ACCC invites comment on the policies and procedures for the list of NBN POIs

From the ACCC:  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today released a consultation paper inviting comment on the policies and procedures that relate to the identification of listed Points of Interconnection (POIs) to the National Broadband Network (NBN). In November 2012, the ACCC published the list of POIs to the NBN as required by section […] Read more »



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The fog of law and cloud computing

From the Sydney Morning Herald:  Data sovereignty and privacy concerns resulting from the extension of US-government mass-surveillance powers raised in an EU report publicised last week should not dissuade Australian businesses from actively considering and adopting cloud computing services, legal experts say. The reach of the US Patriot Act – which essentially compels US companies […] Read more »

Google Sues British Telecom in Retaliation for Android Lawsuit

From Cellular News:  Google has launched a patent lawsuit against UK based landline operator, British Telecom (BT) as the two sides escalate a patent battle. BT had initiated the fight in late 2011 after it sued Google over a series of mobile patents which it said were being infringed in Android smartphones. Google has now […] Read more »

Revised Australian Standard for Customer Cabling Installation

From the Communications Alliance:  New rules for the safe installation of optical fibre communications in customer premises are part of a revised Australian Standard for telecommunications wiring published by Communications Alliance. The AS/CA S009 Installation Requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring Rules) Standard (in its various guises) has been the backbone of the cabling industry in […] Read more »

Federal Court provides clarity on internet simulcasting

From the Australian Copyright Council:  The Federal Court has unanimously ruled in favor of artists and recording labels, by overturning a previous decision regarding internet simulcasts. The PPCA (representing the artists and recording labels) in its press release reports that it “has won a declaration that internet simulcasts of radio programs fall outside the definition […] Read more »

Australian Cyber Security Centre will be 95% Defence staffed

From ZDNet:  In Senate Estimates on Monday, Linda Geddes said that when the Australian Cyber Security Centre is first established, “95 percent of staff will be defence”. The acting first assistant secretary for Australia’s Cyber Policy and Homeland Security Division additionally said that the people working in the centre will report back to their own […] Read more »

Obama Presses Cybersecurity Effort

From the Wall Street Journal:  The Obama administration has pressed ahead with its campaign to bolster cybersecurity measures through an executive order while setting the stage for a new battle in Congress over how to ensure computer safeguards at companies that run the electric grid and other key infrastructure. Republicans who last year derailed a […] Read more »

US Tech Giants Face Pricing Questions in Australia

From TechNewsWorld:  Apple, Microsoft and Adobe have been summoned by the Australian Parliament to explain why pricing of their products is higher in Australia than elsewhere, according to TechCrunch. The tech trio was called by the House Committee on Infrastructure and Communications, which is overseeing an inquiry into why hardware and software ranging from e-books and […] Read more »

NZ Privacy Commissioner Releases Cloud Guidelines

The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner has released two documents designed to assist businesses who are thinking of shifting to cloud based services. The Cloud Computing checklist for small business  summarises a number of steps that small businesses should take to ensure that the privacy of data sent to the cloud is properly protected.  Cloud Computing […] Read more »

ACCC directs Telstra to amend measures developed under its Migration Plan

From the ACCC:  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has directed Telstra to improve four processes that will support the migration of customers onto the National Broadband Network. The processes are referred to in Telstra’s Migration Plan as Required Measures and relate to: the disconnection of services (from copper or HFC networks) that have […] Read more »

Google appeal upheld by High Court

From the ACCC:   The High Court of Australia has unanimously upheld Google Inc.’s appeal from a judgment of the Full Federal Court that found that Google had contravened the Trade Practices Act 1974 by engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct. The ACCC will carefully review the judgment of the High Court to understand whether it […] Read more »

BYOD could open businesses to copyright litigation: BSA

From ZDNet:  Most businesses are aware of the repercussions of using pirated or counterfeit software; however, with the consumerisation of IT, many employees may be opening up their employers to increased liability without the business even knowing it. Speaking to ZDNet, Business Software Alliance (BSA) chair Clayton Noble said that while businesses that are purposely […] Read more »

ACCC seeks special leave of High Court in TPG case

From the ACCC:  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has applied for special leave of the High Court to appeal the 20th December 2012 decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia in relation to TPG’s advertisements for its Unlimited ADSL2+ broadband internet service. The Full Court allowed TPG’s appeal in […] Read more »

Social media boosts customers

From the Conversation and the University of Buffalo:   Customers who connect with a business through social media will go to the business more frequently and contribute more to its bottom line, according to a new study from the University at Buffalo School of Management. The study, forthcoming in Information Systems Research, found that customers who […] Read more »

IBM and NATO Team Up for a Cloud Based Project

From ZDNet and Cloud Law Consulting:  ZDNet has reported that NATO and IBM are collaborating for a cloud-based project with aims to launch new technologies more efficiently and to improve data sharing among the group’s 28 member countries. The cloud computing model developed through the partnership will presumably be used for future military operations.  The […] Read more »