iPod sales to top 10m in Christmas rush

Apple will sell more than 10m iPods in the run up to Christmas, according to UBS Investment Research. The financial analyst revised its previous estimate of 8.3 million in the wake of indications that sales of the iPod nano alone may exceed that. ...more

House of Lords to investigate Net security

The House of Lords is turning its attention to the issue of Internet security and its threat to the individual. Citing the spread of broadband and the increase of e-commerce, its Science and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry 'to investigate personal internet security'. The Select Committee will be chaired by Lord Broers and its work has begun today with a call for evidence. ...more

World agog at Google's new 'free email service'

Sites around the world are abuzz with the news that Google is to launch an email service. The new service apparently builds upon Google's legendary search capability along with giving each mailbox up to 1GB of storage space, which can store up to half a million pages of email. The killer concept being that you never have to throw an email away again. ...more

Comment: Consumer goods and copyright conundrums

Copyright laws are under renewed scrutiny, as consumers and media corporations go head to head in a power struggle that could determine the future of intellectual property in Europe. Creative industries want to protect their earnings in the face of Internet distribution and piracy, but influential consumer groups believe their tactics are heavy handed, and that the laws governing copyright are 'outdated' and 'absurd'. 'We need to shake up the copyright law to incorporate consumers' 'fair use' rights, including the right to copy for private use,' said Jill Johnstone, director of policy at the National Consumer Council. ...more

UK High Court frees BPI to pursue AllofMP3

The British recording industry, in the shape of the BPI, has the Russian downloads site AllofMP3.com in its legal sights. The British trade association has been granted permission by the UK High Court to serve legal proceedings in Russia against the controversial website. ...more