News in brief related to Information Technology.
News Corp. expands Internet portfolio with IGN Entertainment
NEW YORK - Media-entertainment giant News Corp. announced plans on September 8 to acquire IGN Entertainment, a privately held San Francisco Internet games and entertainment company, for $650 million. The move extends the Internet presence of the giant controlled by Australian-born magnate Rupert Murdoch, who has indicated that he wants to increase the cyberspace presence of the firm. IGN operates a number of Websites with a particular focus on videogames, including GameSpy, GameSpy Arena and 3D Gamers, as well as movie-related site Rotten Tomatoes and men's lifestyle site AskMen.com. News Corp. said that IGN Entertainment would be folded into its Fox Interactive Media unit. "With the acquisition of IGN and its 28 million unique users, we have gone a long way toward achieving two of our key strategic objectives in our efforts to become a leading and profitable Internet presence," said Murdoch, News Corp.'s chairman and chief executive. Mark Jung, IGN's current CEO, will continue in this role following completion of the deal.
EU lawmakers call for measures to protect children on Internet
STRASBOURG - EU lawmakers on September 7 called on the 25-nation bloc to take steps to protect children from offensive content on the Internet, including creating a secure domain of Websites for children controlled by an independent authority. The parliament gave a first reading to a text by French EU parliamentarian Marielle de Sarnez, which suggested that the European Commission put in place a Europe-wide helpline phone number to register complaints about "detrimental" Websites and also to give information about filtering out offensive sites. The report also addressed the problem of protecting minors from pornography on the Web.
French IT group Atos Origin quadruples first-half net profits
PARIS - French computer services group Atos Origin said on September 7 that its net profit in the first half of 2005 had more than quadrupled compared with the same period of 2005. Sales in the period grew by a more modest 4 percent, but cost-cutting and a depressed result in 2004 because of restructuring charges had contributed to the impressive increase in profitability, the company said. First-half net profits totaled €121.3 million ($150.6 million) compared with €28.3 million in 2004, operating profit more than doubled to €196.3 million and sales were €2.72 billion.
Microsoft makes new appeal against EU ruling
BRUSSELS - US software giant Microsoft has made a new appeal against an EU competition ruling against it in March 2004 for abusing its dominant market position, the company said on September 7. The European Commission last year fined the software group a record €497 million ($610 million), and also forced it to market a version of its Windows operating system without bundling it to its software Media Player. Microsoft said that it had filed an application for annulment of the ruling over the issue of "broad licenses in source code form of communications protocols, which are based upon Microsoft's intellectual property".
Ericsson to invest $1bn in China over five years
SHANGHAI - Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson will invest $1 billion in China over the coming five years, betting on more demand for wireless services in the world's largest mobile phone market. Ericsson will expand manufacturing capacity, establish more research and development centers and grow its service reach, Ericsson Greater China president Mats Olsson told a company-sponsored seminar in Shanghai. The investment comes as the company positions itself on the next generation of wireless mobile networks and phones, know as 3G, that would allow for the downloading of video clips and games. China is expected to issue 3G licenses in early 2006.
LG Philips to build LCD plant in Poland
SEOUL - LG Philips LCD, one of the world's leading liquid crystal display (LCD) makers, said on September 7 that it plans to build a $530 million plant in Poland to meet growing European demand for LCD televisions. The South Korea-Dutch joint venture said that it would invest €429 million ($534 million) in the new factory by 2011 with construction to begin next year. The plant at Kobierzyce near the southwestern Polish city of Wroclaw will start production in the first half of 2007, with output of 3 million units a year initially, mostly LCD TV modules, the firm said in a statement.
Fraud concerns dent interest in online banking
WASHINGTON - Worries about online fraud and identity theft have curbed Americans' interest in Internet banking, a survey showed on September 6. The survey by research firm Ipsos Insight indicated that after years of dramatic growth, the percentage of Americans who conduct personal banking online remained unchanged during the 12-month period ended August 2005. Some 39 percent of Americans conduct banking online, but growth has stalled amid concerns about hackers stealing and using personal information. The survey of 1,000 adults showed 83 percent of respondents who bank online reported concerns over protecting their personal information from theft.
Japanese Internet mall Rakuten expands into US
TOKYO - Japan's biggest online shopping mall, Rakuten, said on September 6 that it had struck a deal to buy New York-based Internet marketing agency LinkShare, laying the foundations for a launch in the US. Rakuten, which offers online shopping, travel, auctions and financial services, will pay $425 million for the US affiliate marketing firm. Affiliate marketing aims to boost Internet retailers' sales by placing links and advertising banners on small Websites. When visitors click on the link and buy something the small Website operator gets a commission.
Estonians can vote by Internet in local elections, supreme court rules
TALLINN - Estonians will be able to vote in forthcoming local elections via the Internet after the Baltic state's supreme court overturned a veto by President Arnold Ruutel on electronic voting, the national electoral commission said on September 2. Estonia's highest court ruled on September 1 that a provision in the e-voting bill, which would allow voters to change their vote several times, was constitutional. Ruutel had vetoed the bill in May, saying that it violated the principle of uniformity of elections, as voters who use traditional ballots can only vote once."
I.T. Briefs
TOOLBAR
To add a comment,
Please log in:
Don't have an account?
Register now to comment on stories and stay up to date on important events and issues in the Middle East with our newsletter.