Legal

Intellectual property is often the crown jewel of a company. Yet that jewel can be misappropriated more easily than ever in the Internet age. And domain names, which can serve as both Web addresses and brandnames, are a form of intellectual property that's especially hot these days.

According to industry analysts, a battle over wireless spectrum between the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a bankrupt, would-be wireless company called NextWave Personal Communications Inc. could lead to delays in the delivery of better coverage more advanced wireless services in some parts of the U.S.

Just weeks after it received US$400 million to settle a patent dispute with Hewlett-Packard Co., office equipment maker Pitney Bowes Inc. has filed legal actions against eight more companies over their alleged misuse of the same technology.

U.S. businesses will "increasingly become the point of attack for enemies of [the] United States" by hackers and national governments using sophisticated weapons such as worms and viruses that can be used for precise attacks, warned a top U.S. Central Intelligence Agency official in testimony before a congressional committee.

Internet privacy group TRUSTe launches an initiative that aims to slap symbols and labels on Web sites so that their privacy policies are clearly and immediately understood by users.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it illegal to do something that's been legal for longer than almost anyone reading this column has been alive. Its essence is that you can't make copies of anything, for any reason, period. No more making compilation tapes of your favorite party songs or photocopies of articles to hand out at a meeting.

Senator Kerry plans to reintroduce a bill to the U.S. Senate that would create a national "opt-in" standard for ecommerce for all transactions except financial and medical ones. His aim is to create a level playing field between online and offline businesses.