Nokia stock rises on Cisco links

Nokia shares were up sharply this morning after a UK newspaper suggested that the phone maker is being eyed by Cisco. Sunday Business claimed that the network and communications hardware giant is on the lookout for a wireless infrastructure company, with the Finnish outfit identified as the most likely target. The paper said that Cisco, faced with the increasing convergence of fixed line and wireless services, needs technology to create intelligent wireless applications, technology that Nokia could provide. ...more

Canada court rules 'iPod levy' illegal

The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that special levies applied to the sale of MP3 players, such as the iPod, are illegal. The court ruled that the Copyright Board of Canada did not have the legislative authority to introduce such charges, which were intended to counteract the 'harm' caused to writers and publishers by copying of digital content. Under Canada's Copyright Act - reports the Canadian Globe and Mail - such a levy has traditionally been applied to blank media, such as audio tapes or, more recently, recordable optical discs. ...more

Apple settles iTunes patent breach

Apple has agreed to pay 'past and future royalties' to E-Data Corporation, a company that owns a patent covering the downloading and recording of information, such as music, from a computer onto media or devices including CDs, DVDs and MP3 players. E-Data argued that Apple's iTunes Music Store infringed the patent and Apple will join almost 30 other organisations that have licensed the patent. Precise details of the financial settlement have not been disclosed. ...more

Google extends its AdWords programme

Google is making changes to its AdWords programme. Advertisers now have the option of picking the sites where they want adverts to appear. Google is also moving beyond the familiar text only ads and will be supporting a range of graphical ads. ...more

Money ?2003

Today sees the official launch of Microsoft's personal finance management software Money 2003. As well as features for tracking accounts and cash flow, there is a Debt Reduction Planner for experimenting with different payment scenarios, support for the management of budgets, and reports on your tax-related income and expenditure.. ...more