Piracy Still On The Rise

Is anyone buying software? Software companies fret that piracy continues to flourish. This report won't make them feel any better. A study by the accounting firm Price Waterhouse says nearly seven of every 10 computer software programs sold in Latin America is an illegal copy of an original one. The study said pirating of computer software in Latin America reaches more than 90 percent of software sales in some countries, but is still less in the region as a whole than in Eastern Europe, where 80 percent of computer software is pirated. Sales of illegally copied software totaled about $911 million in Latin America last year, according to a study by the trade group Business Software Alliance that was cited in the report.

FBI Arrests Hacker

Just how secure is financial information stored in Internet Web sites? The FBI says it has charged a computer hacker with the theft of more than 100,000 credit card numbers from just such a database. The bureau says the man was arrested after he tried to sell the information to an undercover agent. He faces a 15 year prison term and $500,000 in fines if convicted. The authorities acted on a tip by computer technicians for an Internet service provider who observed unusual activity while working on the system's servers. The suspect used the online name "Smack" and appears to have obtained his information with a computer program that gathered credit information from companies selling products over the Internet.

Warning on Investor Abuses

The Securities and Exchange Commission is warning about bad investments pitched via the Internet. William McLucas, head of the SEC's division of enforcement, says the Internet has "changed the velocity" of fraudulent sales pitches. The SEC is preparing today to take the first steps toward overhauling its oversight of so-called alternative trading systems, which would include Internet and other computer-operated securities trading systems. McLucas says looking out for bogus investment offers on the Internet is a huge task for the agency.

No Fan Of Spam

At least one member of Congress wants no more servings of "spam," the unsolicited e-mail come-ons that appear in your electronic mail box from time to time. New Jersey Republican Chris Smith said his "Netizens Protection Act of 1997" would ban unsolicited commercial e-mail including get-rich-quick schemes, unproven medical remedies and similar solicitations that can cost recipients money by incurring online charges." This bill will help people not only with the nuisance of spam but the costs as well," Smith said.

Admin. Against Internet Tax

The Clinton Administration has thrown its support behind legislation introduced in both houses of Congress that would block state and local governments from imposing taxes on Internet transactions. Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said such a tax could be a drag on economic growth. Summers said some countries were tempted to view the Internet as a source of new tax revenues but he said the Clinton administration felt that would be counter-productive in the long term.

AOL Offers Message Feature

America Online says its "instant messaging software," previously available only to AOL users, will be made available to all Internet users. Interested users may download the software from the AOL Web site. The software, which is currently in beta, or customer testing, lets users send and respond to messages immediately, while a "Buddy List" feature tells users who among a designated list of users is online. While there is no charge for the beta version, AOL says there could be a charge for a future version.

Newton To Be New Company

The published reports were true. Apple Computer has confirmed that it is spinning off its Newton division and selling it to its employees. Newton makes Apple's hand-held computers and related gear. Apple said its making the move because it is looking for ways to focus resources on its Macintosh products. The Newton is a computer the size of a VCR tape that lets executives store phone numbers and addresses, send e-mail and write short notes. The first versions of the Newton, introduced in 1993, did not sell well because they did not work well. In recent months, Apple has beefed up its software, made it more powerful and turned one version

Informix Cuts Work Force

Informix says it has laid off 100 workers at several locations in the U.S. in an effort to stop the flow of red ink. A company spokesman says the database software firm has a plan to return to profitability by the end of the year. The company said it targeted administrative workers and technical documentation staff at its facilities in the San Francisco area and in Lenexa, Kan. The job cuts came the day before Informix's annual shareholder meeting, where top executives had to explain how they misjudged the database market and what more they plan to do to make the company profitable again.

Novell Scales Back In Europe

Novell has confirmed previous reports that it is cutting its European workforce by 15 percent, or about 50 positions. A company spokesman confirmed the report after the news was broken to the staff in Europe. At the same time, the Utah-based software firm said it will undertake a complete evaluation of its worldwide work force in the future. The Wall Street Journal reports Novell is planning a much larger cutback, reducing its total work force by 20%.

@Home Links With MS Network

At Home Corporation, the high speed Internet access provider, says that Microsoft's Network will soon be available to subscribers of the At Home (@Home) Network. The network will deliver multimedia content and interactive services, which will come flying through At Home's cable modem delivery system, which transmits data at speeds as much as 300 times faster than traditional dial-up modems. The service is set to begin in July. Subscribers will pay a flat fee of $6.95 per month.

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