January 23, 2007

Michael Geist's Blog is discussing the Unparalleled Access that seems to exist between CRIA and Canadian government officials. The CRIA arranged an event for government officials within days of the election which led to a sponsored lobby session on March 2nd that included a government-funded lunch and a private meeting with Minister Oda.  Now new documents reveal that this was merely the tip of the iceberg.  Four weeks later (on April 1st), CRIA hosted a private lunch at the Juno Awards for Bev Oda featuring Henderson and the presidents of the major music labels followed by an artist roundtable.  Six weeks after that (on May 16th), Graham Henderson was granted another meeting with Bev Oda, this time to counter the news that the indie labels had left CRIA and that the CMCC had launched.  This represents an incredible amount of access, particularly considering the unwillingness of the Minister or her staff to even meet with groups representing Canadian artists.  With literally monthly private meetings this spring between the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the President of the Canadian Recording Industry Association is it any wonder that Canadians are skeptical about whether their interests will be addressed in the next copyright bill? [Michael Geist's Blog] 9:32:23 AM

Mineral shows promise on HIV Los Angeles Times - Selenium is reported to reduce the amount of virus in patients. It's like 'a lion tamer in a circus,' a study author says. 9:02:59 AM

Windows OneCare update coming worldwide Jan. 30. (InfoWorld) - Microsoft will begin the international roll-out of its consumer security software on Jan. 30 when it releases a new version of Windows Live OneCare in the U.S. and 16 other countries. OneCare -- which incorporates antivirus, antispyware, firewall management, backup and tune-up functions -- has been available in the U.S. since May 2006. Existing users there will be automatically upgraded to the latest release, Microsoft said. It said the new version of the product will provide unified virus and spyware scanning, more flexible file back-up options and support for the Windows Vista OS, which is also being released to consumers Jan. 30. The release of OneCare marked Microsoft's entry into a heated security software market led by Symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro. Microsoft has priced OneCare at $49.95, and it can be used on up to three computers running Windows XP or Vista. Pricing will be about the same worldwide, Microsoft said, and consumers will be able to either download OneCare or buy it in stores. The countries where it will be offered for the first time are Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the U.K., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore. There was no word yet about plans for additional countries. Microsoft has been running a worldwide beta program since last year. Users who participated in the program are eligible for 60 percent off an annual subscription if they sign up between Jan. 23 and Feb. 12. Microsoft secured just 1.2 percent of worldwide antivirus revenue in 2005, according to figures published by IDC last month. Analysts predict that OneCare will pose more of a challenge to the leading vendors. By Jeremy_Kirk@idg.com (Jeremy Kirk). [InfoWorld: Top News] 7:57:52 AM

'Cars' wins another award, Oscars Next. Congratulations to Darla K. Anderson Producer of the hit animated feature 'Cars' from Disney/Pixar. She just won the Producers Guild's Animated Feature award. Her competition was Flushed Away, Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown, and Monster House for the prize. Guess 'Cars is a lock for the Oscars too then. [The Disney Blog] 7:55:16 AM

Symantec: Storm Trojan worst outbreak since 2005 (InfoWorld). InfoWorld - Malicious software that was sent out in millions of spam messages over the weekend has now infected about 300,000 computers, making it the worst malware outbreak since 2005, Symantec said Monday. [Yahoo! News: Technology News] 7:32:01 AM