[Fsf-friends] Edupage: BSA calls for stronger copyright legislation

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

BSA CALLS FOR STRONGER COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has released a white paper calling
on government to strengthen laws meant to protect copyright holders
from digital piracy. Fearing a situation like the one that record
companies are grappling with, the BSA--which includes such companies as
Microsoft, Intuit, and Symantec--urged lawmakers to take appropriate
steps to ensure the enforceability of software copyrights and patents.
An attorney for the group, Emery Simon, said the goal of the paper was
not to encourage specific action but simply to identify a "problem that
needs attention." The paper contends that a series of court rulings
regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have resulted in an
"impediment to effective enforcement," but the group did not
specifically call on lawmakers to revise that law.
CNET, 7 January 2005
http://news.com.com//2100-1030_3-5516568.html


MICROSOFT LAUNCHES ANTISPYWARE TOOL
Microsoft this week began offering a test version of an antispyware
application for download. The company had been promising such a tool
for some time, and it will debut an antivirus tool next week for
cleaning viruses and other malware from computers. A spokesperson for
Microsoft also said it will begin offering a service called "A1" that
will provide users with updates to these tools. Microsoft has been
working to improve the security standards of its products, and the
company's new tools represent its extension of those efforts into the
software security market currently led by companies including McAfee
and Symantec. Shares of both of those companies' stock fell sharply on
the news of Microsoft's new security tools.
Reuters, 6 January 2005
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7260250

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