UPDATED: US Supreme Court tightens 'obvious' patent rules

The US Supreme Court on Monday sided with software and technology companies in two major patent rulings that could leave them less vulnerable to infringement lawsuits. The high court moved to curb the liability of firms for infringing products sold overseas and in another case loosened a key legal standard making it easier to invalidate some patents on the grounds they are obvious inventions. The decisions were applauded by software and technology companies. ...more

Films online by 2005

Hollywood films could be available over the Internet before being released on DVD or VHS within a couple of years, according to the BBC. Jack Valenti, CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, told the BBC that the organisation is in talks with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to find ways of securely delivering films online. 'I really do believe that maybe by this time next year we'll be able to have the beginnings of some really sturdy, protective clothing to put about these movies,' he said. ...more

M&S tops high street websites survey

Marks & Spencer has come out top in a survey of the ecommerce websites of leading high street brands. M&S was the only retailer among the 20 surveyed that scored an average of more than 80 per cent across 20 usability and accessibility tests conducted by Webcredible. Only four more sites managed to reach 70 per cent - Early Learning Centre, Mothercare, John Lewis and HMV - while Argos, Boots, Currys, H Samuel and Waterstones also recorded above-average scores. ...more

Russia first government with Windows code

Russia has become the first government to reap the fruits of Microsoft's Government Security Program (GSP). Announced barely a week ago, the program is designed to put Microsoft's most valuable asset - the source code to its Windows operating system - into the hands of governments. It will allow national bodies to adapt their own software to make best use of operating system's security features. ...more

EU wants to fulfil RFID's potential

The EU has made the first steps of a long march that will bring widespread use of RFID tags within Europe. Opening a public debate at the CeBIT tech show in Hanover yesterday, Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, said that use of the electronic tags will increase 1,000 per cent over the next decade. She said that a public debate on the issue that would cover standards, spectrum allocation and privacy concerns is vital to ensure the technology is used to its full potential. ...more