US anti-spam laws face first test

In a first test of the recently-enacted Can-Spam legislation in the US, a Californian ISP Hypertouch has filed a lawsuit against BlueStream Media and BVWebTies which owns BobVila.com. 'The Can-Spam Act provides only the most minimal protections to the public,' said Hypertouch President and Founder Joe Wagner. ...more

DRM patch expires hacked Blu-ray and HD DVD encryption keys

The body that oversees the AACS DRM technology that imposes rigourous copy-protection measures on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs has released a security update that expires hacked encryption keys. The Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA) says that the update will provide a new set of encryption keys. It also enables player manufacturers to update the software on the devices in order to support the new keys. ...more

AMD axes PIC

AMD has revealed in recent SEC filings that it is to stop producing its Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) project after it cost the company millions of dollars. The PIC was designed to stimulate IT in developing countries and announced in 2004 as part of its 50x15 initiative, which aimed to have 50 per cent of the world's population tapping away at computers by the year 2015. AMD was confident of making at least some profit on the PIC, which came with a price tag of $185 and $249, depending on whether it included a monitor. ...more

Allofmp3 defends its right to sell music downloads

Allofmp3.com has defended its right to sell music downloads, amid increasing international efforts to close it down. In a statement the administrators of the Russian website said that it operated in full compliance with the country's laws 'The site Allofmp3. ...more

Adobe tops the tech field in Fortune's best company list

US business mag Fortune has created a new 100 list of the best companies to work for that, even in these lean times, features a few familiar names in the IT industry. At the head of the tech entries, Adobe hits the list at number 5, up from last year and described as a place where 'camaraderie is the byword' and praised for its perks of weekly beer-fests, paid sabbaticals and job rotation schemes. Down at 18, Qualcomm is where the gourmets should be sending their CVs, with free dinners if you work late and a cafeteria that serves sushi. ...more