. company in multiple Chinese jurisdictions and requesting that sales of iPads be suspended across the country.
Last week, it filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County that brings their legal dispute to Silicon Valley as well. Proview accuses Apple of creating a "special purpose" entity - IP Application Development Ltd, or IPAD - to buy the iPad name from it, concealing Apple's role in the matter.
In its filing, Proview outlined how lawyers for IPAD repeatedly said it would not be competing with the Chinese firm, and refused to say why they needed the trademark.
Those representations were made "with the intent to defraud and induce the plaintiffs to enter into the agreement," Proview said in the filing dated February 17, requesting an unspecified amount of damages.
Apple, which has said Proview is refusing to honor a years-old agreement, did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The battle between a little-known Asian company and the world's most valuable technology corporation dates back to a disagreement over precisely what was covered in a deal for the transfer of the iPad trademark to Apple in 2009.
Authorities in several Chinese cities have already seized iPads, citing the legal dispute.
Proview, which maintains it holds the iPad trademark in China, has been suing Apple in various jurisdictions in the country for trademark infringement, while also using the courts to get retailers in some smaller cities to stop selling the tablet PCs.
China is becoming an increasingly pivotal market for Apple, which sold more than 15 million iPads worldwide in the last quarter alone and is trying to expand its business in the world's No. 2 economy to sustain its rip-roaring pace of growth.
The country is also where the majority of its iPhones and iPads are now assembled, in partnership with Foxconn.
A Shanghai court this week threw out Proview's request to halt iPad sales in the city, averting an embarrassing suspension at its own flagship stores. But the outcome of the broader dispute hinges on a hearing of the higher court in Guangdong, which earlier ruled in Proview's favor.
The next hearing in that case is set for February 29.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Gary Hill)
Source:
http://goo.gl/AX4mr
Apple's China legal battle over iPad spreads to U.S
REUTERS - The Asian firm trying to stop Apple Inc from using the iPad name in China has launched an attack on the consumer electronics giant's home turf, filing a lawsuit in California that accuses the iPhone-maker of employing deception when it bought the "iPad" trademark.
A unit of Proview International Holdings Ltd, a major computer monitor maker that fell on hard times during the economic crisis, is already suing the U.S. company in multiple Chinese jurisdictions and requesting that sales of iPads be suspended across the country.
Last week, units Proview Electronics Co Ltd and Proview Technology Co filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County that brings their legal dispute to Silicon Valley.
Proview accuses Apple of creating a "special purpose" entity - IP Application Development Ltd, or IPAD - to buy the iPad name from it, concealing Apple's role in the matter.
In its filing, Proview alleged lawyers for IPAD repeatedly said it would not be competing with the Chinese firm, and refused to say why they needed the trademark.
Those representations were made "with the intent to defraud and induce the plaintiffs to enter into the agreement," Proview said in the filing dated February 17, requesting an unspecified amount of damages.
Apple, which has said Proview is refusing to honor a years-old agreement, did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The battle between a little-known Asian company and the world's most valuable technology corporation dates back to a disagreement over precisely what was covered in a deal for the transfer of the iPad trademark to Apple in 2009.
Authorities in several Chinese cities have already seized iPads, citing the legal dispute.
Proview, which maintains it holds the iPad trademark in China, has been suing Apple in various jurisdictions in the country for trademark infringement, while also using the courts to get retailers in some smaller cities to stop selling the tablet PCs.
China is becoming an increasingly pivotal market for Apple, which sold more than 15 million iPads worldwide in the last quarter alone and is trying to expand its business in the world's No. 2 economy to sustain its rip-roaring pace of growth.
The country is also where the majority of its iPhones and iPads are now assembled, in partnership with Foxconn.
A Shanghai court this week threw out Proview's request to halt iPad sales in the city. But the outcome of the broader dispute hinges on a higher court in Guangdong, which earlier ruled in Proview's favor.
The next hearing in that case is set for February 29.
China's trademark system is a minefield of murky rules and opportunistic "trademark squatters" that even the world's biggest companies and their highly-paid lawyers find hard to navigate.
Legal experts say the onus is on companies looking to do business in China to understand how China's trademark law works, as it differs greatly from that of the United States.
Industry executives have said employing special-purpose entities to acquire trademarks is a frequent tactic in China.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Michael Urquhart)
Source:
http://goo.gl/HzBlN
A unit of Proview International Holdings Ltd, a major computer monitor maker that fell on hard times during the economic crisis, is already suing the U.S. company in multiple Chinese jurisdictions and requesting that sales of iPads be suspended across the country.
Last week, units Proview Electronics Co Ltd and Proview Technology Co filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County that brings their legal dispute to Silicon Valley.
Proview accuses Apple of creating a "special purpose" entity - IP Application Development Ltd, or IPAD - to buy the iPad name from it, concealing Apple's role in the matter.
In its filing, Proview alleged lawyers for IPAD repeatedly said it would not be competing with the Chinese firm, and refused to say why they needed the trademark.
Those representations were made "with the intent to defraud and induce the plaintiffs to enter into the agreement," Proview said in the filing dated February 17, requesting an unspecified amount of damages.
Apple, which has said Proview is refusing to honor a years-old agreement, did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The battle between a little-known Asian company and the world's most valuable technology corporation dates back to a disagreement over precisely what was covered in a deal for the transfer of the iPad trademark to Apple in 2009.
Authorities in several Chinese cities have already seized iPads, citing the legal dispute.
Proview, which maintains it holds the iPad trademark in China, has been suing Apple in various jurisdictions in the country for trademark infringement, while also using the courts to get retailers in some smaller cities to stop selling the tablet PCs.
China is becoming an increasingly pivotal market for Apple, which sold more than 15 million iPads worldwide in the last quarter alone and is trying to expand its business in the world's No. 2 economy to sustain its rip-roaring pace of growth.
The country is also where the majority of its iPhones and iPads are now assembled, in partnership with Foxconn.
A Shanghai court this week threw out Proview's request to halt iPad sales in the city. But the outcome of the broader dispute hinges on a higher court in Guangdong, which earlier ruled in Proview's favor.
The next hearing in that case is set for February 29.
China's trademark system is a minefield of murky rules and opportunistic "trademark squatters" that even the world's biggest companies and their highly-paid lawyers find hard to navigate.
Legal experts say the onus is on companies looking to do business in China to understand how China's trademark law works, as it differs greatly from that of the United States.
Industry executives have said employing special-purpose entities to acquire trademarks is a frequent tactic in China.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Michael Urquhart)
Source:
http://goo.gl/HzBlN
Samsung says sales of Galaxy S II phones top 20 mln
SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd<005930.KS>, which emerged as the world's top smartphone maker last year, said on Thursday that sales of its flagship Galaxy S II topped 20 million handsets since its launch in April last year.
Sales of predecessor Galaxy S, introduced in 2010 and at the heart of bruising global patent disputes with arch-rival Apple Inc , exceeded 22 million, the company said in a statement.
Apple sold 93 million iPhones last year, nearly doubling sales from a year earlier, while Samsung raised smartphone sales nearly fourfold to 95 million, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.
(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Chris Lewis)
Source:
http://goo.gl/bz7SJ
Sales of predecessor Galaxy S, introduced in 2010 and at the heart of bruising global patent disputes with arch-rival Apple Inc , exceeded 22 million, the company said in a statement.
Apple sold 93 million iPhones last year, nearly doubling sales from a year earlier, while Samsung raised smartphone sales nearly fourfold to 95 million, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.
(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Chris Lewis)
Source:
http://goo.gl/bz7SJ
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