29th May 2007 Archive

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UK firms contest 'absurd' software patent ruling

Conflicts with European law, they say

A group of small British businesses has mounted a challenge to changes made by the Intellectual Property Office's (formerly known as the Patent Office) to the scope of the monopoly a patent holder can be granted for a software patent. They are objecting, specifically, to paragraph 14 in the IPO's recent November guidance on …

Software & Security 29 May 2007, 07:02
Sanyo results hint at financial recovery

Battered but unbowed by scandal

Scandal-hit electronics firm Sanyo showed signs it may be on the road to recovery despite posting net losses of ¥45bn (€275m) in its annual results. The results, for the year ending 31 March 2007, showed the Osaka-based firm had sales of ¥2,215bn (€13.5bn), down 7.6 per cent from the previous year. Sanyo saw its operating …

IT Channel 29 May 2007, 09:13
iSoft rescue package in jeopardy

CSC objects to takeover

Sickly NHS provider iSoft was predicted to make a full recovery - thanks to a takeover bid from Aussie company IBA Health. But CSC, the main contractor company responsible for getting iSoft products running in the NHS, has objected to the deal. iSoft and CSC have a memorandum of understanding that gives CSC the right to veto …

IT Channel 29 May 2007, 11:22
Ask.com's bogus Information Revolution

Column Scale means success

Over the past couple of months, the British public have been subject to a widespread poster campaign, imploring them to join the "Information Revolution". Posters have appeared in train carriages, buses, and restrooms, plastered in self-consciously militant leftist graphics, demanding freedom of expression and choice. Initially …

Software & Security 29 May 2007, 14:27
Logica CEO retires early

Hopes decision will steady not-so-steady ship

Logica CMG's CEO Martin Read is to retire after 14 years at the IT services firm. Read said he has hastened his retirement plans in an attempt to quell "unsettling speculation" following Logica CMG's mixed trading results which saw profits grow but shares drop. He will remain in the post while the board's independent …

IT Channel 29 May 2007, 15:24
EU defence agency wants open skies for flying robots

A day late and a lot of dollars short

The European Union's nascent military ministry, the European Defence Agency, is mounting a push to allow flying robots to operate alongside regular air traffic. As things presently stand, Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) are poorly integrated into civil air-traffic regimes and the laws which underpin them. Few UAVs are certified …

Software & Security 29 May 2007, 16:00
Rackable drives out EVP Ford

Binge and purge

The old guard executive purge at Rackable continues at pace. The server maker last week fired EVP Todd Ford, according to a regulatory filing. Ford served in a variety of roles at Rackable since 2002, including President and CFO. His tenure was tied to that of former CEO Tom Barton, who left the company last month. Over the …

Enterprise 29 May 2007, 18:03
Google acquires 'sandbox' technology for secure browsing

Dips toe into security market

Google is acquiring GreenBorder, a Silicon Valley startup that helps protect web users against malware. Word of the acquisition comes a week after Google inaugurated a blog devoted to online security, indicating the search king's growing interest in fighting the malware scourge. GreenBorder claims to work with both Internet …

Software & Security 29 May 2007, 20:12
GoDaddy now RegisterFly's daddy, says ICANN

Even Verisign feeling charitable these days

The RegisterFly clusterf**ck took a major step towards resolution today with the official announcement by ICANN that GoDaddy will take control of the approximately 850,000 domain names still in the clutches of RegisterFly CEO Kevin Medina. The internet rumors of a GoDaddy takeover turned out to be true, and Medina now can devote …

PC Builder 29 May 2007, 20:14