Companies quit anti-spyware consortium

Two leading anti-spyware companies have quit the Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology Vendors (COAST) putting the future of the industry body in doubt. The companies - Webroot and Aluria - are said to be unhappy with the direction of the consortium and its policy of opening the door to companies which themselves allegedly develop adware and spyware. The final straw for the pair is said to be the recent admittance last month of 180solutions - a search marketing company which develops search assistant software that points users to advertisers' websites. ...more

Record companies to search for ringtone revenues

A recent report from Strategy Analytics identifies the introduction of real music ringtones as the catalyst for music companies such as BMG, Sony Music, EMI, Warner Chappell and Universal to become more actively involved in the ringtone value chain. 'Over the next five years, as demand evolves from monophonic reproductions of musical tunes to sample music based on copyrighted master recordings, the ringtone market is set for consolidation,' said Strategy Analytics senior analyst Nitesh Patel. 'Major record companies will move to strengthen their position by acquiring ringtone production companies, or setting up their own, in-house production studios, while continuing to act as licensors. ...more

Half of online UK visits eBay

Britain may no longer be a nation of shopkeepers but it seems we are still a nation of buyers and sellers. According to the latest research by web traffic analysts Nielsen/Netratings, over half of the UK's online population visits the eBay online marketplace at least once a month. According to the Nielsen research, almost 11 million individual people visited the eBay site in July 2005, which represents a steep a 30 per cent rise from July 2004. ...more

Internet industry goes dotty over EC's .eu strategy

The European Commission (EC) is making no friends after it appears to have taken a gung-ho approach to including industry representatives in the consultation process over the .eu domain. In October, a report from the European Community Panel of Participants steering group suggested that an advisory panel should be formed, but industry representatives were angered at a Brussels meeting yesterday to find just an hour had been granted to discuss their concerns. ...more

The outlook is frosty between Microsoft and AOL

The forecast is for further frost in the relations between Microsoft and AOL, with news emerging of attempts by Bill Gates to throw a late spanner in the works of AOL's proposed merger with Time Warner. The New York Times is reporting that Bill Gates has telephoned the chairman, and other members, of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging them to investigate AOL's dominance with its Instant Messaging service. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already given its approval to the merger, so the FCC remains the next best chance of influencing the conditions imposed. ...more