Hispanics might adopt the Internet more slowly under Google’s search ad deal with Yahoo, the League of United Latin American Citizens said Thursday. There are “serious concerns for consumer privacy and the ability of Hispanic small businesses to reach their target markets,” if online ad rates rise, said National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. The group endorses a call by Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., for a congressional inquiry, Wilkes said. The Justice Department should analyze the deal’s impact on Hispanic shoppers and small business, he said. LULAC’s statement tracks the House Small Business Committee’s scheduling of an online ad hearing (WID June 19 p1); the body is chaired by Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who is of Puerto Rican descent. Oddly, in mid-May, LULAC held a Spanish-language seminar at Google’s Washington office, “geared to helping Hispanic small business owners access the latest Google tools that are being offered,” including AdSense, according to a May 16 press release. The trials were announced a month before LULAC’s seminar with Google (WID April 10 p9). That test was seen widely as Yahoo’s last-ditch attempt to give investors an alternative to a Microsoft acquisition. “We're not saying we're opposing this deal,” Wilkes later clarified to us. LULAC simply wants DoJ and SEC scrutiny, perhaps with conditions such as a freeze on ad rates, he said. The tech industry rarely weighs diversity issues, so LULAC raises them, he said, citing the group’s complaint against an investment firm’s takeover of Univision. AT&T’s SBC merger stands in contrast, he added: “Those companies usually respond with efforts” and have policies to help minorities in broadband access and other areas. Explaining its seminar with Google, Wilkes said the group has raised diversity concerns with the company: “We don’t pause our programmatic effort because there’s a policy difference with a partner like Google.” LULAC leaders aren’t likely to attend next week’s House Small Business Trade Subcommittee hearing because its national convention is the same week, he said.
Claiming to have developed PVR software with “no precedent,” Dish Network and EchoStar sued TiVo on Friday. They asked a federal court to find that their satellite receivers/PVRs don’t infringe the so-called time-warp patent.
Claiming to have developed PVR software with “no precedent,” Dish Network and EchoStar sued TiVo on Friday. They asked a federal court to find that their satellite receivers/PVRs don’t infringe the so-called time-warp patent.
LAGUNA CLIFFS, Calif. -- On a campaign to become the No. 1 AV receiver company in the U.S., Denon this week launched 10 new receivers for 2008 at its corporate line show. The models come on the heels of last year’s complete overhaul of the Denon receiver line, which marked the first time that the company has replaced all its receivers at once.
Wilmington, N.C., stood alone as a Sept. 8 DTV test market in the FCC’s announcement last Thursday (CED May 9 p5) because broadcasters in at least six other markets snubbed the commission’s request to participate, FCC and industry officials said Friday.
Broadcasters in several markets aren’t participating in an early cutoff of analog signals in a test of digital TV, FCC and industry officials said. Wilmington, N.C., on Thursday became the first test market (CD May 9 p3). TV stations in six to 10 other cities were asked to take part in pilots by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Commissioner Michael Copps and other commission officials, industry officials said.
Federal legislation requiring universities to fight P2P infringement has overshadowed state legislation, now ramping up, university officials told an Educause policy conference Thursday. The higher-education technology group urged members to alert them to state rumblings before the RIAA influences legislators who lack technical understanding and embrace the entertainment industry’s economic loss estimates. Schools’ success in enforcing campus copyright policy -- and failures with blocking technologies pushed by the industry -- “is a story we can tell our legislators that they have not heard,” said Steve Worona, Educause policy director.
Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayTV PS3 PVR apparently has been delayed in Europe, for undisclosed reasons. The device, shown lasat summer at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, was to ship early in 2008 in the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain early, with other PAL territories following “in due course,” SCE Europe said then (CED Aug 23 p1). But the device has not shipped, nor has the company announced a launch date or price. The holdup may involve technical issues with codecs related to PlayTV’s ability to record HD channels, according to published reports. SCEE wasn’t immediately available for comment. Amazon.com’s U.K. Web site indicated Monday that release isn’t expected until Oct. 31. No price was given, but published reports said the site earlier listed the device for 59.99 pounds, almost $119, down from 80 pounds, about $158, with a July 31 release. The PlayTV twin-channel TV tuner peripheral and PVR software will turn Sony’s console into a “state of the art TV recorder, allowing users to watch, pause and record live TV,” the company said in August. It said the two TV tuners will be HD-ready and allow viewing, recording and playback of HD signals in 1080p. PlayTV users will be able to record individual programs or whole series to the PS3 hard drive for viewing later on a TV or for transfer to a PSP, it said. The device will run on the DVB-T format, widely available in Europe, and use a seven-day electronic program guide, Sony said. The seven-day guide is expected to be possible only in the U.K. and Germany at first. SCE America hasn’t announced a similar offering for North America. Separately, Sony was listed as the ninth most innovative company worldwide by BusinessWeek, behind Apple (No. 1), Microsoft (No. 5) and Nintendo (No. 7). Sony finished just ahead of No. 10 Nokia, No. 11 Amazon.com, No. 12 IBM and No. 13 Research In Motion.
Federal action in 2008 on electronic waste probably won’t deflect a surge of state legislation expected to peak early in 2009 with the digital transition, said industry, environmental group, and state officials. Congressional advocates recently released an e-waste “concept paper” they termed a prelude to a federal bill (CED Feb 26 p3). This year is expected to see at least eight states pass e-waste measures, with nine already having them, officials said.
Federal action in 2008 on electronic waste probably won’t deflect a surge of state legislation expected to peak early in 2009 with the digital transition, said industry, environmental group, and state officials. Congressional advocates recently released an e-waste “concept paper” they termed a prelude to a federal bill (CED Feb 26 p3). This year is expected to see at least eight states pass e-waste measures, with nine already having them, officials said.