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 »
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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 »
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 »
Australia and New Zealand Publish Report into Trans-Tasman Roaming Costs
From Cellular News: A joint report by the Australian and New Zealand governments into the cost of trans-Tasman roaming has recommended increased powers for their telecoms regulators to intervene in the market. The governments have both accepted the report’s recommendations and decided to extend these to other markets. The New Zealand government said that the […] 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 »
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 »
Smartphones use doubles in 2012
From the ACMA: Almost half of Australia’s adult population now own a smartphone. Take-up soared by 104 per cent to 8.67 million units over the 12 months to May 2012, according to research released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Smartphones and tablets: Take-up and use in Australia also found that 9.2 million Australians […] 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 Networking Sites to cooperate with Government on complaint handling
From the DBCDE: Social Networking Sites have agreed to continue promoting user safety as well as undertaking education and awareness raising about antisocial behaviour online under new guidelines announced by the Prime Minister. The Cooperative Arrangement for Complaints Handling on Social Networking Sites commits companies, such as Facebook, Google (YouTube), Yahoo! and Microsoft, to: Set […] 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 »
ACMA Consultation: Options for calls to freephone and local rate numbers
From the ACMA: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) has started a public consultation process to identify the best way to achieve the following objectives: To make calls from mobile phones to freephone (1800) numbers free; To make calls from mobile phones to local rate numbers (13/1300) numbers cost no more than a […] Read more »
Australia does not sign up to International Telecommunications Regulations on Internet Law
From DBCDE: The Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today confirmed that Australia will not sign a revised international telecommunications treaty on internet law, as it has the potential to fundamentally change the way the internet operates. Over the past two weeks, the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) has […] Read more »
Intellectual Property Protection Tips
From NYT: The two most precious resources for any small-business owner are time and money. That’s why when the subject of intellectual property comes up, many owners run in the other direction. They see images of expensive lawyers and use that as an excuse to ignore the topic, reasoning that it is a problem for […] Read more »