Buys Inc. Attorneys ICT Law Blog     Friday, August 07, 2009     McKinnon lawyers vow to take fight to US Supremes | Pinsent Masons LLP Lawyers for Gary McKinnon have launched an impassioned attack on the UK justice system, following a decision to allow extradition proceedings against the Pentagon hacker to continue despite his recent diagnosis with Asperger's Syndrome. Monday, July 06, 2009     Govt needs mobile tech for 'super service' "Mobile technology and broadband need to be considered to latch onto 'first class, real time' service delivery, KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Ina Cronje said." New cellphone laws slated Experts have lambasted new laws to collect information about prepaid cellphone users, citing their "severe" privacy implications. Experts have lambasted new laws to collect information about prepaid cellphone users, citing their "severe" privacy implications. Friday, July 03, 2009     SA digital TV switch reviewed The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) will ask Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda to review the time frame for the migration from analogue to digital television, officials said. Facebook revising privacy Facebook is revising its privacy settings to give the more than 200 million users the ability to share as much or as little as they want. Twitter applications could face copyright claims as Biz Stone looks to tighten branding - SC Magazine UK Applications that allow direct access to micro-blogging site Twitter may be hit by a copyright claim. Thursday, July 02, 2009     New Cell Phone Law Welcomed Business Against Crime SA has welcomed the introduction of the country's new RICA Act, saying the legislation would enhance initiatives to combat cellphone crime. Legalbrief - eLaw & Management Home Page It's been more than a decade since Mark Shuttleworth caught South Africa's imagination by becoming an overnight IT billionaire and spending some of his new-found wealth on a trip into space Is Google Hurting Book Publishers? -- Seeking Alpha Here's the question the publishing industry is trying to figure out: Does it make sense for Google (GOOG) to have the rights to exploit 'orphan' books, those whose copyright holders can't be found? Is it bad if Google has the exclusive rights to those books through its book search initiative? Wednesday, July 01, 2009     New law forces cell phone users to register The new law, which comes into effect today, will require cellphone users to provide proof of address and identification when activating a new SIM card. News24, South Africa's premier news source, provides breaking news on national, world, Africa, sport, entertainment, technology & more. A California company that says its software was illegally used in Beijing's new internet filter has threatened unspecified legal action. Monday, June 29, 2009     $1.92m fine for pirating 24 songs A woman has been ordered to pay $1.92m for downloading 24 tracks from the Kazaa file sharing site - $80 000 per song. Friday, June 26, 2009     Manchester Council's unencrypted laptop loss broke data protection law, says regulator Manchester City Council broke the Data Protection Act when it failed to encrypt laptop computers containing data on nearly two thousand workers. The local authority has promised to ensure all mobile computers are encrypted. Thursday, June 25, 2009     Fincher eyes Facebook Oscar-nominated film director David Fincher is in talks to direct a movie based on the rise of social networking website Facebook, it has been reported. CEOs snub blogs,Facebook The heads of the top US companies might be engaged in the boardroom, but they're switched off when it comes to social media, according to a new study that said CEOs should be more connected to their customers. Friday, June 19, 2009     Defensive contract wranglings only prepare for failure, says negotiators' body Contract managers are being more cautious than ever when they negotiate new agreements, contract managers' body IACCM has said. It has surveyed the most negotiated contract terms and says that the wrong terms get most attention. Blogging detective has no right to privacy, rules High Court A controversial blogging detective has failed in his attempt to protect his anonymity and The Times newspaper has named him. The High Court said it was not its job to protect blogging police officers from disciplinary action over broken police rules. Invoice theft breached confidence, rules High Court The handing over of a set of stolen invoices from one dairy wholesaler to its most bitter rival was a breach of confidence, the High Court has ruled. The taking of the invoices by an ex-employee and their user by the rival broke the law, it said. Retailers must review own brand packaging after ECJ trade mark ruling, says expert Supermarkets and other retailers who create own-brand goods must change the way they package them in the wake of a European court ruling on trade marks, according to a legal expert. The ruling outlaws packaging that imitates major brands, he said. Thursday, June 18, 2009     France to move ahead with new Internet law The French Government will move ahead with a new Internet law even though a key aspect contravenes the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Culture Minister said last week. Wednesday, June 17, 2009     Ruling on NightJack author Richard Horton kills blogger anonymity - Times Online Thousands of bloggers who operate behind the cloak of anonymity have no right to keep their identities secret, the High Court ruled yesterday. Friday, June 12, 2009     Nucleus Graphics: A New Approach to User Interface Creation for Consumer Electronic Devices The success of any consumer electronic device depends to a large extent on the appeal of the user interface (UI) and how easy the device is to use. Studies show that a good cosmetic design can encourage users to explore the full range of features and often engenders the perception that a product is easier to use. Thursday, June 11, 2009     Personalise your facebook URL Popular online social networking service Facebook has announced that it will let members use their full names in online addresses for profile pages. Wednesday, June 10, 2009     Are IT staff snooping on you? More than one-third of information technology professionals abuse administrative passwords to access confidential data such as colleagues' salary details, according to a survey. Tuesday, June 09, 2009     Obama unveils cyber security plan President Barack Obama has outlined his plan to enhance cyber security protections in the US Monday, June 08, 2009     Britons confused by legality of downloads Consumers are spoilt for choice when they seek content online and are confused about what is legal and not legal. Friday, June 05, 2009     A few do all the tweeting "Companies are increasingly turning to Twitter to improve their understanding of how consumers view them" Thursday, June 04, 2009     Online 'speed humps' to protect against piracy The UK film and television industry is calling on the government to introduce online 'speed humps' that would slow down or restrict the broadband access of people who illegally share copyrighted material, and slap pop-up warnings on Web sites to stem the rising tide of Internet piracy. Wednesday, June 03, 2009     New adminstrator Hi everyone, My name is Candice Govender from Deloitte & Touche. I will be assisting Reinhardt with posting hot topics on the blog. Watch this space!! Cops fight evolving cyber threat Cyber crime-fighting efforts have to be improved, or SA could face a bigger problem in 10 years, says the South African Police Service (SAPS). Cops fight evolving cyber threat Cyber crime-fighting efforts have to be improved, or SA could face a bigger problem in 10 years, says the South African Police Service (SAPS). Britons confused by legality of downloads, finds report | OUT-LAW.COM Consumers are spoilt for choice when they seek content online and are confused about what is legal and not legal, according to a report published on Friday. That confusion, and the ease of lawbreaking, present challenges for Government, the authors say. Tuesday, June 02, 2009     Social network sites endanger businesses Social network sites, such as Facebook, pose risks to the information security of businesses and other organisations, says a Johannesburg technology law expert. Thursday, May 28, 2009     Social sites pose business security risks, say experts - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source Social network sites, such as Facebook, pose risks to the information security of businesses and other organisations, a technology law expert said on Monday. Wednesday, May 27, 2009     Businesses cough up for piracy Companies caught using illegal software paid out more than R3.4 million, following its piracy reporting campaign, says the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Facebook users under attack by scammers One of the Internet's most popular social networking websites, Facebook, has been hit by scammers trying to lure users to a number of fake websites which ask for their passwords and login details. Google drops trademark bomb South African companies are going to have to realise that Internet search giant Google will no longer protect their trademarks, and their competitors or others may bid for their brands, says Clicks2Customers director Jonathan Gluckman. Sentencing delayed in MySpace suicide case A US federal judge on Monday questioned whether prosecutors were correct in bringing charges against a Missouri mother who was involved in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbour who ended up committing suicide. Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industries Spending on Security and Privacy Declines With Economy Companies in the technology, media and telecommunications industries (TMT) significantly reduced investment in security spending in 2008, according to a new survey from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The third edition of the Deloitte TMT Global Security Survey reveals that 32 percent of respondents reduced their information security budgets, while 60 percent of respondents believe they are 'falling behind' or still 'catching up' to their security threats -- a significant increase from 49 percent over the previous year. Web 2.0 Initiatives Continue to Gain Acceptance at Companies, Watson Wyatt Survey Finds Despite their relative newness, companies are embracing Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking tools, blogs and webcasts for internal communications and as part of their overall technology mix, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. Music giants renew attack on Pirate Bay Stockholm - Four music industry giants want heavy fines imposed on the three founders of The Pirate Bay file-sharing website as long it keeps running, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported Tuesday. Billy Bragg calls three-strikes lobbying 'shameful' | OUT-LAW.COM Record labels have given up on copyright law and are trying to make internet service providers (ISPs) fight their battles for them in a 'shameful attempt to pass [on] responsibility', singer songwriter Billy Bragg has said. Maties link to sex pest: South Africa: News: News24 Cape Town - The internet sex pest who has been targeting a teacher from Pretoria with hundreds of vulgar and obscene phone calls, used, among others, a telephone line at Stellenbosch University (SU). Web a weapon of lovers’ revenge The Internet is increasingly being used to cause hurt to former partners after love goes sour — and the malice lasts forever. Social sites 'pose security risk' Johannesburg - Social network sites, such as Facebook, pose risks to the information security of businesses and other organisations, a technology law expert said on Monday. Tuesday, March 31, 2009     US newspapers need to reinvent themselves ... fast "Washington - US newspapers are in a state 'perilously close to free fall' and time is running short for them to find a business model and reinvent themselves, according to a study released on Monday. Friday, March 27, 2009     SA falls in global technology rankings FOR the sixth year running, SA has slid down the rankings of the world’s most technology-savvy countries, with a lack of government commitment to technology blamed for the deterioration. Dealing with threat from within Insider attacks are on the rise and, while they don't constitute the majority of security incidents and breaches yet, they can already prove the most costly. Hennie Moolman, Managing Director of network security expert, AfricaSD, examines the threat posed by insider attacks and what companies need to be doing to neutralise it. ITWeb :DNA database delay Parliament has failed to finalise a proposed DNA Bill – raising doubts that it would be signed off by the first half of 2009. eCard scammer avoids jail • The Register A US fraudster who used fake electronic greetings cards to spread malware has avoided a jail sentence for his crimes. Businesses are not always free to change lawyers, rules tribunal | OUT-LAW.COM Companies may begin to use complex commercial services contracts when engaging law firms after a case underlined the rights of workers whose jobs are transferred to another firm. Lawyer-client privilege can't stop surveillance, says House of Lords | OUT-LAW.COM The state is allowed to bug communication between lawyers and their clients, the House of Lords has said. The UK's highest court ruled that spy law the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) allows lawyers' conversations to be bugged. Study: Most Organizations Hit by Cybercrime - Network World A report released Monday by Symantec gauges the far reaching impact of cybercrime and finds most organizations have dealt with a cyber attack of some kind in the last two years. Aussie stumbles on 19,000 exposed credit card numbers - Internet - iTnews Australia A defunct payment gateway has exposed as many as 19,000 credit card numbers, including up to 60 Australian numbers. Report: Cybersquatting, Brand Abuse Still Lucrative for Crooks in Bad Economy - CSO Online - Security and Risk Unlike many economies around the globe, the criminal industry of cybersquatting and brand abuse saw no downturn in 2008. U.K. to monitor, store all social-network traffic? | Security - CNET News The U.K. government is considering the mass surveillance and retention of all user communications on social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. IT contractor indicted for sabotaging offshore rig management system An IT contract employee who formerly worked at an oil and gas production company in Long Beach, Calif., was indicted yesterday on charges of sabotaging a computer system he helped set up because the company did not offer him a permanent job. The Associated Press: FBI agent in NY accused of tipping off informant An FBI agent in New York has been accused of keeping in touch with an informant after their professional relationship ended and then claiming that he 'squashed' a drug trafficking investigation involving the source, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. Getty Images sues removal firm over website image | OUT-LAW.COM Getty Images is suing a removals firm for the alleged use of a copyright-protected image on its website. The global picture company is taking action against a removals and haulage firm based in London, JA Coles. Domain disputes rise, but could rocket under ICANN plan says WIPO | OUT-LAW.COM The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) ruled on more domain name disputes last year than ever before but has warned that disputes will rocket if a plan to allow the creation of infinite numbers of domains goes ahead. Privacy campaigner vows legal challenge to Street View | OUT-LAW.COM A privacy campaigner will launch a legal challenge to Google's Street View service, which was launched today. Simon Davies of Privacy International says that he will pursue 'a test case' against Google. Saturday, March 14, 2009     allAfrica.com: South Africa: King 3 Report Wrong About It Matters, Says Attorney (Page 1 of 1) PROMINENT IT lawyer Reinhardt Buys has complained that the IT governance provisions in the third King report on corporate governance are 'incomplete, confusing and disappointing'. King 3’s IT governance provisions under fire at FM Tech - Technology news and views from a South African perspective - business, communication, ICT, IT, finance, media, e-commerce, broadcasting. Prominent IT lawyer Reinhardt Buys has complained that the IT governance provisions in the third King report on corporate governance are “incomplete, confusing and disappointing”. Friday, March 13, 2009     Finland approves email snooping law Finnish President Tarja Halonen on Friday ratified a controversial new law giving employers the right to monitor employees' emails where wrongdoing is suspected. DA fan hacks into ‘voting’ website The Times website team at the iLab on Wednesday night stopped a hacker from artificially inflating the DA’s online votes to over 20 000 on its saelections site. How To Kill The Music Industry During The Pirate Bay trial, the music industry placed the blame for the decline in their revenues squarely on the shoulders of file-sharers. Their logic is clearly flawed, but it could sway the verdict if no alternative explanation is presented. So, if piracy isn’t to blame, then what is *actually* killing the music industry? The cheapest online shops in SA The iPod has become something of a benchmarking tool after the Australian bank Commonwealth Securities launched an iPod index, using the iPod Nano music player as a currency value indicator. This is similar to the well-known Economist's Big Mac index. Free-for-all fight for market share THERE has been excitement in the market about new licences to be issued that allow ISPs and other service providers to set up their own telecommunications infrastructures. Potentially, those prepared to pay for the licences could compete head-on with the traditional fixed-line and mobile network operators, but there are differing views about the impact this regulatory change will have on the market in the short term. Sprint: Employee Stole Customer Data Sprint is warning several thousand customers that a former employee sold or otherwise provided their account data without permission. Army database may have been breached An Army database that contains personal information about nearly 1,600 soldiers may have been penetrated by unauthorized users, Army officials have announced. BBC botnet investigation turns hacks into hackers BBC Click got its hands on a botnet of 22,000 compromised PCs from an underground forum. It used these machines to send spam to two accounts it had established with Gmail and Hotmail. The programme also used these zombie machines to show how they might be used in a denial of service attack. Feds file new felonies against alleged Palin hacker A University of Tennessee student accused of illegally breaking into the email account of Alaska governor Sarah Palin has been hit with three new felony charges in connection with the case. No SMS subscription ads for kids The Wireless Application Service Providers' Association of South Africa (WASPA) has set out clear television advertising regulations for its members in a bid to protect minors from exposure to inappropriate adverts for cellular subscription services. Picasa is still tops for privacy THE great thing about digital photography is that it’s free — once you’ve paid for the camera, that is. Database infringements depend on taking, not usage, of data The European Union's Database Directive is infringed when data is taken out of someone else's database regardless of what they intend using the information for, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said. Indefinite liability for online libel must end The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) missed an opportunity to kill an absurd libel law this week. That law exposes online news archives around the world to indefinite liability in British courts. Tuesday, March 10, 2009     IT Governance Report slated Less than 7 of the 141 pages of the Report deal with IT governance – that is simply not enough for such an important corporate issue” says IT lawyer Reinhardt Buys of Buys Inc. Attorneys who refers to the new IT governance provisions in King III as “generally incomplete, confusing and disappointing”. Monday, March 09, 2009     King III addresses IT governance The ballooning costs of installing IT systems, coupled with the need to ensure information security and system integrity, means a company's board must be directly involved in IT governance, says Mervyn King.The ballooning costs of installing IT systems, coupled with the need to ensure information security and system integrity, means a company's board must be directly involved in IT governance, says Mervyn King. Google SA loses country head Stafford Masie has resigned his position as head of Google's South African operations, a little after 18 months in the position, the US Internet giant confirmed today.Stafford Masie has resigned his position as head of Google's South African operations, a little after 18 months in the position, the US Internet giant confirmed today. Google SA loses country head Stafford Masie has resigned his position as head of Google's South African operations, a little after 18 months in the position, the US Internet giant confirmed today.Stafford Masie has resigned his position as head of Google's South African operations, a little after 18 months in the position, the US Internet giant confirmed today. Showing the way Search giant Google has updated its maps.google.com website with detailed SA street maps. Previously, the system showed only major arterial routes. Google, Yahoo!, MS urged not to censor search Rights groups called on Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft on Friday not to censor their Web search engines one day this week to help protest cyber censorship. Signing your life away POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKING service Facebook last week released a new version of its terms of service - that led to a mass exodus of users who had a problem with the changes. Facebook soon reverted to an older version of the terms in dealing with the outcry. But what was it that put people's backs up? SA's tangled web According to a report released this week at the Internet Governance Forum, South Africa has fallen a long way in the African rankings since 2000, when it had 2.4 million subscribers representing 53 percent of internet users across the continent. University admits to third data breach in three months The University of Florida in Gainesville late last month disclosed that a breach discovered in January exposed personal data on 97,200 students, faculty and staffers who attended or worked at the school between 1996 and 2009. Friday, March 06, 2009     Prime Minister's health records breached in database attack • The Register Personal medical records belonging to Scotland's rich and powerful - including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Holyrood's First Minister Alex Salmond - have been illegally accessed in a breach of a national database that holds details of 2.5 million people. Layoff backlash: Five steps to protect your business from angry ex-employees A senior corporate executive leaves the company, taking with him his framed family photographs, his prized gold pen-and-pencil set -- and the passwords of several hundred employees. Judge orders defendant to decrypt PGP-protected laptop | Politics and Law - CNET News A federal judge has ordered a criminal defendant to decrypt his hard drive by typing in his PGP passphrase so prosecutors can view the unencrypted files, a ruling that raises serious concerns about self-incrimination in an electronic age. Thursday, March 05, 2009     Court sets standard for online anonymity protections | Politics and Law - CNET News Web sites involved in defamation suits are not required to immediately hand over the identities of readers who leave anonymous comments, a Maryland court has ruled, laying out guidelines for future suits involving online anonymity. Pirates steal for the love of music, not stealing - Voices It's also safe to say that everyone likes free stuff. One would imagine that the combination of those two things would be met with unanimous support worldwide. Pirate Bay caused 'immense damage' A top music industry official has told The Pirate Bay file-sharing trial in Stockholm that online piracy has caused 'immense damage' to artists and producers worldwide. Monday, March 02, 2009     Half of Pirate Bay case dropped in courtroom drama | OUT-LAW.COM Prosecutors have been forced to drop their more serious charges against file-sharing links site The Pirate Bay in a dramatic climbdown in the closely-watched trial in Sweden. Around half the charges have been dropped. E-tailers can't reclaim value of use of returned goods, says ECJ advisor | OUT-LAW.COM Online retailers cannot reclaim some of the purchase price of goods even if they are returned after a long time and have given the user some benefit, an advocate general of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said. Court allows AP to assert intellectual property right over facts | OUT-LAW.COM News agency The Associated Press (AP) has won the right to fight a court battle to defend a property right over facts. Copyright law does not protect facts, but AP has been permitted to make its defence based on a 1918 case on 'hot news'. Tuesday, February 17, 2009     Landmark Pirate Bay Trial Begins Monday | Threat Level from Wired.com The much-anticipated criminal trial of The Pirate Bay's operators begins in a Stockholm criminal court on Monday. Pirate Bay file-sharing defended The founders of a website which carries links to copies of music, films and TV programmes have gone on trial in Sweden on charges of copyright theft. Friday, February 13, 2009     Mxit, Standard team up to save R5bn The 12 million users of mobile social networking service Mxit could save up to R5 billion per year in transaction and telecommunications fees if the joint service between it and Standard Bank pans out. Ad comparing perfume to L'Oréal's did not infringe trade marks, says Advocate General | OUT-LAW.COM A perfume manufacturer which created a list of famous perfumes its fragrances smelled like did not break EU trade mark law, an Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said. Lack of warning in first email made dismissal unfair, says EAT | OUT-LAW.COM An employee's dismissal was unfair because the email inviting him to the first in a series of disciplinary meetings did not specifically say that the process might result in dismissal, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has said. Monday, February 09, 2009     ITWeb :ICASA tip-toes around telcos The Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) long-awaited handset subsidy draft regulations will only be available from the end of the month.         BUYS LINKS TERMS AND CONDITIONS BUYS INCORPORATED WEBSITE CONTACT US SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER SYNDICATE VIA RSS FEED VIEW OUR LATEST EVENTS RECENTLY SUSPENDED DOMAINS WHO GOT HACKED IN SA TODAY GUIDES INTERCEPTION ACT GUIDE TOP 5 ICT RISKS CONVERGENCE BILL GUIDE JUDGMENTS 1998 - 2005 ONLINE SERVICES ORDER PAIA MANUAL REQUEST WEBSITE AUDIT BLOG ARCHIVES April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009