Chetty Law

Risks Associated With Publication

2009-02-11T16:56:00.000+02:00

"The risks you could face when you publish online can take a number of forms, depending on what and how you publish. The sections that follow are not intended to make you an expert on media law, but merely to help you identify potential "red flags" so that when you publish something that might result in liability, you will know to be extra careful and will take the necessary steps to minimize your potential legal risks."

Publishing Personal and Private Information: Understanding Your Legal Risks

2009-02-11T16:54:00.000+02:00

"When you publish information about someone without permission, especially personal or private information, you potentially expose yourself to legal liability even if your portrayal is factually accurate. While you should keep this potential liability in mind, the law generally gives online publishers quite a bit of breathing space to report and comment on matters of legitimate public concern, even when the person being discussed objects to the coverage."

Websites, data protection and children

2009-02-11T16:51:00.001+02:00

"The first principle of data protection law is that personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully, and that one or more specified conditions must be met."

Manufacturer pays out $426,000 in damages and attorneys fees as a result of engaging in a useless exercise

2009-02-11T16:49:00.000+02:00

"In Venture Tape Corp. v. McGills Glass Warehouse, 540 F.3d 56 (1st Cir. 2008), a case where a company embedded a competitor’s trademarks in its website via metatags and invisible white-on-white text, the First Circuit held that the company infringed its competitor’s marks and upheld the district court’s award of $230,339, representing the defendant’s estimated net profits during the period of infringement, and $188,583 in attorneys fees to the plaintiff."

Standard Tactics, LLC: How GoDaddy Profits from Expired Domains

2008-12-15T16:23:00.000+02:00

"GoDaddy.com and other registrars that are part of The Go Daddy Group don’t use a partner to sell customers’ expired domain names. Instead it auctions them on the company’s own platform originally called The Domain Name Aftermarket (TDNAM). It’s a fairly transparent system. But when a valuable domain doesn’t sell, something not-so-transparent goes on in the background, as described in detail below."

Protecting trademarks increasingly difficult job

2008-12-15T16:22:00.000+02:00

"The recent news that Apple Inc. was threatening to sue a B.C. computer school over use of an apple logo has brought renewed public attention on the importance of trademarks in the marketplace. These intangible assets can create tremendous goodwill and value for companies, which must ensure that they are used properly and enforced when necessary..."

How to Choose a Web Hosting Company?

2008-12-15T16:07:00.002+02:00

(We have received a number of complaints relating to loss of domains, back ups of websites and downtime. I found this article practical and useful as a point of reference when choosing a web hosting company. It also contains articles that should appear in your Agreement. Pria)

"If the hosting company registers domains under someone else's name, you may have problems switching hosting providers later. If you were in such situation, you would have to file for a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which costs much more than both domain name and web hosting service together...."

Senator probes privacy law after Obama phone record breach

2008-11-26T10:19:00.000+02:00

In light of the recent breach of President-elect Barack Obama's cell phone records, a senator on Monday sent a letter (PDF) to the Justice Department asking how many investigations or prosecutions the department has undertaken for violations of the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act.

Linking to defamatory material is not the same as publishing it, says Canadian court

2008-11-25T09:40:00.001+02:00

The publisher of a link to defamatory material does not have any liability for that defamation, a Canadian court has ruled. Liability could only exist if the link publisher made any statement relating to the defamatory material itself, the court said.

Law firm argues that links to its website abuse its trade marks

2008-11-25T09:39:00.000+02:00

"One of the world's biggest law firms is suing a small Chicago-based website for naming the firm and linking to two of its associates' biographies. A judge rejected an attempt to have the case thrown out last week..."

More email security tips

2008-11-25T09:08:00.000+02:00

"In February this year, I listed five basic email security tips that everyone should employ. The following is a list of five more good pieces of email security advice:..."

DNS resource record integrity is still a big, big problem

2008-11-25T09:06:00.000+02:00

"The need to secure DNS has never been greater. Attacks against DNS cache integrity, including entire zone references, are an easy way for criminals to redirect your unsuspecting users to malicious sites. Current controls are still lacking."

Shifting from compliance to security requires patience

2008-11-25T09:03:00.000+02:00

"It is not just government managers who require behavior changes when it comes to securing sensitive assets. Managers in private industry often mistakenly see compliance as security. But changing this view takes patient persistence."

Electronic Evidence in South Africa

2008-11-18T13:31:00.001+02:00

A must read article on the legal framework for electronic evidence in South Africa.

Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations

2008-11-18T13:20:00.000+02:00

"This publication (the Manual) is a revised version of the 2001 edition of "Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations." In addition to discussing recent caselaw, the Manual incorporates the important changes made to the laws governing electronic evidence gathering by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-56, 115 Stat. 272 (2001) (the "PATRIOT Act")."

Rules on Electronic Evidence

2008-11-18T13:17:00.002+02:00

E-Evidence Rules published by the Supreme Court of the Phillipines. Insightful and noteworthy definitions.

Web 2.0 and e-discovery: Risks and countermeasures

2008-10-22T12:10:00.001+02:00

Enterprise employees frequently use social networking tools, most notably Web-based applications. It's no surprise more organizations are wondering what happens if social networking data becomes relevant to an e-discovery investigation.

Legal Download 2.0 - legal issues for UAE bloggers

2008-10-22T12:06:00.000+02:00

"Arguably, the one factor that remains constant is that legal risks in blogs exist; and yet recent research conducted by the UK's YouGov found that only 5% of internet users are clear on their legal rights and responsibilities when posting comments online; and only a third (33%) of regular internet users read the legal terms and conditions, disclaimers or guidelines for posting comments on the internet forums they use."

Web 2.0 legals: the challenge of user-generated content

2008-10-22T12:02:00.000+02:00

Organisations wishing to use internal Web 2.0 Facebook-style social networking sites for communication and people development, or other technology tools which rely on user-generated content such as wikis and blogs, have to be aware of these. In a worst case scenario, an organisation could end up being vicariously liable for defamatory remarks made by a member of staff on an internal blog or social networking site.

Legal Aspects of Web 2.0 Activities

2008-10-22T12:01:00.000+02:00

"The report identifies the practical legal risks associated with activities conducted in online participatory spaces. Encompassing Copyright, Privacy, Defamation, Breach of Confidence and other areas of law, the report outlines the main considerations that arise when engaging in the online environment. It also examines the popular social networking platforms YouTube, MySpace and Second Life in detail, analysing legal issues specific to their Terms of Use and functionality."

Legal risks of Web 2.0 explained

2008-10-22T11:54:00.000+02:00

"Ralph Spencer, solicitor in Pinsent Masons’ Outsourcing, Technology and Commercial Group, warned that adoption of new forms of communication such as blogging, wikis, podcasting, social networking and discussion forums also increase the scope of applicability for reputation and confidentiality, content ownership and licensing, intellectual property infringement and defamation claims."

Data security: What the law requires of IT

2008-08-19T09:06:00.001+02:00

"Codifying this shift is a complex blend of laws and regulations enacted to protect the confidentiality and integrity of valuable personal data and the individuals who might be harmed by a breach. Not complying with these mandates can result in grave legal consequences should your organization suffer a breach."

Data Security and Compliance

2008-08-19T09:05:00.000+02:00

"Wide spread media coverage coupled with mounting losses due to fraud and identity theft has increased the pressure being brought to bear on this problem. At last count there are over 100 different regulations pertaining to data protection and security breaches. All these overlapping regulations and the blur surrounding jurisdictional authority have increased the complexity of compliance."

IT security oversight may have enabled data breach

2008-08-19T09:02:00.001+02:00

"A former employee accused of stealing customer data from Countrywide Financial Corp. may have been able to download the information to a thumb drive because of an oversight by the home mortgage lender's IT department."

Security Flap Slams Wells Fargo Over Data Breach

2008-08-19T09:01:00.000+02:00

"In the wake of news that a Wells Fargo bank access code had been used to steal thousands of consumers' personal information, the bank has launched a full-scale investigation into the crime.
The code was used to access information from MicroBilt, which describes itself as the "single source industry leader in risk management information" and provides consumer information to Wells Fargo and other banks and businesses, between May and June, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Mary Berg told InternetNews.com."

Dominion Enterprises Discloses Data Breach in Business Division

2008-08-19T08:59:00.000+02:00

"Dominion Enterprises today announced that a computer server within InterActive Financial Marketing Group (IFMG), a division of Dominion Enterprises located in Richmond, Virginia, was hacked into and illegally accessed by an unknown and unauthorized third party between November 2007 and February 2008.
The data intrusion resulted in the potential exposure of personal information, including the names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers of 92,095 applicants who submitted credit applications to IFMG's family of special finance Web sites."

Ministry of Justice reports nine data breaches

2008-08-19T08:42:00.001+02:00

(UK) "The Ministry of Justice has reported nine data-breach incidents which may affect around 45,000 people.

According to a report, the Ministry suffered a breach in June 2007 when discs containing 27,000 supplier records were shown to ‘a representative of a newspaper'. Although the Ministry has claimed that "the data was not lost or stolen but some examples were shown" it has defended itself by saying that all the data, including supplier names, addresses and, in some cases, bank details, was subsequently recovered or destroyed."

Court rules on Motata cellphone recordings

2008-07-25T14:36:00.000+02:00

"The five digital audio recordings of Pretoria High Court judge Nkola Motata's alleged drunken ramblings are acceptable evidence.Johannesburg Magistrate Desmond Nair this morning ruled that the recordings would be accepted as evidence..."

Information revolution?

2008-07-25T10:31:00.005+02:00

An interesting video clip which explores the changes in the way we find, store, create, critique, and share information. (The video clip does tend to show up as 'unavailable', however keep refreshing and it will load.)

Created by Dr. Michael Wesch

UK: Fake Facebook profile' victim awarded £22,000

2008-07-25T09:41:00.000+02:00

"A businessman who had his personal life laid bare in a fake profile on the social networking website Facebook has been awarded £22,000 in a libel case he brought against a former school friend. ..."

US Senate Introduces IP Reform Bill Bolstering Enforcement

2008-07-25T09:39:00.000+02:00

"The U.S. senators floated a bill Thursday boosting copyright and trademark protection, legislation that would allow the attorney general to prosecute civil cases of infringement and one that allows for the forfeiture of hardware used to infringe...."

Telkom eyes N Africa with SAIX

2008-07-24T14:00:00.000+02:00

"Telkom hopes to break into the lucrative northern African market by setting up an Internet hub in London, England.The South African Internet Exchange (SAIX), Telkom's wholesale Internet service provider, announced plans to set up a hub in London..."

What is Web 2.0?

2008-07-24T13:32:00.007+02:00

What is Web 2.0?

Dr. Michael Welsch displays his interesting thoughts and ideas. "The Machine is Us/ing Us". (Video clip may show 'unavailable', however refresh and try again and it shall reload)

Police Arrest Man Camming ‘The Dark Knight’

2008-07-24T13:24:00.000+02:00

Hindering piracy of the movie was always high on the list for Warner and it handed out night vision goggles in Australia in an attempt to thwart ‘cammers’ - people who record movies in theaters. In Australia ‘cammers’ are asked to leave if they are caught by theater staff, in the United States things are a little different...

Warner Bros. moves against Web copies of 'Dark Knight'

2008-07-24T13:18:00.000+02:00

Warner Bros. is going after the sites that posted pirated copies of the film The Dark Knight.
CNET News reported Monday that copies of the hit new Batman film could be found at several Web sites. Now, a spokesman for the studio said Warner Bros. is taking action.
"We actively search for these sites and services and have them taken down..."

Drunk judge video ‘authentic’

2008-07-22T12:47:00.002+02:00

"The prosecuting advocate in the Judge Nkola Motata case yesterday said it was not often in drunk driving cases that a trial had “such a unique opportunity” to admit as evidence audio and video clips of the accused’s speech at the time of the alleged offence..."

Motata videos still ‘real evidence’

2008-07-22T08:43:00.001+02:00

"THE accuracy of the five video recordings made by Johannesburg resident Richard Baird remained unchallenged as real evidence and the accuracy of the recordings had not been disputed, the prosecution said in the drunk driving trial of Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata yesterday. ..."

Ex-Microsoft manager gets 22 months for fraud

2008-07-21T11:07:00.000+02:00

"The woman formerly responsible for managing Microsoft's Internet domain names has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for bilking her employer out of US$1 million in fake registration fees..."

NGOs adopt low-cost desktops

2008-07-21T10:28:00.000+02:00

"Virtual desktop manufacturer NComputing reports non-governmental organisations (NGOs) fighting to narrow the digital divide are increasingly adopting its solutions for projects in emerging countries...."

Neotel dedicates R10bn to networks

2008-07-21T10:20:00.000+02:00

"Second national operator Neotel has committed R10 billion, over the next five to 10 years, to the development of its networks...."

'Maniacal' computer engineer Terry Childs takes city network hostage

2008-07-18T16:32:00.000+02:00

A disgruntled computer engineer has been sitting in a prison cell for four days after locking out everyone but himself from a city computer system.

Terry Childs is accused of tampering with San Francisco's new computer network to give himself exclusive access. He has refused to hand over the password and is being held on $5 million bail while officials try to crack his code.....

We need to embrace peer-to-peer, says VeriSign

2008-06-30T09:02:00.000+02:00

"Having once been brought to its knees by Napster, the entertainment industry may have to look to the site for its future.
The smooth running of the internet may depend on a technology that has long been synonymous with illegal downloading and online piracy, one of the foremost authority's on network infrastructure has said. .."

R2bn Home Affairs project probed

2008-06-27T10:28:00.000+02:00

"A controversial R2 billion Home Affairs ICT deal faces potential derailment, following its referral to the auditor-general (AG) for investigation. The “Who am I online (I am I said)” project was awarded to a consortium headed by GijimaAst in October last year. It has since faced persistent allegations of irregularities surrounding the processes followed to award the deal..."

New top-level internet addresses come with $100,000-plus price tag

2008-06-27T08:53:00.000+02:00

"A new era in the way websites are named was ushered in yesterday when the governing body for internet domain names announced a massive liberalisation. ..."

Huge fine haunts Telkom

2008-06-25T12:33:00.000+02:00

"TELKOM could still face a R5-billion fine for anti-competitive behaviour, despite a Pretoria High Court ruling in the operator’s favour last week. .."

Acsa's R80m IT spend just a start

2008-06-24T15:35:00.000+02:00

"The Airports Company of SA (Acsa) spent R80 million of its capital expenditure budget on IT in the last financial year and will spend more in the coming period to be 2010-ready..."

Anti-piracy drive welcomed

2008-06-24T15:30:00.001+02:00

"South African businesses have welcomed Microsoft's latest crackdown on illegal software..."

Teenagers 'have 800 illegal songs' on iPods

2008-06-23T09:12:00.000+02:00

"London (PTI): Music piracy has been adopted in a major way by young people, for a new study has revealed that teenagers have an average of over 800 illegally copied songs on their iPods or MP3 players..."

New rules for iPod Nation

2008-06-23T09:10:00.000+02:00

"OTTAWA–The federal government has moved to bring the copyright law into the 21st century, to catch up with the Internet revolution..."

The Associated Press to Set Guidelines for Using Its Articles in Blogs

2008-06-23T09:01:00.001+02:00

"The Associated Press, one of the nation’s largest news organizations, said that it will, for the first time, attempt to define clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt without infringing on The A.P.’s copyright..."

Also see http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/16/digitalmedia.pressandpublishing

and http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/06/ap-picks-a-figh.html

From the Eye of a Legal Storm, Murdoch's Satellite-TV Hacker Tells All

2008-06-13T17:13:00.000+02:00

.."The software engineer and former satellite-TV pirate has been on the hot seat for five years, accused of helping his former employer, a Rupert Murdoch company, sabotage a rival to gain the top spot in the global pay-TV wars..."

Confusion Reigns In Courts Over 'Metatags'

2008-06-13T15:28:00.001+02:00

"The use of a trademark in computer code words, called "metatags," by a competitor to boost its position in Internet searches infringes under the Lanham Trademark Act, according to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals..."

Bound if you sign, bound if you don't

2008-06-13T14:47:00.000+02:00

"It is trite law that where an offer is made and the party to whom it is addressed, with knowledge of the offer, performs an unequivocal and unambiguous act of acceptance, then the parties are in law held to have contracted with one another on the terms as contained in the offer. In the present case, the agreement, though not signed by the respondent was prepared by his attorneys, the respondent having issued instructions that they should draw such an agreement. It was presented to applicants with express intention that, if they were satisfied with contents thereof, they would sign the agreement. The signing by the applicants of the agreement presented to them, in my view, cannot but constitute an unequivocal act of acceptance."

Directives relating to the reporting of lost, stolen or destroyed cellular phones or SIM-cards

2008-06-13T14:34:00.000+02:00

"These directives regulate the reporting of the loss, theft or destruction of a cellular phone or SIM-card by any person who was in possession, or had control, thereof when it was
lost, stolen or destroyed, to a police official at any police station, as contemplated in section 41 of the Act."

PROTECTION OF INFORMATION BILL

2008-06-13T14:31:00.001+02:00

"To provide for the protection of certain information from destruction, loss or
disclosure; to regulate the manner in which information may be protected; to
repeal the Protection of Information Act, 1982; and to provide for matters
connected therewith..."

BEST PRACTICE CODE OF CONDUCT - ISPs

2008-06-13T14:28:00.002+02:00

"These guidelines are aimed at:3.1. Ensuring compliance by ISPs and their Industry Representative Bodies with the requirements contained in the ECT Act before the protection of Chapter XI will be granted..."

BBC website '£36m over budget'

2008-06-12T14:16:00.000+02:00

"The BBC went almost £36m over the intended budget for bbc.co.uk in the past year, it was disclosed today...."

Today's business environment demands that companies become more agile, starting with their data centres.

2008-06-10T08:48:00.001+02:00

"Virtualisation is revolutionising the manner in which enterprises deliver resources from their data centres to their desktops...."

Telkom modems hacked wirelessly

2008-06-03T08:31:00.000+02:00

''The Telkom Mega 100 and 200 wireless modems have been found to be easy to hack, says Dino Covotsos, CEO of Telspace Systems...''

Govt needs security champion

2008-06-03T08:29:00.000+02:00

''South Africa does not have a champion in government for the online security cause anymore...''

Microsoft in South African setback

2008-05-28T09:36:00.000+02:00

''Microsoft’s efforts to demonstrate its commitment to open and fair business practices hit another snag on Friday when South Africa challenged a recent decision to certify the company’s software as an international standard....''

Microsoft in South African setback

2008-05-28T09:28:00.000+02:00

Member of online piracy group faces prison term

2008-05-28T09:27:00.000+02:00

''A member of an online piracy group has been convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and faces up to five years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said.''

The future of entertainment, USC style

2008-05-21T08:33:00.000+02:00

''The entertainment industry has been pressuring colleges directly and indirectly to teach students the do's and don'ts of copyrights, hoping such lessons will help abate online piracy. But at USC's Entertainment Technology Center, students often are the ones giving lessons to Hollywood and the high-tech world about the right way to deliver movies and TV shows to consumers who are increasingly mobile and digital''

‘Big Brother’ database for phones and e-mails

2008-05-21T08:16:00.000+02:00

''A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials. ''

DIY identity-theft protection: A 12-step program

2008-05-08T10:35:00.000+02:00

"You don't have to spend $100 to $200 a year to defend yourself from identity theft at the level of protection that a paid service offers. You can do almost everything the services do, for free. But following these steps will require time and effort."

Government begins to ponder how to keep our ID data safe

2008-05-08T10:31:00.000+02:00

"THE IDENTITY and Passport Service is still working out how it will avoid embarrassing and harmful losses of personal data from its Identity Cards Scheme even as it finalises tender negotiations with suppliers."

Hundreds of Laptops Missing at State Department, Audit Finds

2008-05-08T10:28:00.000+02:00

"Hundreds of employee laptops are unaccounted for at the U.S. Department of State, which conducts delicate, often secret, diplomatic relations with foreign countries, an internal audit has found."

Studios win $100 million judgment against TorrentSpy

2008-05-08T10:26:00.000+02:00

"In a major win for Hollywood studios, a California federal judge has ordered TorrentSpy to pay some $110 million in damages for infringing the copyright of thousands of films and TV shows through its BitTorrent search engine."

Does US Patent Law have Extraterritorial Application?

2008-05-08T10:18:00.000+02:00

"The US Patent Act (title 35 U.S.C) is the legal framework for patent protection in the US. The US Patent Act § 101 defines what is patentable in the US: "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore..." Section 271 of the US Patent Act sets the requirements for a valid cause of action on patent infringement. Within section 271, literal (f) is one of the ones raising controversy because §271(f) seems to invite for extraterritorial application. This article analyses § 271(f) of the US Patent Act in light of its most relevant court interpretation in AT&T v. Microsoft."

AUSTRALIA’S PRIVACY LAW IMPLICATIONS

2008-05-06T12:14:00.000+02:00

Australia’s privacy law affects how companies manage their information systems. The privacy law requires companies to secure personal and sensitive electronic data stored on their systems. This privacy law seeks to give consumers a greater amount of control on the handling of their own personal information and requires that they be informed when their information is being gathered. This legislation and the National Privacy Principles have a profound effect on electronic commerce.

Malware authors use software licence agreements

2008-05-06T12:04:00.000+02:00

A leading computer security company has uncovered evidence that authors of software designed to steal information from infected computers are trying to enforce their intellectual property rights in the underground malware community.

Office snooping software attacked by privacy groups

2008-04-30T12:21:00.000+02:00

"Companies are coming under fire from privacy campaigners for rolling out a computer program which enables them to track the communications and contacts of their staff..."

FSA calls for companies to increase protection for customers' personal details

2008-04-24T11:34:00.000+02:00

"LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is urging firms to improve their data security standards to help prevent customers falling victim to identity fraud and other types of financial crime."

Confidential data remains at risk despite increased business awareness, new survey finds

2008-04-23T12:25:00.000+02:00

"IT systems and information security are more important to UK companies than ever before, with 81% of boards giving a high or very high priority to information security. As businesses continue to grasp the opportunities provided by new technology (97% now have a broadband internet connection), there has been a real improvement in controls, particularly in basic disciplines such as anti-virus and backups. The average spend by companies on security defences has tripled over the last six years....."

Consumer Protection Bill (Second Discussion Draft)

2008-04-21T15:56:00.002+02:00

"Any person who, in terms of this Act, receives, compiles, retains or reports any
confidential information pertaining to a consumer or prospective consumer"

See especially the "Right to Privacy and Confidentiality" - Pria

Trade Mark Coexistence Agreements: What is all the (lack of) fuss about?

2008-04-17T10:42:00.000+02:00

an ‘alternative method’ of trade mark governance is a coexistence agreement, a compromise bargain somewhere amid conflict and acquiescence. It usually involves a series of negative covenants with the key clauses setting out in heavy language what each party cannot do: you are not allowed to enter my field of use or geographical market (either per se, or under specific marks or names), and because we anticipate you will do so anyway, you are not allowed to use the trade mark when you do in fact do so, and so on. The key aspect of the contract is its proactive nature compared to the trade mark system.

The Black Label: Trade Mark Dilution, Culture Jamming and the No Logo Movement

2008-04-17T10:38:00.000+02:00

"In May 2005, the Constitutional Court of South Africa considered whether a series of transgressive T-shirts infringed the trade marks of the manufacturers of Carling Beer. The case was a cause célèbre highlighting the protection of famous trade marks, culture jamming and “adbusting”, and the freedom of political and artistic expression."

INTERNET LAW - U.S. Court Decides Emails Equal a Signature for Contracts

2008-04-15T16:57:00.000+02:00

New York appellate court has ruled that e-mails were signed writings that modify contracts, in a April 1, 2008 ruling. The case was filed in October 1999, and related to the claim of breach-of-contract. The court wrote, "The e-mails from plaintiff constitute "signed writings" within the meaning of the statute of frauds, since plaintiff's name at the end of his e-mail signified his intent to authenticate the contents (see Rosenfeld v Zerneck, 4 Misc 3d 193 [2004]). Similarly, Bloom's name at the end of his e-mail constituted a "signed writing" and satisfied the requirement of § 13(d) of the employment agreement that any modification be signed by all parties."

Airlines beef up IT security

2008-03-20T14:09:00.000+02:00

''Airlines are taking an even closer look at ICT security, as the migration to IP-enabled networks continues and more passengers switch to self-service. This requires the aviation industry to roll-out open systems that are more susceptible to security breaches.''

Girls and young women are now the most prolific web users

2008-03-12T13:33:00.001+02:00

''The internet began as an almost exclusively male preserve. Now young women, from primary school age upwards, are now making it their own..''

New fraud risk for chip and PIN revealed

2008-03-06T08:00:00.001+02:00

''A relatively simple procedure can program a chip and PIN terminal to steal PIN numbers. 'Chip and PIN' cards which require customers to enter a four-digit code before purchasing goods may not be as safe as previously thought, according to research. ''

Minister says ‘no' to VANS licences

2008-03-05T17:15:00.000+02:00

Companies battle to stay ahead of cyber crooks

2008-02-27T16:36:00.001+02:00

''The steady rise of internet access means SA has lost the near immunity it once enjoyed. Online frauds and electronic corporate espionage are on the rise, as hackers try to find out which products a rival is working on or access its customer database.
SA already has the world’s highest level of white-collar crime, with 72% of companies falling prey in the past two years, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey.''

''...Last month the Novalis Ubuntu Institute for orphans had R90000 drained from its account...''

Credit Union-Backed Proposal on Personal Data Security Advances

2008-02-27T14:50:00.000+02:00

''.....under the proposed law, merchants would be prohibited from retaining PINs or security codes after processing a credit or debit card transaction.''

Websites ‘should face charges over happy-slapping videos’

2008-02-27T14:07:00.002+02:00

''YouTube should be prosecuted for carrying 'happy-slappin' clips on its site, experts on internet safety say. ''

Internet users could be banned over illegal downloads

2008-02-14T08:49:00.001+02:00

'' People who illegally download films and music will be cut off from the internet under new legislative proposals to be unveiled next week.''

ISPs Face New Role in Network Control

2008-02-05T00:36:00.000+02:00

"ISPs would then become private network police, actively monitoring for content that might infringe copyright and stopping it from reaching subscribers' computers."

What Every Citizen Should Know About DRM, “Digital Rights Management”

2008-01-31T01:01:00.000+02:00

"(downloadable) primer on digital rights management (DRM) technologies and their relationship with copyright law"

Highly Recommended Read - Pria

European Court: Governments May Require ISPs To Disclose Data On Suspected Pirates

2008-01-31T00:20:00.000+02:00

"The European Court of Justice (ECJ) avoided a potential upheaval in copyright enforcement by ruling on 29 January that governments can, but are not required to, order Internet service providers (ISPs) to disclose personal data about subscribers suspected of online piracy, according to Hogan & Hartson Paris attorney Winston Maxwell."

The web weans itself off the US

2008-01-28T08:58:00.000+02:00

''The body which oversees the internet may become independent from the US Government for the first time, paving the way for one of the world's most important resources to be run by the private sector''.

Web plagiarism a serious issue

2008-01-22T02:07:00.000+02:00

"Some students who steal essays wholesale from the web, they said, are so lazy they don't even bother to take the adverts off the cut-and-pasted text.
Fifty-eight percent of the teachers interviewed in the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) questionnaire had come across plagiarism among their sixth-form pupils."

IP address 'regarded as personal data'

2008-01-22T02:06:00.000+02:00

"IP addresses, a string of numbers that identifies a computer, should generally be regarded as personal information, the head of the European Union's group of data privacy regulators said on Monday."

Encryption not the key to data security

2008-01-22T00:59:00.000+02:00

"He said: "However, when used in the context of an information management/information security framework, it can become an effective way to mitigate certain corporate data risks. Even so, it would be just one piece of the jigsaw - you need to combine it with other technologies (authentication, authorisation, etc) and information management practices (data classification, data handling, etc) in order to become effective.""

Microsoft seeks patent for office 'spy' software

2008-01-22T00:55:00.000+02:00

''Microsoft is developing Big Brother-style software capable of remotely monitoring a worker’s productivity, physical wellbeing and competence''.

MoD admits to more laptop thefts

2008-01-22T00:51:00.000+02:00

() "Browne said: "It is clear there were shortcomings in security training and awareness among relevant staff. I take this theft extremely seriously. I am also keenly aware of the risk should this data fall into the wrong hands. Those in the armed forces have a right to expect their data will be properly protected. This must never happen again."

Deleting files isn’t always enough

2008-01-21T00:59:00.000+02:00

"Businesses of course have to protect both their own data and that of their clients. Usually, however, people do not do a good enough job of deleting data from their hard drives before passing them on — or even before disposing of them."

Help users create complex passwords that are easy to remember

2008-01-21T00:57:00.000+02:00

"While most end users understand the importance of using passwords to secure corporate systems and data, they don’t always know how to create a strong password. That’s why it’s just as important to create a strong password policy in your organization. Remember: Passwords are only as good as the policy that enforces their use."

Browne faces MPs over lost laptop

2008-01-21T00:45:00.000+02:00

'Defence Secretary Des Browne is set to make a statement to MPs on the theft of military laptop containing the personal details of 600,000 people."

AT&T may filter illegal file-sharing

2008-01-21T00:36:00.000+02:00

"One of the largest telecoms firms in the US is contemplating the introduction of a filter to block copyright-infringing traffic in its internet service. The company said that network-level filtering was the "optimal" way to deal with piracy."